FISH DYING AND BREATHING HEAVY

[reefcat]

I agree, I think I'll set up the skimmer and once the film isnt present ill start the powerheads up, thanks for all the advice, I'll update as the whole situation unfolds

[cwatkins]

You could try throwing an airstone in there on an air pump until the skimmer is all setup and running.

[daniella3d]

how old is the aquarium? if it is old, it could be the "old tank syndrom" as you added a power head and it might have steared underneat the sand and released some toxic gas?

Originally Posted by reefcat

I agree, I think I'll set up the skimmer and once the film isnt present ill start the powerheads up, thanks for all the advice, I'll update as the whole situation unfolds

[reefcat]

That is a very good assumption because it is almost two years old now, but how can I prevent that from happening again when I put them back in.

[cwatkins]

Slowly siphon the sand bed and ensure you are stirring up the deeper sand. In theory it should suck up and remove any gasses.

[daniella3d]

It is usually a problem with deeper sand bed and usually the sand on that spot become sort of black or dark. The way to prevent this is by having sand sifting snail, like a conch or something limilar. It will go inside the sand and aerate it.

How deep is your sand? It if is only an inch or 2, I doubt that's what hapened.

Originally Posted by reefcat

That is a very good assumption because it is almost two years old now, but how can I prevent that from happening again when I put them back in.