[MoneyMitch]

so I got home from work today and noticed my osacr dead scaleless and eyeless, tells me hes been in there for a while. he hasn't been showing any symptoms of stress or anything. tomorrow is weekly w/c day but im going to move it to today since ammonia is 1.0!!!

so here are params

ammonia 1.0
8.0 ph
0-0.5 rite
0-5 rates

not sure whats goin on with the params with all the plants and my weekly w/c's anyone have any insight? only thing that is added to the tank is the recommended dose of excel and x1 flourish a week. the substrate is not vaccumed when I do w/c and I take atelast 50% when I do them. params were perfect yesterday and now all this ammonia? thinking its from the dead fish being in there all day? but I thought plants used ammonia... hmm im puzzled. the tests were the apis but there about a year or so old and were shaken vigorously b4 test. the tank mates are various African cichlids, I know different parmas and such but never even saw a hint he was stressed. yea there is some fighting but its everyone in the tank not all on one fish.

plants seem to be ok but a dead fish with no previous symptoms???

 

[SeaHorse]

Ouch, I'm sorry you lost your Oscar!
How big is the tank and how big was that Oscar?
Other tank mates? Can you give us more numbers?

When was the last time you added any new fish? Plants? etc? I got something bad from a new snail that wiped out my Turq Rainbow fish so think back about everything.
Yes plants take up ammonia but a large Oscar decomposing will definitely spike it and it will take time for the plants to catch up.

 

[MoneyMitch]

theres a golden lab, powderblue cichlid 2 aceis a jewl cichlid and x2 plecos the biggest fish is about 5-6"

tank is a 55 gallon and I haven't added anything new in the past 2-3 weeks other then excel started last week and a new powerhead lastweek.

 

[beaslbob]

ouch!!!!

yes plants do take up ammonia so at least they helped prevent it from being even higher possibly affecting the other fish.

Sorry I can be much help here.

 

[MoneyMitch]

w/c 60%ish going to wait a while before retest, everyone seems happy and is eating.

 

[fish monger]

Can't say what killed the Oscar but I would be fairly confident in saying his carcass caused the ammonia spike. Do the next test at your earliest convenience and see what it says. Mitch, if this is the algae tank, I'd give serious thought to a complete restart.

As far as the anchor worm is concerned (couldn't find the thread again) see if the following link helps. Good luck !
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/tropical-fish-diseases/anchor-worms-3818/

 

[MoneyMitch]

yea it was in the algae tank, not willing to throw in the towel just yet. something leads me to belive there was a nasty fight or something. the fights between the oscars and the powderblue and jewl specifically got pretty physical. fish would go head to head with mouths open and grab onto each others lips and flail. thinking someone got the best of the Oscar or maybe a long fight that did not stop. no visabl scars or wounds on the other fish though... hmmm

btw tested water

8.2ph
.25 ammonia
10 nitrates
0 nitrites

(nitrates are in my tap)