Stupid Stupid Stupid

[jusdeb]

Well in case you havent already guessed it Ive done something really stupid...Last night after I did a water change I added Algae Kill to my tank with my 2 month girls in it.
This morning I found them lethargic and a few were vertical sucking at the surface for air.
One has something funky happening to her eye and 2 have red bruise like things on their bodies 2 have died and a couple have their dorsal fins clamped tight .
Its a variety of symptoms I know.
I did a big WC and added 1/2 strenght salt and while the red grass girls are still hanging around the surface they seem a tad better but the moscows are not doing as well .
They are lethargic still but if I take the lid off the tank they scoot madly for cover.
Ive used this algae kill before for years and have never had a problem but it is the only thing I can think of as I havent used it in this tank before.
Ive shecked the effects of overdosing with the main ingredient on google and it says that overdosing will effect the organs , the eyes and reproduction in humans so Im guessing its similar with fish which expalins the variety of symptoms.
Does any one know if they will recover with WC regularly or will they continue to suffer in which case Id rather put them to sleep.
I think Ill start saving for some UV sterilisers after this and throw the meds away.

[CACAdmin]

I really don't know anything about the algae kill stuff but it sounds like you've done the right thing by doing a big water change. I'm not sure about the bruising. If it were me, I'd do another big water change tomorrow and keep the lights out and give them some quiet time to recover. I'm not sure what else you can do for them. I hope they recover. Good luck! And don't beat yourself up over it, as you said you've used it before without incident... and we've all done things at one point or another which in hindsight we wouldn't have done. Once this is over, until you can get a UV sterilizer, how about some snails for algae control?

[jusdeb]

Snails sound good....Ive lost 6 now , all moscows and no redgrass . Im not going to breed from the imported trio again , they just arent a robust fish.
I think Ill keep the strongest male and find a couple of local girls and start from there.
Since I sell to pet stores I dont think its fair to pass my problem fish onto others .
Any way Ill do daily WC for a while and see how they go.Thanx

[amaruq]

Got no advice just wanted to send hugs ((((jusdeb))))

[James]

I have never used anything like Algea Kill, in fact I don't use any chems if at all possible, so really have no help for you.

But as a note, my Oscar tank has an UV light hooked to one of the two canister filters in it, and I still get algae on the tank sides.

[jusdeb]

Glad you mentioned that James . At $100.00 AUS each it was going to cost me a fortune.
Ive decided to do some rseearch on google as to what causes the algae to start with and try to eliminate it as much as I can naturally.

[Melody]

That's terrible, you poor thing, you must be devastated :hugs: . The waterchange is the best thing you could have done. It is tough to say how extensive the damage is so I don't know if they'll recover or not. Keep the lights out and stress to a minimum. Another waterchange can't hurt.

I think you'll know when/if it's time to euthanize and only you can make that call. ::(:

[jusdeb]

Just did another WC and these fish are so fragile that when I put the gravel vac into the tank 4 of them scooted into the glass and died .
Im seeing the damage now , its doing something to their insides as they are turning white around the stomach area .
Theres still a couple left so we just wait and see now. They seem relaxed enough with the lights out and just being left alone so Ill stick to that. ::(:

[CACAdmin]

That's so sad. ::(: You've done what you could and maybe the few remaining didn't sustain as much damage and with some quiet time will recover. It's hard to say, but we can hope.

[James]

Sorry for your loss Deb, wish we could help you more.

[CACAdmin]

Thinking about you and wondering how the fish (& you) are doing.

Also, with regard to your algae problem and search for an alternative solution, I came across this thread (http://www.canadianaquariumconnection.com/forum/showthread.php?t=945)where Melody posted a link to a great article about algae. It might be helpful in identifying which kind you have and finding an alternative solution to it.

[Soggybottom]

What is that main ingredient that is causing the problems?

[jusdeb]

45g/L of...Poly(oxyethalene)(dimethyliminio)ethylene(dic hloride) whatever that means .
Ive since done 3 big WCs but none have survived from that tank.
I know I shouldnt have but I netted 5 and put them into a tank I had cycled as soon as I noticed the problem , anyway it paid of coz they are eating and starting to act normal again despite being thrown into another tank with acclimating them.
The research Ive done does however state that an overdose with this chemical can cause reproductive problems and is carcinagenic .
So we just wait and see how they go now. Ill do a few more WCs and then they can go back into the original tank .Fingers crossed.

[CACAdmin]

Glad to hear a few of them seem to be hanging in there. We'll hope for the best. Keep us posted.

[ameekplec]

I checked out the MSDS (material saefty and data sheet), and looked around a bit at what the compound is. It's pretty much toxic all around.
It's used as a pesticide. I found this page (http://www.pesticideinfo.org/List_AquireAcuteSum.jsp?Rec_Id=PC34167&Taxa_Group=Fish), and it says that for harlequin rasboras, 107 micrograms per liter is lethally toxic. To give you an idea, that's about one large droplet of water. It's pretty much lethally toxic to all fish, so I'd recommend not using it, even if you see no apparent distress. Most likely your fish that you transferred survived because they were taken out from the contaminated water entirely, and the ones that remained in the tank died because even after dilution by WC, I bet the remaining toxin severely weakened and killed them.

Sorry about your losses. I'd pitch that algone out, if I were you! I'd use natural remedies, like a pleco! :D Not only are they industrious eaters of algae, they're also fun to watch!

[Melody]

I can't believe they sell stuff like this for aquariums. We go to the trouble of buying something specifically designed for them because we trust them to be safer. :mad: