Sick Tank

[clownloach]

Hi,

I am fraking out and a don't know what to do.  I have a 120 gal tank, I did a water change today (30%) because I had 2 java loaches die over night.  Within 1 to 1.5 hours of the water change 14 Rasboras died pretty much at the same time - their gils were red and I thought they were eating flakes that knocked loose with the water change but it turns out that was about 10 mins before they died, so I guess they were gulping for air. 

Now my clowns (I have eight - 2 are around 8 inches) all have 1 cm long white threads hanging off of all their fins, but their fins do not look torn.

About the water change:

I had put some extra prime in the tank with the water change because it is a relatively new tank and I had a minor ammonia (0.5 ppm), nitrite (0.15 ppm) and massive nitrate spike (looked like 150 ppm). 

I quickly did another water change as soon as they Rasboras died (25%) to dilute the prime using water conditioner with slime coat to condition the water instead because I assumed that is what it was nothing else was abnormal:
- I always test the water temp with a thermometer when I do water changes and the buckets were all within 2 degrees F from the tank temp.
- We have 2 canaster filters that add up to filtration for something like 250 gals.
- I have 2 100 gal rated air pumps attached to air stones puming in air...
- I obviously was over feeding the tank a bit as when I cleaned the tank I found food under the driftwood in the tank.

We have had aquariums for almost 10 years and this is the most fish that we have lost at once by far.  Normally we go a year or two without a loss.  The rasboras were relatively new but we quaranteened them for 2 full weeks.

What do I do?  What are the withe threads?  Fungus, bacteria?

How do I tell? How do I treat it?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.  Clowns cannot handle musch in the way of meds and I don't want to screw up and give them the wrong stuff.

I am so heart broken and have no idea what to do!!!! 

[clownloach]

I was just checking up in my little critters and their skin also looks a bit waxy for the lack of a better term.

Obviously I did something wrong or something got into the tank...  I just don't know what.

Awwwwggghhhh this is killing me!

[exv152]

Red gills are a definite sign of nitRITE poisoning, and this is a water quality issue, not a disease, so you won't need meds. It sounds like you may have stocked the tank too quickly before allowing it to cycle or something went rotten - hence the white thread fungus. The best thing you can do is add more prime, do daily water changes, and keep the air pumps going.

[moused]

What is your nitrates at after the water change??
Need to get this down via water changes or you'll definitely loose more fish.
Clowns are pretty hearty and will prob be the last ones to go.

Where are you getting the water from? tap or filtered?
Some City water is known for deposit spikes.

FYI...for future, quarantine should be longer then 2 weeks. it's more like 4-6 weeks incase of Ick

[Dakotamay]

Red gills are a definite sign of nitrite poisoning, and this is a water quality issue, not a disease, so you won't need meds. It sounds like you may have stocked the tank too quickly before allowing it to cycle or something went rotten - hence the white thread fungus. The best thing you can do is add more prime, do daily water changes, and keep the air pumps going.

I'm not into fresh water but I agree with exv152 above.  That kind of spike in nitrate is what killed those fish. It literally burns their gills and they can't then process oxygen from the water. That's why they were up at the top gulping for air.
I have seen this in saltwater though. In my own tank. We set up and added all our live stock to our new 180g from our 75g too fast and crashed the 180g. We lost 15 of our 21 fish. It was horrible watching them struggle for air.
Just keep up the water changes. Do small ones daily so as not to shock the tank much more. Add the prime to the new water. You can not over dose prime.  Remember too. Prime only binds the bads for 24 hours then it releases it back into the water. This is why you want to make sure you are doing the water changes even if you see lower readings.  Gradually put less and less prime in each day and watch your readings carefully. Just to be sure they don't spike again.
Good luck with your tank.  I know how heartbreaking it is and what you're going through right now.