Urgent help needed fish gasping for air and dying

dropzone newbee

dropzone newbee

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terrible morning to be reporting this , but need some emergency advice please
thursday eve fed my fish and all were perfect ! eating like mad and all was normal .
friday , did a water test and kh was lowish at 6 , so it was buffered as well as the magnesium and the calcium !
i got home last night and a few fish seemed to be breathing heavy and were in trouble .
green chromis , have lost 4 out of the 9 and sad to report this a,m they are all gone .
have lost my wrasse and my yellow fin tang - least to say we are devastated and will kill me if i lose any more fish !
did a test last night and the kh was up to 10 . calcium - 400 and ph 7.8 ! salinity 1.025
COULD the increase in alkilinity in the 5 hours have caused this ?
water temp is as normal -25.5-26.5 all day and night
waiting for a friend now and we are doing a 400 litre water change as we are at a loss for words

any help or advise would be greatly appreciated

clint :(
 
dropzone newbee said:
did a water test and kh was lowish at 6 , so it was buffered as well as the magnesium and the calcium !
Click to expand...
Did you add all of those additives at the same time?

When changing any water parameter it is advisable to do it slowly, make the increases or changes over a few days and not all at once.

For example, take few days to increase your magnesium, adding a little bit at a time each day, once that is at it's level then you can concentrate on doing your calcium and kh, add some calcium today, test it tomorrow, then add some kh buffer the next day, test it then add some calcium the next day etc. etc. Never try to increase multiple parameters at the same and in the same day.
 
viper357 said:
Did you add all of those additives at the same time?

When changing any water parameter it is advisable to do it slowly, make the increases or changes over a few days and not all at once.

For example, take few days to increase your magnesium, adding a little bit at a time each day, once that is at it's level then you can concentrate on doing your calcium and kh, add some calcium today, test it tomorrow, then add some kh buffer the next day, test it then add some calcium the next day etc. etc. Never try to increase multiple parameters at the same and in the same day.
Click to expand...

yep. they were all buffered in the same day :(
thanks viper
do you think this could be a reason ?
 
sound like it could be lack of O2, possibly due to a chemical reaction.

Place a power head on the surface of the wster and let it blow bubbles into the water, this will help with desolved oxygen in the water.I wouldnt try do too much too soon, it could just stress them out more...

remove all the dead fish!

do you perhaps have another tank to move them into?
Posted via Mobile Device
 
have you been vodka or carbon dosing?if you overdo it bacteria overpopulate and use up all 02 and suffocate everything.
 
Last edited:
Hi there get a airstone and let it run and your wave pumps face them to the top of the water and do a 20-30% water change asap and add some prime if you got and tripple dose aswell as bacteria and no carbon dosing,sorry to yere not a nice thing to loose fish, hope all goes good your side
 
IMarine said:
Hi there get a airstone and let it run and your wave pumps face them to the top of the water and do a 20-30% water change asap and add some prime if you got and tripple dose aswell as bacteria and no carbon dosing,sorry to yere not a nice thing to loose fish, hope all goes good your side[/QUOTE

thanks for input guys. we did a 400litre water change and just holing thumbs now. fish still seem lethargic but the survivors are stll putting up a fight
hve pointed the 4 wave pumps to the surface creating good water turbulance.
i have not fed or dosed anything. will check parameters tom'.
still a a loss for words to what could be th cause :(
Click to expand...
 
IMarine said:
Hi there get a airstone and let it run and your wave pumps face them to the top of the water and do a 20-30% water change asap and add some prime if you got and tripple dose aswell as bacteria and no carbon dosing,sorry to yere not a nice thing to loose fish, hope all goes good your side
Click to expand...

have done the wave pump thingy , thnx
please explain 'add some prime ' ?
triple dose with ?

thanks in advance

clint
 
lIghty said:
sound like it could be lack of O2, possibly due to a chemical reaction.

Place a power head on the surface of the wster and let it blow bubbles into the water, this will help with desolved oxygen in the water.I wouldnt try do too much too soon, it could just stress them out more...

remove all the dead fish!

do you perhaps have another tank to move them into?
Posted via Mobile Device
Click to expand...

thanks
no tank to put the fish into im afraid . all i can do is hope an prey now
 
dropzone newbee said:
terrible morning to be reporting this , but need some emergency advice please
thursday eve fed my fish and all were perfect ! eating like mad and all was normal .
friday , did a water test and kh was lowish at 6 , so it was buffered as well as the magnesium and the calcium !
i got home last night and a few fish seemed to be breathing heavy and were in trouble .
green chromis , have lost 4 out of the 9 and sad to report this a,m they are all gone .
have lost my wrasse and my yellow fin tang - least to say we are devastated and will kill me if i lose any more fish !
did a test last night and the kh was up to 10 . calcium - 400 and ph 7.8 ! salinity 1.025
COULD the increase in alkilinity in the 5 hours have caused this ?
water temp is as normal -25.5-26.5 all day and night
waiting for a friend now and we are doing a 400 litre water change as we are at a loss for words

any help or advise would be greatly appreciated

clint :(
Click to expand...

sorry guys ph was 8.4 appologies
 
im perplexed ,if calcium reactor was working prop, calcium would be alright.. the other thought that the change in kh iis very drastic and if you have dosed large amounts of calcium and magnesium and bicarb in same day you may have chemically burnt gills of fish thus inability to breath. thus suffocating them
 
dropzone newbee said:
have done the wave pump thingy , thnx
please explain 'add some prime ' ?
triple dose with ?

thanks in advance

clint
Click to expand...
Hi bra normaly when fish is grasping for air you might have a ammonia spike so what prime from seachem does is it removes all ammonia thats is not traceble and provides a slime coat that will allow fish not to stress and will help with breathing,i always say that no marine tank should be with out prime its the magic in a bottle
 
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