Hy
Originally Posted by
Handbanana
http:///forum/post/3221971
Wow where do I start with this? Ill work my way back. thanks for the responses! awesome
ok. there was no long drive from the LFS. less then ten min. I acclimated the way I was shown on a certin website. wich I frequent constantly...
I didnt mean to get an ornimental shrimp. I ment to get ones that perform a function IE. cleaning my tank? hence the cleaner shrimp. didnt know it was an ornimental. can someone recomend one thats not ornimental but will still cllean my tank up?
I dont have a swing arm hydrometer. I have a floating one. and... last night My friend came over to check out my tank. with him he brought his digital refractometer. after calibrating it twice with the fluid it came with I tested my water. 1.025. nuff said.
Also I read in a new Marine encyclepedia that its fluctations in salinity that useally kills. most fish can adjust themselfs to conditions such as high/low salinity. its the flucuations that kill. idk. just what I read. Anyway Im going on my lunch break so ill continue this later. I have TONS more to say.
Woah! back up. I, for one, did not say it was a long car ride. My problem w/ your acclimation has not so much to do with the length of time alone, but more to do with the fact that your drips were far too stretched out. I'd like to know what site is saying only 2 drips per minute. A proper drip acclimation usually requires a constant and consistent drip rate (usually one drip every 1-3 seconds). Since your drip was not consistent and the process lasted 3 hours, I suspect that temperature and stress are more likely culprits. Especially since you just found your salinity to be lower than you originally posted (which is a better/safer level anyways).
What I'm finding odd is the shrimp you owned for a few days also dying when the cleaner did.
I do not consider Skunk Cleaner Shrimp or Peppermints ornamental shrimp. They do serve a functional purpose to the tank. I own both types if shrimp and they do a fabulous job cleaning left over food. One of my two skunks also cleans my fish. To me, an ornamental shrimp is more along the lines of a Harlequin Shrimp.
I'm glad you were able to test your salinity and rule that out as a cause. Now you know that your hydrometer does not read accurate. Swing arm or floating, neither are as accurate as a refractometer.
Keep testing your water over the next few days to see if you notice any swings.
Keep your head up. this hobby can be expensive and stressful, but I promise the end result is worth it. We all have that one thing we can't keep alive, for me it is a diamond goby.
Good luck.
