Cleaner shrimps dying

[y2says]

So far I have lost 3 cleaner shrimps. Each died the day after I bought it. Ever since I added 20lbs of l/r, the water quality has been wacked! Every morning my fishes are breathing heavely, like their about to die. It's been going on for about 4 days now. The ph level goes down to about 7.7 in the morning and back up to 8.0 in the evening and everything looks fine. The ammonia and nitrite level are also a little bit above 0. I've done water changes, added Cycle, added ph buffer to rais it to 8.3 and taken a water sample to my lfs. Do you think I have to many fish? I have 2 percs (1" each), yellow tang (2.5") and a coral beauty (1.5"). The tang and angel eat a lot of algae and poops a lot. Do you think that is why my ammonia level is not at 0 or maybe there's still more die-offs from the l/r? What seems to be the problem. I have a 35g hex. with a Filstar cannister filter that I use as a powerhead, 30lbs l/s and 40lbs l/r. No skimmer.

 

[just_got_tanked]

It sounds like you restarted a cycle. If you just put in twenty pounds of live rock and if it wasnt cured Its going to have die off that can spike the levels in your water. What are your levels anyways. If they are real high I suggest that you take out the rock and put it in a rubbermaid bucket with some of the water from the tank. Do a water change at the same time. Just siphor the water into the bucket with the live rock. Put a powerhead into the bucket and cure the rock by itself. After all the levels are good in the bucket add the rock five pounds at a time. Check the water quality in the tank between adding the rock. Only add more rock when the levels are good.
[ November 27, 2001: Message edited by: just_got_tanked ]

 

[clownman]

When you added the New Live Rock, you may have started the cycle again. I think you should stop using chemical and try to see if you can deal with many problem using your biological filter. Deep Sand Bed and Live Rock should be established for that.
Like Coral, Invertebrates are more volnarable than fish. How much are you feeding them? May be lower it and only feed what they can finish up in 5 min max. Nitrite and Amonia is basically killing the shrimp, so don't buy anymore until they are 0.
I remember my Nitrite was 0.25 and I bought two Camelback shrimp. One died right away after an hour and second one died shortly after that. Since then, I am not getting any shrimp until I am 0 in almost everything.
2 cents

 

[kris walker]

I agree with the above advice. However, it also sounds to me like one of your problems is low alkalinity (pH buffering capacity). IMO, I would also try to stabilize that immediately. Using kalkwasswer can help here. But there may be other products at you lfs that can help with this.
sam

 

[y2says]

What's funny is that all my corals are doing fine. Plus I have 3 turbos and an emerald crab. I would think that those would die first. However, since I posted, I've seen some small black dots on my tang. I'm wondering if it's overcrowded. As far as the feeding; I barely feed them. The tang and the angel eats the algae while I feed one crushed pellet to the clowns. I feed my pearl coral and tube anemones twice a week. The guy that sold me the rocks at the lfs said that the rocks were cured. Do you think I should remove my tang since it will outgrow the tank anyway?

 

[just_got_tanked]

Did the rock stink when you bought it? That can be a good way to tell if the rock was cured. Where did they have the rock in the store? If it was just sitting in a big bucket chances are that It really wasnt cured. If it was cured rock it would be setup in a tank by itself. How much did you pay for the rock? Here in Colorado the fiji live rock cost about 4 dollars a pound. The cured stuff if at least twice that. If you bought 20 pounds of rock and it was less than 150 dollars chances are it was not cured.

 

[y2says]

Wow! $4/lb for uncured. That's expensive. It was originally I think $5-6/lb, but he gave it to me for $4/lb. They didn't stink and they were in their own tank with a powerhead.
I just tested my water and here they are: ammonia is at .25mg/l, nitrite is .3mg/l and ph is at 8. I guess I'll have to do another water change tomorrow morning.

 

[just_got_tanked]

The cost out here is pretty high. I tried to get some live sand and It was around 3 dollars a pound. Im just going to stick with the cc for now. You think that the 4 dollars a pound is expensive. I went to a close by city and they wanted 15 dollars a pound (uncured). Its only 4 dollars a pound here because I live in a bigger city.

 

[y2says]

I already had a hard time paying $4/lb. I guess that's not bad.

 

[headabovewater]

Before I figured out I could get better LR cheaper and online I paid like $8 a pound for some Tonga Slab rock. Its flat looking hard to make a display out of it. I layed it against the back of the tank to make a back ground. I wish I would have just bit the bullet and bought a 45-50lb box of LR to start with I would have saved myself half what I got in it right now.

 

[vkesu]

Slab ugly rock is 10 # , if it has ANY color on it, it runs 15-20.00 #. Kansas City, Missouri...(farthest from any beach)

 

[crazy bout salt]

You gusy pay alot for you rock i pay only 5 dallers a lb. for cured fiji and 6.50 a lb for premium cured fiji. i can also buy uncured for 3 dollers a lb if i wanted to waist all that time curign it in a tank. where i get it from they have about 100 lbs of it in 150 gallon tank with 2 power heads of cured and another 100 gallon tank for the premium with 2 powerheads also

 

[piscesblue]

Can I suggest getting a protein skimmer if you want to keep that many fish in your small tank? I know my skimmer goes nuts every night and I only feed my fish every 3 days. I have a Pygmy Angel 1.5", Hippo Tang 2" and a Scooter Blennie in my 30gal.

 

[just_got_tanked]

I like my rock exspensive or not. It has more color than any rock I have seen. I can just sit and look at the rock. I think it is premium rock. I hand picked it all out of a big tank so I got the best rock they had. Sorry I just like this rock.

 

[bluewater]

man...
and I thought $2.00 was expensive for Live
Fiji (cured)

 

[@knight]

theres an LFS in tulsa selling LR @ 18.00/lb and getting away with it. (not to me though)

 

[y2says]

I guess I don't have to worry about the tank being to crowded right now since my coral beauty just died this morning. Since then I have removed my two clowns to a hospital tank and will try to move the tang tomorrow. I hope I can catch him. I guess I'll have to wait until the water conditions are better before I put the fishes back in. Any other suggestions? Do you think the corals will be fine? They all look fine at the moment.

 

[royce]

I live right on the coast of CT and I can't find LR, cured or not, for less than $8.50/lb, and my friendly neighborhood LFS wanted $17 for Florida aquacultured!! Even the guy who works there told me that I should buy on-line which is what I plan to do next week.

 

[y2says]

I've actually tried to take him out with no success. I could tear apart the rocks and corals but I don't want to stress them out anymore. How would you suggest catching him?

 

[crispcritr]

did you find out what the black dots on the tang were?