inverts dying??

[silverdak]

hey I know I don't have my water parameters tested yet, but is there a reason my inverts are all dying? first my emerald crab... now my peppermint shrimp....
secondary question.. where my shrimp died is way in the back and I have a 0% chance of getting it out without moving all of my live rock around.... is it really bad to leave it in there?? if I add another shrimp will it eat and break down the dead one?
I really am getting a little upset about the inverts dying...

 

[zeke92]

Um, we can't do anything without parameters.
It's something wrong with your water so we need to know whats wrong to be able to tell you..whats wrong.
Get the shrimp out. It will cause ammonia and cause further problems. it could be the shrimp only molted.

 

[silverdak]

ok here are the parameters... the shrimp already molted like 3 days ago or so... then I went looking for the shrimp and he is way way tucked away in the back behind all the rocks and stuff.. not gonna be easy to get what so ever.
PH:8.8 (I assume it high because it fluctuates at night, or so I have heard)
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 0ppm
Ammonia: 0ppm
Salinity 1.026
Temp 76 ish
last thing that was added was some red slime remover.. that was added on Friday

 

[shaunalynna]

PH level is high so need to get that taken care of. Normal PH should be no more then 8.4 and thats on the max end. Everything else you tested sounds like it is in the area it should be though from the readings. What type if water did you use to make the salt water? How long has your tank been up? Your going to need to get the shrimp out though cause as said it will cause ammonia and with nothing more in your tank more issues will arrise.

 

[silverdak]

no idea tho about my inverts just dying? crab last week... then my shrimp this week?? is it cuz I finally named my fish and shrimp? isn't there a law or something that says when you name them they are gonna die? this is just getting really sad.
also no one has heard of the PH being higher at night? I have heard it from a CUNO rep ( professional water testing supply's i think... not sure tho. they might also test samples too) and even they said that any PH will be higher at dusk hours... I will check it again tomorow mid day and see.
how would you go about lowering PH??

 

[silverdak]

i am trying to problem solve how to get this thing out without movig 90% of my rocks out of the tank.... hoping for more answers and some more info?? no idea just really kinda sad right now

 

[silverdak]

ok after searching some threads... my salinity went up from 1.024 to 1.026... could that have been the issue??
I went to live rock rubble in the back chamber and took out the bio-balls.. mayeb that??
I set my temp a little lower to around 76 from 79-80... was that it??

 

[silverdak]

would an emerald crab eat the shrimp??

 

[silverdak]

any other ideas on how to get this thing out???? anyone at all... any one have a thought as to why my inverts are dying??
I really cant get this stupid thing out of my tank... I would have to remove all but one small piece of my LR to get it due to the way its all in there and balanced...
I would take it out.. then its going to stir up the sand bed, make the water cloudy and most likely stress my fish to death.
only 2 people have posted and another PMed me trying to help. come on I need some more help

 

[silverdak]

and I will send it back to the top.... no one out there knows anythign or has any ideas.... I find that hard to believe and now I am getting mad about this.

 

[alexa11]

what type of water did you use to mix your salt water? If you used tap water as opposed to ro or di water, it could be the issue. If you get city water or even well water, there could be chlorine or high amounts of minerals. Did you add a dechlorinator/demineralizer to the water? PH does fluctuate between the evening and daytime hours, but it shouldnt go up past 84. High ph will kill things, so that could be it. I keep my temp at about 79. changing bioballs to lr rubble is fine. Also, if you have had all of these things dying, maybe the ammonia from them has affected the other inverts and caused them to die too. Do you use additives in your water?

 

[alexa11]

how old is the tank? did it have a cycle yet? readings of zero on everything indicate that it is either established, or un-established. Be patient. Have you been doing a weekly small waterchange?

 

[alexa11]

phosphates can be tested for as well, but you can usually tell when they are there because you will have algae forming. It is the last step in the cycle, and can escelate due to food/waste in the water. You can also test for alkalinity.

 

[silverdak]

tank has been set up for about 3 months now. every change I do I use RO water from my LFS. I know it is Ro water cuz I don't even ask them for it anymore I just go get it myself. the only thing that has ever been added to the water is the chemiclean red slime remover.. but that was a while ago on Friday or Wednesday I cant remember...
my ammonia is 0 and hasn't moved at all... even with the death of my crab (which I did a water change right after). my Salinity did go up a bit.. but not too much I heard inverts like 1.024-1.026... so there shouldn't be an issue there.

 

[silverdak]

I have algae forming.... but nothing that I would call unusual... normal growth? my fish look fine and are completely normal and swimming all around and coming to the top looking for food when I walk over. a little while ago maybe 2 weeks or so I had a brown film on the top, which soon went away when I started feeding my clowns every other day instead of every time they came to the top during the day
also side not I did get the shrimp out... took 3 bendy straws pushed together and tapped together. i was able to bend it into place, blow into the straw and when i stopped blowing into the end of it it caused a suction which grabbed the shrimp for about 4-5 second just long enough for me to get it into an easier place to get

 

[alexa11]

Then i'd bet it has to do with the ph being so high. Just wait it out. At an early age, my tank had ph issues as well. you just have to be patient, do your water changes, and dont feed too much. Also, some shrimp and crabs need a more established tank to live in (i.e. cleaner shrimp). Inverts can kill one another too, depending on type. I recommend testing your alkalinity. PH swings and low alkalinity are linked.

 

[rotarymagic]

pH DROPS at night.... what is your KH at??? ridiculously high KH will kill stuff, high pH will, but low pH too... check iodine levels too. Has any copper been added to the tank EVER?

 

[silverdak]

ok i will get my water to my buddy at the LFS tomorow to test the alk.
what are PH drops and how safe are they to lower the ph?? I have seachem marine buffer, but have heard bad things about it after a tank is set up and running... maybe i should try seachems 8.4?? there new stuff.
what is KH? is there an iodine test? or is it under a different name? I have never added copper to the tank.. dont know if it might have been added when I did somethign else tho??

 

[silverdak]

I do try and stay on top of my water changes, at most it goes 2 weeks without getting a change. usually its about a week give or take a day. my school and work schedule is crazy right now! haha
thanks for all the help so far folks. I am starting to relax a bit and calm down

 

[silverdak]

also.. this is only a 14G tank, do i need a shirmp in my CUC?? it looks like i have 4 or 5 turbo snails which seem to be doing a pretty good job... dont get me wrong I would love another shrimp... but not until i figure out what is wrong.
also I had an emerald crab and a pep. shrimp.. both of which I thought were pretty easy to keep... and aren't to picky about water quality and levels and stuff... maybe not? more insight?