Not Sure What Happened

[emeraldsky]

Came home today to find 2 of my tanks dead. No survivors at all.
So I lost both my sorority and my goldfish tank all within the span of a day.

Still in shock but I have no idea what killed them so I thought I'd post here and figure out what may have happened.

Im more concerned about the sorority so I'll only be posting information on that tank. I have an idea of what may have killed my goldies but its not related to my sorority.


Housing
What size is your tank: - 29 gallons
What temperature is your tank? - 80
Does your tank have a filter? Yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Is your tank heated? Yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with?
8 Femal bettas and 3 Kuhli loaches

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Top Fin color enhancing pellets
How often do you feed your betta fish? Morning and Night

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Weekly
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 50%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Water conditions, cant remember the name since I ran out last time but the bottle was yellow

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? Have not tested the water.

Ammonia: N/A
Nitrite: N/A
Nitrate: N/A
pH: N/A
Hardness: N/A
Alkalinity: N/A

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? None when they died. Slight fuzziness but it looked like slime coat
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? None, they acted normal this morning
When did you start noticing the symptoms? No time for symptoms
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? N/A
Does your fish have any history of being ill? No
How old is your fish (approximately)? All petstore fish, The oldest one I had was about 2 months old, newest about 2 weeks. All were QT'd before being put in tank.


Any help would be appreciated.

[Myrtaceae]

I'm so sorry, that sounds awful. I'm only moderately experienced, and never have had a die-off like that, so I can only recommend that you get a free water test at either Petco or Petsmart so they more experienced members might be able to tell you more about your tank.

[LittleBettaFish]

Sounds like a contaminant got into the tank or there was a very sudden and sharp ammonia/nitrite spike.

Does anyone in your house use sprays like deodorant or insect repellents near either one of these tanks? Likewise, I believe Glade brand scented candles and wall plug-ins, can both cause die-offs.

You said you ran out of water conditioner, but I'm assuming you have either purchased some, or have yet to do a water change in the meantime? If you've been using conditioner, there could be something in your source water that it's not detoxifying.

Without water parameters, it's hard to say whether this was a water quality issue, but then again even if you measured the ammonia it will probably be slightly skewed because of the dead fish being present. If your tank is established and properly cycled, it would be very rare for there to be a high enough spike in that amount of time to kill off every single fish.

[emeraldsky]

Originally Posted by Myrtaceae

I'm so sorry, that sounds awful. I'm only moderately experienced, and never have had a die-off like that, so I can only recommend that you get a free water test at either Petco or Petsmart so they more experienced members might be able to tell you more about your tank.

I actually dont have a car so I cant go to get my water tested D:

Originally Posted by LittleBettaFish

Sounds like a contaminant got into the tank or there was a very sudden and sharp ammonia/nitrite spike.

Does anyone in your house use sprays like deodorant or insect repellents near either one of these tanks? Likewise, I believe Glade brand scented candles and wall plug-ins, can both cause die-offs.

You said you ran out of water conditioner, but I'm assuming you have either purchased some, or have yet to do a water change in the meantime? If you've been using conditioner, there could be something in your source water that it's not detoxifying.

Without water parameters, it's hard to say whether this was a water quality issue, but then again even if you measured the ammonia it will probably be slightly skewed because of the dead fish being present. If your tank is established and properly cycled, it would be very rare for there to be a high enough spike in that amount of time to kill off every single fish.

I thought it was a contaminant as well, but all my tanks are in the same room so I'd assume all my tanks would be hit. My 29g also has a hood so it would be hard for something to fly in. Someone did use vinegar in the same room today but I dont think that would be the cause...

I ran out of conditioner after my last water change, I plan on getting more before my next water change. i mentioned running out since I couldnt remember the brand and no longer had the bottle ^^;
I used the same conditioner while doing water changes in my other tanks though so once again, Id assume my other tanks should have been hit as well.

Would an ammonia spike really kill everything in the span of 8 hours?

[LittleBettaFish]

It depends on how high the ammonia spiked (anything above 4ppm can kill pretty quickly) and the individual hardiness of each fish. I had a fish die because of an ammonia spike, while the other fish in the same tank showed no ill-effects at all.

If your water has a high pH, this can increase the toxicity of ammonia.

I would definitely keep eyes on any of your other tanks, just in case it was a problem with your source water.

I think if it was a bacterial infection, there would have been some outward symptoms, or at least a couple of survivors. It seems odd they would all die in such a short space of time.

[Oldfishlady]

Dang...sorry for the loss......

How soon did the die off happen after a water change....

[emeraldsky]

Originally Posted by LittleBettaFish

It depends on how high the ammonia spiked (anything above 4ppm can kill pretty quickly) and the individual hardiness of each fish. I had a fish die because of an ammonia spike, while the other fish in the same tank showed no ill-effects at all.

If your water has a high pH, this can increase the toxicity of ammonia.

I would definitely keep eyes on any of your other tanks, just in case it was a problem with your source water.

I think if it was a bacterial infection, there would have been some outward symptoms, or at least a couple of survivors. It seems odd they would all die in such a short space of time.

I dont believe the water has a high pH, wouldnt that affect my other tanks as well?

I will, I'm going bonkers just waiting for something awful to happen to those ones now x.x

Yea, i thought so as well.

Originally Posted by Oldfishlady

Dang...sorry for the loss......

How soon did the die off happen after a water change....

Water change happened about 5 days before.

[PixelatedPaint]

Watch your other tanks. It could be an outside contaminant or inside. Do you have any decor not labelled for fish tanks? something could be leaching slowly and over time just could have caused it. I know some stores sell plants with metal rings around plants and such which will essentially poison your fish over time. Also non aquatic or those semi aquatic plants some pet stores sell will sour your tank eventually and kill the fish.

If the tank is not planted then its either the water source or some existing decor leaching something. That would be my guess anyways.

[emeraldsky]

Originally Posted by PixelatedPaint

Watch your other tanks. It could be an outside contaminant or inside. Do you have any decor not labelled for fish tanks? something could be leaching slowly and over time just could have caused it. I know some stores sell plants with metal rings around plants and such which will essentially poison your fish over time. Also non aquatic or those semi aquatic plants some pet stores sell will sour your tank eventually and kill the fish.

If the tank is not planted then its either the water source or some existing decor leaching something. That would be my guess anyways.

Im pretty sure its not decor, Ive made all mine and its been in my aquarium since the beginning of it so I'd think it would have hit sooner than that.

My sorority only had fake plants.

[PixelatedPaint]

you made them? from what? if its dollar store plants...did you soak them for a few days to make sure anything that would leach..would? did you make sure none of them had any metal wires inside? even if not exposed it will eventually leach...