1 serpae tetra and 5 black phantoms dead. Help!

[ab1990]

Ammonia- under .25ppm

Nitrate- under .5ppm

Ph- 7.5

Originally this was a 55g tank that I've had running for a year. Fully cycled and happy tank. 20 Rummynose. 15 black phantoms. 6 serpaes (bought last month) 2 angelfish. 3 electric blue acaras (just bought these last week). Found a good deal for a 75g online. Came with 2 aquaclear 110s, live plants, new substrate unopened bags, driftwood and tons of free biomax balls sitting out. It was a great deal. But the equipment and accessories were horrific. I'm talking 30 minutes deep cleaning 2 filters type of bad. Everything I just mentioned was all used. Full of dried gunk and algae. Full of debris. Conditions of location were not great. 

 

-soaked the biomax ceramic balls in warm water and vinegar. Rinsed and agitated with tap water extremely well. Soaked in dechlorinated solution. 

-rinsed live plants in a hydrogen peroxide solution. Dipped in dechlorinated water after. 

Did the massive task of transferring fish and tanks. The fish sat in a tote with a bubbler and a heater while waiting for the new home. This was on Saturday, 3 days ago. At this time, I added nothing of the 75g tank accessories except the wood and the new unopened substrate. Everything else was from my 55g. 

 

Last night, Monday, is when I added the extra filter and inserted the new "clean" filter media. I used loctite superglue to mount the "clean" java Fern to some rocks I had and to some of the driftwood. I also soaked some of my preexisting fake plants in hydrogen peroxide/vinegar and rinsed them in tap water agitated the algae off. 

 

Today I get off work and see 1 serpae tetra barely breathing. I poke around with it, it has trouble swimming. I humanely euthanize it. I see 5 black phantom tetras all dead in various spots around my fake plants. 

 

 

I don't know what caused this. Did something transfer over from the plants? From the biomedia I cleaned? Did any vinegar/peroxide get into the tank and kill them? Were they just stressed and had a delayed reaction from the move on Saturday? My water parameters are great. Temp is at 80. Why only the black phantoms and the 1 serpae? I do have a hunch I have columnaris floating around in the tank, and this is for 3 reasons- 6 months ago 1 rummy had a massive white patch. He died. I didn't do anything to treat the tank as everyone else was fine. A week into owning my new serpae tetras a month ago I did a massive water change and agitated a lot of the sand to clean it up, and one serpae developed the classic massive white patch- he was not going to make it, humanely euthanize him. Last week I noticed 1 serpae had a big white blip on its mouth (not cottony) but it's been getting smaller and smaller. I assume the fish are all strong and healthy and columnaris isn't a problem...until it is. I fear treating the tank with kanaplex currently as none of the fish show any symptoms besides that 1 blip of the mouth and I don't want to medicate when there isn't a 'problem' I guess? Anyways, I don't think the columnaris is related to these fish dying as they didn't show any signs of it. 

 

Was it the transfer? Was it anything I put into the tank? Maybe just an internal illness? Odd how it was just the phantoms and 1 serpae....

Edited January 10, 2023 by ab1990

[Colu]

Whats your nitrite and pH and if you didn't cycle your tank before adding your fish that can lead to ammonia and nitrite spikes and swings in your pH that could be what's killed your fish @ab1990

Edited January 11, 2023 by Colu

[ab1990]

On 1/10/2023 at 5:00 PM, Colu said:

Whats your nitrite and pH and if you didn't cycle your tank before adding your fish that can lead to ammonia and nitrite spikes and swings in your pH that could be what's killed your fish @ab1990

pH is 7.5. Nitrites are 0. The nitrate is less than 5 or so only because it's a newly filled tank from 3 days ago. I tested my water right before the tank change. The nitrate is only so low now because there's 75g of new tank water in the tank. Right before we did the swap, we tested the parameters of the 55. Ammonia next to 0, nitrite 0, pH the same 7.4ish, and nitrate was 40.

 

The ammonia, nitrite, and pH have remained the same from the 55g last testing up until the transfer and me just now testing it again for the thread. So, no ammonia, pH, or nitrite spikes. 

 

The 55g was completely cycled and over a year old. The 55g's aquaclear 110 with it's media went into the 75g. 

Edited January 11, 2023 by ab1990

[Colu]

On 1/11/2023 at 1:16 AM, ab1990 said:

pH is 7.5. Nitrites are 0. The nitrate is less than 5 or so only because it's a newly filled tank from 3 days ago. I tested my water right before the tank change. The nitrate is only so low now because there's 75g of new tank water in the tank. Right before we did the swap, we tested the parameters of the 55. Ammonia next to 0, nitrite 0, pH the same 7.4ish, and nitrate was 40.

 

The ammonia, nitrite, and pH have remained the same from the 55g last testing up until the transfer and me just now testing it again for the thread. So, no ammonia, pH, or nitrite spikes. 

 

The 55g was completely cycled and over a year old. The 55g's aquaclear 110 with it's media went into the 75g. 

Did you add cycled filter media from your 55 gallon if not it's possible you missed a spike as your  benefial bacteria won't have had time catch up  with the bio load if you add all the fish at the same time with some of the white patches you describe it's also possible your dealing with a bacterial infection's such as columnaris I can't be 100% sure on that can you post some pictures of any sick fish it will help with a diagnosis