When a fish dies...

[hitman12131976]

...do the water levels change? Are they supposed to?

So far I've had two deaths in my tank.

My Red-Wag Platy died from a Rubber Lip Pleco attack. Today, my Bamboo Shrimp died, but I think his death was a natural one. After I tested my water today (after finding my poor shrimp motionless), I noticed that my Ammo was 0, Nitrates were about 7, but my Nitrites went to 0.25. It use to be at 0 instead of 0.25. The same reading were obtained after I found my Red-Wag dead a while back.

Poor Bamboo Shrimp, I had just noticed that his colors were changing to orange-red and the dorsal line was starting to show (basically telling me that he was happy and healthy) and then the next day...dead. SUX!!!


Anyway, should the levels change? Do dead fish / shrimp release Nitrites or some sort of chemical that can cause an inbalance?

 

[TimmyB42386]

depending on how long the fish was dead for, it probably started to decompose in your tank, ----> ammonia.. then quickly into nitrite. IME I have more spikes of nitrate than ammonia, do a few large water changes to get that back down to 0. It should never be above 0 in a properly cycled tank, and you'd be suprised how delicate many inverts are. The original ammonia spike could have been what killed your platy, and the presence of nitrite is most likely the reason your bambool shrimp died.

It could be a dead fish, or it could be a major issue.

If you list your maitenence schedule, tank, equipment, stocking, and the levels of ammo, nitrite, nitrate, I'll be more than happy to assist you to make sure you don't have this problem again.

The reason I don't think it was the fish decomposing is because you said you scooped it after only a little while, and in a properly stocked tank, the ammo and nitrite most likely wouldn't have shown up for a full day or two

Now that i saw you have your specs below, your tank stock is ok, so... how often do you do water changes? and did you properly cycle the tank? or recently add a new fish? how much and often are you feeding? do you vac the gravel?

 

[cohazard]

Dead fish will foul your water, giving it a disgusting smell rather than the normal 'wet earth' smell.

It's best to remove any creature whether it's a fish, snail, or shrimp, as soon as possible, if it dies in your aquarium.

Your ammonia, and nitrites might spike, but with an established biological filter, they should return to normal within a day or so... probably before you even get a chance to test.

 

[hitman12131976]

depending on how long the fish was dead for, it probably started to decompose in your tank, ----> ammonia.. then quickly into nitrite. IME I have more spikes of nitrate than ammonia, do a few large water changes to get that back down to 0. It should never be above 0 in a properly cycled tank, and you'd be suprised how delicate many inverts are. The original ammonia spike could have been what killed your platy, and the presence of nitrite is most likely the reason your bambool shrimp died.

It could be a dead fish, or it could be a major issue.

If you list your maitenence schedule, tank, equipment, stocking, and the levels of ammo, nitrite, nitrate, I'll be more than happy to assist you to make sure you don't have this problem again.

The reason I don't think it was the fish decomposing is because you said you scooped it after only a little while, and in a properly stocked tank, the ammo and nitrite most likely wouldn't have shown up for a full day or two

Now that i saw you have your specs below, your tank stock is ok, so... how often do you do water changes? and did you properly cycle the tank? or recently add a new fish? how much and often are you feeding? do you vac the gravel?

I'm a stickler for detail; I keep an XML file with dates of water changes, water readings, and stock information. I'll try to upload this so that you can see it. Just have to get if off my laptop. The fish didn't decompose, yet. In the morning (7 am) it would still move, barely. Later (about 10 am) it wasn't moving anymore so I took it out. Water changes are done weekly, approx. 30% every time. I thought my tank was cycled as I was getting consistent readings of 0 for Ammo and Trites, and 7+ for Trates. The only new fish I added were Otto's and they're doing just great. I feed once every other day and only what they can eat in 2 minutes or less. When I do water changes, I definitely do a gravel vac every time. These little buggers are waste depots. Haha.

 

[hitman12131976]

Okay, here is the maintenance file that I keep.


Fish Tank Maintanence

 

[nickmcmechan]

OK, ditch the pH stuff, your messin' with pH which might be the reason your losing stock.

The other reason is that your Nitrites are not consistent....

Forget all the pH stuff, the fish hate it, stick to a quality dechlorinator for your water changes, use a bio supplement if you like them...save all that cash you've been spending on that stuff and buy a second filter

 

[Mgamer20o0]

water changes shouldnt hurt. why not.

 

[hitman12131976]

Yeah, the last time I used pH-Down was on the 6th of May. It will probably be the last time that I use it as well. After reading all these posts about the pH of the fish and how they can adapt, I'm just gonna leave it alone. You'll note from that XLS file that I've stopped using the Neutral Regulator to lower the pH as well. You guys have convinced me that I don't have to have the pH perfect.

As for the nitrites, the two that say 0.25 were taken after a fish death. The day before both were at 0. That's why I was asking if fish can change the Nitrite level. Quality Dechlorinator? Do you mean Water Conditioner? Should I go buy a dechlorinator? I'm using AquaSafe with BioExtract from TetraCare for taking out chlorine. I also use the EasyBalance with NitraBan from TetraCare.

As for a bio supplement, what would you recommend?

As for buying another filter, I have a 40 Gallon filter on HIGH already in the tank. My tank is only a 20. In order to make sure that I'm getting enough agitation in the water, I just purchased and air pump from Tetra called the Whisper Air Pump 20 so that I can get the bubbles to agitate the surface of my tank. I know it's more for decorative purposes, but I just wanted to make sure that the benefits that this pump can add to my tank will keep my fish happy.