HELP! Something is wrong!!!

[jen73]

:needhelp: :needhelp: Something is wrong!!! My Hawaiin Puffer is laying on the bottom breathing hard--about 36 hours now. I have a blenny MIA, and my Naso started acting funny and breathing hard today. I have no clue whats wrong, they act like they have been poisened perhaps but im not sure how. My tank has been up and running for a few years. I have converted to mostly reef over the past 6 months or so. Heres my specs:
calcium 400
ph8.2-8.4
ammonia .025 or less
nitrates .10
nitrite .1
salinity .23
temp 78
The only thing I have done was added a new power head, 748 gph, it seemed to be too strong for the tank, so I took it out after 24 hrs, I added some new zoos and shrooms from a perfectly healthy and trusted tank. It was a brand new power head and I didnt wash it first. This is the only thing I can possibly even come close to thinking might be wrong. I did about a 30% water change, Naso is acting better, puffer got up for a minute or so and has been back down ever since. Is there anything else I can do????Im so upset!!!If it was some debris from the power head, will it affect the corals too??? HELP!!!! :needhelp:

 

[dburr]

How big is your tank? what other fish/inverts are in there?
Any change on the oxigen levels?
Nothing else has changed???

 

[jen73]

Thanks for the fast reply!! its a 55 gallon. As for fish, other than what I have mentioned theres a clown, lawnmower blenny, and a blue damsel. They all seem just fine. Theres three curly q anemone, blues shrooms, red shrooms, several new zoo frags, leather frag, colts, button polyps, tube anemone, I think thats it. Im clueless! :notsure: When I put my new zoo frags in the other day, I was cleaning my lights, and had things unplugged, I decided to go get some dinner, and left everything off for no more than 2 hrs, this is all I can think of, how do you check oxygen levels :notsure: Thanks!!!!

 

[dburr]

Their is a test kit for oxigen but I just wanted to know if you had ippling on the surface for gas exchange or an over stocked tank.
A naso in a 55? That is a big fish. How big is he?

 

[sinner's girl]

why do you have am and nitrites? Am and nitrites should be zero in an established tank...what caused your am to spike? It could be the am that causing the problem? Do you know the am was before you did the water change?

 

[jen73]

Yeh, I know now the Tang really needs a bigger tank, hes about 3 inches-hasnt grown hardly at all in the year ive had em-plans of upgrading the tank really soon to about a 125 gallon, I am sure the blenny is dead, but cant find him, thus causing the slight am and nit lift, but it is just barely elevated. I cant imagine that little of a elevation effecting them so much. They really look to me that they are poisened( shamefully, as a newbie I found out what that looked like a few years back) I just cant imagine how though now. Any other clues???? The corals look great.

 

[jen73]

Its been approx. 48 hrs now. The puffer is still laying on the bottom breathing hard--hes such a little trooper. The Tang has come out of it since the water change--all is looking good in the tank but my little puffer. I just dont know what else to do for him. Should I do yet another water change???? I just did 30% yesterday.

 

[dburr]

I re-read the first post, yes I missed the ammonia and nitrites

, they should be 0. I would re-test them to see if they went down.
Can you post the SG again? What is .23? or is it 1.023?
You should airate the NSW for 24 hours before using it. If the 2 levels don't go down, yes do another WC.
HTH

 

[jen73]

I think my little puffer might be coming out of it!! I did another small water change, and put in some brine shrimp-his fav, and he got up and ate a little and is now swimming around!! :cheer: yes, the salinity was 1.023. Thanks for all the help!!

 

[sw65galma]

does your temp fluctuate during the day or night?

 

[jen73]

My temp only fluctuates maybe a degree, from where the lights have been on during the day. I found the dead fish, got him out, and now my puffer acts like his old self. I think all is well. The guy at my lfs said hes had friends who had used Rio pumps before and they have secreted a bit of lube that they could see floating on top--maybe this was part of the poisoning?? I have it going in a bucket now, im going to make sure its all cleaned out before I put it in again.