Have I Just Killed My Fish?

I know the answer is probably yes but I had the best of intentions so please be kind.

Some of you may know that all of my shrimp have been dying from an unknown cause over the last 2 weeks. I am not looking for advice on that - I will get told off for having more than one thread on the same topic - just providing a bit of background information.

In an attempt to make the tank safe to add shrimp again I treated it last night with the recommended dose of Melafix and Pimafix.

This morning I found 2 lampeye killifish dead and a third is swimming around at the top of the tank looking less than happy.

The temperature in the tank has also increased in the warmer weather. It is set to 24C but last night it hit 26C. I tried adding bottles of iced water to bring it down but it didn't make any difference.

Has the combination of increased temperature/Melafix/Pimafix killed my fish (probably).

Please tell me this gets easier? Every move I make seems to be the wrong one.

Before anyone asks

Ammonia 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 5-10
pH 7.6
Temp 25.8C (Can't get it any lower in the heatwave)

 

I don't know the answers to your questions but sorry for your losses

 

Found another dead lampeye.

So that is 3 dead, 1 sick and 2 still looking healthy.

Glowlight danios and Celestial Pearl Danios seem unaffected.

 

When dosing Mela and Pima fix together.... Don't dose a full dose of both. Do 50/50 dosing if you dosed 100% dose of both I highly recommend doing at least a 50% water change as soon as possible.


Edited to say
Some fish tolerate it much better than others, and you can slowly increase to a full dose of each when using as a treatment. But I've always found dosing 50/50 works just as effectively and is much less stressful and I haven't raised the double treatment beyond that ratio in quite some time as it does somewhat build in the aquarium over the course of several days of treatment.

 

When water temperatures go up, dissolved oxygen levels go down. This may or may not be the cause of your problems, but it couldn't hurt to make sure the water stays well oxygenated. Making sure the water is well-circulated helps increase oxygen levels. One easy way to get good water stirring is to use an air pump and an airstone placed near the bottom of the tank. The rising bubbles drag water with them. Putting the airstone in a corner will create good circulation. So that's something easy to try.

 

When water temperatures go up, dissolved oxygen levels go down. This may or may not be the cause of your problems, but it couldn't hurt to make sure the water stays well oxygenated. Making sure the water is well-circulated helps increase oxygen levels. One easy way to get good water stirring is to use an air pump and an airstone placed near the bottom of the tank. The rising bubbles drag water with them. Putting the airstone in a corner will create good circulation. So that's something easy to try.

Thanks. I will look into getting one. Until then I will do a water change and drop the level a bit so the water splashes into the tank. Do you think that might help a bit?

 

I don't know what kind of filter you have, but if it pumps the water around, you may already have pretty good water circulation in the tank. But unless the water current is too strong and bothers the fish, more is often better.

The splashing might help some, and doesn't seem like it could hurt. The main way oxygen transfer occurs is at the surface of the water. So circulating the water well helps by constantly exposing "new" water to the top surface where the gas exchange can take place. People often think that the air from the air bubbles cause the aeration of the water, and in some part, that's true. But the bigger part of how an air-stone helps with aeration of the water is through the "air lift" effect where the rising bubbles create a large "updraft" of water which pulls stagnant water from low in the tank up to the top, and then that water has to spread out and circulate across the top and then fall again when it hits the other sides of the tank.

But a strong current out of a filter can do the same thing. But it's surprising how much water is "pumped" around the aquarium by a simple airstone. And since air pumps, tubing, and an airstone are fairly inexpensive, it's a good, cheap way to improve the circulation in any tank.

But we're just shooting in the dark here, and it may well be that oxygen levels aren't even the problem. I like the idea of doing a partial water change to lower the concentration of the medications in case they're the true cause. But the increased aeration is not a bad thing to try, too.

With the heat and the medication happening at the same time, it makes it hard to know which (if either) is the culprit. And it could be a combination of things.

I hope things straighten out for you. Some problems are mysterious and frustrating. Best of luck!

 

Lampeyes are sensitive. Adding the cold water could kill them.

26 is high for them, but they could take that better than the up and down.

Melafix and Pimafix can be replaced by dancing in front of the tank - they do about that much. They generally aren't harmful or useful. Their ingredients are good on paper, but are diluted to a point that they are ineffective.

 

Tea Tree extract/oil is a disinfectant and toxic.
There is a reason even Locust avoid the tree.

In nature, the tea tree is a natural (and strong) insecticide.

Never use that stuff. It shouldn't even be on the market.