Woke up to dead fish......

[bderick67]

Changing substrate, water and filter media is basically setting up a new tank and restarting the cycle process. Bacteria in your filter will prevent this. Or the bacteria on your gravel. Thats why you can change one or the other w/o a spike in NH3( water, filter, or substrate). There is enough bacteria left behind to compensate for the loss. By changing all 3 you eliminate 99% of your population and it will take a few days to re-establish unless you COMPLETELY scubbed it out, then almost a month.

Before you left out much more pertinent parts of your explanation, such as substrate and filter media. You original post said it was the water change, which really has very little to do with it.

 

[Ballyhoo]

I appreciate all of your help. I'm very new to these fish and I'm trying to learn. I feel terrible that I have become a fish killer in the learning process but I am doing my best to correct my mistakes and learn from them. I just wanted to say this is BY FAR the most helpful fish site I have found, thank you all very very much

 

[Slappy*McFish]

Ballyhoo, get in touch with your fav LFS and see if they can hook you up with some filter mulm/dirty water and while you are there get some Seachem Prime and Equilibrium.
If not, then PM me and I could give you some from one of my tanks. You just put it right into your filter. Unfortunately, I don't have the space to foster your fish at this time but I don't think it would be necessary to remove your fish. I live in W. Raleigh, so I'm not too far from you depending on where you guys live in Cary. My girl has my Jeep today so you'd have to come to me...otherwise I'd be more than happy to help straighten out your tank.

 

[Ballyhoo]

I'm stuck until 4 when Daniel gets home, he has the Audi today. So hopefully I can get things straightened out. is there anything I can do for one of the fish. He hasn't died, I think he will soon though, he is in a bucket of tank water before the substrate change, but he is very lethargic and laying on his side.

 

[bderick67]

I would move it back to the tank, the unheated, unfiltered water in th bucket is not going to do it any good. Your best bet is just to do some water changes, this will help keep ammonia and nitrite levels down. Also don't feed the fish, as this will just add to the ammonia levels.

 

[Ballyhoo]

I put the heater in the bucket, but I figured since the biomedia in the filter is no good and probably would add to the water problem i left it in the tank

 

[bderick67]

Yes it will add to the bioload in the tank, I guess the question is whether or not your giving up on this fish? It will not survive in the bucket.

 

[Ballyhoo]

I'm not giving up, he's back in the tank.

 

[Slappy*McFish]

Tell Daniel to pick up some Prime and Equilibrium from Petsmart on his way home. He could ask about the dirty filter media while he is there, but I'm not sure I would trust Petsmart to have disease-free water...so there is a risk. The Pet Pad on Kildaire Farm Rd/Cary Pkwy would be a better choice.

 

[Slappy*McFish]

...and this place: http://www.petsupermarket.com/
They have a nice, clean store and I've bought some healthy, disease-free fish there before.
They are at 268 Grande Heights Drive in Cary.