After adding plants

[Nolapete]

What can you expect plants to do to water chemistry immediately after adding them? Here's why I ask:

I bought some plants from Petsmart dumped them into a bucket when I got home then placed them where I wanted throughout the tank. I fed the fish a few flakes then finished acclimating the 5 Otos I bought as well. Everyone looked fine, no heavy breathing, etc.

I went outside to cut the grass and when I finished I stopped to look at the tank. My male albino kribensis is upside down on the bottom breathing barely and obviously about to die (and subsequently did). I tested the water and 0 ammonia and .25 nitrite (figured with the number of plants it came in with them because it was 0 ppm last night). I double dosed with Prime and then did a 25% water change.

All the other fish are fine, so maybe he had a problem when I bought him.

I added:
1 bunch moneywort
1 bunch cabomba
1 bunch anacharis
2 temple
2 1 wisteria
2 of something else I can't yank out of my head right now

 

[rich311k]

Plants would not cause nitrites they would have the opposite effect. I wonder if they came with a dead snail or two?

 

[Nolapete]

It just makes no sense because he was perfectly fine swimming around when I got home before I put the plants in. And in less than an hour after, he's dead.

 

[happybob59]

It probably just happened? Stress and stuff like that? After acclimating my 3 panda corys, the next day i lost 2 of them....it wasnt my water so my lfs said, so who knows!

 

[tanker]

It probably just happened? Stress and stuff like that? After acclimating my 3 panda corys, the next day i lost 2 of them....it wasnt my water so my lfs said, so who knows!

Yes, it happens with new fish. Or maybe hands not clean??

 

[Mgamer20o0]

even if there was a dead snail and even if most of the plants where dead it takes some time to break down. shouldnt have nitrites that soon.

 

[Nolapete]

He probably was just weak. Everything else is doing good. 25% water change and back to 0 ppm on both.

 

[FishyMatty]

If you tested positive for nitrite it was the stirring of the substrate from planting. The bio filter and plants can process ammonia fast enough that you would never see it but nitrite take a little longer. Thats what it was. Every time I mess around with the bottom I do a huge water change to be safe. But I've had my share of spikes from that reason.