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Hello, thank you for this forum. Im sorry this is so long
We have a 450L heavily planted community tank which has been running well for 4 monthes.
Neon rainbows 12 (had some babies, which I wasn’t prepared for! So didn’t survive)
3 big loaches – 8cm each, 3 little loaches
3 siamese algae eaters – 10cm
8 rummy nose tetras, few cardinal tetras
1 large bristle nose, 3 medium and lots of babies!
4 corydoras
quite a few of these fish are several years old, from our 200L tank we upgraded from.
A few days ago (Sunday) we lost the big bristlenose (4 years old) and 2 rummy nose were bloated, 1 skinny with ?something protruding from anus. All water parameters were good. I was advised by my fish shop who I have great faith in, to treat with parasite clear, which I did after a partial water change. The next morning we woke to all the fish gasping at the top!! Algae eaters and the 2 bloated rummy nose were dead. Ph 7.4, ammonia – between 0 and .25, Nitrite- .25, nitrate - ?10 (I’ve forgotten). We did a 50% water change and fish settled down quickly and behaved normally – phew!
Since then I have been testing the water morning and night.
Ph – 7.4 – 7.6
Ammonia - ?.25
Nitrites – 0
Nitrates – 0
gH – 3
kH – 3.
My Nitrates usually run at 10 – 20.
Fish all seem fine and behaving normally but very hungry because I haven’t fed them!
My LFS assures me the parasite clear wouldn’t knock off my filter bacteria but I am nervous to keep treating. Is it strange that I have no nitrates now, does that mean the tank is no longer breaking down ammonia and nitrites to nitrates??
It is now 2 days later, water all good no ammonia or nitrites, nitrates - 5. Fish all fine except one rainbow fish has a pointy bulge near the anus. I treated the fish with medicated food (internal parasite clear), they gobbled it up because they were very hungry!
Do you think i should keep treating for parasites. Is it very unusual to get a ?nitrite spike like that?
thanks for your help,
Robyn