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Cyanide? Expand / Collapse
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Posted 5/19/2008 12:53:54 PM
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I have recently had two fish die. One was a Banggai Cardinalfish and the other was a Fire Dartfish.  I first had the Cardinalfish first.  It was doing very well for a week but one day I noticed that it was lying on the sandbed but it was still breathing.  It died shortly after that.  Next I had a fire dartfish which was fine for a day but then it started acting like the Cardinalfish.  It tried to dart up from the sand but it would fall back down.  It also died. Both of these fish came from the same store and I was wondering if it could have been Cyanide that killed them.  I do regular water changes and the water quality seems fine.  If anyone has any opinions I would be glad to read them.
Post #147996
Posted 5/19/2008 2:19:19 PM
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What would make you think cyanide? The practice of cyanide fishing for ornamental marine fish is not nearly as common as it once was, and reputable stores are not buying fish caught this way. Also, deaths from cyanide poisoning during capture would probably happen long before the fish gets to you...maybe in the place the fish are housed before being shipped off to pet stores.

It is far more likely that something is wrong in your tank. Please answer some questions for us, to help us narrow it down.

First, and most importantly, what are your readings for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, kH, and salinity/specific gravity? Your answers should all be in numbers...answers like "the ammonia is fine" do not help us help you.

What size tank is it?

What kinds of fish are in it?

How long has it been set up?

What is your source water (e.g., tap, RO, spring, well, natural sea water)?

How often do you do water changes, and how much do you change at a time?

How long after you mix your saltwater (assuming you don't buy it premixed) do you wait before doing a water change with it?

What is your acclimation procedure? (In detail please)

I know that is quite a lot of questions, but the more we know, the more likely we will be to solve your problem. Thanks in advance for taking the time to answer them.

.
Post #147997
Posted 5/20/2008 7:15:15 AM
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Cyanide can take its time killing fish. Some times resulting in lack of feeding that of course starves the fish to death. But here, I'm with Hailey. I just find it hard to beleive that you'd be unlucky enough to get two fishes that were both caught using cyanide. Did both fish come from the same store?

So many species, so little money!
Post #148005
Posted 5/20/2008 7:56:03 AM
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Nep2Ns PlumR (5/20/2008)
Did both fish come from the same store?


Yup. That one was answered in the first post. :P

Sorry, couldn't resist pointing that out (I miss stuff in posts all the time, and it seems I always get caught..lol).

.
Post #148006
Posted 5/20/2008 10:20:13 AM
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Yup. That one was answered in the first post.

Were these the only two fish in the tank? Are there others that are doing fine? How long had you had them? I'd check your water parameters real closely. If all is as it should be........

If anyone has any opinions I would be glad to read them.
 

....I'd find a new store to deal with. There is the possibility that the store is purchasing fish from an unscrupulous source cheaply, and in turn screwing the customer (actually screwing the hobby as a whole). Good luck solving your delima.

So many species, so little money!

Post #148010
Posted 5/20/2008 1:06:51 PM
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I'll be able to answer most of those questions.

The Ammonia is 0 ppm

The Nitrite level was about 1.5 ppm

The Nitrate level was about 3 ppm

The PH is 8.4

the salinity was 1.27

The tank is 20 gallons and it has live rock and a pajama cardinal that is doing fine.  I do a water change of 1.5 liters twice a week.  When I accumulate new fish I float the bag with the fish in the tank.  Every 5 minutes I add a little bit of water from the tank.  After about 30 minutes I let the fish swim into the tank.

I hope those answers help.  Thanks

Post #148012
Posted 5/20/2008 1:53:52 PM
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