Bummed.....

[Jesusfreak]

My little balloon ram was doing some ich rock and decor scratching so I cranked up the heat to 85, added 8 tblsp of salt to the 34 gal. tank, and started the nox-ich treatment according to the bottle. I turned out the light and made them all fast(no food) yesterday. I woke up and both my balloon rams and 2 otos were sleeping with the fishes, so to speak. My flame dwarf guorami and my two honey guoramis are hovering at the surface and I hope I'm not up for a fish refinancing(more dead fish=more cash out). The angel, 3 rasboras, and 3 black skirt tetras seem fairly stealthy. Just gonna finish this 3rd day ich treatment just in case. Can't wait to 25% water change...tomorrow. Expect to lose my other otocincluses. Fish store may reimburse. Advice, encouragement, questions. Also is a live plant tank. Also lowered the heat back to 78-80.

[vinz]

Hmmm...

No light = plants not photosynthesising, not producing oxygen = less oxygen, possibly not enough.

Did you get an airpump and aerate the tank?

Dead fish left in-tank for unknown periods, possibly hours = ammonia spike = ammonia poisoning = more dead fish = vicious cycle.

Did you stop CO2? If not, and the plants were not photosynthesising, the CO2 levels could have gone up to toxic levels and also possibly cause a pH crash.

Anyway, what was the logic for turning off the lights?

Stealthy fish = stressed fish.

Solution:
Large water change, but at most 50%. Get the plants photosynthesising again... i.e. CO2 + lights + fetilisers. Check product literature and internet whether the medication affects plants.

Continue the salt treament plus temp adjustment, that usually works by itself without additional medication. Replenish the salt lost from the water change.

Everything's going to be fine. For a planted tank, I try not to over do treatment for the fish. I find it's better to keep the plants healthy and they in turn help take care of the fish.

[Jesusfreak]

Thanks Vincent. I was worried about my plants as much as my fish. The fish guy said turn off the lights and leave the fish alone. All is back on and my guoramis are more active. Looking forward to water change. Yes I did add a pump to aerate and my power filter was dropping water also for aeration. I do not have a co2 setup. Some swords, anubias, anacharis, and dwarf tiger lillies. After I read 15 pages in this forum on health for fish, I do feel comforted and I am grateful for your time. I am scared to try rams again. I read that the germans are tougher? I would love a pair, but I wonder if my other fish are a little rowdy for rams. Black skirt tetra, male guorami, angel.
I'm just looking for colorful fish. Rams are beautiful, but might also add praecox rainbows?

[XnSdVd]

The logic behind thurning off the lights is to calm the fish. But that's only in a situation where you've got a single lone fish in a large volume of water. i.e. a guppy in a bucket.

since your tank is planted the fish are more than comfortable with the lights on. They are after all, daylight animals. How'd you like it if someone plunged you into "eternal darkness"

[Jesusfreak]

I am familier with the "plunged into eternal darkness philosophy", thanks for the calming confirmation. I did witness a restful moment. Yay, time for a water change.

[Jesusfreak]

Unexpected rasbora death after water change. Still feel hopeful. At least guoramis are more active and eat a little. One Black skirt tetra hidin' out. Sounds like I need the mandatory? quarantine tank. I stopped the malachite green but may keep low dosage going at 78-80 degrees. One rasboras fins look less than well. Wow, what a learning curve.

[Jesusfreak]

Went back to fishstore. Picked up 3 praecox rainbow, 3 raboras, makes 5, and one blackskirt tetra, makes 4. Likely ich on my angel. Will continue treatment, salt, 2/3 dosage of nox-ich, not too hot though, my fish like oxygen. Will attempt to keep at 80ish? Continue treatment for 3 more days after break today. After fish die, I'm not so freaked, I just want to learn more and get it right.

[vinz]

The salt treatment does not help to cure any of the infected fishes. Itworks by killing the ich patogen floating in the water. Even after it dissappears off the fish, they may still be present in the tank. So maintain the salt treatment for 2 more weeks after the last visible appearance of ich.

I do not know how nox-ich works though.

In the meantime, as long as your fishes are still infected by any kind illness, do not get new fish. First, you don't want newly introduced stressed out fish to pick up the illness and put you through another round of treatment. Second, new fishes may bring other illnesses with them and in turn infect the already ill and weakened fish in your tank.

Resist the urge to replace fishes as soon as they die. Give time for cause of death (diseases, tank conditions, etc) to show up and be handled, before you get new fishes.

[Jesusfreak]

Thank you vinz. I figured after the fish died, the carriers had left the building.
I changed the water and had it tested. All conditions said go. I was in denial that my hearty angel could catch anything. I saw the slightest white something on him and said, no.. not my angel, than a stinkin' white spot appeared towards his rear fin. Too late...I already added the other fishes. My impatience shows and I pray I do not get fish soup. Temp is at 80. Water is new "ish", salt is 1 tbls per gallon. Malachite green at 20 drops. It asks for 1 drop per gallon and I have a 34 gal tank. To the fish community here, I vow not to through new stuff in my tank when conditions are not close to perfect. Please accept my commitment(sp?). Believe me, my daughter has learned to quickly that fish die. I would like us to learn that we don't go buy more just to make it better. Unfortunately, I don't know if will use this LFS for fish purchases in the future. It is still my responsibility to protect my own tank. A quarantine tank sounds technical and awkward but it sounds like a no-brainer. Simple and usable I hope.