Hello all. I am so confused. My fish keep dying but my inverts, and corals are fine. Current starts as of 3-12-15: nitrite 0.25, nitrate at 0.10( followed by a water change) ammonia at 0 ph 8.2, salinity 1.027. I have a 30gph canister filter for my carbon, and a skilter 400 with a built in skimmer and two 100gph winemakers. The inverts are a fire shrimp, 5 snails, 6 hermet crabs, a maroon starfish and a purple urchin, also have a derasa clam and a bubble tip anemone. For corals I have a small green candy cane and some brown mushroom looking polyps on a piece of purple rock(idk hat is is and neither did the lady at the fish store)... I still have two scooter blennys that are alive for now. Does anyone have any clue as to what could be happening?
MY FISH KEEP DYING!
- Thread starter DanielJ
- Start date
Bryce E
Active Member
Well you definitely don't want to put fish or corals in a tank that's not cycled. You shouldn't have nitrites. But fish are going to be more sensitive than corals in higher salinity. Yours seems a little high in my opinion. Drop it to 1.025. Also test the salinity from the fish store the fish are in if there's is 1.023 or even lower then with your high salt content it could be causing an issue for you depending upon your acclimation methods. And I'd say if your tank is brand new you certainly have a whole lot of livestock in it. Your bio filter is going to need to catch up.
2014FishKiller
Member
If you have 1.027, after the top off, it will read 1.0XX, I will do 1.024, but I am a newbie as well.
The tank is fully cycled. I cycled for 6 weeks and when i added livestock everything was at 0. Ill try dropping the salinity and hopefully that will work. I forgot to include that the tank is 55 gallons If that helps. As for acclamation I do a quarter of a cup of tank water into the bag after a 20 minute float, while taking out small amounts of store water. I go 30 minutes of that
pegasus
Well-Known Member
A 30 minute acclimation may not be enough if your water parameters are very different than the store water. I always slow-drip acclimate my fish, and it's never less than 90 minutes. I have never lost a fish this way. I use a gang valve, airline tubing, and a large plastic bowl. When the water doubles in the bowl, I pour half of it out. I drip about 4 drops per second for fish. Even though the method you use will work in most cases (it depends on how different water is and how stressed fish are), slow drip acclimation is the best way to acclimate new fish.
2014FishKiller
Member
The fish I get it from here, I did your way, the fish I get from *****, I did his way but I did test the salinity with in range of .0001, than I put it in my tank, his problem is salinity too high, do you think he did your way, the fish still alive?
pegasus
Well-Known Member
I can't guarantee that his fish would still be alive, but they would have stood a better chance. Rapid changes is salinity, pH, etc, can cause sever trauma to fish and inverts. The slower you acclimate your fish, the more time they have to adjust to the new water parameters. Just as you would raise the salinity very slowly after a hypo-salinity treatment for ick, you never raise the salinity quickly. You do it slowly, over several days. This also applies to anything you change in your water's parameters, such as pH, Alkalinity, Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, etc. Too much too fast, and stuff starts to die. If you change the salinity 0.003 (or more) ppm in 30 minutes, you're most likely going to kill your fish.
2014FishKiller
Member
What you said is 100% correct, here is the problem, he have 1.027 and let say his fish store have 1.022, even did 90 minutes acclimation, would you count that too much and too fast change salinity? I would say so.
pegasus
Well-Known Member
It's the easiest, and most common mistake, that most people make. It takes a lot of reserve not to pack the tank full, but patience is your best friend when it comes to saltwater. When you cycled your tank, it was ready for what was in the tank at that time. Every time you add a new fish, the tank begins another cycle. It's not a full blown cycle like the first time, but rather a very small "mini" cycle. The new addition is creating more ammonia than the system is used to, so it's slightly overloaded. It takes a few weeks for the bacteria that consumes the ammonia to populate to handle the extra ammonia... and then the bacteria that consumes the nitrite has to grow as well. If you add too many fish too fast, the system gets completely overloaded and bad stuff starts happening... very bad stuff. It's a hobby that you want to spend many years enjoying, right? There is no rush. Take your time, keep a check on water parameters and perform regular water changes, and make gradual changes to the biosystem of the tank.
pegasus
Well-Known Member
I think I figured out what the problem is...
Ok... and that would be?
pegasus
Well-Known Member
If we're going to assume there was that much difference in the salinity, then I'd have to agree that it's probably too much of a change for the fish to adjust in 90 minutes. On the other hand, while some people always test the salinity in the bags that the fish come in, but I have never tested water in ANY bag that my fish, inverts, or corals come in. I know I should, but I don't. Why? Because I buy from dependable sources that give guarantees with their products, and I slow acclimate my livestock. I've never encountered a problem doing it this way, so the fish have always adjusted to the salinity of my tank, no matter what it was at the vendor.
pegasus
Well-Known Member
...two 100gph WINEMAKERS. You don't even remember writing that, do you? It's no wonder you're killing your fish...Ok... and that would be?
Lol. It was a package deal.. two for 8 something on eBay with free shipping!
mandy111
Active Member
hi @fishkiller if your salinity starts at 1.027, after top off should still be 1.027, you only top off with RODI not salt water.
Water evaporates salt doesn't, the reason you top off is to keep your salinity stable.
Hope this helps.
2014FishKiller
Member
I mean before add fresh (RO) water back in the tank, it only lost the water, but not salt, therefore salinity have to be higher.
mandy111
Active Member
oh, ok it was perhaps the way you said (after top off should be 1.0xx) you meant before top off. lol
yeah :