PICS! 20 long, dwarf compressiceps

[Complexity]

My last however, Bleach into aquarium = bad mojo.

How is bleaching the tank while put together any different than bleaching the tank while it's taken apart? it's the same stuff. The main difference is that running the bleach through the active aquarium ensures that it reaches all areas the water reaches, such as the hoses, etc. The dechlorinator removes the bleach without any ill effects just as it does when bleaching the parts separately.

Remember, bleach is just chlorine which is the same stuff in our tap water, only in a higher concentration. That's why a higher concentration of dechlorinator is needed. Once the chlorine is rendered harmless, you can proceed as normal.

I have bleached everything, including live plants. The only concern with bleach is the corrosion of metal, but most aquarium parts are plastic and glass. If your filters have metal, then you might want to clean them separately, but that's it. I'm not suggesting a 1:1 ratio of bleach water. A 1:20* ratio should be fine. You can even remove it after 1-3 hours if you want. Waiting 24 hours allows the bleach to break down on its own which is my preference (although I still use dechlorinator).

I've done this regularly to sterilize my quarantine tanks after treating for illness. Other than a few diseases, such as TB, it's an excellent way of ensuring you don't transfer the pathogens to your healthy tanks. Remove fish, add bleach, run, drain, rinse with water and heavy concentrations of dechlorinator at least 2 times (more if you can smell bleach, but I never do), and then clean out any crud left anywhere. Everything will be completely sterilized and ready to go once the bacteria cycle is reestablished.

If people feel safer taking things apart to bleach separately, then there's no harm in doing it. It's just more work which really isn't necessary.

* Edited to add: Thinking about it, I use a much lower ratio. I generally add about a cup of bleach to a 10 gallon tank. A 1:20 ratio would be about 1/2 gallon of bleach. So I'm clearly using much less than that.

[barrettsline]

theres only one way to solve this issue. B this is your aquarium and we have all given our thoughts and opinions to try to help. Somewhere in all or our ramblings is the answer.....I think. Were here for you and will help in anyway we can.


My last however, Bleach into aquarium = bad mojo.

[Complexity]

I don't think a total breakdown is necessary. Whatever killed the fish appeared to be able to transfer through the water. That means it's water soluble. If it's water soluble, then it is diluted each time a water change takes place. Eventually, it will be removed through filtration and water changes.

I would keep all fish in the tank as is. Moving them while already stressed will only stress them further, causing more deaths.

Instead, I'd add purigen and carbon to the filtration to remove toxins. I'd also do daily water changes. Put the extra effort in to ensure that the new water matches the tank conditions as much as possible regarding temp and pH.

If all the fish or a large number of the fish continue to die, then, yeah, I'd move them. However, right now the white clouds are eating which is a good sign. It appears they are trying to recover. This indicates that conditions in the tank are already improving. Otherwise, compromised fish would not improve, but continue to decline. Their improvement indicates that whatever was in the water has been diluted to the point that the white clouds can begin to recover so it must be diluted to a safer level already.

If you do decide to sterilize the tank, then all you have to do is remove the fish and pour a heavy concentration of bleach into the tank. Let it run through the filters and all for 24-48 hours. Then drain and refill, adding a heavy concentration of declorinator. Run that for 24 hours, drain and repeat. After that, everything should be sterilized and the chlorine should be removed. The tank can now be restarted with fresh bacteria from another tank.

[barrettsline]

But also have to assume the bad bacteria is over powering the good bacteria which is slowly, one by one taking victims so she must intervine and juice them all in hopes that all the bad consume first and die leaving only the good left to save the remainder of the bunch.

+5 on that.

Think about this as well. All things in nature consume and absorb nutrients for food and energy. That's the same with the bacteria in this aquarium, along the way they have absorb or ingested whatever is in the aquarium. Do you really want that bacteria in a new startup?


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[eklikewhoa]

But also have to assume the bad bacteria is over powering the good bacteria which is slowly, one by one taking victims so she must intervine and juice them all in hopes that all the bad consume first and die leaving only the good left to save the remainder of the bunch.

[barrettsline]

You don't need to worry about bacteria, there's another aquarium that is all ready running to provide water. Additionally, I have setup aquarium from nothing, everything brand new, introduced fish within a day and never lost a fish. The good thing is you can get the bacteria from the frontosa tank to kick off your 20 and get it going faster. time is just what you need to re-do tank from the damage of the wood.


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[Andrew_B]

And kill every bit of bacteria which would require another full cycle.

[eklikewhoa]

That would be to much risk of killing the fish. The toxin leached from wood and bleach in a system is just bad news.


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This will help purge the toxins.

[barrettsline]

That would be to much risk of killing the fish. The toxin leached from wood and bleach in a system is just bad news.


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[eklikewhoa]

you could add bleach to the system as it is to sanitize them all.... Just an idea.

[barrettsline]

Patience is a virtue I wasn't born with either B. if it was me fish would be in a bucket, sand in an ice chest, rock in a bucket with some light bleach, tank emptied and filled with straight tap water.

Fish- air stone will be fine for them for about 1 1/2 - 2 days.

Sand- thoroughly washed in an ice chest NO BLEACH, at least 30 minutes of solid water churning movement. Agitating the sand by hand. While still in ice chest fill bucket with HOT water and pour over sand to "sterilize".

Rocks- bucket with bleach (1- cup to 5 gallons) let soak in as hot of water you can get out if your faucet for 2 hours. After soaking, drain water, put the rocks in the tub or sink an fill with hot water let soak for about an hour. Then remove and smell the Rick, if you still smell bleach, rewash with hot water until smell of bleach is gone. Also scrub the rock clean.

Tank- wipe down completely with water and rinse thoroughly.

Filter- wash an rinse thoroughly with clean tap water.

This is exactly what I do when peeping for a new tank or when doing a breakdown rebuild. I haven't had a problem yet. The hot water soak and rinse is simulating the heat from the sun. It has the same effect in water as it does on you in the air ... Makes you sweat. When the smell of bleach is gone your good to go. I performed these steps on my 150, 72, 50 gallon aquariums, filled and treated with prime and introduced fish for example on my 150 within a day and haven't lost a single fish (not saying that to hurt feelings, just to state my success with my meatheads)

Now that I'm off my soap box so to speak, let me know if help is. needed, I don't think anyone here would be opposed to helping as much as we have talked about it.




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[aquabee]

Correct. I am so bad at waiting things out but it seems I have no other choice right now, at least through next weekend.

[eklikewhoa]

Ooo... so I'm guessing where "here" is doesn't include the moba tank and I shouldn't begin to ask.

Yeah with all that in mind it would seem as the best choice is the waiting game.

[aquabee]

That's for sure, Q, but I really think it's the wood. The white clouds are improving after removal of the wood, just not to totally normal. They're even eating a bit now. I can do the whole bucket thing... just can't use any water from existing tanks cuz all I have here are the 8 gallon with an acidic pH and the 3 gallon rescue, and the pH in this tank is 8.4. I can put them with heater/filter/airstone into a bucket with dechlorinated tap water and some Stability. But if I put the current filter onto the bucket, I feel like there might be contaminant stuck to the media. So then I'm left with having the white clouds and pleco in the bucket with just an airstone.

I really think I got rid of the main source of toxins but only time will tell. In any case, I'll end up restarting the tank but it'll have to wait a week or two cuz of work and then travel. If work wasn't so horrible this week/weekend and if I wasn't out of state most of next week/weekend, I'd have made all these changes by now and the tank would be drying out. :(

[eklikewhoa]

This is still very questionable as to what or where the problem is.

If it were me... I'd fill a bucket and toss the remaining livestock in that with the filtration using water from one of the existing tanks. Then again I'd probably would have torn the whole tank down at this point, rinsed and gave it a fresh start with treated water and let the cycle work itself out. The white clouds have always been strong fish IME.

Definitely keep anything that came in contact with this tank away from the others for the time being, that's for sure.