1 tank nearly destroyed :(

[rama]

hello,

i write here to find some help for a big problem (unfortunatly irreversible).
i had setupped 9 months ago a big tank for drarf chiclid. I would like to tell that i am a completly beginner with this kind of fish, but not to acquariofily, i mainly keep killi.

Anyway, i setup this tank with 3 Apistogramma species (vejeta, cacatuoides, agassizi) and all go correctly for all this 9 months. Giving live food (white worms, i use for killi, daphnia and artemia), somethimes fome flakes (when colture are unaviable, or just to change the diet). Change water, control ph, no2, no3, gh, kh. all work smoothly. Also cacatuoides have spawn (and i give the little fish to some friends, they still have them).

Today, all the fish are dead
I am very very sad for this, but anyway, there is nothing that i can do. I need to understand why!

I haven't do enything of particular, always the same things, change water 5 days ago, add active carbon some days before, test the water, 0no2, 0no3, 0nh4.

My only idea is temperature. Are this fish sensible to high temperature? when i was out the day before the tragedy, acquarium temperature goes up to 33*C, and in the morning all fish was died.

The other fish (some petitella giordane -italian name, comunity fish with red head- and the ancistrus) are all ok, no dead in other spieces, just all apistogramma.

Is my relation correct? what is the maximum temp for A. ? I have read a lot before start this new tank, maybe high t. was not my concern on september... now i pay the conseguence of my fault, if this is the cause.

Any information will be really appreciate.
Best Regards
Rama

 

[Mike Wise]

33ºC/91ºF is very high for apistos, but A. viejita was collected in the wild at this temperature. I do not know why only the apistos died. That is strange. I will need more information:

Did a heater malfunction or was it just a very hot day?

Did the electricity fail at some time?

Have you moved any of your equipment to a new location (on the floor?) recently?

I appears to me that some kind of poisoning is more likely.

 

[rama]

just a very hot day, 35* outside, inside 1-2 less.

i haven't move nothing, pump work correctly, electricity was all good, i have the pc on so i will notice if it fail even if i am not here.

I haven't move nothing, neither do some strange things...i just do a water change 5 days before the problem, tap water with bioconditioning, as always.

i have also thing about some sort of poisoning, but i don't use nothing to clean tank glass, just water. Also, strange that other fish don't have problem for that.

I have also add some active carbon some times ago, rinse it, even the "socks" that i use for that, all al always :S


the other question is "is possible that other fish are more resistent to some kind of poison? in the past i had some problem with petitella giordane that seem a quite delicate fish, so how all this little fish can survive and all a. die?"

 

[Konigwolf]

Oxygen could be an issue, I stress could be as your other fish seem fine. As water temp increases so does its inabilty to hold oxygen as such more oxygenation or water disturbance is needed for the water to hold a "normal" amount of oxygen. Since the apistos are bottom dwellers the may of been more sensitive to the lack of oxygen.

Konigwolf

 

[rama]

tnx for reply Konigwolf.

This, indeed, can be a reason, but the tank is full of plant, also i have a pump connected to a tube that go outside. When the pump flow, also it get some air from outside (Sorry for my terrible english..i hope that you understand). I generally don't use this system because i don't like the mess that this do, and i suppose that this sort of areation reduce co2 for plant.

But exactly 3 days before the problem, i have open the valve that is on the end of this small tube, so the pump put in tank some air.

As for bottom dwellers, if i understand well (using dictionary to be honest), i have to say that i have some corydoras and ancistrus, that are bottom fish as well.

I excuse if this 3d is unuseful and too big, but i really want to know where is the fault, just to understand if i can start over, or if is better to think a bit more on what i have to to.

Bye

 

[kingborris]

As for bottom dwellers, if i understand well (using dictionary to be honest), i have to say that i have some corydoras and ancistrus, that are bottom fish as well.

Corydoras, and possibly ancistrus (i cant remember at the moment) can 'breath' atmospheric oxygen by absorbing it through thier stomach / gut lining. They gulp air from the surface to do this. therefore they are less likely to be affected by low O2 levels

 

[mervin]

here in Singapore the temp also get to that high and temp in the tanks can get as high as 30-32"C.

those feeling wealthy will of course purchased a water chiller for their thanks but most hobbist here uses fans to blow directly at the water surface, especially during aquarium lights are on period (most of us keep our fishes in a fully planted tanks).

fan cools the water and the wind draught will also agitate the water surface and thus solving the low O2 situation.

 

[Greg PL]

plants absorb oxygen at night, so the more you have the less O2 in the water. this could be the reason. temperatures like mentioned should not be harmful in short term.
do you add CO2 to the tank for plant growth? if faulty the installation could also be harmful.

 

[rama]

do you add CO2 to the tank for plant growth? if faulty the installation could also be harmful.

yes, i have co2, but the system is on my tank for 6 months, and i never have problem. Also i check the ph and regulate the co2 level accordling, so i don't think that this could be problem.

For plant, i honestly don't know, but i think that o2 in my tank is not a problem for the pump system. I have a juwel acquarium, and i have the little tube http://www.edkins.com/juwel-aquariums/air_venturi.htm similar to this one (the difference is that the tube is connected directly to pump staff, when the pump get water not when the water go out).

Anyway, on the bottom of my tank there is a lot of very very small bubble (that are not of co2, the 2 system don't work togheter, day co2, night venturi air).

I will buy an 02 test to see, maybe it could be useful. now i add a small quantity of borade of sodium and perborate of sodium (don't know if the translation is the same sorry) this are the 2 component of http://seraitalia.com/service/listino/schede/sera_oxygen.htm.
In water this will slowly dissolve o2.

I will write some news when i can do a 02 test, maybe the value will change from the days of problem, but i will not change nothing on thank, not the lighting time, neither other things


as for mervin: tnx for help, but how air could cool water? the termical resistence of water is too high. Also, if this work (and if people have try it, i am sure that this go), the evaporation of water will not be a problem? moving the surface of water will do a lot of evaporation right?

 

[Mike Wise]

Anyway, on the bottom of my tank there is a lot of very very small bubble (that are not of co2, the 2 system don't work togheter, day co2, night venturi air).

Could the bubbles on the bottom be H2S? It would smell like rotten eggs & is a poison gas.

 

[rama]

Could the bubbles on the bottom be H2S? It would smell like rotten eggs & is a poison gas.

nope, the bubble are made by venturi pump that put air with water.
i have do 02 test, i have a lot.
(just to be sure smell is normal).

also, i haven't had any more loss....


i have put some fan with a mod to acquarium, temp now is good (28/29).
I will wait to buy new A. at least 1 month, see what's happen