My Brian died.

lolly1

lolly1

Member
I feel absolutely horrible. I have no idea what happened. Any ideas or insight are appreciated. On Friday, my fuzzy dwarf lion (my first and only fish in my 55 gallon tank) was doing great. I fed him and he ate 4 small gut-loaded ghost shrimp as he has every 2-3 days. On Saturday morning, I left to visit my parents for the weekend and when I returned on Sunday evening, he was dead. I just feel sick about it and am wracking my brain as to what I could have done wrong. He just seemed to be doing so well!! I just did a water test and my parameters are as follows:
pH: 8.0 (but it is well before my lights go on)
ammonia: 0
nitrites: 0
nitrates: 15
sg: 1.021-1.022 (a bit low, I know: I have been working to increase it gradually with water changes)
temp: 80
He didn't give me any indication that he was sick at all. What could have happened?????
(x100)
Beth ***)
 
lolly1

lolly1

Member
Originally Posted by crabsrkewl
Aliens must have killed him (lol)

That made me smile...thanks.
I just hope the aliens leave my dog alone!
Beth ***)
 
cptrigger

cptrigger

New Member
Playing dumb here, but was any of the food that you've been feeding him freshwater???? One thing I remember when I had lions was that freshwater fish were fatty and would harm the lion's liver and kidneys. Just a start to look at.
 
promisetbg

promisetbg

Active Member
So sorry for your loss. Is there any way you could have introduced something foreign on your hands or with the shrimp?{hand lotion, nail polish, cleansers...anything?}Ghost shrimp are freshwater. Was this all you ever fed him? How about your parameters for alkalinity and phosphates? Why does'nt anyone test for these?{just talking out loud} But really, I am constantly asking people this question..they are two very important parameters that most people seem to overlook.
 
lolly1

lolly1

Member
Originally Posted by promisetbg
So sorry for your loss. Is there any way you could have introduced something foreign on your hands or with the shrimp?{hand lotion, nail polish, cleansers...anything?}Ghost shrimp are freshwater. Was this all you ever fed him? How about your parameters for alkalinity and phosphates? Why does'nt anyone test for these?{just talking out loud} But really, I am constantly asking people this question..they are two very important parameters that most people seem to overlook.

I am usually very careful about what is on my hands when I put them in the water...but I guess it's possible there was something on them that I didn't think about. Because he was only in my tank for a couple of weeks, the ghost shrimp were all he would eat. Unlike most freshwater fish, they are low in fat and I gut-loaded them with nutritious frozen food with garlic. I did not test for alkalinity or phosphates. That could have had something to do with it too, I guess. I don't have a kit for these...is this something my lfs could test for?
 
lolly1

lolly1

Member
As a side note: my clean-up crew all seems to be doing great. I have about 18 hermits, 3 emerald crabs, and a turbo snail. Would they be doing so well if something with my water was off?
 
promisetbg

promisetbg

Active Member
Well since you only had him a few weeks there could have been something wrong with him, and you could'nt tell. He could have had internal parasites or have been caught with cyanide..hard to say. If you have inverts better get that SG. up. A good way to do it is top off with water at 1.025 instead of fresh every day. A good saltwater related LFS should be able to test for everything.
If you decide to get another, try to feed him things like fresh shrimp,squid, krill, silversides, etc. on a feeding stick.
 
lolly1

lolly1

Member
Originally Posted by promisetbg
Well since you only had him a few weeks there could have been something wrong with him, and you could'nt tell. He could have had internal parasites or have been caught with cyanide..hard to say. If you have inverts better get that SG. up. A good way to do it is top off with water at 1.025 instead of fresh every day. A good saltwater related LFS should be able to test for everything.
If you decide to get another, try to feed him things like fresh shrimp,squid, krill, silversides, etc. on a feeding stick.
All good ideas and good advice. Thanks! I will definitely do my top-offs with saltwater. I'm not sure what I'm going to do next as far as putting another fish in. :notsure: First things first, I am going to get my alkalinity and phosphates checked, along with raising my sg.
Thanks again,
Beth ***)
 
monalisa

monalisa

Active Member
Originally Posted by Lolly1
That made me smile...thanks.
I just hope the aliens leave my dog alone!
Beth ***)
Aww, I know how you feel Beth!! That's one of the hardest things about this hobby...just not knowing what to expect or having things happen that just don't seem right. It really is heartbreaking.
When you're ready, and when you think it's right...if you don't mind...your next fuzzy dwarf lion is on me, 'kay? You did, after all, zero in on some awesome corals for me.
Just let me know when you'll be ready.
Me :happyfish
 
lolly1

lolly1

Member
Originally Posted by MonaLisa
Aww, I know how you feel Beth!! That's one of the hardest things about this hobby...just not knowing what to expect or having things happen that just don't seem right. It really is heartbreaking.
When you're ready, and when you think it's right...if you don't mind...your next fuzzy dwarf lion is on me, 'kay? You did, after all, zero in on some awesome corals for me.
Just let me know when you'll be ready.
Me :happyfish
Seriously?! Awesome, thank you thank you thank you!! I think I am going to take a water sample my lfs and have them trouble shoot for me. My zoo didn't look very happy yesterday either...although he's perking up a bit today. Hmph.
Beth ***)
 
monalisa

monalisa

Active Member
Originally Posted by Lolly1
Seriously?! Awesome, thank you thank you thank you!! I think I am going to take a water sample my lfs and have them trouble shoot for me. My zoo didn't look very happy yesterday either...although he's perking up a bit today. Hmph.
Beth ***)
YES, seriously!! I think that between us we can get things on the straight and narrow. Your zoo probably was having problems with the aftermath of Brian's demise, doncha think? I'm glad they're doing better today. Also, when things settle down, I have a sweet little xenia branch that has your name on it, you know the one. All we need is a piece of rubble LR to attach it to. But that's going to have to wait until we find out what's going on with your tank, if anything

It certainly wouldn't hurt to do a water change, just in case.
Talk to you tomorrow....
Me :happyfish
 
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