all but three fish dead this morning

flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by Cranberry
http:///forum/post/3097875
Hold up... lemme give ya a google it thingy. I have read other articles that agree with this... I will dig them up.
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=nitrite+and+the+reef+aquarium

I kept freshwater fish for years, so nitrite was a big fear if it was there..I did carry that knowledge over to marine fish....That article was so informative...I copy pasted it into my Microsoft word for later reference.
The next thing I want to address...PH was low because of a chemical the OP put in...Doesn't the instructions warn about their product causing PH drops? That is really scary if it doesn't.
Also...my worry on big water changes...When I first got into the hobby, my friend with the 26 year old reef told me never do more than 30% water changes. Do you think there be some other reason besides the bacteria? I moved from Wisconsin and I haven't talked to this guy in almost a year or I would ask him.
Also...You are so smart...I enjoy everything you post on subjects like this. So Thank You.
 
deejeff442

deejeff442

Active Member
there might be something to cranberry's nitrite theory.
i cycled my qt for my 3 tangs and damsel.
well apparently it didnt have eneough bacteria in it to sustain the fish so i had an ammonia spike put some amquel in the tank two days the ammonia was gone but now for the last week the nitrites are high .
as soon as i mix the test it turns dk. purple.
i tested it on another tank and it is zero lt. blue so the test is good.
when the ammonia was there the fish were at the bottom lazy.
now even with the nitrites high they are swimming all over and come right to the surface when i add thier food.
i have been doing 20% water changes daily all week and cant get the trites down.
sooner or later they should retreat.
they dont seemed to be bothered by it.
 
lighteningthes

lighteningthes

Member
I have one observation to make. Tonight I put my fingers in the water to get samples for a test. The water burned my finger tips around my cuticle areas. I still see nothing wrong with my PH or Alk levels.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by deejeff442
http:///forum/post/3097957
there might be something to cranberry's nitrite theory.
i cycled my qt for my 3 tangs and damsel.
well apparently it didnt have eneough bacteria in it to sustain the fish so i had an ammonia spike put some amquel in the tank two days the ammonia was gone but now for the last week the nitrites are high .
as soon as i mix the test it turns dk. purple.
i tested it on another tank and it is zero lt. blue so the test is good.
when the ammonia was there the fish were at the bottom lazy.
now even with the nitrites high they are swimming all over and come right to the surface when i add thier food.
i have been doing 20% water changes daily all week and cant get the trites down.
sooner or later they should retreat.
they dont seemed to be bothered by it.

High nitrates are not so hard on fish...but it is on inverts. OVER 40
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by lighteningthes
http:///forum/post/3098118
I have one observation to make. Tonight I put my fingers in the water to get samples for a test. The water burned my finger tips around my cuticle areas. I still see nothing wrong with my PH or Alk levels.
Unless you have cuts on your fingers...salt burns...there is someting very wrong.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
YIKES....I have put my fingers in the tank with a paper cut or scratch and never got "burned" I agree with Flower...something doesn't soound right
 
d-man

d-man

Member
I did not read everything so sry if this is way off, but I read about some one that had a "burning feeling" from the water when their hand was in it and things where dyeing, it turned out it was stray electricity form a old power head.
 
deejeff442

deejeff442

Active Member
yes flower i know nitrAtes are not harmfull to fish at or around 40.
i was talking about nitrites.
i wish when they came up with those two words for different things they were not spelled so closly.
 
lighteningthes

lighteningthes

Member
Originally Posted by d-man
http:///forum/post/3098141
I did not read everything so sry if this is way off, but I read about some one that had a "burning feeling" from the water when their hand was in it and things where dyeing, it turned out it was stray electricity form a old power head.
With powerheads turned off I still got the feeling, even after removing my fingers.
 
tank a holic

tank a holic

Active Member
Originally Posted by Bulldog123
http:///forum/post/3097780
Im confused! You guys are say PH buffers work and BANG GUY says they dont. Please elaborate.
they get your PH up right now
but they dont fix the problem
if you keep adding buffers your water will be really hard and the ph will still be low
buffers are designed to stabalize ph
trust me I fought this till bang straightened me out
As for the OP what was the temp during this fiasco?
 
lighteningthes

lighteningthes

Member
Im not sure what an OP is, but I am guessing its me!. The temp stays pretty stable at 78-80. There is a large window ac unit that cools the room and blows towards the tank. My PH is 7.8, nitrites are 0. I really don't understand what is going on. My other fish are in a qt tank that hasn't cycled becuase I just took it down two days before this happened and I am out of salt mix until friday.
 
cranberry

cranberry

Active Member
I would honestly let your tank work itself out at this point. Sometimes stuff happens and we don't know why because every variable isn't measurable.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Originally Posted by Bulldog123
http:///forum/post/3097780
Im confused! You guys are say PH buffers work and BANG GUY says they dont. Please elaborate.
PH Buffers raise Alkalinity. They work fine if your Alkalinity is actually low. If ALK isn't low then raising it (adding a PH buffer) will cause an imbalance and will only temporarily raise your PH.
Think of PH as a symptom that needs to be investigated.
Nitrite isn't very toxic but it definately indicates a biologic filtration issue.
 
nw2salt08

nw2salt08

Active Member
I just skimmed through and am still noticing that you're having issues with the water stinging. Are you sure that your test kit is good? Because I know from the pool business that if the pH is too high it can actually affect your skin. Have you taken your water to a LFS?
 
lighteningthes

lighteningthes

Member
I did not take it to a LFS, however one place suggested 1 table spoon of epsom salt and 1 table spoon of baking soda per 5 gallons. I mixed up 2 gallons of salt water along with this formula. This morning no stinging and water is fairly clear. This weekend I am going to make a fresh pot of water and drain most of the tank and let it sit for a few days. My three little guys are still kicking in the tiny 10gallon tank. After this weekend its probably going to be pretty much a new tank since we want to pull out the crushed coral base and swap for sand. Then I am just going to let the tank sit for a while with just my LR.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
I do agree with a poster from above that indicated that stinging on the fingertips and cuticles is often a circuit leak. It could be a heater, powerhead, waterpump.... It would be worth it to check for stray voltage.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Originally Posted by lighteningthes
http:///forum/post/3098554
I did not take it to a LFS, however one place suggested 1 table spoon of epsom salt and 1 table spoon of baking soda per 5 gallons.
Again, I will caution against adding a buffer (baking soda) unless your alkalinity is actually reading low.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top