Papa Splax January 23, 2011 Share January 23, 2011 I have as follows 55g w. Overflow X2 600gph powerheads X2 heaters (74) T5 36" lights 30G 3 chamber refugium (1) Bio balls (2) 6in sand bed w. LR & Sea grass (3) Gravel, LR, return pump Paramenters 0 ammonia 380 calcium 0 nitrates 1.023 saltinty 8.0 ph Problem... NO matter where I get a fish it dies (w. Proper acclimation) I was told maybe Oxygen deprevastion so I thru in a air pump with a rock at the end to make buBbles Smaller and let it run for 3 days and fish stiLl dies within 10 hrs... While looking very healthy only symptom is heavy breeteing... Also have like 10 baby anenomes thriving, horseshoe crab, and snail... And some LR worm... BUT all fish die (except one tester mollies which is doing ok wierd enough) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaterDog January 23, 2011 Share January 23, 2011 What do they look like once they're dead? Like they've been eaten? You might want to check your rock for a mantis shrimp or something of the sort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grav January 23, 2011 Share January 23, 2011 (edited) PH is low. Where are you getting the fish? How do you aclimate? Temp? Alalinity? Stray electricity? Edited January 23, 2011 by Grav Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind January 23, 2011 Share January 23, 2011 Where are you located? Have you taken your water to a local fish store to have them test it? Is the tank covered or open topped? The pH could just be low because of the house being closed for winter and the O2 exchange is low. Before trying to raise the pH, knowing the Alk reading is important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul b January 23, 2011 Share January 23, 2011 You said they were breathing heavy, do they die with their mouth wide open? Does the breathing get faster before they die? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocko918 January 23, 2011 Share January 23, 2011 What are you using to test everything? What test kits? for the salinity, is it a swing arm? also is your temp really at 74? Thats really low as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F&Fmgr January 23, 2011 Share January 23, 2011 alk, temp, and salinity are quickest killers also check for nitrite as that can poison the fish by depriving it of O2. Also, out of curiousity what is your acclimation procedure, i know you said proper...but what do you do and for how long? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 January 23, 2011 Share January 23, 2011 I think you also said that the tank is pretty new, now new? Also, my first thought was what are your nitrites. Perhaps you are not completely through the cycle. The gasping for air sounds like the water is foul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papa Splax January 23, 2011 Author Share January 23, 2011 (edited) What do they look like once they're dead? Like they've been eaten? You might want to check your rock for a mantis shrimp or something of the sort. As for what they look like there very stiff cant open gills mouths closed... As for the mantis shrimp doubtful lol TESTS: i do keep my water at 74 what should i go for? ALK dont have a clue, salt i use moving head hydrometer... My tanks been set up for 5months with no life except LR... till now Acclimation i put them in floating bags, and add 1/2 cup water tll theres more new than old (1hr -1 1/2hr) And lastly my waters been tested by every local pet store within 30miles... thas like6 pet store that all tell me im fine for a fish BUT im not!!! SORRY THATS EVERYONES ANSWERS IN ONE!!! plz keep thinking... imma get a ALK test since that i dont have Edited January 23, 2011 by Papa Splax Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papa Splax January 23, 2011 Author Share January 23, 2011 also one more thing ill add pictures of my setup if u let me know how im sure that would help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 January 23, 2011 Share January 23, 2011 The rapid breathing upon introduction and flared gills and stiff body at death to me mean that the fish is asphyxiated - no oxygen. Perhaps your oxygen content is too low to begin with, although with pH of 8.0 I can't imagine how it could be low... Any chance you mixed different kinds of salt together to make your water? Also, I doubt acclimation is the problem. I'll be honest, if it's a fairly resilient fish, I sometimes just temperature acclimate and then scoop them out and dump them in... What kinds of fish are you introducing? Are you in the area here or from somewhere else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buucca January 23, 2011 Share January 23, 2011 (edited) I have as follows 55g w. Overflow X2 600gph powerheads X2 heaters (74) T5 36" lights 30G 3 chamber refugium (1) Bio balls (2) 6in sand bed w. LR & Sea grass (3) Gravel, LR, return pump Paramenters 0 ammonia 380 calcium 0 nitrates 1.023 saltinty 8.0 ph Problem... NO matter where I get a fish it dies (w. Proper acclimation) I was told maybe Oxygen deprevastion so I thru in a air pump with a rock at the end to make buBbles Smaller and let it run for 3 days and fish stiLl dies within 10 hrs... While looking very healthy only symptom is heavy breeteing... Also have like 10 baby anenomes thriving, horseshoe crab, and snail... And some LR worm... BUT all fish die (except one tester mollies which is doing ok wierd enough) Are you using tap water or ro? I've see where people using tap water the chlorine levels slowly build up to dangerous levels. How often and how much are your water changes? Edited January 23, 2011 by Buucca Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind January 23, 2011 Share January 23, 2011 TESTS: i do keep my water at 74 what should i go for? ALK dont have a clue, salt i use moving head hydrometer... I would keep the temp at least at 77. When using the hydrometer make sure there are no bubbles on it that could give you a higher reading then what you actually are at. I would recommend getting a refractometer instead. Maybe a local reefer could swing by and check the tank out for you. Where are you located? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papa Splax January 23, 2011 Author Share January 23, 2011 I am located in Myrtle Beach, SC 29576... about 1 mile away from ocean... I add about a cup of faucet water daily... bc of evaporating water... and i am going to start doing 10% water changes every 2 weeks w/ actual ocean water thats been sitting in dark with no oxygen for like 4 days... And when i set up my tank yes i had a half of 50 lbs bucket of salt to use... it got me just below what i needed so i bought a little box of salt and i use that to adjust SALTinity now... whats using 2 different salts cause i never woulda thought that to be a problem... and as for that acclimation i think every fish i would try that with would die... i never wanna waste my money quite like that if it would die... i have recently moved my temp up to 76 -78 degrees... and moved my 600 gph powerhead blowing along the back side right back at the return pump & overflow... i think this increased the O2 circulation somehow... i have afew LR pieces that arent very porous could this cause dead spots w/ no oxygen and fish to die? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papa Splax January 23, 2011 Author Share January 23, 2011 This is my current setup... closed glass top on aquarium open top on refugium... The last picture with the clam looking thing... it has like 15 very little anenomes on it... they been alive i think thriving for at least 2 weeks... How can i keep them alive, make them bigger? and how the H-E-double hockey sticks do they move... like 3 left the shell and planted on part of my LR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incredible Corals January 23, 2011 Share January 23, 2011 (edited) Those nems in the picture look like aiptasia which are considered to a nuisance anemone. There are a ton of products out there to specifically kill those. If you plan on keeping other corals in the future you will find out why noone wants aiptasia in their take (sting/kill) other corals. Also, what are you using to check the temp? Maybe the heats are off? Also, what types of fish are you adding? I would start with something very easy like a Chromis. This could be a dumb question but could there be some chemical or something leaching from those goggles? I would remove tha just to be safe. Edited January 23, 2011 by forrealb50 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryL January 23, 2011 Share January 23, 2011 the only way i would add tap water is to let it sit over night before adding it. chlorines break down over ~8- 12 hour period. better yet use carbon filtered water if you cant get an RO/DI filter.and pick up yourself a refractometer for salinity mixing salts can be bad...different companies use different methods (chemicals) of achieving the salt mix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F&Fmgr January 23, 2011 Share January 23, 2011 As for what they look like there very stiff cant open gills mouths closed... As for the mantis shrimp doubtful lol TESTS: i do keep my water at 74 what should i go for? 77-81 tops ALK dont have a clue go get one and keep it above nine if youre dosing, salt i use moving head hydrometer...get a refractometer brine or true seawater My tanks been set up for 5months with no life except LR... till now Acclimation i put them in floating bags, and add 1/2 cup water tll theres more new than old (1hr -1 1/2hr) Most fish shops, or shops with fish keep the salinity in their fish ONLY systems lower(for several reasons) and just adding water to the bag probably isn't sufficient if the gap between the DT salinity and the the salinity of the water the fish is in is greater than 5-10 ppt. even with the bag water matching the salinity in the DT, if it is a big gap, its probably done Too quickly b/c the volume in the bag is at most a gallon. Its much better to drip acclimate them and the time it should take depends on the difference in salinity. And lastly my waters been tested by every local pet store within 30miles... thas like6 pet store that all tell me im fine for a fish BUT im not!!! I'd be happy to get to the bottom of it for you, I don't know where your located, don't know if you've made it out here or not?SORRY THATS EVERYONES ANSWERS IN ONE!!! plz keep thinking... imma get a ALK test since that i dont have Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F&Fmgr January 23, 2011 Share January 23, 2011 didnt see the post about tapwater, can you get a chlorine test kit? Also maybe other chemicals like chloramine? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papa Splax January 23, 2011 Author Share January 23, 2011 This is my current setup... closed glass top on aquarium open top on refugium... The last picture with the clam looking thing... it has like 15 very little anenomes on it... they been alive i think thriving for at least 2 weeks... How can i keep them alive, make them bigger? and how the H-E-double hockey sticks do they move... like 3 left the shell and planted on part of my LR There not aptesia, bc i have aptesia in my refugium and its not quite the same... its alittle dark in color and for some reaosn my aptesia just die off within afew days IDK why As for the fish... I just got a really good deal on all these dudes fish bc he was leaving the hobby so i got 1 damsel, 1 yellow tang, 1 butterfly, 1 cardinal, 1 sandsifting starfish, 1 horseshow crab, and a nemo... I acclimated them all the way i do it... except in bigger 1g buckets instead of bags... all the fish did very well from 3pm entering tank till 11pm... where i found the yellow tang dead on floor... not breathing at all... and the damsel i got 24hrs before and died w. no side effects actually looked alive floating between to rocks but he was a goner... So now i still have the rest of the fish doing well from what i can tell... i bought two tester mollys a week ago and one died and one lived... the living one outlived the yellow tang and the damsel... so whys this molly alive if everything else is dyin... and why did only one molly die... What lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind January 23, 2011 Share January 23, 2011 I would recommend using a product like Prime to your tap water before using it. I would also remove the glass top to allow for better O2 exchange. You will probably see your pH rise as a result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papa Splax January 23, 2011 Author Share January 23, 2011 Do i want my Ph to rise? and would leaving one glass top open be better you think? i dont wanna wake up and find nemo splashed up on the ground... dont forget refugium is completely open topped... not to mention overflow cause O2 i think... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryL January 23, 2011 Share January 23, 2011 There not aptesia, bc i have aptesia in my refugium and its not quite the same... its alittle dark in color and for some reaosn my aptesia just die off within afew days IDK why aptasia without zooxanthellae are clear and if no zooxanthellae to feed them and no food being given to them they will die. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papa Splax January 24, 2011 Author Share January 24, 2011 do anenomes start out super tiny... bc i have apteshia in my refugium i thought were aptesia... and i got something different in my main Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Der ABT January 24, 2011 Share January 24, 2011 You use ocean water ???? Where are you collecting it I would buy some salt and use rodi water to make a fresh batch and do a large water change that way you know what is going in the tank where the ocean water could be the cause of your problems Take the top off the tank you will see some more evaporation but it will make a big difference Bulk reef supply and several other places sell clear 1/4 in square netting to put over the top of the tank and keep fish in Best of luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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