# I'm really upset



## kane chisholme (Mar 17, 2011)

Well today I did a water change, just like so many others I've done every couple of days over the years exert this time something terrible happened, all my fish started looking sick. My parents and I called the water place for my city to see if it had changed at all and guess what, because of dirty water getting in the dam or something they loaded lots of extra chlorine into the water which was way too much even for my dechlorinater stuff I always put in my new water. Since then it's been a really sad night for me and one by one I've seen my little fish friends die infront of me knowing I can't do anything because my dechlorinater stuff is too weak. I'm so upset and I've loved these fish since I was young like 11 now I'm 15 and to see the fish I've taken so much care for and pride in over the years disappear, it breaks my heart. What can I do anyone? I just cant bear to watch them. Sorry if I sound like a big sook but I'm just so sad
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## Romad (Jun 28, 2009)

I'm sorry to hear about your fish. I would be very sad too  

Is there any way you can get spring water and change out the water with that? I know it's a lot of water but that's the only thing I can think of that will be a short term fix to try to save the fish you have left.


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## kane chisholme (Mar 17, 2011)

It's now 10:00pm here and everythings closed up like shops and stuff and I'm just gonna have to hope when I wake in the morning I will have something to see swimming around. I miss them a lot


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## Romad (Jun 28, 2009)

Crossing my fingers for you. 

You might want to look into getting a water filtration system if they're going to keep that much chlorine in your water supply.

Levels that high can't be good for humans either  Good luck.


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## kane chisholme (Mar 17, 2011)

Thanks for the help romad
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## martian123 (May 21, 2011)

I'm soooooo sorry because i'm 11 and to think of all my fish that i have been taking care of makes me almost want to cry.


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## Christople (Sep 7, 2010)

add a lot more of dechlor... like double the dose. are you useing prime or tetra safe or what, Dose it directly to the tank and doble it as I have said


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

This is sad to hear, and I too am very sorry for you. But at least we can offer help for the future.

Can you tell us which water conditioner you use? If this is just a chlorine issue, all of those I am familiar with would have handled it. IO'm wondering if chloramine was being added, and some conditioners may not deal with this. I may have more when I know the product you used.

Second, fish suffering from chlorine poisoning wold all be at the top, gasping, with very red inflamed gills. And they would soon be dead, within minutes or hours. Was this how they reacted? Or differently?

Byron.


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## redchigh (Jan 20, 2010)

If it was me, I'd just add a lot more dechlorinator.


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## Christople (Sep 7, 2010)

^^^^^^^ do what redchigh said


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## kane chisholme (Mar 17, 2011)

Thanks everyone, and trust me, I did put alot of the dechlorinater stuff in but unfortunately it didnt do a whole lot but it may have helped as it's now the next morning and 10/21 affected fish survived which I wasnt expecting. Before the fishes death, they behaved exactly as you described Byron but the only info I can give you on the dechlorinater stuff is that it was like a blue liquid that you put in the tank and it's suppose to "eliminate harmful chlorine to fish" sorry but I chucked it out last night because it was empty
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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

kane chisholme said:


> Thanks everyone, and trust me, I did put alot of the dechlorinater stuff in but unfortunately it didnt do a whole lot but it may have helped as it's now the next morning and 10/21 affected fish survived which I wasnt expecting. Before the fishes death, they behaved exactly as you described Byron but the only info I can give you on the dechlorinater stuff is that it was like a blue liquid that you put in the tank and it's suppose to "eliminate harmful chlorine to fish" sorry but I chucked it out last night because it was empty
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


That does sound like chlorine poisoning then. I've been through similar. In the 1980's I lived in a city that had good source water and very little chlorine was added. Those of us with fish did water changes without a conditioner, with no issues changing up to 1/4 of the tank. Then one summer, a bacterial bloom in the reservoir caused the city to increase the chlorine. None of us knew, and that week's water changes saw a lot of fish deaths by many of us. We learned the hard way: on city water, always use a conditioner.

I had another experience in 1997 or 1998. I always do a quick check of the fish once I finish a water change on each tank, to make sure the filter is running after I've switched it and the heaters back on, and just to see how the fish are behaving. I finished my water change on the 70g and got the Python draining the 90g. I looked into the 70g and there were all the fish, at the top, red gills flared, gasping, a couple floating dead. I instinctively knew that I had forgotten to squirt in the conditioner when I started filling the tank. I grabbed it, squirted in probably 4 times the normal amount, and saw instant relief from some of the hardier fish. They all recovered fortunately, but a few of the more sensitive fish didn't, they were too far gone.

As for your conditioner, I am not familiar with any that are blue, the ones I've always used are clear or opaque. Without the name can't say much about its effectiveness. Might be worth switching to another brand.

Byron.


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## amazon21 (Jun 28, 2010)

One of the old aquasafe conditioners from tetra used to be blue (this was about 3 years ago.) I doubt thats the one that your using though.


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## Christople (Sep 7, 2010)

I would go pick up some prime... speaking of prime does it make heavy metals safe


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## kane chisholme (Mar 17, 2011)

Yes I will probably be switching brands but I have to admit this is the first time ever it's failed me. But now everytime I change the water I think I will be a bit worried
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## Cluskey (May 1, 2011)

Im currently using a tetra aquasafe stuff that is blue, it apparently deals with chloromines aswell as chlorine


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## kane chisholme (Mar 17, 2011)

Yeah that sounds a bit like mine and what it's suppose to do, can't remember the brand though
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## SeaHorse (Dec 27, 2010)

Hi Kane I'm sorry to hear of your water troubles and your lost fish.... so sad especially when you've had them for so long. 

I just read in here about an Ammonia Meter that might help tell you right away if you upset the balance in the tank with new water that has had a chlorine dump. 

the thread is called "ammonia meter" see if you can find it and then do some research on it... maybe you can find one where you live or order on online to be shipped to you.


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## 1077 (Apr 16, 2008)

I had a similar expierience while caring for a group of Discus.
Water company flushed their lines with elevated chlorine, and after a water change,,all of the young fish began wildly darting about the tank.
I quickly added more Prime(Doublethe tanks volume) and fishes settled down. I learned that the water company does this twice each year in the spring and the fall.
I began storing water in a rubbermaid trash can, and leaving it set for a couple days before using.
Chlorine pretty much gasses out after 24 hours but as my water also contained chloramines,,I still treated the water with Prime.
I usually change half the water in my tanks and I add double the dose of Prime for water I remove.
If I take out thirty gallons from tank I add enough prime to treat 60 gallons.


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## brownmane (Jan 7, 2011)

Sorry to hear about your fish. Hope the remaining ones are now doing better.

The other thing that can be done, but probably only if you have a smaller aquarium, is put the new water into a bucket and leave it over night. The chlorine evaporates. I still add the dechlorinator. But of course if you need to do an emergency water change, then this doesn't help.


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## Mikaila31 (Dec 18, 2008)

Get Prime, there is no legal chlorine dosage it can't deal with. Though this should be similar for most dechlorinators. In the US the max chlorine levels for drinking water are 4ppm, most people have less then 1ppm at their faucet though. A normal dose of prime deal with 4ppm of chlorine. In emergencies you can use up to five times the recommended dose, so you could neutralize 20ppm of chlorine. In perspective a chlorinated hot tub sits at about 3ppm of chlorine.


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## kane chisholme (Mar 17, 2011)

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## kane chisholme (Mar 17, 2011)

Thanks jakiebabie I'll be sure to have a look, and thanks everyone else for the advice. I liked your ideas and help. Btw, my surviving fish are doing well
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