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