dying rcs

**simon2217** · 07-01-2012, 03:22 PM

hi i had 2 rcs die almost immediately after a 10% water change but before that they were flying round the tank eating bloodworm climbing (the usual) did my water change and bam on there back twitching

i read somewhere they are sensitive to de-chlorinator ?

any help would be appreciated

thanx

**Goes to 11!** · 07-01-2012, 05:46 PM

More details required please:

Are you in fact using Dechlor? [Never heard of dechlor sensitivity wrt RCS btw]
Tank size? How long it has been cycled and H2O parameters?
WC schedule?
Other stock?

**simon2217** · 07-01-2012, 07:12 PM

hi i am using interpet tap safe
in a 25l fluval chi
with 1 baby bumblebee goby (and there was 2 rcs )
not sure about cycled tank because didnt know about cycling till they went in but theyve been in there a week and my tank has been running for two weeks was doing daily water changes for a week when they went in

didnt do one for a couple of days then did one today and they died

**simon2217** · 07-02-2012, 02:43 PM

got my water checked today no ammonia what so ever and small traces of nitrate and nitrite

**wijnands** · 07-02-2012, 03:08 PM

Nitrite will kill. Deaths this instant would make me highly suspicious of the water you used.

**Lady Hobbs** · 07-02-2012, 03:14 PM

I have dozens and dozens of RCS. I probably kill 20 a week myself with changing out filter media and water changes. I move a plant and they fall out of it, jump around on the floor until I can catch them or jump down my sink.

Never lost any due to dechlorinator but you will kill them if you don't use it.

**crystalite** · 07-02-2012, 03:16 PM

If your worried about dechlorinator there are shrimp specific ones you can buy. I lost 12 shrimp in the same way your describing so I know how you feel with this. Someone on here suggested there may be copper or other heavy metals somewhere in the tank or in the tap water when I had this problem. It might be worth testing for that in case your throwing lethal stuff in from the tap water.

**wijnands** · 07-02-2012, 03:29 PM

The quickness of death would fit with heavy metal poisoning. Typically you'd see them curl up, wither a bit and die within minutes.

**Lady Hobbs** · 07-02-2012, 03:41 PM

Sounded to me as the dechorinator is not working to remove chorine fast enough so I went into search mode and found this that may be interesting.

http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules...topic_id=27987

What made me think of this is some junk Big Als sold, stating it removed chlorine and chlormaines, that was FALSELY STATED and it did not remove chloramines at all. Screwed up cycles in 4 fish tanks all at once.