EFU Canister filter killed all my fish

[Zulaab]

Glass Onion - PM sent with assistance in getting you some Chilambo's

[danielp]

Definately sounds like a problem generated by the new filter.

The fact that you could smell it around the house leads me to believe that your problem centers around the plastics contained within the filter.

The manufacturing process in plastics is loaded with organic materials that contain lots of bad stuff.

Sending the fish off like you are is going to show I think an organic elevation caused by one of the plastic components of the filter.

Hopefully the UGV lab will run a GC or MS scan. This will I think show an elevated level of a chemical component chain referred to as "thiolates". My wife works in an air testing lab and she agrees with my opinion.

I can offer further assistance with ways to determine what your problem may be through environmental resource contacts I have in the Atlanta area if needed.

So sorry for your loss.

Keep us posted.

[Darbex]

I would really like the see the water board putting 7ppm though the water system
You cannot smell or taste Chlorine.

7ppm, makes most children and elderly vomit, nauseated, and very sick, healthy adults will just be nauseated.
At 10ppm it will kill line above. -- YES I am VERY sure that water boards do not allow more than 4ppm in their systems for a reason.

Now "I can smell the chlorine like I was at a swimming pool"
- reality "I can smell the ammonia and I can taste the ammonia in the water because chlorine is interacting with organic substances, and or oxygen"
There is a HUGE difference between ammonia and Chlorine.

So what is it that you smell when you open a bottle of chlorine bleach?

[cichlid1409]

CC told me about this happening before i moved to corpus. The whole area was on a 'boil water' notice because your right zulaab this would make you sick. He said he tested the water out of his tap and got 7ppm. said it before and ill say it again 'the water down here is horrible'

[Zulaab]

Really sorry about your fish.

Plastics and other composites will outgas formalidhyde when curing. That's why a new mobile home will make many people sick. After reading this thread I'd blame either that or chlorine (due to the bleeding gills). I read that chlorine will attack the gills. Down here they will jack up the chlorine to 7ppm or more during times of stress on the system. So a filter full of that may have been enough.

I would really like the see the water board putting 7ppm though the water system
You cannot smell or taste Chlorine.

7ppm, makes most children and elderly vomit, nauseated, and very sick, healthy adults will just be nauseated.
At 10ppm it will kill line above. -- YES I am VERY sure that water boards do not allow more than 4ppm in their systems for a reason.

Now "I can smell the chlorine like I was at a swimming pool"
- reality "I can smell the ammonia and I can taste the ammonia in the water because chlorine is interacting with organic substances, and or oxygen"
There is a HUGE difference between ammonia and Chlorine.

[Darbex]

Hope they can figure it out

[Glass Onion]

Hey Guys,
I am sending the fish body off to UGA Veterinary Diagnostics Lab for a whole body necropsy. They can also send her liver off to a lab in Michigan to run a tox screen on it.
I was coming up empty with the water testing angle so decided to switch gears.
I will hand deliver the fish on Wed since Athens is only an hour away.
Jenney

[cameracorpus]

If you are going to get it tested for all possible threats, the lab will give you an appropriate sterile container. In the mean time get an empty water bottle full. That's pretty safe.

[Glass Onion]

Since you said the filter had a smell to it right out of the box, I suspect the filter as well. Not to be racist, but was it made in China? Just thinking of all the dangerous products that have come from China in the last few years: toxic pet food, lead encoated children's toys, puffer flesh dyed red and sold as salmon, etc...

The receptionist did mutter that they were packaged out of country. Whether or not they're made out of country I'm not sure. BUt believe me, that was the first thing that crossed my mind....if they put lead and cadmeum into paint for children's toy with out regret, then why should they care about what the filters for fish tanks do.
I wonder about the media included in it. John and I were talking and who's to say they don't just have that stuff lying around unprotected from pollutants?

[Darbex]

I would take a sample to an LFS and see if they can test for chlorine if the test comes out negative then you can take it to the city to test for other things

[Nickintex]

Since you said the filter had a smell to it right out of the box, I suspect the filter as well. Not to be racist, but was it made in China? Just thinking of all the dangerous products that have come from China in the last few years: toxic pet food, lead encoated children's toys, puffer flesh dyed red and sold as salmon, etc...

[Glass Onion]

You could call the water company to see if they dumped any chemicals or anything in to kill off any bacteria. If you get a lot of rain or if they have some kinda bacterial bloom they will dump some stuff in the water to take care of it. The filter may not have been your problem.

I hadn't done a water change in 5 days prior to adding this filter. The only thing different from that day to deadsville was the addtion of that filter. I put a capful of Prime into the canister which holds about 5 gallons prior to running it on my 135.
Thank you for the suggestions, though. At this point I'll ask about all the ideas you guys have.

[Glass Onion]

Will formaldihyde dissipate/decrease in the water once it's been in there for a few days? I have left the filter on in the tank in hopes that whatever was in it that did this will contintinue to stay at high levels. But stuff like Chlorine will dissipate/evaporate/dissapear after a few days. I also don't want to take some out and store it in a jar for any length of time because the jar may contaminate the sample (I know not to use plastic for collection)
I put a call in to the John's Creek Environmental Campus that's just up the street from my work. Since it's city, they are naturally closed to public on weekend.
If you guys can think of anything else that I should ask them to test for, please let me know!!!
YOu guys rock! Thank you!
Jenney.

[cameracorpus]

Really sorry about your fish.

Plastics and other composites will outgas formalidhyde when curing. That's why a new mobile home will make many people sick. After reading this thread I'd blame either that or chlorine (due to the bleeding gills). I read that chlorine will attack the gills. Down here they will jack up the chlorine to 7ppm or more during times of stress on the system. So a filter full of that may have been enough.

[cichlid1409]

Here are some pics of this morning's carnage


and

Thats horrible glass onion. looks like the beaches of Normandy after D-Day