everything dead...

jguad

jguad

Member
so i was at my LFS last night to have my water checked (it all came back ok). and i mentioned to them that when I bought live rock from them, that it had something like a feather duster on it. it was brown with a clear tube like body. they told me it was a parasite and i should remove it.
i was told to take some hot water, and through a syringe spray it into the face of the parasite.
when i got home, i did it, and everything seemed fine. but this morning, when i woke up, EVERYTHING WAS DEAD, except for the 2 smails.
anyone have any ideas what could have happened? i wasn't able to test any water, as I had to be at work to administer a midterm to my students.
any ideas please!! this is my fist shot at a slatwater tank, and i don't want to be disillusioned.
 
C

calvertbill

Guest
Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/2919692
What type of water did you use?
I would think it wouldn't matter if it was toilet water. Squirting a little in a tank doesn't wipe out a tank!
I'm more inclined to think that maybe the LR brought something into the tank far worse than aptasia! Between the LFS and your tank even if the rock was out of water long enough to produce a significant die off, you'd at least see an ammonia spike!
Mortally sick fish die in the order of their strength. For everyone to die together suggests the presence of a very bad evil.
Of course I'm assuming all the obvious answers have been eliminated (i.e. stuck heater cooking everyone, etc.)
 
jguad

jguad

Member
everything would include 2 blue damsels, 1 clown fish, 1 cardinal fish, 1 cleaner shrimp, and a sleeper banded bullet.
the water i used was tap water, that was boiled, but there was NO WAY NEAR enough water shot out to affect anything in the water.
and the live rock has been in the tank for QUITE SOME TIME and up until yesterday NOTHING was wrong with the fish.
but my biggest question is this... if i want to start it up all over again, what do i have to do with the live rock, etc.?
 
jackri

jackri

Active Member
How big of a tank? Have you tested your water parameters again right after the die off? It's very handy to have test kits at home... I don't think the shot of water was the killer... just bad timing with something else.
 
jguad

jguad

Member
ok, so here is an update on my situation...
first, it’s a 37 gallon tank. i was unable to test the water right after i found the dead fish, however, i was able to take out the fish and take out some water, put it in the fridge for it to be tested later.
when i took it to my lfs, i met with the owner, and the gentlemen who has helped me through setting up the tank. the owner was concerned, while the man who has been helping me (dave <- great guy) seemed more upset then i was about the whole thing.
so after testing the water, the nitrite had jumped up .5, while the ammonia was at 0. when the pH was tested it was not even registering, meaning it dropped from mid 8 to 7.
they told me to change 20G of the water (a little more then 1/2 the tank); they gave me 20G of water, and a domino damsel to "test it".
i also bought "superbuffer-dKH" to fix the pH. (assuming that the water change does not fix it).
also, i bought a thermometer to test the temp., as it felt REALLY warm when i took out a second bottle of water to have tested (to see what might have changed since this morning). when i read the new temp, it registered at 83.4, while my old thermometer still read 78-81.
 
txfishman

txfishman

Member
i am not sure even that wouldkill all of your fish. Maybe the thing you killed was some sort of sea apple or medusa worm? (They emit toxins in the water once they die.)
 
C

calvertbill

Guest
Originally Posted by txfishman
http:///forum/post/2920407
i am not sure even that wouldkill all of your fish. Maybe the thing you killed was some sort of sea apple or medusa worm? (They emit toxins in the water once they die.)
I agree! The biggest clue you have to work on is the simultaneous death. To me, that spells toxin, not disease. I suspect something got cooked.
 
fishlawyer

fishlawyer

Member
you mentioned the water was "really warm." 5-6 degrees Celsius is a death sentence. Are you sure your heater is working properly?
Although, given the speed of the death, it seems to be a real bad toxin. No idea what, but it sounds like some real bad stuff...
 
gmann1139

gmann1139

Active Member
Check your heater...
Heater stays on, breaks, shocks something and kills it, keeps heating, etc.
Its not a pretty picture, but it sounds plausible, based on what you've said.
 
notsonoob

notsonoob

Member
If the snails were alive I would doubt that it was the temperature.
I am more to agree with a toxin, probably from the parasite that you tried to take out.
Cukes and such can kill off a tank if they die.
What also is puzzling is that snails are usually pretty fragile.
I've had my tank up to 83-85 with no ill effects before even to my corals but I've since increased my surface area to cool off the water.
 
oceansidefish

oceansidefish

Active Member
What KIND of thermometer are you using...The digital ones are VERY inaccurate. I actually trust my chiller to tell me my tank temp. I also have a lasertemp I use to check the water. Also PH buffer will not fix whats wrong, PH is a function of other things. When the fish died they added the ammonia throwing everything off.
 
jguad

jguad

Member
guys, first off, thank you so much for your help with this one.
so here is what is going on. i bought a digital thermometer and it read the temp at 84.0 while my thermometer on the side read 77-79, the one on the side was a thermometer that was kinda like a sticker, where it changed colors. i have since brought the temp down to where the thermometer read 81.5, and it will be going lower.
i found little catepiller like creatures dead on top of the water last night, i think it might have been a die off from the "shock" to the tank.
anyway, i did a 20 g water change, dripped a domino damsel and put it in. it is hiding in a rock but it pops it's head out, so its good (for now).
the snails are still going strong.
also, i did not add the pH buffer.
question though. should i maybe add a bubbler to increase some surface area and cause it to run cooler? and to add just a little more 02?
 
gmann1139

gmann1139

Active Member
Originally Posted by jguad
http:///forum/post/2921119
guys, first off, thank you so much for your help with this one.
so here is what is going on. i bought a digital thermometer and it read the temp at 84.0 while my thermometer on the side read 77-79, the one on the side was a thermometer that was kinda like a sticker, where it changed colors. i have since brought the temp down to where the thermometer read 81.5, and it will be going lower.
i found little catepiller like creatures dead on top of the water last night, i think it might have been a die off from the "shock" to the tank.
anyway, i did a 20 g water change, dripped a domino damsel and put it in. it is hiding in a rock but it pops it's head out, so its good (for now).
the snails are still going strong.
also, i did not add the pH buffer.
question though. should i maybe add a bubbler to increase some surface area and cause it to run cooler? and to add just a little more 02?
So now you have 2 inaccurate thermometers? Just spend the $4 and get one that hooks on with a suction cup. Takes the guesswork out.
Forget the bubbler. Just point a PH towards the surface, and you'll improve your gas exchange.
 
mie

mie

Active Member
The dead things floating at the top are bristle worms. How long have you had the rock in there? (Please dont say a while) How did you transport the rock? Was it cured rock? I am guessing you had an ammonia spike and which either killed a hitchiker you brought in on the rock which was toxic or the ammonia was enough by itself to kill your fish.
A temp of 84 degrees will not kill your fish my tank has gotten to 90+ before. Go buy a good thermometer and your own test kit (30 bucks) not having your own test kit is like driving at night without the headlights on, you dont know what the hell is going on.
 
cranberry

cranberry

Active Member
Was the pH tested at the store? If so, the results will be inaccurate. It really needs to be tested on the spot. Closing the container up for transport will cause the pH in the sample water to drop.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
I use a digital thermometer, and I have 2 glass suction cup ones on each side of tank...I also agree that the temp would not have done it since over the summer I have had spikes like that and my fish are ok. I also agree with testing water on the spot....I have been told the same thing, that levels will fluctuate with time. Get a good test kit, test your water at home, and then try again, but until your water tests good, I wouldn't put anymore fish in there.
 
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