Fish died randomly and all new fish die within an hour
- Thread starter Lazydaze73
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IF there was a poisonous atmosphere in the garage you would have noticed it, or not lived to write about the tank issue.
The issue seems to be inside the tank, and toxic to fish. Something causes rapid breathing and quick death. IF they were low on oxygen they probably would go to the tank surface where O2 would be more available. OP said the fish were on the bottom of the tank, with rapid breathing.
The mystery remains
The issue seems to be inside the tank, and toxic to fish. Something causes rapid breathing and quick death. IF they were low on oxygen they probably would go to the tank surface where O2 would be more available. OP said the fish were on the bottom of the tank, with rapid breathing.
The mystery remains
Boco
Community Member
Just adding in my 2 cents i have come to strongly dislike the API kits.. they are never accurate.. i bought some salfert tests after having some weord problems and found the api kits werent accurate enough. I decided to upgrade to a hamma PH checker and found the PH on the api kit was also wildly off.. with these weird issues id strongly suggest trying a different test kit, salfert have worked well for me as well as the Red Sea kits.
MaxTremors
2500 Club Member
OP said they stayed at the surface and then went to the bottom as they died.
I don’t think anything in your tank release anything, except ammonia
Get better test kits. Api stinks.
Bring water to an lfs
I agree with someone else who said it might be lack of O2
Maybe throw an air stone in the tank.
Get better test kits. Api stinks.
Bring water to an lfs
I agree with someone else who said it might be lack of O2
Maybe throw an air stone in the tank.
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Full tank shot would be nice. What kind of flow? Seems like an O2 issue. Stray voltage does not harm fish as they are not grounded. Shouldn't be a cycle issue either with a 2 mo old tank and fish doing fine for weeks prior.
Sharkbait19
10K Club member
I'm willing to bet that this was brooklynella or velvet based on the timeline of fish deaths. I know you saw no spots, but some parasites, especially brook, work that way.
Lazydaze73
Active Member
Thanks for all the replies. I know it’s no CO issue. My dogs sleep in the garage as well and they haven’t died. As for brook I really don’t think so. They looked perfectly healthy. No mucus production at all. Nice healthy color up to the end. I have a camera on the tank. They went to bed with lights out swimming around just fine and begging for food when I approached. Then 9 hours later when I woke up and checked on them. They were moving all slow and had no appetite.
I agree it seems to be low o2 but how so quick after 35 days of being totally fine. And then the new ones seemed to be gasping for air within minutes. I’m trying to think of every possible scenario.
I agree it seems to be low o2 but how so quick after 35 days of being totally fine. And then the new ones seemed to be gasping for air within minutes. I’m trying to think of every possible scenario.
Lazydaze73
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Is there much water movement in the left side of your tank? The powerhead seems undersized for the length of the tank. At the very least, aim it towards the surface. The rocks and sand look super white, have you had diatoms yet?
Lazydaze73
Active Member
There isn’t much on the one side but everything seems happy. The rocks are now brownish and I have added another power head on the other side both closer to the water surface. But they were both happy for over a month with that setup.
Suohhen
Well-Known Member
Everything has a different lethal dose so just because you and you dog are not affected doesn't mean you fish weren't. I however have no idea what the science behind that is. I am however in construction and I've seen tankless water heaters that smelled awful and I've also seen plenty of things like water heaters installed incorrectly. This by no means certifies that this is going on at your house but we are working from a theoretical space I apologize for being invasive
Suohhen
Well-Known Member
That is just not a safe assumption. Everything is affected differently by CO. Rats are much more sensitive than humans and in general smaller animals can be much more sensitive and fish are very characteristically different than mammals so there is a chance they are even more or less sensative I don't know the answer. I was able to find very little science on the matter. There is an article on the use of CO to anesthetize fish and one of the benefits is as a color preserver and anti-microbial agent which does jive with your statement that the fish 'looked great' after they passed.
Regardless again I apologize for being invasive but if you answer the questions being asked it will help to get over/past these things rather than stick on something that may be way off base. So as Zalick asked, do you have a gas or electric water heater or furnace in the garage or perhaps even just outside a door that could possibly have been left open?
Lazydaze73
Active Member
All good man. I appreciate the interest. What you said is intriguing. It’s a natural gas tankless water heater approx 20 ft away from the fish tank. Of course it’s built to code with all the necessary exhaust and there are a few vents in the garage as well. How low of ppm do you think could be deadly to fish? And would a standard store have a monitor that read a trace amount?
Suohhen
Well-Known Member
I really don't know what levels are unsafe for fish. I know that CO detectors are generally pretty sensative but for more specific info maybe someone a whole lot smarter than me could help? @Jay Hemdal @vetteguy53081 @ReefSquad
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