HELP - Tank had a spike - many fish lost so far

[Mandaconda]

I did a water change last night because a clown had died. I woke up oddly at 4 a.m. and noticed my Rusty Angel, and Gamma had passed. Also, my tang was looking right and ended up not making it. Tried to slightly add buffer to correct ph. Puffer is swimming on top of the equipment to stay close to the top, but I am so worried what I can do to fix the situation. My LFS gave me a huge carbon bag to help correct the issue. Just really feel like my hands are tied and I am still a rookie at this, but I LOVE my fish. They are my pets and I would love to save this blue spotted puffer rather than use it as a learning experiment. I even called an emergency vet line at 6a.m. and was laughed at. (I really don't blame then for laughing)
Truly appreciate any advice

 

[Johniejumbo]

Not sure what the cause would be here. I don’t see an ammonia reading on that test. It could be that I suppose. If it were me the first thing I would do is add some Prime water conditioner to neutralize ammonia and I would then add an air stone to oxygenate the water. And I’d probably start some new water mixing up. Is the water temp ok? Should be in the neighborhood of 78 degrees. I’d also check salinity.

 

[count krunk]

what was the spike?

 

[RobZilla04]

Start out by getting better test kits. Those strips are crap.

 

[Ruben's Reef]

!!! Welcome to R2R !!! Sorry for your losses. Like @RobZilla04 said, those test kits are not good. You should get a Salifert or Red Sea test kit or even a Saltwater API will help you better.

 

[Ruben's Reef]

Now, you said you did a water change yesterday. Do you check the salinity of the tank and match the salinity on the new water to the one on the tank? What's your tank size or gallons?

 

[Rabe]

Is that a freshwater test strip? If so, I'm not sure that all brands will work interchangeably between fresh and salt.

What exactly spiked? How old is the tank? What is it's size? What sort of livestock was/is in it?

Like previously pointed out - try a different test kit. Preferably RedSea. If you use API, be advised that the ammonia tests has been known to never show 0, but rather shows 0.25.

Post your parameters:
1. Temperature
2. Salinity
3. pH
4. Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate

As pointed out, Prime water conditioner will bind ammonia & nitrite. However! That is temporary. Unless you export it, it will show again as the binding agent breaks down a day or two later.

But before you do anything, you need to figure out what is wrong. Throwing **** at the wall to see what sticks will decidedly cause you more problems.

 

[GoldeneyeRet]

Sorry for your losses, it's always hard.

Lots of questions. Is the tank new? Fully cycled? How long have the fish been in? Qt or treated?

Temp, salinity and ammonia are what you need to check. Dont bother with pH and no need for buffer.

Have you read stickies on the new to saltwater forum? Reading those will get you set on the right path

For now water change and carbon.

Best if luck. It can be a frustrating hobby, but also very rewarding