HELP!!! Tank not so great....clueless as to why.

[schmidbauermg]

So everything was going great in my tank as far as I knew. When i woke up this morning my long nosed hawk fish was dead and the hermit crabs were eating it (my favorite fish). I took out the body and checked everything like crazy....and it all seemed fine (results below). I went out for about an hour and a half for a meeting, and came back to find another fish dead (just a damsel, but i still liked it). What the heck is up? After I found that I got super scared. All of my fish are breathing hard and fast it seems, I only have a lawnmower blenny, another damsel, and a true perc left....the emerald and hermit crabs are fine and so are the brittle star and cleaner shrimp as far as i can see. Since the second fish, i siphoned the sand and did a 50% water change, changed the filters, and set it all back up. Only thing i did was add a koralia #2 the other day....
Water test results (before the 50% change):
pH: 7.7ish
Salinity:1.023
NH3/NH4: 0 mg/l
NO2: < 0.3 mg/l
KH:8
CO2:8 mg/l
PLEASE HELP! The fish all seemed healthy........

 

[ca161406]

umm ph is on the low end of the chart but i know if mine gets below 8 my puffers get lazy and start breathing heavy. try bringing it up to like 8, 8.2ish.. im not expert but just by experience that helped me

 

[indigobluetc]

I would retest and see if your PH came up and if not I would do something about that. Seems low to me as well.. I keep mine at 8.4 Test for ammonia as well..

 

[anthropo]

Originally Posted by ca161406
http:///forum/post/2730508
umm ph is on the low end of the chart but i know if mine gets below 8 my puffers get lazy and start breathing heavy. try bringing it up to like 8, 8.2ish.. im not expert but just by experience that helped me
agreed

 

[schmidbauermg]

Thanks for the replies. I'll work on the pH and retest the ammonia. I did the water change so i'm guessing it will be fine....**crossing fingers**