911 dieing fish

Question
I have had my tank for a while now.  We went on vacation and it turned green.  We went and got some algae eating fish, they look like sucker fish.  Well, so far one of my fish have died and the rest of them, including my cat fish are all swimming at the top of the tank acting like they are dyeing for air.  What's going on in my tank?  I need help ASAP please!!!!!

Answer
Hi Devon,
Sounds like your problem is just an overabundance of nutrients, hence the green water. This is just an algae bloom from too much pollution in the tank. And this could certainly be a big problem as far as with the fish in the tank. Because large algae blooms use up a lot of oxygen in the tank, sometimes to the point making the fish suffer.  Algae blooms are usually a result of polluted water and the fish will be suffering greatly from that as well.

The very best thing you can do now is a 50% water change, make sure to gravel vacuum well also. This won't make the aquarium clear, but it will help dilute some of the green water plus the pollution that is making the fish sick. Repeat these water changes for at least a week. Keep the tank lights off unless you need them to feed the fish and only then. I guarantee you'll be algae free in no time. The algae eaters will not help with an algae bloom, but they can only help with algae that is growing on surfaces.

Best of luck and I hope this helps!
Karen~