complete breakdown!!!!!!!!!

[kal123456]

Hello everyone!

Two years ago, I started a 20 gallon tank with 4 otocinclus catfish in it. For about 1 month, or less, they lived pretty good. One day I decided to check out my pH, and it was 7.5, which is considered to be high! I realized that probably I got the wrong type of sand(sand for saltwater tanks) which makes my water hard. So me and my mom took apart the whole tank one evening while my filter sponges and 4 catfish were sitting in a bucket of water for 3 hours! After I filled the new sand in, I managed to pour in the water I had in there before, and then added fresh water and the fish. The water was very cloudy.

The next day all 4 catfish were with red bellies and bloody suckers. :shocked: :shocked: :shocked: :shocked: First I thought it was an injury, but when it didn't cure for about 4 days, I checked out some books. It said it might be poisoning of some kind. I didn't realize to check the ammonia levels at all, and when I did, they were very high because of the restarting of the tank.

My catfish did not eat at all , but they behaved normally. A week later they died. Later I read that they suffered of tuberculosis and poisoning.
So everybody, DO NOT EVER restart a tank the way I did.

[Lab_Rat]

I agree, cycling is very important.

Ammonia/nitrite poisoning is much more likely than fish TB though.

What a fish with fish TB looks like:
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p316/ambell16/fish/P5300146.jpg

[Mith]

Live and learn I guess! That's why were here!

[kal123456]

That's how my ottos looked like! I forgot to mention, but my ottos were thin, and had ragged fins, like finrot. Anyway, this is not going to happen again! :ssmile:

[HeatherB]

I never knew fish could get TB. Live and learn, and then get Luvs I guess.

[Oscarwild]

I'd go with the ammonia poisoning as well. You should NEVER have algae eaters in a new tank. There's not a whole lot for them to eat. That's probably why your fish were so thin. Added to that oto's aren't very tough for a new tank. They don't tolerate ammonia or nitrites at all & are quite sensitive to nitrates as well.
Even worse than the fish getting TB, apparently we can get it off them if we have healing wounds on our hands or arms. I don't know how true that is but it's not a chance I'm willing to take. If you think it was TB strip that tank & disinfect EVERYTHING with bleach before you use it again.

[Aeonflame]

You need to be very careful with that. Fish TB is contagious and transferable to humans. Its unlikely though that this is what they died of.