This is an emergency! Please help! I have a 20 gallon tank with six fish, all various types of goldfish. Today I did a full water change. I took all the fish out and put them in a bowl filled with tap water and tap water conditioner. Everything was well until the end. I looked over and saw the fish turning belly up an swimming strangely! So, I finished up the tank, put in the correct amount of conditioner, and put them in. Within a minute my small Fantail had died. Many of the others also showed signs of dying! Another goldfish sat at the top, gasping for air, belly up. He died within 2 hours. I've tried lowering the temperature and adding more conditioner (just in case there was an unusual amount of chlorine) two more of my fish show signs of dying. I don't know what to do! PLEASE HELP! I really don't want to loose all of my fish.
Fish are dying after water change?? PLEASE HELP!
- Thread starter Cocoababy123
- Start date
A little more info...I've owned fish since I was six, and I've always used tap water and Stress Coat tap conditioner. This is the first time i have had an issue like this.
Also, I have a small 3 gallon tank in my room with a neon tetra and an ivory snail in it. I also did a water change in that tank, but all is well in that tank.
Also, I have a small 3 gallon tank in my room with a neon tetra and an ivory snail in it. I also did a water change in that tank, but all is well in that tank.
Was the temperature of the new water the same as the old?
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How long had it been since you had done a water change in the tank? Why did you do a 100% water change? Did you make sure the temperature was consistent from tank to bowl to tank?
If it had been neglected for a while, the fish had likely become accustomed to the water parameters in the tank, and their immune systems may have been suffering in it. The PH may also have become quite different than your tap. When you take fish from an atmosphere like that, and put them in perfectly clean water, especially if the PH varies greatly, it can shock their systems and lead to death. It is always best to do several partial water changes in these situations, to avoid changing the parameters too quickly. A quick change of temperature can produce a similar result.
That's the only thing I can think of off the top of my head, that would kill them so fast right as you performed the water change.
Before and after water test readings would help.
If it had been neglected for a while, the fish had likely become accustomed to the water parameters in the tank, and their immune systems may have been suffering in it. The PH may also have become quite different than your tap. When you take fish from an atmosphere like that, and put them in perfectly clean water, especially if the PH varies greatly, it can shock their systems and lead to death. It is always best to do several partial water changes in these situations, to avoid changing the parameters too quickly. A quick change of temperature can produce a similar result.
That's the only thing I can think of off the top of my head, that would kill them so fast right as you performed the water change.
Before and after water test readings would help.
I do not have a water testing kit. The water in the bowl was the same temperature as the tank. I normally do 100% water changes, leaving a few inches of water at the bottom. In mid June I did a 50% water change. I did a 100% water change because my tank gets algae and dirty from having many goldfish in it. All my goldfish before have dealt perfectly fine from a 100% water change every month, including these fish. I do not know what happened! Please help!
I would suspect the water it self then. Something in the water must have changed is my guess. Run off or something at the water treatment plant who knows if you can't test it. You can try to find more clean water than tap or some how filter your tap water like with a brita filter.
I really think your tap water is the culprit.
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I really think your tap water is the culprit.
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Thank you all for the help! But my small tank that I changed the same time as my main tank is absolutely fine. The water came from the same sink, making me think it isn't the water. My only guess is that while they were all in the bowl (where the issue started) that there was too much ammonia in the water or not enough oxygen. Is that possible for fish to die from? The fish that have died have floated to the top, rapid gill movements, gasping for air, and belly up. I have one more dying fish for now, but the remaining three are swimming and acting quite normal to me. I just hope that whatever happened is past, and my remaining Fishies will be healthy. Any helpful information will be gladly appreciated! Do you all think I should get a water tester and test the water? Any suggestions?
Again, thanks for all the help!
Again, thanks for all the help!
With 6 goldies in a 20 gallon tank, you should be doing more like 50% water changes every other day....if you are only doing monthly water changes you are setting yourself up for problems, especially when you toss in a 100% one...can be quite the shock especially if the tank had a low ph from lack of buffers...
Best you can shoot for now is a series of small 20-30% WCs daily....rehome those goldies and stock that tank with some fish more appropriate in size...
Best you can shoot for now is a series of small 20-30% WCs daily....rehome those goldies and stock that tank with some fish more appropriate in size...
Without testing this is all conjecture, but: Due to insufficient water changes your pH dropped, nitrification stopped and ammonia began to accumulate in the form of non- toxic ammonium. This is absorbed directly into the fishes blood through the gills, and accumulates in the tissues of the fish. Then you did a 100% change, which removed all of the ammonium from the water column and raised the pH to a point that any ammonium in the fishes tissues converted back to ammonia and killed your fish. Start doing 50% weekly changes or find less messy fish to keep.