View Full Version : Fish dying after H2O changes
Hiame70
07-20-2003, 5:20 PM
Hi,
I haven't been on this board in a long time! Well,
I have had a planted tank for about 3 years now, I recently moved from one part of the state into another (St. Paul, MN).
I was able to transport all my fish safely and 1/2 of orig. water, but when I added the new water from the tap, they all "froze" and died rapidly.
I slowly added more new fish and they all did the same thing after a water change!
I suspect that the tap might have high chlorine levels. I heard that letting the water sit out overnight ot letting it splash into the tank will help, but they still died.
Any help?
Thanks.:confused:
Sharyl C
07-20-2003, 6:20 PM
Did you treat you water with any kind of dechlorinator before adding to your tank?
Was the temp of the new water about the same as that of the tank water?
What species of fish are you keeping?
If you didn't treat your tap water for chlorine and it is city (rather than well water) chances are it was chlorine. Yes its true that you can allow tap water to sit out 1-2 days to off gas any chlorine, but it must be in an open container and the length of time needed is dependant on the volume of water and the concentration of chlorine in it. Allowing the water to splash in to the aquarium will NOT remove chlorine from the new water. It will however increase dissolved oxygen and if hydrogen sulfide (causes rotten egg smell) is a problem it will help that off gas.
Chrlorine test kits are not that expensive and neither is dechlorinator. Look for ones that work with both chlorine and chloramine. This may sound funny, but I hope that it was chlorine that caused the problem - it is something that is very easy/inexpensive to fix and from now on not easily overlooked.
What she said. Yeah thats it.
revfred
07-20-2003, 10:24 PM
Yes, you have to dechlor. I'm from MN and all city water is chlorinated. The water is pretty alkaline in most parts of MN as well.
Dtman
07-20-2003, 10:24 PM
Hi Hiame. We do have chlorine in the water, as far as I know we dont have chloramines, but I add Amquel any way. The city adds different chems in different concentrations depending on the season. Welcome to St Paul by the way.
Hiame70
07-21-2003, 2:59 PM
Duh! Dechlorinator!
:rolleyes:
I'll definately be getting some of that! I've had well water all my life, and it just never occured to me.
Thanks all!
Hiame:rolleyes:
125gJoe
07-21-2003, 6:09 PM
Also, you need to make sure your water temps are real close to the same temp.....