Need Help Solving A Mystery...

chella81

chella81

Member
Hey..Just curious if anyone can help me solve a mystery. I set up my 29 gallon saltwater tank..This is what I have my tank set up: Crush coral and little bit of sand on the bottom, 10 pounds of live rock, salinity is reading at 1.022, water quality is good, for filter I have just one that hangs on the back of my tank, I have bubbles going, The only thing that needs just a little adjustment is my heater which my tank is heated between 80-82 F but nothing too extreme. I've had my tank running now for 2 months. In the begining I added bio-enzyme and just week ago I added microbe-lift. I went to 3 different fish stores today..all of them say my water quality is great and i should be having no problems adding fish. Then I tell them I added a fish a week ago and I floated the bag for 15 mins. and then over a course of an hour I add my tank water every 10 mins, but when I put the fish in my tank within 5-10mins it bellys up. The fish that I added was damsel, which I have been told are hearty fish, but after reading the new hobbyist list..that you shouldnt add damsels for your first fish. All the stores were stumped about why my fish would die like that when my water quality and salinity were great. Please help..I dont want to give up on my tank..
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
start by posting your water parameters. a fish dieing with in 10 min is obviously due to high toxicity if your is salinity ok , how are you reading it.
 
chella81

chella81

Member
I did it with the hydrometer at home, but at the stores they read it with the refractor meter and got the same reading. I know i need to get a refractor meter, because they are more accurate.
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
do you test your own water, of course you know your fish could have JUST died, i would if my water tested ok try another fish and DONT use the floating bag method use the drip method and constantly watch the fish for signs of stress
how much water did you add every ten minutes
you state that your fish died with in 10 min of adding it to your tank but in actuality it was exposed to your tank water for over an hour
 
beaslbob

beaslbob

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by Chella81
http:///forum/post/3258523
Hey..Just curious if anyone can help me solve a mystery. I set up my 29 gallon saltwater tank..This is what I have my tank set up: Crush coral and little bit of sand on the bottom, 10 pounds of live rock, salinity is reading at 1.022, water quality is good, for filter I have just one that hangs on the back of my tank, I have bubbles going, The only thing that needs just a little adjustment is my heater which my tank is heated between 80-82 F but nothing too extreme. I've had my tank running now for 2 months. In the begining I added bio-enzyme and just week ago I added microbe-lift. I went to 3 different fish stores today..all of them say my water quality is great and i should be having no problems adding fish. Then I tell them I added a fish a week ago and I floated the bag for 15 mins. and then over a course of an hour I add my tank water every 10 mins, but when I put the fish in my tank within 5-10mins it bellys up. The fish that I added was damsel, which I have been told are hearty fish, but after reading the new hobbyist list..that you shouldnt add damsels for your first fish. All the stores were stumped about why my fish would die like that when my water quality and salinity were great. Please help..I dont want to give up on my tank..
Try adding some macro algaes.
What was salinity? (or specific gravity)
I would use a male FW molly as a cycle fish. Just accilimate to marine slowly.
my .02
 
chella81

chella81

Member
I test my own water with test strips. Now that you mention that my fish was exposed to my tank for an hour it makes since to me that it didn't just die within 10 mins. Yeah I have been reading up on the drip method. None of the stores I went to mention that to me, they said the floating method I did was fine. This is what I did: I floated the bag for 15mins closed. I open it up and added about 1/2 a cup of my water and then I did that every ten minutes until my bag was full. When the fish was in the bag it was at first a little stress and then it seem to be acting ok after a little bit..
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Originally Posted by Chella81
http:///forum/post/3258548
I test my own water with test strips. Now that you mention that my fish was exposed to my tank for an hour it makes since to me that it didn't just die within 10 mins. Yeah I have been reading up on the drip method. None of the stores I went to mention that to me, they said the floating method I did was fine. This is what I did: I floated the bag for 15mins closed. I open it up and added about 1/2 a cup of my water and then I did that every ten minutes until my bag was full. When the fish was in the bag it was at first a little stress and then it seem to be acting ok after a little bit..

I use the bag acclimation method and have never lost a fish that way...BUT.....I also remove some water from the bag....I add some tank water to bag...remove some bag water....etc...etc.....dump all bagged water out in trash....add fish only to tank
 
pirates

pirates

Member
yes i had to same problem with some shrimp they said to float the bag for 15min. then put the item in did that died did it again same thing i did the drip they live if your salt or water is off just a little could kill the item or items that you are puting in i had a hydrometer it was off three to high and did not know it i now have a refractor meter way better here is a web site that could help you with or problem https://www.saltwaterfish.com/Acclimation_ep_48-1.html
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top