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CO2 poisoning



Ok this is the last straw. I don't know if this is CO2 related but I
can't think of what else it could be.

I've been using DIY on my tanks for several weeks(months?) On my 125 I
have been adjusting constantly to reach around 20ppm. Most of the time I
have that or a little more. KH is always 6-8 degrees. I have measured KH
and pH many, many times and have never measured pH lower than 6.8. Safe
right? I have read of much higher CO2 concentrations not harming fish. 

First fish to go: A wild caught sunfish I've had for about 2.5 years. I
figured old age? or maybe warmwater stress finally got to him. Very
small when I fished him out of a puddle in a drying up creekbed. 7" when
he died a couple of weeks ago. 

Then 5 pearl gouramis died one after another. Only one left and he seems
just fine. Various other fish kicked the bucket some I figured were
doomed from the start. But the firemouth I had for over 6months? and now
the last straw! One of my clown loaches I have had for over six months. 

I have never experienced this much fish loss in so short a time. They
all gasp at the surface before they die 2 or 3 days later. If I see one
suffering or think the level is too high I turn the HOT and BW back on
and it seems like they want to climb into it. 

None of my catfish seem fazed. Some of them rare plecos. 3 good sized
severums, 2 chocolate cichlids, (4 mbuna-3 raised from fry, 2 different
Neolamprologus-all Africans I have had for over two years-switching to
SAs through attrition)  have never shown signs of stress. Other various
fish also. 

The clown loach appears to be gasping his last right now. KH=7, pH=6.8.
A little high but only the loach seems affected and his symptoms started
2 or 3 days ago. If I am experienceing CO2 poisoning why are the fish
dying one by one instead of all at the same time or at least all showing
the symptoms? 

The last couple of days I have started running the BW at lights off and
turning it off at lights on. Doesn't seem to have helped the loach
though. Anyone care to help-onlist or offlist?

Kyle
TN US