hey everyone this is a bummer but My cichlids had babies i put them in a ten gallon tank till they get big enough to go in the main tank . well i changed the water in the 10 gallon tank about 50 % with a gravel vac. soon after i put new tap water and added de chlorinetor to the water.. and not even 20 min after. some fish started dyeing some lived but about 5 of them just past away what did i do wrong ? and is there any way to prevent them from dying after something like this happens:iamwithst? yes i know i think i did somthing very stupid but anyone have any ideas thanx for your help
Hello, welcome to the forums. This could be a large number of different issues, for starters, was the 10 gallon tank already cycled? If it was then a 50% water change is rather large, and remember to not vacuum all the gravel in one go, just 20-40% of it I would say.
If the fish were already stressed due to ammonia then perhaps a large water change caused a shift in ph, temp, or another parameter which pushed a few of the little ones over the edge.
What are the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate values in the 10 gallon tank?
Last thing that comes to mind is did you add the tap water directly to the 10 gallon and THEN mix in the de-chlorinator?
Remember, you want the water going in to be as close in chemistry to the water already in the tank.
Normally when you put baby cichlids in a seperate tank water changes are discouraged for the first 2 weeks are so. On top of that its easier to keep 5 gallons of water in a bucket with an air stone heater and some conditioner to age the water for the water changes when you finally do them. That way you can ensure you are using good water and putting water in that is the same temp.
OK thanks for all the help i found out what happend
thank you guys for all the responses i found out though that i cleaned the glass where the light goes with a dirty sponge and when the water splashed on it it sent the contaminants of the sponge residue into the tank. rookie mistake but at least you'll know if it ever happens to you .... i think to have so many fish deaths so fast something contaminated the water. in my case the dirty sponge that i use for washing dishes i know i know very dumb .. thanks again for all your help
It happens. We've all done 'dumb' things in this hobby at one time or another, so learn and move on. I actually used to take my fish, put them in a bowl every three months and break down the tank to scrub it clean. Little did I know I was restarting the Nitrogen cycle and killing my fish. I thought for years this was the proper method. Welcome to the planted tank!
It happens. We've all done 'dumb' things in this hobby at one time or another, so learn and move on. I actually used to take my fish, put them in a bowl every three months and break down the tank to scrub it clean. Little did I know I was restarting the Nitrogen cycle and killing my fish. I thought for years this was the proper method. Welcome to the planted tank!
Beside the fact you used something with soap{always use paper towels},the question of how to avoid rapid shifts in water parameters is to make water into buckets or a trash can for this purpose. Add whatever you use to dechlorinate{I only use Prime} test temp difference, and you can test PH if need be. I am not a fan of pythons and what not to change water. At some point, a fish can be exposed to chlorine or chloramines{whichever your water company uses} and if you are adding water straight from the tap, how can you tell if there is a temp difference? Nope, I prefer to use 5 gal buckets. Never killed a fish after a water change.
I gotta add a contrary opinion. (Weird I know, especially from yours truely). In a tank where baby cichlids are being raised leave the fry for 2 weeks, then a 50% water change every 2 weeks in perfectly fine, its actually the fastest way that I know to get fry to juvies. Never had an issue.
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