Fish Dying... HELP!!! - Aquaponic Gardening2024-03-28T16:48:41Zhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/forum/topics/fish-dying-help?commentId=4778851%3AComment%3A592698&x=1&feed=yes&xn_auth=noMetal toxicity (zinc, copper)…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2015-01-15:4778851:Comment:5926982015-01-15T15:17:17.711ZVlad Jovanovichttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/VladJovanovic
<p>Metal toxicity (zinc, copper) doesn't kill fish immediately (unless levels are quite high). At low sub-lethal levels it chips away at internal organs and/or gills slowly crippling their ability to function until one day...Whammo! Your fish are sleeping with the fishes...</p>
<p>IME when this type of "mysterious" fish deaths occurs...and water quality parameters have been consistently good, and their are no outward signs of disease...the deaths invariably lead back to some forgotten about…</p>
<p>Metal toxicity (zinc, copper) doesn't kill fish immediately (unless levels are quite high). At low sub-lethal levels it chips away at internal organs and/or gills slowly crippling their ability to function until one day...Whammo! Your fish are sleeping with the fishes...</p>
<p>IME when this type of "mysterious" fish deaths occurs...and water quality parameters have been consistently good, and their are no outward signs of disease...the deaths invariably lead back to some forgotten about metal elements (copper and/or zinc)...Which doesn't necessarily mean (written in AP stone) that, that is what is killing your fish, but it's a really, really darn good candidate.</p>
<p>IDK about Littleton Un-incorporated, but Littleton's Cu average is already well above the LC50 for most fresh water fish...couple that with the chain (you never did say if it was galved or not) and it creates an avenue certainly worth pursuing to solve the 'mystery'...<img src="http://www.bkserv.net/images/Grin.gif"/></p>
<p>(in truth, such a thing has happened to many a person before you)...<br/> <br/> <cite>Patricia Brandenburger said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://community.theaquaponicsource.com/forum/topics/fish-dying-help?xg_source=activity#4778851Comment592910"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>Would the chain affect them after almost a year (minus the summer) of being in the tank with them? I turned the heaters up on Monday to 72.</p>
<p>It is out of there now anyway. And I haven't had time to look at the water report, but we are in Unincorporated Littleton so I don't know if that water report would cover us or not. We are like the step-child of Littleton; we have a Littleton address but no support, money, or even emergency services provided by Littleton.</p>
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<p>Anyway. Monday was good, no more dead fish after 6 this weekend. (3 Saturday, 3 Sunday) Yesterday (tues) went in and picked another one up off the bottom.</p>
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</blockquote> Another one found dead this m…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2015-01-15:4778851:Comment:5926962015-01-15T01:16:27.492ZPatricia Brandenburgerhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/PatriciaBrandenburger
<p>Another one found dead this morning.</p>
<p>Another one found dead this morning.</p> Would the chain affect them a…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2015-01-14:4778851:Comment:5929102015-01-14T12:35:37.044ZPatricia Brandenburgerhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/PatriciaBrandenburger
<p>Would the chain affect them after almost a year (minus the summer) of being in the tank with them? I turned the heaters up on Monday to 72.</p>
<p>It is out of there now anyway. And I haven't had time to look at the water report, but we are in Unincorporated Littleton so I don't know if that water report would cover us or not. We are like the step-child of Littleton; we have a Littleton address but no support, money, or even emergency services provided by Littleton.</p>
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<p>Anyway.…</p>
<p>Would the chain affect them after almost a year (minus the summer) of being in the tank with them? I turned the heaters up on Monday to 72.</p>
<p>It is out of there now anyway. And I haven't had time to look at the water report, but we are in Unincorporated Littleton so I don't know if that water report would cover us or not. We are like the step-child of Littleton; we have a Littleton address but no support, money, or even emergency services provided by Littleton.</p>
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<p>Anyway. Monday was good, no more dead fish after 6 this weekend. (3 Saturday, 3 Sunday) Yesterday (tues) went in and picked another one up off the bottom.</p> The rust would not, but if it…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2015-01-12:4778851:Comment:5926512015-01-12T12:54:56.690ZVlad Jovanovichttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/VladJovanovic
<p>The rust would not, but if it was a galvanized (zinc coated) steel chain (the types commonly sold at hardware stores)...that would certainly have the potential to affect them.</p>
<p>Zinc, along with copper are both <em>highly toxic</em> to fish. They are even more toxic when found together...much more than either alone would be (synergistic toxicity effect of Zn and Cu towards aquatic life has been well documented).</p>
<p>The Littleton CO water quality report for 2014 shows an allowable…</p>
<p>The rust would not, but if it was a galvanized (zinc coated) steel chain (the types commonly sold at hardware stores)...that would certainly have the potential to affect them.</p>
<p>Zinc, along with copper are both <em>highly toxic</em> to fish. They are even more toxic when found together...much more than either alone would be (synergistic toxicity effect of Zn and Cu towards aquatic life has been well documented).</p>
<p>The Littleton CO water quality report for 2014 shows an allowable limit of 1.3ppm for copper...with one site testing above the allowable limit. Average for August looks like 0.64ppm Cu</p>
<p>The LC50 (lethal concentration it takes to kill 50% of the test population) for most fresh water fish is only 0.5ppm (and can be as low as 0.006ppm in some particularly sensitive species).</p>
<p>Again, your drinking water tested at 0.64ppm for copper. (and any zinc from the chain would just enhance the effects of toxicity)...</p>
<p>Also, as carbonate hardness in your water goes down...metals like copper become even more toxic (than in hard, high pH, high KH type waters).</p>
<p>There's my 2 cents<img src="http://www.bkserv.net/images/Grin.gif"/></p> I found 3 more today. :( One…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2015-01-12:4778851:Comment:5926412015-01-12T00:28:26.769ZPatricia Brandenburgerhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/PatriciaBrandenburger
<p>I found 3 more today. :( One of them was a survivor from our de-gassing last year.</p>
<p>I will crank the heaters up tomorrow and see if it helps.</p>
<p>Also, I don't know if this would have anything to do with it but I pulled a small piece of chain out of the tank. It was in there last year since we added the bubbler. The hoses are wrapped through it and the chain weighs them down. I did notice that the chain was more rusted than I thought it would be. Would rust affect them?</p>
<p>I found 3 more today. :( One of them was a survivor from our de-gassing last year.</p>
<p>I will crank the heaters up tomorrow and see if it helps.</p>
<p>Also, I don't know if this would have anything to do with it but I pulled a small piece of chain out of the tank. It was in there last year since we added the bubbler. The hoses are wrapped through it and the chain weighs them down. I did notice that the chain was more rusted than I thought it would be. Would rust affect them?</p> I'd recommend setting the hea…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2015-01-11:4778851:Comment:5927432015-01-11T23:29:51.530ZScott Robertshttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/ScottRoberts
<p>I'd recommend setting the heaters to at least 72 - maybe even 78.... tilapia prefer warm water, and when the water temperature is lower, not only is their metabolism slowed down, but their immune system is greatly compromised.</p>
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<p>I'd recommend setting the heaters to at least 72 - maybe even 78.... tilapia prefer warm water, and when the water temperature is lower, not only is their metabolism slowed down, but their immune system is greatly compromised.</p>
<p></p> I don't mean to play devils a…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2015-01-11:4778851:Comment:5925382015-01-11T19:29:45.591ZPatricia Brandenburgerhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/PatriciaBrandenburger
<p>I don't mean to play devils advocate, but I've tried thinking through all these things and maybe I'm missing something in my thoughts? I'd rather post my thinking and bounce ideas back an forth to find the issue. I'm dreading going into school today for fear of more dead fish. But at this point I'm feeling like I'm guaranteed to find at least one more. :(</p>
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<p>I don't mean to play devils advocate, but I've tried thinking through all these things and maybe I'm missing something in my thoughts? I'd rather post my thinking and bounce ideas back an forth to find the issue. I'm dreading going into school today for fear of more dead fish. But at this point I'm feeling like I'm guaranteed to find at least one more. :(</p>
<p></p> This past week I have been le…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2015-01-11:4778851:Comment:5927372015-01-11T19:28:14.316ZPatricia Brandenburgerhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/PatriciaBrandenburger
<p>This past week I have been leaving my classroom computer on and it hasn't shut off. They were installing new Exit lights over break but the power wouldn't have been off for long periods and this week we still have fish dying and no new power changes. The air bubbler is plugged directly into the wall. The pump and heaters are plugged into a power strip. Only the lights are on a timer and they are plugged into a separate outlet. (our system is inside since it is Colorado and it gets cold…</p>
<p>This past week I have been leaving my classroom computer on and it hasn't shut off. They were installing new Exit lights over break but the power wouldn't have been off for long periods and this week we still have fish dying and no new power changes. The air bubbler is plugged directly into the wall. The pump and heaters are plugged into a power strip. Only the lights are on a timer and they are plugged into a separate outlet. (our system is inside since it is Colorado and it gets cold out)</p> I will test the hose water an…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2015-01-11:4778851:Comment:5925202015-01-11T16:30:36.240ZPatricia Brandenburgerhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/PatriciaBrandenburger
<p>I will test the hose water and as far as feeding I know I was the only one in the building between Christmas Eve and New Years so nobody else could be feeding them then. Now, there is only one group allowed to feed them and they know to check the feeding calendar and sign off on it when they have been fed. If someone else has already fed them, they don't. I will check in on that though.</p>
<p>I will test the hose water and as far as feeding I know I was the only one in the building between Christmas Eve and New Years so nobody else could be feeding them then. Now, there is only one group allowed to feed them and they know to check the feeding calendar and sign off on it when they have been fed. If someone else has already fed them, they don't. I will check in on that though.</p> They now have a massive air b…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2015-01-11:4778851:Comment:5924752015-01-11T00:01:53.180ZPatricia Brandenburgerhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/PatriciaBrandenburger
<p>They now have a massive air bubbler that runs and the pump to supply air.</p>
<p>I did not de-chloranate but never had. I normally don't switch out that much water. Even so, they were dropping before I changed the water. I guess it could have been from the nitrates before and chlorine now? We have city water at the school and it isn't very chlorinated to start.<br></br> <br></br> <cite>Randall Wimbish said:…</cite></p>
<p>They now have a massive air bubbler that runs and the pump to supply air.</p>
<p>I did not de-chloranate but never had. I normally don't switch out that much water. Even so, they were dropping before I changed the water. I guess it could have been from the nitrates before and chlorine now? We have city water at the school and it isn't very chlorinated to start.<br/> <br/> <cite>Randall Wimbish said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://community.theaquaponicsource.com/forum/topics/fish-dying-help#4778851Comment592606"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>Do you have additional air supply? Did you de chlorinate the water that you used for the water change or is it well water?</p>
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