27 replies to this topic

[Mr_docfish]

Chlorides of any sort will block to uptake of nitrite (normal salt is sodium chloride, and seachem salts contain calcium chloride among others).... but if the nitrite is no longer there, this will no longer help your situation.... but take Ivans advice and get your test kit double checked.

It is possible that you did have a nitrite spike for a couple of days after cleaning the filter (never use tap water - the chlorine in the tap water will kill off the bacteria) this has caused the haemoglobanaemia and there is a good chance that internal organs have been damaged.

I had to check your explanation of good water test, as I work in a LFS, and I have often heard customers say that their water tested perfect.... but upon testing it, the water parameters are wrong - this is normally due to the customers oversight or misunderstanding of the test results, or the tests might have been performed incorrectly.....
It is good to write down the actual test results in numbers, so others can determine more accurately what is going on..... some customers think if the test result is in the middle of the chart, then it is ok - but in some tests, like the NO2 test, the result should be 0, or at one end of the chart - hence my questioning - I try not to lead the customer to either the right or wrong result, just need to get the real answer if it is at all known.... so sorry for the inquisition......

The way the fish are acting and the rate they are dying, I am quite sure it is not fish MB, but a result of the nitrite..... the Para Ex would not have done some of the affected fish any favours - it is a neurotoxin, so it would have put some internal organs under pressure - not good if they are being starved of oxygen.

All you can do is monitor the water quality and keep it stable, fully aerated and dont bother feeding them until they all come good.

Check the tanks for any missing fish - left over bodies are never good

Check the dose rate of the seachem conditioner

and keep the temp low (about 23-24 C) if you can to maximise the oxygen in the water, and reduce the oxygen demand by the fish.

Hope things settle down.

And wash the filter next time in a bucket of water from the aquarium.... dont be too thorough, just get the excess dirt off, leave some dirt in there - the bacteria prefer it that way.

[lithoman_]

thank you again

[Ivan Sng]

I don't know about others, but I usually keep my outdoor and indoor tank salted to 1ppt just in case...

[lithoman_]

i use plenty of salt in every water change the seachem cichlid salt they love it...

[Aquotix Aquariums]

Chlorides dont block all the NO2, just reduce the uptake by blocking the pathway via the gill membranes.... so salts will just reduce the severity of a nitrite spike - that is, it the chloride content exceeds the NO2 content in ppm by a particular ratio (have to read up on it again to find out what ratio it is) if the nitrite levels jump higher than this ratio, then the chlorides no longer have as good an effect.

hth

Oliver (aka Mr_docfish)

[lithoman_]

Hi ALL

so they are still dying everyday losing 3-4 why such slow death??? and if it is nitrite or amonia poisoning is there any treatment for them and is it a spreading diseases if they are in a tank with other fish will the others also get affected...
i dont understand how they die in full color mouths wide open and some with there gills wide open>>??

if any info please help
thanks

[Ivan Sng]

Hi ALL

so they are still dying everyday losing 3-4 why such slow death??? and if it is nitrite or amonia poisoning is there any treatment for them and is it a spreading diseases if they are in a tank with other fish will the others also get affected...
i dont understand how they die in full color mouths wide open and some with there gills wide open>>??

if any info please help
thanks

Have you checked your water parameters using another test kit yet?

Are the fishes still eating?? How old is the food?

[Kieran]

Why not pop into a LFS and ask them to check a sample of your water? From memory Aqua Life and JMS are near you, or perhaps some of the sponsors on here can suggest colleagues in your local area.