Topic: Sudden Death of Two Lake Malwi Cichlids

[rrdude]

So today, (09/01/2010), I wake up at 6:45am to go to class. I inspect my Kenyi and Acei cichlids and to my great pleasure I see they are beginning to get their adult colorations! As I return from class I feed them as usual. They eat well and return to their normal activities. All is well it seems. Later that day I come into my room to do my routine water checks. All harmful chemicals that are on the standard checklist are well below toxic levels or zero. About an hour later I notice my cichlids laying on the bottom breathing rapidly and erratically. I quarantine them in two refugiums in a 10g tank that is divided in two. In the matter of 45 minutes they went from what appeared to be fully content and colorful to dead. The acei also became very  dark (almost black) in color. I search the internet frantically for useful information (of course I find none, even though the internet has billions of articles on everything) and also do an emergency water change and vaccum of the gravel and return the fish to the original tank. 10 minutes pass and they are gone.

If  anyone could help me in identifying the cause of the sudden death I would be very happy. Until then Im drinking a beer in their honor.   Cheers

[Gerry]

did you tet your water?

Whar were the readings?

Could anything have spilled into the tank?

[callen]

Welcome to the site and sorry for your loss.

From what you decribled it sounds like some toxins got into the water.  Could the food possibly have been contaminated, something on your hands?

[rrdude]

Hey,

I dont believe anything had spilled into the tank. The food Is in an airtight plastic container inside of a ziplock bag. I do smoke, however, I make certain that I wash my hands before I touch anything that will be submerged or food.

[rrdude]

Also, since now I have an empty aquarium I think im just going to do a community planted tank. Should I remove everything from the tank and start anew?

[altaaffe]

I'd try and get to the root cause of what happened first to make sure it doesn't happen again.

When you say your readings were below toxic levels, what did you test for and what were the actual levels.

Do you have fly sprays, air fresheners, anything like that going on?

What size tank is it?

[Gerry]

I think you need to try and work out what happened too in case you have something going on that will just kill what you get.

[mrbigfish]

Was it a new setup? Were the fish new? Were there always Africans in the tank? What size tank (before quarentined) and what kind of filtration?

[Dan]

I think you need to try and work out what happened too in case you have something going on that will just kill what you get.

I totally agree and sorry to hear about your fish.  Its never easy, to go thru that. We have all been there at one time or another.