Is My Water OK? I killed 3 fish during acclamation.

[schabiazabi]

I'm new to this hobby, and I'm having tons of problems, which I believe are due to my water being poisoned.
Long story short: In the beginning I did not have a RODI system, so I used tab water with Amquel Plus. I bought a Queen Angel and set her up using that very water. The fish is still alive. Since then, I bought a RODI system and purchased 3 fish from 2 different sources. They all died after acclamation. From 5 to 10 hours after.
During the last acclamation I wanted to perform a fresh water dip, but I could not adjust the PH up using Baking Soda (as suggested in the sticky post). Someone suggested my API test kit is wrong. This made me purchase a digital tester for multiple parameters. After testing PH in my tap water and my RODI water I found something very weird (at least to me, maybe it is normal). My RODI PH is much lower than my tab water PH. Here are the results of my water:
PH – Tab Water – 7.5
PH – RODI Water – 6.5 (or it changes around that range)
TDS – Tab Water – 260
TDS – RODI Water – 0
CON – Tab Water – 378
CON – RODI Water – 16
SAL – Tab Water – 190 ppm
SAL – RODI Water – 0 ppm
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Is there a way to figure out if my water is correct based on the above parameters? The drop in PH and the dead fish worry me.
Is my RODI doing something to the water. I was suppose to flush it for 2 hours, which I did?
Also, if the above data is not enough to render a valid diagnosis, can you guys recommend a place where I can send my water for this kind of (fish related) testing.
More Data
0. Fish: Yellow Tang, Threadfin Butterfly, Majestic Angel
1. Temp is 78F
2. Drip Acclaim (almost 4 hours this time)
3. Fish from my LFS was eating. The last 2 I bought online. They did not eat after acclamation.
4. PH in my tank was 8.2 according to my API test kit.
5. No marks on Fish. The fish from my local store was perfect.
6. I did not clean around the tank. The first fish died on floor 4, and the last 2 fish died on floor 1. That rules out lots of environmental problems.
7. No chemicals, perfumes or anything like that.
8. I have a central AC, but I try not to run it in the winter up here in New York. You should not spray anything around your AC, so I did not.
Since I bought my RODI filter no fish was able to acclaim. I only have my fish from the tab water acclamation time (in the beginning). What throws me off the most is that my Queen Angel is in the same water (75%) now as the fish that died.
Can someone please comment on the PH drop after RODI. Is this normal. Why would the removal of metals increase the acidity? Is my RODI filter adding something to the water. When I was showing off my drinking water from the RODI my mother said "it feels something" when drinking.
The crual retest would be do buy two Butterflies again and acclaim one in the tab water with Amquel Plus and the other in plain RODI system water. I just do not want to do it.
For sure I'm not buying anything anymore until I understand what happens to my PH after RO.
Acclaim Process:
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Thanks in advance.

 

[bang guy]

Quote:
Can someone please comment on the PH drop after RODI. Is this normal. Why would the removal of metals increase the acidity? Is my RODI filter adding something to the water. When I was showing off my drinking water from the RODI my mother said "it feels something" when drinking.
Your RO/DI isn't adding anything, it's removing everything. PH tests the ratio of + and - ions. If there are NO ions then the test becomes inaccurate and is meaningless. The imporatant measurement would be the PH of the water after mixing it with salt and putting it in the aquarium. Just breathing on RO/DI water will make it more acidic from the CO2 and that's likely what happened to your test sample.

 

[schabiazabi]

^ Makes sense.

 

[deejeff442]

first off if you are new to the hobby you need to start out with more hardy fish.butterfly,angels and tangs are more of an advanced fish to keep.try getting fish like clowns to start out.if you are not experienced dont try the freshwater dip.i dont freshwater dip anything.to me if the fish has a disease the dip wont totally eliminate the disease anyway and will only stress out a fish that is already stressed.mix your new saltwater for 24 hours before use.do you have a hydrometer or refractor to test the salinity?hydrometers are very inaccurate.

 

[schabiazabi]

Quote:
mix your new saltwater for 24 hours before use
I did this for my QT tanks, but not for regular water changes. Will change that now.
I do have a refractormeter. Yes my hydrometer is very inaccurate, but only relatively speaking. Specific gravity of 1.022 on my hydrometer equals 1.024 on my refractor.
Can you please elaborate on the saltwater mix and why 24 hours? I'm assuming salt does not dissolve as fast as I thought.
Thanks.

 

[nycbob]

u should try to hv some liverock in ur qt tank. just an empty tank with water isnt good. qt tank should mirror ur display tank as much as possible. acclimating 2-4 hours is a bit much imo especially if the fish is bought locally. i acclimate my fish in 30 minutes. the fish is stress already, why put it through more stress?

 

[schabiazabi]

acclimating 2-4 hours is a bit much imo especially if the fish is bought locally. i acclimate my fish in 30 minutes. the fish is stress already, why put it through more stress? - this is the conclusion I came to finally. That was my mistake.
I was told LR in QT is a big no no. One of the reasons I do not use the LR is, because if I use the medication in the QT I will have to throw the live rock away. That was my understanding at least. On the other hand yes creating a mirror of the QT makes sense from a common sense point.

 

[deejeff442]

i use 4" pvc fittings in my qt two 90's and a "t"

 

[nycbob]

why are u using medication when acclimating? there isnt a need for it unless disease shows up during the qt process.

 

[yannifish]

What is your experience keeping marine fish? That may be a factor too.

 

[schabiazabi]

Quote:
why are u using medication when acclimating?
I am not.
Quote:
What is your experience keeping marine fish? That may be a factor too.
That for sure is a factor, and my feeling is I did not understand the mechanics behind the acclamation. To me, longer was better. Now I know what I was doing wrong.

 

[cranberry]

Do you know what the S.G. of the water he came from? I always shoot low on my QT tanks at about 1.019 (because that's the lowest I've measured in shipping water). If your bag water was low, they probably didn't enjoy the 1.024. The tang looks shocky.

 

[deejeff442]

pretty sure all the suppliers ship at 1.019-1.021 .i have never seen it at 1.025+

 

[cranberry]

I've never actually had a 1.024 either. Hit 1.023 a couple times from the store. But most are within the range you speak of.

 

[schabiazabi]

Quote:
you know what the S.G. of the water he came from? I always shoot low on my QT tanks at about 1.019 (because that's the lowest I've measured in shipping water). If your bag water was low, they probably didn't enjoy the 1.024. The tang looks shocky.
I failed to test the salinity in the bag.
You are all correct. I realized that last night when I learned the drop in salinity is not that important as the rise. Therefore I'll setup my QT at 1.020 in order not to create a salinity up shock. Learning slowly.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by schabiazabi http:///forum/thread/384478/is-my-water-ok-i-killed-3-fish-during-acclamation#post_3368259
Can you please elaborate on the saltwater mix and why 24 hours? I'm assuming salt does not dissolve as fast as I thought.
Thanks.
If it isn't 100% desolved you will get a wrong reading on SG. So keeping it stirred 24 hours before use is a real good way to make sure all is ready and no surprises. The water should be crystal clear..I have heard folks say even after 24 hours sometimes the saltwater is cloudy...I personally don't trust my new mix if it isn't clear.

 

[yannifish]

Quote:
Originally Posted by schabiazabi http:///forum/thread/384478/is-my-water-ok-i-killed-3-fish-during-acclamation#post_3368363
I am not.
That for sure is a factor, and my feeling is I did not understand the mechanics behind the acclamation. To me, longer was better. Now I know what I was doing wrong.
Another thing may be the kind of fish you're keeping. The kinds of fish you're trying to keep aren't really considered beginner fish (I'm assuming you're a beginner). It would probably be very beneficial to your overall success if you start with hardier fish.
What is your system like, as far as tank size, filtration, etc.?

 

[schabiazabi]

Quote:
What is your system like, as far as tank size, filtration, etc.?
Yes, I'm a beginner.
My system is nothing great. My DT is 60G and my QT is 15g or 10g.
No sump or refugium. Filter: Fluval 405.
My fish are OK once they pass the acclamation and I only have 1 fish that is in the QT as of now.
One or two fish (6 inch total) in 60G should be fine. Once it all works and I learn everything I will build a bigger tank.
I have a space in my house to build a 1200g tank once I learn things. As of now my knowledge is very limited, but I learned
tons of things from this well know man Lee (leebca). The problem is I still have lots to learn, and I make mistakes.

 

[yannifish]

Quote:
Originally Posted by schabiazabi http:///forum/thread/384478/is-my-water-ok-i-killed-3-fish-during-acclamation#post_3368670
Yes, I'm a beginner.
My system is nothing great. My DT is 60G and my QT is 15g or 10g.
No sump or refugium. Filter: Fluval 405.
My fish are OK once they pass the acclamation and I only have 1 fish that is in the QT as of now.
One or two fish (6 inch total) in 60G should be fine. Once it all works and I learn everything I will build a bigger tank.
I have a space in my house to build a 1200g tank once I learn things. As of now my knowledge is very limited, but I learned
tons of things from this well know man Lee (leebca). The problem is I still have lots to learn, and I make mistakes.
Based on what you've said, it appears as if you have a good grasp on things. Your biggest problem right now is you just don't have much experience, and as a result are making beginner mistakes (which are perfectly normal).
Like I said, I'd try starting with some easier fish.

 

[cranberry]

What fish have you purchased so far all together? How many died during acclimation? Who is still alive? What were the sources of the fish? Same LFS? Different ones? Different sources online? Do you remember of the ones that died, which source they were from?