---aquarium crashing after move--- HELP

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