---aquarium crashing after move--- HELP

[Ray Kramer]

On Saturday I moved my aquarium roughly 15 miles across town. I used 5 new 5
gallon buckets from a local hardware store (rinsed 3 or 4 times with hot
water, then soaked in bleach for 10 minutes, then rinsed 3 or 4 more times
with hot water). In one bucket I put maybe 1/3 of the gravel, and the rocks
and logs in my tank. In the other bucket I had just water and all my fish (3
convicts, one yellow lab, two white cichlids (albino something or other), 3
purple cichlids with vertical stripes (a common variety, but I forget the
name), and 3 fake SAE (whichever the common ones are) and 4 tiger barbs).
The fish and my filter (eheim 2026) were out of the aquarium for at most 2
or 2.5 hours.

At the new location, I filled the tank 2/3 with cold water from an outdoor
faucet (using a garden hose to connect to my python since I couldn't find a
compatible faucet in the apartment) and then added 2 5 gallon buckets filled
with hot water from my shower. Finally, I added the water from both buckets.
I had given the bucket with the fish in it a good dose of amquel before the
move, and added a bunch to the tank when I put the water back in. The new
location has the same source for tap water, so I doubt any parameters in
that could be different than what my fish are used to.

As of today I have had three deaths (one of the albino cichlids, one of the
algae eaters, and one tiger barb), and all of the fish are at the top of the
tank gasping for air (and sticking their mouths out of the water). Today
when I got home I took about 2 inches of water out (so the outflow from my
filter would splash more and hopefully put more oxygen in the water) and
added a bunch more amquel. I ran a few basic water tests, ammonia is 0 and
pH is neutral.

I do notice the fish are all clustered in the left side of the tank, as
opposed to usually hanging out in the right, where the clean water from the
filter comes in. This makes me think perhaps the filter has gone anaerobic?
Can it do that in just a few hours without fresh water? I kept the canister
filled with water when I transported it.

At the moment, I think the culprits could be:

1) bio filtration died -- not likely though : eheim was sealed in transit, a
bunch of gravel was in 5 gallon bucket, other gravel was in plastic bag

2) toxin introduced from: a) plastic garbage bag gravel was in; b) one of
the buckets (fish were ok for 1 to 2 hours in transit in bucket though);
garden hose used to fill the tank; c) something funky in tap water; d)
bacteria went anaerobic e) something funny in house water (metal leaching in
water heater?)...

At this point I am afraid to do aggressive water changes, in case some of
the issue is with the tap or household equipment (although I know my
brother-in-law who used to live here kept plenty of fish just fine using the
tap water). My plan for tomorrow if the situation is not any better is to
buy a bag of Bio-Spira in case my bacteria crashed, and put some carbon
filters in my eheim in case it is a problem with some toxin.

Any other suggestions or analysis?

THANKS

-Ray Kramer


ray (at) raykramer (dot) com

[KEITH JENNINGS]

You filter going anearobic seems the mosty likely culprit.
Did it smell bad when you unpacked it?

Next time you move, put your filter media in sealed plastic bags about 1/8
to 1/4 full of water. That way the bacteria have enough oxygen, while
staying moist.

If you can't seal your media in with air and water , rinse your filter and
the media well with tap water and move it dry. That way the bacteria and
other organics don't putrefy on the way. There should still be enough
bacteria stuck to the plants and sides of the tank to get your nitrogen
cycle back to normal within a week.

Keith J.

"Ray Kramer" > wrote in message
...
<snip>
> At this point I am afraid to do aggressive water changes, in case some of
> the issue is with the tap or household equipment (although I know my
> brother-in-law who used to live here kept plenty of fish just fine using
the
> tap water). My plan for tomorrow if the situation is not any better is to
> buy a bag of Bio-Spira in case my bacteria crashed, and put some carbon
> filters in my eheim in case it is a problem with some toxin.
>
> Any other suggestions or analysis?
>
> THANKS
>
> -Ray Kramer
>
>
> ray (at) raykramer (dot) com
>
>

[KEITH JENNINGS]

Sorry for the typo - should read " anaerobic "

"KEITH JENNINGS" > wrote in message
...
> You filter going anearobic seems the mosty likely culprit.

<snip>

[Ray Kramer]

Anything I can do to mitigate the symptoms (fish gasping for air, etc.)
while the bacteria rebuilds?

"KEITH JENNINGS" > wrote in message
...
> You filter going anearobic seems the mosty likely culprit.
> Did it smell bad when you unpacked it?
>
> Next time you move, put your filter media in sealed plastic bags about 1/8
> to 1/4 full of water. That way the bacteria have enough oxygen, while
> staying moist.
>
> If you can't seal your media in with air and water , rinse your filter and
> the media well with tap water and move it dry. That way the bacteria and
> other organics don't putrefy on the way. There should still be enough
> bacteria stuck to the plants and sides of the tank to get your nitrogen
> cycle back to normal within a week.
>
> Keith J.
>
> "Ray Kramer" > wrote in message
> ...
> <snip>
> > At this point I am afraid to do aggressive water changes, in case some
of
> > the issue is with the tap or household equipment (although I know my
> > brother-in-law who used to live here kept plenty of fish just fine using
> the
> > tap water). My plan for tomorrow if the situation is not any better is
to
> > buy a bag of Bio-Spira in case my bacteria crashed, and put some carbon
> > filters in my eheim in case it is a problem with some toxin.
> >
> > Any other suggestions or analysis?
> >
> > THANKS
> >
> > -Ray Kramer
> >
> >
> > ray (at) raykramer (dot) com
> >
> >
>
>

[Geezer From The Freezer]

If you want to counteract the gasping try additional airstone or get the
water rippling on the surface more!

[Ray Kramer]

I lowered my water level about 2 inches to create a lot more turbulence from
the water pipe coming in from my filter. I did that last night, and they
seemed a little better early this morning when I got up for work, but by the
time I had left they were mostly up at the top again, gasping...


"Geezer From The Freezer" > wrote in message
...
>
> If you want to counteract the gasping try additional airstone or get the
> water rippling on the surface more!

[coelacanth]

Stupid point, but are you sure your test kit is good?
Maybe you should take a sample to the store and
ask them to test?

Other than that, keep doing water changes and maybe
give you're filter the "sniff test". If it's really
anaerobic it'll be sulphery. If it's just dead, it won't.

In the future, avoid outdoor faucets and garden hoses
when filling. In older houses they can produce quite
nasty water (lead, copper, etc). Unfortunately, the same
is true of hot water from inside--things go into solution
at 65C that don't at 25C.

Good luck!

-coelacanth

"Ray Kramer" > wrote in message
...
> On Saturday I moved my aquarium roughly 15 miles across town. I used 5 new
5
> gallon buckets from a local hardware store (rinsed 3 or 4 times with hot
> water, then soaked in bleach for 10 minutes, then rinsed 3 or 4 more times
> with hot water). In one bucket I put maybe 1/3 of the gravel, and the
rocks
> and logs in my tank. In the other bucket I had just water and all my fish
(3
> convicts, one yellow lab, two white cichlids (albino something or other),
3
> purple cichlids with vertical stripes (a common variety, but I forget the
> name), and 3 fake SAE (whichever the common ones are) and 4 tiger barbs).
> The fish and my filter (eheim 2026) were out of the aquarium for at most 2
> or 2.5 hours.
>
> At the new location, I filled the tank 2/3 with cold water from an outdoor
> faucet (using a garden hose to connect to my python since I couldn't find
a
> compatible faucet in the apartment) and then added 2 5 gallon buckets
filled
> with hot water from my shower. Finally, I added the water from both
buckets.
> I had given the bucket with the fish in it a good dose of amquel before
the
> move, and added a bunch to the tank when I put the water back in. The new
> location has the same source for tap water, so I doubt any parameters in
> that could be different than what my fish are used to.
>
> As of today I have had three deaths (one of the albino cichlids, one of
the
> algae eaters, and one tiger barb), and all of the fish are at the top of
the
> tank gasping for air (and sticking their mouths out of the water). Today
> when I got home I took about 2 inches of water out (so the outflow from my
> filter would splash more and hopefully put more oxygen in the water) and
> added a bunch more amquel. I ran a few basic water tests, ammonia is 0 and
> pH is neutral.
>
> I do notice the fish are all clustered in the left side of the tank, as
> opposed to usually hanging out in the right, where the clean water from
the
> filter comes in. This makes me think perhaps the filter has gone
anaerobic?
> Can it do that in just a few hours without fresh water? I kept the
canister
> filled with water when I transported it.
>
> At the moment, I think the culprits could be:
>
> 1) bio filtration died -- not likely though : eheim was sealed in transit,
a
> bunch of gravel was in 5 gallon bucket, other gravel was in plastic bag
>
> 2) toxin introduced from: a) plastic garbage bag gravel was in; b) one of
> the buckets (fish were ok for 1 to 2 hours in transit in bucket though);
> garden hose used to fill the tank; c) something funky in tap water; d)
> bacteria went anaerobic e) something funny in house water (metal leaching
in
> water heater?)...
>
> At this point I am afraid to do aggressive water changes, in case some of
> the issue is with the tap or household equipment (although I know my
> brother-in-law who used to live here kept plenty of fish just fine using
the
> tap water). My plan for tomorrow if the situation is not any better is to
> buy a bag of Bio-Spira in case my bacteria crashed, and put some carbon
> filters in my eheim in case it is a problem with some toxin.
>
> Any other suggestions or analysis?
>
> THANKS
>
> -Ray Kramer
>
>
> ray (at) raykramer (dot) com
>
>

[Ray Kramer]

I do have doubts about my test kit - it is relatively new but I have no way
to judge its accuracy.

I plan on putting some carbon in my filter when I get home from work, in
case it is something toxic in the water, in which case I'll definitely be
able to perform the "sniff test".

I was hesitant to use the outdoor faucet and garden hose, but I couldn't
hook my python up to anything else and was trying to fill the tank up as
quickly as possible to get my fish out of their bucket (in hindsight I
should have probably just used the gravel bucket to fill the tank from the
shower).

Short of RO, is there anything I can do to get rid of nasties lurking in the
house plumbing/water heater? I'm afraid to do lots of water changes if I am
going to be continuing to bring the same toxins into the aquarium.

Thanks!
-Ray

ray (at) raykramer (dot) com

"coelacanth" > wrote in message
om...
> Stupid point, but are you sure your test kit is good?
> Maybe you should take a sample to the store and
> ask them to test?
>
> Other than that, keep doing water changes and maybe
> give you're filter the "sniff test". If it's really
> anaerobic it'll be sulphery. If it's just dead, it won't.
>
> In the future, avoid outdoor faucets and garden hoses
> when filling. In older houses they can produce quite
> nasty water (lead, copper, etc). Unfortunately, the same
> is true of hot water from inside--things go into solution
> at 65C that don't at 25C.
>
> Good luck!
>
> -coelacanth
>
> "Ray Kramer" > wrote in message
> ...
> > On Saturday I moved my aquarium roughly 15 miles across town. I used 5
new
> 5
> > gallon buckets from a local hardware store (rinsed 3 or 4 times with hot
> > water, then soaked in bleach for 10 minutes, then rinsed 3 or 4 more
times
> > with hot water). In one bucket I put maybe 1/3 of the gravel, and the
> rocks
> > and logs in my tank. In the other bucket I had just water and all my
fish
> (3
> > convicts, one yellow lab, two white cichlids (albino something or
other),
> 3
> > purple cichlids with vertical stripes (a common variety, but I forget
the
> > name), and 3 fake SAE (whichever the common ones are) and 4 tiger
barbs).
> > The fish and my filter (eheim 2026) were out of the aquarium for at most
2
> > or 2.5 hours.
> >
> > At the new location, I filled the tank 2/3 with cold water from an
outdoor
> > faucet (using a garden hose to connect to my python since I couldn't
find
> a
> > compatible faucet in the apartment) and then added 2 5 gallon buckets
> filled
> > with hot water from my shower. Finally, I added the water from both
> buckets.
> > I had given the bucket with the fish in it a good dose of amquel before
> the
> > move, and added a bunch to the tank when I put the water back in. The
new
> > location has the same source for tap water, so I doubt any parameters in
> > that could be different than what my fish are used to.
> >
> > As of today I have had three deaths (one of the albino cichlids, one of
> the
> > algae eaters, and one tiger barb), and all of the fish are at the top of
> the
> > tank gasping for air (and sticking their mouths out of the water). Today
> > when I got home I took about 2 inches of water out (so the outflow from
my
> > filter would splash more and hopefully put more oxygen in the water) and
> > added a bunch more amquel. I ran a few basic water tests, ammonia is 0
and
> > pH is neutral.
> >
> > I do notice the fish are all clustered in the left side of the tank, as
> > opposed to usually hanging out in the right, where the clean water from
> the
> > filter comes in. This makes me think perhaps the filter has gone
> anaerobic?
> > Can it do that in just a few hours without fresh water? I kept the
> canister
> > filled with water when I transported it.
> >
> > At the moment, I think the culprits could be:
> >
> > 1) bio filtration died -- not likely though : eheim was sealed in
transit,
> a
> > bunch of gravel was in 5 gallon bucket, other gravel was in plastic bag
> >
> > 2) toxin introduced from: a) plastic garbage bag gravel was in; b) one
of
> > the buckets (fish were ok for 1 to 2 hours in transit in bucket though);
> > garden hose used to fill the tank; c) something funky in tap water; d)
> > bacteria went anaerobic e) something funny in house water (metal
leaching
> in
> > water heater?)...
> >
> > At this point I am afraid to do aggressive water changes, in case some
of
> > the issue is with the tap or household equipment (although I know my
> > brother-in-law who used to live here kept plenty of fish just fine using
> the
> > tap water). My plan for tomorrow if the situation is not any better is
to
> > buy a bag of Bio-Spira in case my bacteria crashed, and put some carbon
> > filters in my eheim in case it is a problem with some toxin.
> >
> > Any other suggestions or analysis?
> >
> > THANKS
> >
> > -Ray Kramer
> >
> >
> > ray (at) raykramer (dot) com
> >
> >
>
>

[coelacanth]

I think tap water is usually fine if you dtaw it a unheated temperatures.
You may also want to let it sit overnight if you've got containers. But
it sounds like your filter is the promary cause of the problem.

-coelacanth

"Ray Kramer" > wrote in message
...
> I do have doubts about my test kit - it is relatively new but I have no
way
> to judge its accuracy.
>
> I plan on putting some carbon in my filter when I get home from work, in
> case it is something toxic in the water, in which case I'll definitely be
> able to perform the "sniff test".
>
> I was hesitant to use the outdoor faucet and garden hose, but I couldn't
> hook my python up to anything else and was trying to fill the tank up as
> quickly as possible to get my fish out of their bucket (in hindsight I
> should have probably just used the gravel bucket to fill the tank from the
> shower).
>
> Short of RO, is there anything I can do to get rid of nasties lurking in
the
> house plumbing/water heater? I'm afraid to do lots of water changes if I
am
> going to be continuing to bring the same toxins into the aquarium.
>
> Thanks!
> -Ray
>
> ray (at) raykramer (dot) com
>
> "coelacanth" > wrote in message
> om...
> > Stupid point, but are you sure your test kit is good?
> > Maybe you should take a sample to the store and
> > ask them to test?
> >
> > Other than that, keep doing water changes and maybe
> > give you're filter the "sniff test". If it's really
> > anaerobic it'll be sulphery. If it's just dead, it won't.
> >
> > In the future, avoid outdoor faucets and garden hoses
> > when filling. In older houses they can produce quite
> > nasty water (lead, copper, etc). Unfortunately, the same
> > is true of hot water from inside--things go into solution
> > at 65C that don't at 25C.
> >
> > Good luck!
> >
> > -coelacanth
> >
> > "Ray Kramer" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > > On Saturday I moved my aquarium roughly 15 miles across town. I used 5
> new
> > 5
> > > gallon buckets from a local hardware store (rinsed 3 or 4 times with
hot
> > > water, then soaked in bleach for 10 minutes, then rinsed 3 or 4 more
> times
> > > with hot water). In one bucket I put maybe 1/3 of the gravel, and the
> > rocks
> > > and logs in my tank. In the other bucket I had just water and all my
> fish
> > (3
> > > convicts, one yellow lab, two white cichlids (albino something or
> other),
> > 3
> > > purple cichlids with vertical stripes (a common variety, but I forget
> the
> > > name), and 3 fake SAE (whichever the common ones are) and 4 tiger
> barbs).
> > > The fish and my filter (eheim 2026) were out of the aquarium for at
most
> 2
> > > or 2.5 hours.
> > >
> > > At the new location, I filled the tank 2/3 with cold water from an
> outdoor
> > > faucet (using a garden hose to connect to my python since I couldn't
> find
> > a
> > > compatible faucet in the apartment) and then added 2 5 gallon buckets
> > filled
> > > with hot water from my shower. Finally, I added the water from both
> > buckets.
> > > I had given the bucket with the fish in it a good dose of amquel
before
> > the
> > > move, and added a bunch to the tank when I put the water back in. The
> new
> > > location has the same source for tap water, so I doubt any parameters
in
> > > that could be different than what my fish are used to.
> > >
> > > As of today I have had three deaths (one of the albino cichlids, one
of
> > the
> > > algae eaters, and one tiger barb), and all of the fish are at the top
of
> > the
> > > tank gasping for air (and sticking their mouths out of the water).
Today
> > > when I got home I took about 2 inches of water out (so the outflow
from
> my
> > > filter would splash more and hopefully put more oxygen in the water)
and
> > > added a bunch more amquel. I ran a few basic water tests, ammonia is 0
> and
> > > pH is neutral.
> > >
> > > I do notice the fish are all clustered in the left side of the tank,
as
> > > opposed to usually hanging out in the right, where the clean water
from
> > the
> > > filter comes in. This makes me think perhaps the filter has gone
> > anaerobic?
> > > Can it do that in just a few hours without fresh water? I kept the
> > canister
> > > filled with water when I transported it.
> > >
> > > At the moment, I think the culprits could be:
> > >
> > > 1) bio filtration died -- not likely though : eheim was sealed in
> transit,
> > a
> > > bunch of gravel was in 5 gallon bucket, other gravel was in plastic
bag
> > >
> > > 2) toxin introduced from: a) plastic garbage bag gravel was in; b) one
> of
> > > the buckets (fish were ok for 1 to 2 hours in transit in bucket
though);
> > > garden hose used to fill the tank; c) something funky in tap water; d)
> > > bacteria went anaerobic e) something funny in house water (metal
> leaching
> > in
> > > water heater?)...
> > >
> > > At this point I am afraid to do aggressive water changes, in case some
> of
> > > the issue is with the tap or household equipment (although I know my
> > > brother-in-law who used to live here kept plenty of fish just fine
using
> > the
> > > tap water). My plan for tomorrow if the situation is not any better is
> to
> > > buy a bag of Bio-Spira in case my bacteria crashed, and put some
carbon
> > > filters in my eheim in case it is a problem with some toxin.
> > >
> > > Any other suggestions or analysis?
> > >
> > > THANKS
> > >
> > > -Ray Kramer
> > >
> > >
> > > ray (at) raykramer (dot) com
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>

[Sue]

Forgive me if I've missed something in a previous post but, if you have
killed your filter bacteria, you have removed it?
Better new media than polluted media.
With the old media still there the tank is undergoing cycling + pollution.

Sue


> >
> > I plan on putting some carbon in my filter when I get home from work, in
> > case it is something toxic in the water, in which case I'll definitely
be
> >