I moved three tanks to my new office this past weekend (with help) and felt like everything was fine when I got to putting plants back into place. Wrong.
The second day after the move I come in to find fish gasping at the surface and numerous corpses, including 3 of my 9 altums. Ammonia spike. In hindsight, completely avoidable, so I feel sick about this, but I did not understand then what I think I understand now.
The fish spent two days in large containers with filtration and when set up, the tank had maybe 50% new water and 50% old. The substrate was kept damp and the canister filters had water in them all the time. I thought that this would keep enough bacteria alive to basically pick up right where I had left off two days earlier. I think this is really what happens:
Whatever bacteria population exists before a move is just the right amount to process the waste of the existing fish population. Let's call this amount "X". Scrubbing glass and some rocks and driftwood and maybe rearranging the substrate leaves me with something less than X in the new setup. 20% less? 50%? Who knows. Enough less that ammonia becomes more than zero and sensitive fish suffer. Aggressive water changes and/or Ammo Lock or Amquel can easily buy time for the bacteria to catch up.
Does this make sense to you? Why did I not anticipate this?! Please learn from my mistake.
One interesting fact: One suffering fish was lying on the bottom as I hurriedly changed water. As soon as fresh aged water was pumping in I aimed it right at him and within 30 seconds he was upright. Amazing.
The second day after the move I come in to find fish gasping at the surface and numerous corpses, including 3 of my 9 altums. Ammonia spike. In hindsight, completely avoidable, so I feel sick about this, but I did not understand then what I think I understand now.
The fish spent two days in large containers with filtration and when set up, the tank had maybe 50% new water and 50% old. The substrate was kept damp and the canister filters had water in them all the time. I thought that this would keep enough bacteria alive to basically pick up right where I had left off two days earlier. I think this is really what happens:
Whatever bacteria population exists before a move is just the right amount to process the waste of the existing fish population. Let's call this amount "X". Scrubbing glass and some rocks and driftwood and maybe rearranging the substrate leaves me with something less than X in the new setup. 20% less? 50%? Who knows. Enough less that ammonia becomes more than zero and sensitive fish suffer. Aggressive water changes and/or Ammo Lock or Amquel can easily buy time for the bacteria to catch up.
Does this make sense to you? Why did I not anticipate this?! Please learn from my mistake.
One interesting fact: One suffering fish was lying on the bottom as I hurriedly changed water. As soon as fresh aged water was pumping in I aimed it right at him and within 30 seconds he was upright. Amazing.