10 Gallon Tank Cloudy water and upset amano shrimp

my tank is cycled and been running for years now. after my betta recently died (of unrelated issues) i decided to rescape so i exchanged about half of the gravel for new substrate and replaced the decor to a newer piece of driftwood and replaced all the plants. i added flourish fertilizer (shrimp safe) 2 root tabs and water clarifier because i added sand to the tank and wanted to get rid of the particles floating around.


this morning the water in my 10g was cloudy and smelled bad and at least two of my shrimp died. the other two are out of the water on the side of the glass so clearly something is funky with my water. i did a water change and after doing a water test i found ~7.2pH, either 0 or .25ppm ammonia but i couldn't quite tell, and 0 nitrites and nitrates. water temp is about 80F. my snails seem okay and there is nothing else in the tank

thinking i added too many chemicals and new things all at once and shocked my shrimp?
any ideas about what went wrong and whether i should leave the tank alone or keep doing water changes?

 

You could of disturbed some gas or bacteria from your substrate when you took it out. Food and other detritus gets trapped between the gravel and rots . Can you test the rest of your parameters ?

If it were me I’d do another water change, temp match it and do drip back in. Amanos are hardy but if some are dead that’s quite telling.

 

I agree with Blacksheep1. If you disturbed the substrate then you may have kicked up trapped detritus and that would cause a bloom from the excess food in the water column. Probably rotten as well. Also your low ammonia and 0 nitrites and nitrates would make me suspicious as a cycled tank would have some nitrate unless you did a 100% water change or your cycle collapsed and you are having to recycle again.

Your beneficial bacteria would've have been on the substrate the plants and any other things you removed. If you cleaned the filter under the tap or put a new one in, you've basically reset your cycle and have to cycle again. Clarifiers aren't a cure all for cloudy water, some take weeks to cycle as that bacteria still needs to grow and establish itself. I wouldn't use any clarifier that could potentially compete with your cycle bacteria. They aren't the same and you could potentially slow down your cycle. But from the smell you're describing it's not the ammonia, it's fouled food and potentially bad bacteria and mold that have grown under your substrate releasing it and the rotten food. It may have killed off your cycle as mold and other bad bacteria will quickly out compete BB if given enough of a foot hold. It's a numbers game. More = Stronger.

 

I agree with Blacksheep1. If you disturbed the substrate then you may have kicked up trapped detritus and that would cause a bloom from the excess food in the water column. Probably rotten as well. Also your low ammonia and 0 nitrites and nitrates would make me suspicious as a cycled tank would have some nitrate unless you did a 100% water change or your cycle collapsed and you are having to recycle again.

Your beneficial bacteria would've have been on the substrate the plants and any other things you removed. If you cleaned the filter under the tap or put a new one in, you've basically reset your cycle and have to cycle again. Clarifiers aren't a cure all for cloudy water, some take weeks to cycle as that bacteria still needs to grow and establish itself. I wouldn't use any clarifier that could potentially compete with your cycle bacteria. They aren't the same and you could potentially slow down your cycle. But from the smell you're describing it's not the ammonia, it's fouled food and potentially bad bacteria and mold that have grown under your substrate releasing it and the rotten food. It may have killed off your cycle as mold and other bad bacteria will quickly out compete BB if given enough of a foot hold. It's a numbers game. More = Stronger.

i didnt mess with my filter at all but i probably did disturb the cycle by replacing so much all at once. i will just keep up with some more small water changes over the next few days and keep an eye on the remaining amanos. Thanks : )

You could of disturbed some gas or bacteria from your substrate when you took it out. Food and other detritus gets trapped between the gravel and rots . Can you test the rest of your parameters ?

If it were me I’d do another water change, temp match it and do drip back in. Amanos are hardy but if some are dead that’s quite telling.

unfortunately those are the only parameters that my testing kit tests. youre probably right i must have disturbed way too much all at once. ill keep up with water changes over the next couple days. thanks!

 

Good luck !! I hope all your fish stay safe