Need some help

[steeler1]

Good Idea, I'm the water/sewer director for our public works dept. and we drilled two new wells that just came on line. The Nitrate and Nitrite all tested the same as the existing system as well as the bactie tested negative but the pH went up from 7.6 to 8.0.

[fishmommie]

just wondering how things are going. hoping no news is good news and you haven't lost any more fish.

[KevinVA]

Hey Dave,

Out of curiosity, where did you purchase your Angels?

[Dave Waits]

No more deaths since I lost the Super-Veil the other day after the water change. Talked to the County Water Dept. today, they aren't doing anything different.

Kevin, bought them from a local well-known place, Jack's Aquarium and Pets. It's a petstore that specializes in tropical fish and aquariums and accessories.

At this point in time, I'm at a loss for what to do. I'm certainly not going to add any fish until I find out what's going on.

[KevinVA]

I wonder. Do you have a good report with the people at the fish store? Maybe you could ask them if they switched up where they purchase their fish stocks. Maybe they switched distributors/breeders? If that's the case, they'd probably benefit from your story.

[~firefly~]

Please look at both my current parameters and my past thread about the cycling I went through. Tank is fully cycled. All tanks go through a mini-cycle when fish are added, which explains the slight Ammonia reading. I also did a 30% water-Change two days before adding the fish. Other than Aquasafe, I've used no chemicals in the water for the last three or four weeks and that was a dose of API Quick-Start.

I did check the dead fish for any signs of aggression or desease. No physical signs of aggression, no torn fins etc. Gills looked normal under magnification(I used a 7x loupe), no discoloration, no distension of the belly, no parasites or fungus.

Guys, don't mean to be curt or rude but, I need help, not stocking opinions.

Not meaning to go off topic but what is this "mini-cycle"? I've never heard of this. Was it a fish-in cycle?

[KevinVA]

I think he's referring to the additional bacteria created from the increased bioload.

[gurglegurgle]

i believe he is talking about a small ammonia spike as a result of an increased bioload before the bacteria have had a chance to grow in order to start handling the excess ammonia created.

[KevinVA]

Indeed. This is what I meant in not so many words.

[gurglegurgle]

how soon after adding the new fish did you get this ammonia reading. i would suspect that after 4 days, you would no longer be getting an ammonia reading. did you clean/replace any filter media around this time, possibly resulting in a beneficial bacteria dieoff?