Help, fish dying rapidly!!

[Mattant1984]

@Tim Harrison thanks for your reply, I thought a filter that size which has been running for about a year would have been able to handle a new tank set up but maybe not.

Would you suggest just getting the daily water changes done and see how it goes?

 

[Jorge O'Reilly]

Perhaps you could throw in some (many) floaters to help with the ammonia buildup. Hopefully they'll suck up enough as to keep levels acceptable during the night.

 

[Mattant1984]

@Jorge OPL that's the thing, there is no ammonia showing now

 

[John q]

Would you suggest just getting the daily water changes done and see how it goes?

Yes, regardless of what's causing this you need to start changing that water. Double dose with dechlorinator just incase the water board have added any nasties, which occasionally happens, but start changing that water.

Can somebody also work out how much urea 2.4 g of weekly solufeed would add in a 120L tank. Might be a red herring, just seems like a lot.

 

[Mattant1984]

@John q thanks John, just about to start a nice water change now and will definitely do them for a week. I appreciate your help 🙏

I would also like to know if I'm overdoing the ferts

 

[Tim Harrison]

Sometimes it's not necessarily just about the filter, that's just one component required for a balanced system. The biochemistry and ecology within the aquarium itself is just as, if not more, important. Achieving a balanced system can take time, and I think that's often overlooked. Balance also provides robustness, and increases a systems ability to deal with disturbance.

This is because a mature and balanced system contains a diverse community of organisms, and more importantly for us as aquarists a diverse community of microorganisms. These will be in dynamic equilibrium and the community that developed in the last aquarium will not necessarily suit this one since the conditions maybe different and therefore it needs time to adapt. So I'm not sure excessive water changes will help much. Either way definitely take @John q 's advice and use a dechlorinator.

 

[Mattant1984]

@Tim Harrison many thanks for that great description it makes total sense and I do believe your right and the tank not being balanced as well as the new soil has definitely caused the issues

 

[John q]

I would also like to know if I'm overdoing the ferts

Think I threw in a red herring mate, don't think the ferts are causing the issue.

 

[sparkyweasel]

I thought a filter that size which has been running for about a year would have been able to handle a new tank set up but maybe not.

It should be able to cope with the same load. BUT
a; the soil may have increased the load substantially.
b; the previous tank, being larger, would have had more plants contributing to filtration.
c; the previous tank, being mature, would have had non-filter microbes making their contribution.
So the filter is being reqiured to do a lot more. It's microbe population will have increased to cope, hence the low ammonia reading now, but the fish have already been affected by the spike. By the time you realised there was a problem the spike was over.

 

[Mattant1984]

@sparkyweasel ahh got you yes that makes sense, the previous tank had 2 large externals, and a lot of plants. Most of the plants in the new tank are new and only just rooting

 

[Jorge O'Reilly]

@Jorge OPL that's the thing, there is no ammonia showing now

My bad, sloppy reading.

 

[_Maq_]

The main difference with this new tank is that I added about 12-13 litres of tropica aquasoil.

You added? Does it mean apart from new aquasoil you've used some of the old substrate, from the other tank?

 

[Mattant1984]

Thanks for all your help guys, is there anyone that could tell me if the solufeed I am dosing is too much (0.8g 3x per week)? I was dosing 6g 3x per week in the 700 litre tank.

Many thanks

 

[Mattant1984]

@_Maq_ no sorry I started the new tank with just new tropica aquasoil, no old substrate was used

 

[AlecF]

Would it help to add some bacteria, Prime or similar? And would the fish do better in a temporary plastic tub set up as so many are dying, until the aquarium settles down?

 

[Wookii]

@_Maq_ no sorry I started the new tank with just new tropica aquasoil, no old substrate was used

I personally would always recommend using a good chunk of the old substrate either as a base layer under the new, or mixed in with it. It does wonders for speeding up tank maturation and dodging some tank start up issues.

 

[_Maq_]

Shrimps are OK.
Fishes are OK, until some of them get into trouble and decease quite rapidly.
--- From that I derive that there's no toxicity in action. Rather a parasitic disease.

 

[Conort2]

Did you say you’ve added new fish too?

 

[Mattant1984]

Would it help to add some bacteria, Prime or similar? And would the fish do better in a temporary plastic tub set up as so many are dying, until the aquarium settles down?

I did look I to that however I did read that it wouldn't be a good idea whilst using new soil due to the kh for some reason

 

[Mattant1984]

Did you say you’ve added new fish too?

No all fish were in the previous tank