Fish loss over the past week - coincidence or something sinister?

echoofformless

echoofformless

Peat Advocate & Defender Of Snails
Oct 1, 2005
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Phil Uh Del Feeya
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In four of my tanks I have lost fish over this past week. This is odd because I actually haven't lost many fish at all in the past three years, yet suddenly all of this death is upon me.

In my 20g Asian blackwater I have lost a danio, a rasbora, a yoyo loach and I have a very unhappy looking female betta. (These are all well established and previously healthy fish.)

In my 5g betta land I have lost an oto.

In my 10g community I have lost a dwarf gourami.

In my 55 Amazon blackwater, I have lost an angel. (This angel was a newcomer however, so I think he just didn't acclimate well.)


All of my water parameters are perfect. Water changes are consistent. Everything is exactly as it has been for a long time, except I have started using Phos-Guard to halt algae growth. (Philadelphia water has added phosphates.) The Phos-Guard has been in use for almost a month in the twenty gallon, but has just been added to the other tanks since the last water change on Sunday. (2/26) But I don't see such a product having an effect on fish health.


I'm hoping it's all just coincidence, as I'm well aware that fish just tend to die as all living things do. But then I'm also suspicious that something is afoot. Any ideas?
 
Pollutants in your tap water? Cloramines recently added to the water?

I'd be very careful with that phosphate remover too. The tank you've used it the most has also most lost fishes.
 
I was also suspecting the phosphate remover, but then I thought to myself how odd it would be for Seachem to sell a dangerous product and there not have been a large backlash amongst the aquarist community.

Philadelphia tap water has chloramines, which I remove with Amquel. So the only change in water that I could see, as far as it coming from the tap and my treatment, would be if they suddenly started adding some other creepy stuff to it. But all of my tests of tap water before treatment (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, GH and KH) are consistent from a few months ago. I haven't switched products (been using Amquel for a few months now) and I haven't been adding any other chemicals.

I am considering removing the PhosGuard but I am very concerned then about algae, as Philly tap water is pretty high in phosphates. I originally started using Phosguard because of the algae I was getting, which disappeared within days of me starting use of the stuff.


I'm about to call the water department and ask if anything has been changed in my tap water chemistry.


Oh and I want to add the that other fish are all perfectly fine. Colorful, active, erect fins, etc.
 
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Update -

Called Seachem. Asked if Phosguard could have anything to do with fish loss.

"Absolutely not. No way at all," was the enthusiastic response.
 
I am just thinking out loud here.but I wonder if a sudden change in the water conditions might cause problems.. :confused:

up until you added the phos-guard things were fine..maybe removing the phosphate was too quick and the fish couldn't adjust?? like I said..just thinking out loud
 
I use phos-guard in my "Amazon" tank and have had no problems. It's full of herbivores and they keep eating the plants so trying to maintain some sort of plant nutrient/algae equalibrium just doesn't work.

Roan
 
Just throwing out another idea here...
You said it has been smooth sailing for three years prior. Did you originally get most of the dying fish at the same time a few years ago? Are you perhaps running into the natural lifespan for some of these? The danio, for instance, would be expected to live a couple years at most. I'd imagine most fish of similar size, like the oto, the rasbora, etc., would be the same.

Not sure, just sayin'...
 
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