Disaster

[Chuckmeister]

Sorry to hear about the disaster mate Hope things get back to normal quickly for ya

[TropheusQueen]

Hey John,

Heartfelt condolences on your loss

You definately experienced the highs and lows all in one week .

Let me know if and when you start them up again......I will see what I can do

Aline

[cobaltcraig]

Hi Duck

Sorry about your disaster

I lost my first albino b/nose fry I recon due to heat

I put the exhausted fan on last night to cool my room down

I lost nothing else

I have started to fill empty drink bottles and fill and freeze for the next heat wave

I put these in the tanks and float it cools the tanks down

Anyway hope that helps

Cheers

Craig

[CThompson]

From the position of looking back to the past, and in addition, from this side of the computer, it will be nearly impossible to pinpoint what your issue was.

Some things that are staying in my mind after reading through, there-be-it quickly, your information are;

Make sure all your thermometers are accurate, or at least equal each other.

I don’t think the initial cause was ammonia. There may have been an increase here once the fish started dying, particularly dieing on mass. However, I know you know what you are doing, and in addition, as these are well established tanks, there would be no reason for the possible ammonia to be the first cause of death (as you had established bacteria).

What I am wondering is what was the water’s carbonate hardness? I’m thinking that the KH may have been down in the affected tanks, and with a bit of increased heat, the fish’s metabolism (and bacteria's) would have increased, perhaps the first time the combined circumstances (fish numbers and increased metabolism) may have happened since last summer. With increased respiration, there would be increased CO2 (keeping in mind here you said that you have very strong aeration). Perhaps with a combination of low KH (do you buff your water, do you just use coral sand - how old is your substrate if it is coral sand for example?), and increased CO2 (produced by the fish and bacteria), may have been enough to tip the balance and you had a pH crash. Perhaps your water went extremely acidic (hence the irritation to your arm), and the dead fish on mass.

Craig

[Ducksta]

Definately a possibilty Craig. As I said, I think it may have been some little trigger (ie. moderately increased heat) which triggered a chain reaction.

- Change water buffered by Seachem products, no substrate in these tanks. Haven't specifically tested hardness in these tanks, but the pH is being held so I haven't needed to. Shame I can't test the water I dumped, but priority was clean water in tanks at that stage.

- Thermometers are all within 1 degree of each other when testing the same tank (tested them since)

Cheers for the support everyone

Andy, I hope it doesn't come to that, but I know you'll be there if I have to call. Thanks Aline, you will definately find out when I am looking to replace them.

[Rod54]

This is a wild guess because I'm not a chemist.....but perhaps a ph crash generated the increased water temparature in these tanks.....often chemical reactions generate heat????

Sorry for your delema....but perhaps there are lessons for us all?

[CThompson]

Were the tanks that had this problem the only ones without substate?

[Ducksta]

Were the tanks that had this problem the only ones without substate?

←

No, and water change routine/water was the same accross these tanks also.

[DanceswithDingoes]

I'm with CT sound like a hardness problem/ unstable ph, look for a recent post where a member here lost africans and SA's survived, Bnose are sensitive to ammonia and heat they may have died post demasoni. Never rely on tap water to keep Africans, always buffer either with substrate or additives (salts)

Sorry to hear about your losses Ducky but I know you'll bounce back all the wiser.

pps. folks if the weather man says its gonna be a scorcher, take the lids off your tanks and keep the lights off during the day.