Dwarf Angels, Why they keep dying?

[waterbury guy]

I set the below tank up in Jan. In April I introduced a Coral Beauty, he lasted three months then died. Seemed healthy, no signs of stress, active eater and swimmer, just dead one day.
About 4-5 weeks ago I put a Pygmy Angel in my tank, he died last night. Again he was eating, swimming, seamingly happy. All parameters are good except CA is a bit high. I am only running a 40W NO bulb over my tank. I know they need large amounts of LR to graze on...could the problem be that my LR doesn't have enough life due to lack of light?

 

[jakob4001]

if you are just starting out w/ saltwater; you pick 1 of the more beautiful smaller species of fish to start w/; you also have chosen one of the more higher mortality rate fish; especially for new hobbyist; you may want to skip any type of dwarf angel at this time until you farther your experience...of course there will be those who SAY WHATEVER...that they went out & have bought them w/ no probs & have kept alive for months or few years or so...if you check farther, you will find there are even more though that have tried & failed or lost thier dwarf angels...choice is yours though if you don't care about the life lost or the cost...sure go for it until you succeed....
I know, sorry not what you probably wanted to hear...but they are less hardy & more suseptible to disease & stress...

 

[broomer5]

Waterbury Guy
Most would agree with what has been said above.
The dwarf angels do much better in a more established tank, and some recommend not adding them until the tanks at least 6-12 months old - and ALL water parameters are near perfect and stable.
I'm sure some are successful with less than perfect conditions - but that's the way things go - ya know.
You mentioned calcium a bit high ?
How much is a bit ?
Typically when calcium's high, alkalinity may be low.
Low alk can lead to larger swings and drops in pH.
What are you testing for, and what are the exact measurements, if you don't mind me asking ?
These are not impossible fish to keep - just a little more delicate than some of the others out there - as jakob4001 stated.

 

[waterbury guy]

Jakob4001, that it exactly what i was looking to hear. Trust me, I do not like it when anything in my tank dies, the money is secondary.
Broomer here's my levels after doing a RO( Always RO) 10 Gallon water change earlier today.
PH 8.0 (can rarely get it above 8.0)
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: <10
Temp 78-80
SG: 1.025
ALK: 3.5-4 meg/L
CA: 600
I tested the CA on Thursday and it was 750. I have verified my Seachem test kit (all other tests are done with Aquarium Systems FasTest) with the calibration solution it came with and tested the fresh RO IO mix and it tested at 450. Could CA effect the health of fish?
One thought that came to me today was that my DSB is playsand by Amstone bought at Home Depot. It is not Silica Based, but said Limestone based. Lime is Calcium Carbonite, could this be effecting something?

 

[broomer5]

Waterbury Guy
I doubt it's the limestone based sand that is contributing to your high calcium - but I suppose it could be affecting it.
"Could" being the key word here.
I use Instant Ocean too - and RO/DI water.
I've never mixed it and had calcium over 380ppm. Never reached 400 with a new batch.
Most folks that use RO or RO/DI must add calcium supplements to their tanks.
Tap water on the other hand - when I used tap my numbers were much much higher on a new batch of saltwater.
So now I either have to doubt my own Salifert kit - or think maybe your Seachem kit may be reading a tad high - or both - or neither. Not much help - huh.
All of your numbers look pretty good.
pH is a bit low as you mentioned - but your alk is dead nuts perfecto in my opinion.
Couple more questions if that's okay.
Do you buy or make your RO water ? Details ?
Have you tested the pure RO itself for calcium & alkalinity ?
Lastly: I don't really know all that much about what affects fish.
I do know that they have evolved to live in natural seawater - and I try to maintain my tank parameters as close to those of the ocean.
When one parameter is out of whack - I know it affects the others.
I also feel that the test kits we use - although do a decent job - are sometimes off by a great deal - depending on the kit, it's age on the shelf and the one doing the test.
Still not much help I'm sure.
Out of curiosity - would you mind telling me a little more about this Seachem test kit calibration solution ?

 

[newreefers]

My tank has a calc of 600 -700. All other water params perfect. This doesn't seem to bother anythin though,fish corals, etc. all doing fine. Been like this for 2 months now. I have tried everything to bring down the calc and nothing worked, so now I live with it. Unless angels are touchy with calcuim, that may not be the problem. Just my .02.

 

[waterbury guy]

Thanks Broomer, please keep the questions coming. I believe my problem is lying in my test kit. The reference solution it comes with, simply says "Calcium Reference Value=450 mg/L". Well I just tested the Reference and got a reading of 700 mg/L. I'm going to order a Salifert Kit.
I buy my RO water from the LFS, not sure what kind of RO unit he has, or if it's RO/DI. If it's RO, does that mean it has to be DI? I have not tested the RO water for CA & ALK prior to adding IO. What should the readings be w/ out the IO?
I am concerned about the PH. I have something called ProperPH 8.2. Bought it when I first set up my tank, but have neer used it. Could it hurt anything to add it to get my PH up? I was dosing w/ Reef Builder (just Reef Builder, not Reef Builder & Reef Buffer) about once a week. I stopped a couple of weeks ago when I saw my CA was so high. I think I will continue on not using it until I get the Salifert Kit.

 

[broomer5]

Sounds like a solid plan Waterbury Guy
Try a different kit - see what it reads - go from there.
Process of elimination is tough sometimes.
Just got to hit one thing at a time.
Sometimes when you rid yourself of one "possible" problem - the real culprit jumps up - and you see it clearly then.
Good luck - let us know how your water tests out with the new kit.