Massive, Sudden fish loss-Seeking advice

I had a nice stable 10 gallon tank with 10 fish- 5 tetras, a couple
barbs, zebra danios. The fish had live several years and the tank
looked good with regular siphoning of the bottom and water changes.

The trouble started when I bought a new tank. I started it up and a
week later bought some fish. To introduce them slowly into the new
tank, I put a few into the old tank for a couple of days.

A couple of days later, all 5 neon tetras died overnight. over the next
couple of days, the rest of my fish died. Same thing in the new tank
which was mostly guppies.

Before the hardier ones died, they swam frantically, and often swam
upside down or vertically. When dead they sank to the bottom instead
of floating on the surface. Some of the dying were covered in white
"fuzz", but not all.

I check the pH and Nitrates, Nitrites and they were fine

Two questions: 1) Anyone know what might have caused this?
2) Any advice on how to clean the tank/ what to do before introducing
new fish?
Thanks

wrote in message
oups.com...
I had a nice stable 10 gallon tank with 10 fish- 5 tetras, a couple
barbs, zebra danios. The fish had live several years and the tank
looked good with regular siphoning of the bottom and water changes.

The trouble started when I bought a new tank. I started it up and a
week later bought some fish. To introduce them slowly into the new
tank, I put a few into the old tank for a couple of days.

A couple of days later, all 5 neon tetras died overnight. over the next
couple of days, the rest of my fish died. Same thing in the new tank
which was mostly guppies.

Before the hardier ones died, they swam frantically, and often swam
upside down or vertically. When dead they sank to the bottom instead
of floating on the surface. Some of the dying were covered in white
"fuzz", but not all.

I check the pH and Nitrates, Nitrites and they were fine

Two questions: 1) Anyone know what might have caused this?
2) Any advice on how to clean the tank/ what to do before introducing
new fish?
Thanks



Do you mean you had a 10 gl with fish you had for some time, then you set up
another 10 gl , but when you got new fish for it you put them in the old 10
gl w/ the older fish instead of the new 10 gl?
Did you put the new fish in QT for any amount of time? if not maybe you
introduced a disease that the new fish had into the old tank, the fish in
the new tank may have been infected with the same thing as the others you
put in the old tank.
I have got guppies and found out after the fact they were sick and there for
lost some older fish I had because I did not wait to put them in the tank, I
always learn the hard way, it took a month to resolve.... the white fuzzy
stuff was probably fungus, my guppies I bought had it also, if you only seen
it after they died I don't think that matters but if it was on them while
still alive then that is probably what it is. I lost several of my older
guppies before I got it taken care of, are all your fish dead? if not I used
aquarium salt, fungus treatment and a lot of water changes, but someone else
might know better then me.
I am not sure if fungus will stay in the tank if you completely clean it
out, maybe let it dry in the sun, I'm not real sure, I would throw the rocks
away if they are just cheap rocks. I boiled all my stuff after that
happened.
Nik

wrote in message
oups.com...
I had a nice stable 10 gallon tank with 10 fish- 5 tetras, a couple
barbs, zebra danios. The fish had live several years and the tank
looked good with regular siphoning of the bottom and water changes.

The trouble started when I bought a new tank. I started it up and a
week later bought some fish. To introduce them slowly into the new
tank, I put a few into the old tank for a couple of days.

Which exposed the fish you already had to any number of parasites and
diseases the new fish carried.

A couple of days later, all 5 neon tetras died overnight. over the next
couple of days, the rest of my fish died. Same thing in the new tank
which was mostly guppies.

All new fish should be QUARANTINED for at last 14 days. If any sicken, show
parasites or die, stretch it out to 21 to 28 days.

Before the hardier ones died, they swam frantically, and often swam
upside down or vertically. When dead they sank to the bottom instead
of floating on the surface. Some of the dying were covered in white
"fuzz", but not all.

I check the pH and Nitrates, Nitrites and they were fine

Two questions: 1) Anyone know what might have caused this?
2) Any advice on how to clean the tank/ what to do before introducing
new fish?
Thanks

Since there is no way to know for sure what caused the white fuzz you should
sterilize the tank, the gravel.... everything! Then get a cheap Quarantine
tank........ see above. Never expose healthy fish to new fish you buy.
--
Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
Aquariums since 1952
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

PH shock, filter/heater leaking current, temperature shock, ammonia/nitrite?
spike, not enuf dechlorinator.
you have any crazy weather?
clean any filters/big water change or change anything



"Koi-Lo" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
oups.com...
I had a nice stable 10 gallon tank with 10 fish- 5 tetras, a couple
barbs, zebra danios. The fish had live several years and the tank
looked good with regular siphoning of the bottom and water changes.

The trouble started when I bought a new tank. I started it up and a
week later bought some fish. To introduce them slowly into the new
tank, I put a few into the old tank for a couple of days.

Which exposed the fish you already had to any number of parasites and
diseases the new fish carried.

A couple of days later, all 5 neon tetras died overnight. over the next
couple of days, the rest of my fish died. Same thing in the new tank
which was mostly guppies.

All new fish should be QUARANTINED for at last 14 days. If any sicken,
show parasites or die, stretch it out to 21 to 28 days.

Before the hardier ones died, they swam frantically, and often swam
upside down or vertically. When dead they sank to the bottom instead
of floating on the surface. Some of the dying were covered in white
"fuzz", but not all.

I check the pH and Nitrates, Nitrites and they were fine

Two questions: 1) Anyone know what might have caused this?
2) Any advice on how to clean the tank/ what to do before introducing
new fish?
Thanks

Since there is no way to know for sure what caused the white fuzz you
should sterilize the tank, the gravel.... everything! Then get a cheap
Quarantine tank........ see above. Never expose healthy fish to new
fish you buy.
--
Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
Aquariums since 1952
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

wrote:
I had a nice stable 10 gallon tank with 10 fish- 5 tetras, a couple
barbs, zebra danios. The fish had live several years and the tank
looked good with regular siphoning of the bottom and water changes.

The trouble started when I bought a new tank. I started it up and a
week later bought some fish. To introduce them slowly into the new
tank, I put a few into the old tank for a couple of days.

A couple of days later, all 5 neon tetras died overnight. over the next
couple of days, the rest of my fish died. Same thing in the new tank
which was mostly guppies.

Before the hardier ones died, they swam frantically, and often swam
upside down or vertically. When dead they sank to the bottom instead
of floating on the surface. Some of the dying were covered in white
"fuzz", but not all.

I check the pH and Nitrates, Nitrites and they were fine

Two questions: 1) Anyone know what might have caused this?
2) Any advice on how to clean the tank/ what to do before introducing
new fish?
Thanks

Sorry to hear about that. It sounds like a pretty severe viral or
bacterial disease introduced with the new fish. The white "fuzz" could
have just been a secondary fungal infection, or a bacterial infection by
Flavobacterium columnaris. Both are common and you can't tell without a
microscope.

I would clean the new tank out completely with 1:20 bleach:water, rinse
thoroughly with water, dry everything (gets rid of bleach residue) and
set it up again. Rinse anything you can't dry thoroughly in some water
with dechlorinator in it.

I'm not sure what to tell you for the old tank. I would try a chemical
called potassium permanganate to reduce the bacterial load without
killing off my biofilter or hurting the fish. Get Kordon's Permoxyn or
Jungle's Clear Water and follow the instructions. Hopefully it will be
strong enough.

Always isolate new fish from your healthy ones by setting up a separate,
small quarantine tank. It doesn't have to be fancy. I use an empty
tank with a handful of anacharis or some plastic plants, my spare
heater, and a small power filter with a sponge or some carbon from an
established tank. No lights, gravel, or fancy decorations. You can
even use a bucket but it's harder to see whether the fish is healthy.
Some people say to isolate for a week, others say a month. I go 2-3
weeks myself.

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