Discus killer needs advice...

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Dita

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Jan 10, 2011
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I upgraded my 55 gallon tank to a 60 gallon tank 2 days ago. I had 6 discus in the bare 55 with some driftwood. My fish got quite large and lovely, and I wanted to add a sand bottom for various reasons since I was done growing the fish (also have 3 cory cats and khuli loaches). Decided to do this sand substrate and tank upgrade all at once. I used Stoney River Premium Aquarium Sand purchased from the LFS. Just put in enough to cover the bottom as I'm not planning on having plants, just wanted it to look covered. Washed it, filled and emptied the tank a few times. Was happy with it, looked good... a tiny bit cloudy, but the LFS guy said it was normal for a day or so. I have 2 mature filters on this tank, each is big enough to handle the tank alone. Turned them on, waited a bit...

So I put my discus back in with their bottom feeding friends.

They looked great. Swam around, seemed to enjoy the new height on the tank. Went to bed.

Woke up to 3 dead discus, and 3 bobbing. Khuli loaches all dead, cory's all totally fine... figures.

I have spent today reviving my fish and filling and emptying this 60 gallon tank to lose the murky colour.

I don't have an ammonia kit to test with, but is that what killed my fish? I have upgraded tanks before and always the mature filters had enough bacteria load that I have never had cloudy water and dead fish! I don't have an alternative tank to put them in. They are in the sand bottom again, but it is still cloudy. They are swimming happily, but I am afraid to go to bed. I have set my alarm for 3am to check on them.

My question: Was this an ammonia thing? Or the sand? The sand had a lot of air bubbles in it yesterday and after reading the package it does say it is coated with a polymer to make it inert. I am heading to the LFS tomorrow, but I don't even know what I am going to pick up... ammonia kit... waste of money bottled bacteria (what if the bacteria in my filters died or something?)... gravel to replace the sand... more khuli loaches to sacrifice as indicators of the water quality declining?

My biggest fear is that somehow my tank is cycling all over again (with my discus!), but even then, there should not have been an ammonia spike to kill my fish so fast... which brings me back to the sand... should i remove it? I didn't want to be rash about it, I know some things need time to settle.

What did I do wrong, how do I fix it? Water change like crazy? take out sand? ... wait?

Would appreciate some advice.
 

Rev_Jim_Jones

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May 15, 2011
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Mat
Was the New water the same parameters as the Old Tank? what did you wash the sand in? was it a new tank or a Used Tank? There could be many reasons was there a PH swing a serious Temp Swing?
 

Dita

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Jan 10, 2011
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Same parameters, it was a new tank, but i washed it down before using it. Checked PH, it was fine, but I don't alter PH ever so I havent had an issue, my fish are used to it. Temp was the same throughout...

Update: stayed up all night checking the fish... all 3 pulled through. Water is almost crystal clear now.... I think we are out of the woods. So devastated about my other fishies though. :( I'm guessing I didnt wash the sand thoroughly enough (which I did the following day when fish were dead). That's the only thing I did different yesterday... spent 3 hours washing 15 pounds of sand....

Moral of the story ... if something is working... don't try to 'improve' your tank. It will take a year to grow my fish so big and pretty again... probably more difficult now that there is sand in the tank...
 

discuspaul

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Jun 22, 2010
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Something was obviously not right here - but I'm quite certain it had nothing to do with the sand.
The sand would not be the culprit here.

You mentioned filling & emptying the tank a few times, presumably after adding the sand. ....hmmm
Did you condition (dechlorinate) the water each time ?
Were your 2 'mature filters' fully seeded from the previous tank moved over to the new tank without interruption for any length of time ?

And you said you washed the tank down before using it - did you wash it down with nothing but clean water, or did you use anything else?

At one point you said you 'put the discus 'back in' with their bottom-feeding friends' - from where ?

And you also said you washed the sand again the following day after the 3 discus were dead - I don't get it - where were the discus when you did that ? Did you remove the fish, & start over with the complete sand washing taken out from the new tank? This is quite confusing.

There is not enough known here about everything you did, or didn't do - but it sounds to me like an ammonia spike took place - but one can never be sure without having been there & seen everything you did & how you did it.
At any rate, don't change anything now - don't remove the sand, keep doing frequent wcs, and please get yourself an ammonia, nitrite & nitrate test kit asap.
 

verbal

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May 4, 2010
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Jesse
My guess would be some type of poisoning. I think the 3 previously mentioned causes(chlorine, ammonia spike or "cleaner" contamination) would be the most likely. Another possibility would be a temperature shock. It would explain why the cories seemed to be ok.
 

tonytheboss1

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May 16, 2006
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There is not enough known here about everything you did, or didn't do - but it sounds to me like an ammonia spike took place - but one can never be sure without having been there & seen everything you did & how you did it.
At any rate, don't change anything now - don't remove the sand, keep doing frequent wcs, and please get yourself an ammonia, nitrite & nitrate test kit asap.
:popcorn:Agree w/ 'dp'. For now W/C's are gonna be your best course of action (75% or better). Test kit is critical. Good luck. "T"
 
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