Question about my fish!

[lilchevygirl_0]

Hopefully someone can help me! I recently started a saltwater tank which is a 33 gal cube tank. I've had it set up for about a month or so now. I just added damsels to it today as I waited for the guy at a very good pet shop in town suggested. He said to start out with damsels since they are very hearty fish. I purchased 4 from him today. I have 1 3 stripe damsel, 1 Sgt. Major Damsel and I have 2 blue damsels that have 1 black dot right on the top of them right before their tail..???? not sure what they are called cant remember. But anyways to go to my problem all the damsel except for one seem to be doing great. The 3 stripe damsel pretty much looks all black now and tends to stay at the top of the tank where as the other 3 are just cruisin all over. Is there something wrong with him??? Or something that I may not have done right?? I'm not sure...I am hoping not to have a death so if I can save him before he dies that would be cool. Any help would greatly be appriciated! Thanks, Mary

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by lilchevygirl_0
Hopefully someone can help me! I recently started a saltwater tank which is a 33 gal cube tank. I've had it set up for about a month or so now. I just added damsels to it today as I waited for the guy at a very good pet shop in town suggested. He said to start out with damsels since they are very hearty fish. I purchased 4 from him today. I have 1 3 stripe damsel, 1 Sgt. Major Damsel and I have 2 blue damsels that have 1 black dot right on the top of them right before their tail..???? not sure what they are called cant remember. But anyways to go to my problem all the damsel except for one seem to be doing great. The 3 stripe damsel pretty much looks all black now and tends to stay at the top of the tank where as the other 3 are just cruisin all over. Is there something wrong with him??? Or something that I may not have done right?? I'm not sure...I am hoping not to have a death so if I can save him before he dies that would be cool. Any help would greatly be appriciated! Thanks, Mary
Hello and welcome to the boards!!!Did you cycle this tank prior to adding the fish or did you just let it run with saltwater in it? Have you tested your water? Please post your readings for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph, kh, temp, and salinity.

 

[lilchevygirl_0]

I did cycle the tank prior to adding the fish...I had live rock in the tank for about a week or so now....All my levels are normal, but I think my nitrite might be just a tad bit high which that reading was at .5...My temperature is at 76 degrees and then salinity is 1.024..I did acclimate the fish for a total of 2 1/2 hours before adding them to the tank as well...IS there something wrong???

 

[skipperdz]

acclimated how? drip method or just temp acclimation? i have a blue damsel in mine at the moment and my temp is 81 and he flies all over the tank.
depending on how u acclimated that could be why. fish may have been like this before u purchased him, or temp could be an issue ( however if the other 3 are fine then probably not ) is that fish eating when u feed them?

 

[sepulatian]

I need your ammonia and nitrate readings. Being you have nitrite that tells me that you did not have enough biolgical filtration. I STRONGLY suggest taking at least 2 of those damsels back. Damsels are mean. You don't have enough space for 4 of them, especially not all at once. That was alot of bioload that went into your tank all at the same time. People with a 200 gallon tank still only add one fish at a time. It isn't your fault. You just did what your lfs told you to. You are not going to like the damsels as they get older anyway, they are MEAN. Take at least 2 of them back.

 

[lilchevygirl_0]

Thank you guys both...I didn't plan on keeping the damsels at all..They were just for the introduction period of like 3 months or so till the tank settled down and got on the right path. But I did not even realize that 4 fish was too much and I was never told that either till now. What should my tank be at temperature wise? I have no idea what the ammonia level is in the tank or the nitrate, for some reason the kit I got didn't come with that one. But the pH is at 8.2 the Nitrite NO2 is at 0.5 and the Alkinity is at the normal level on the chart which was 1.7 to 2.8...What I eventually want to do with this tank is a community tank...clown fish, coral beauty, powder blue tang....I guess I will just ask this now...when everything is good to go with the tank....how many is a safe number to put in a 33 gal...the tank is tall 21 1/2 inches deep and 20 1/2 by 20 1/2 wide..I also do have crushed coral in the bottom which as I keep reading on in the forums here is not good???

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by lilchevygirl_0
Thank you guys both...I didn't plan on keeping the damsels at all..They were just for the introduction period of like 3 months or so till the tank settled down and got on the right path. But I did not even realize that 4 fish was too much and I was never told that either till now. What should my tank be at temperature wise? I have no idea what the ammonia level is in the tank or the nitrate, for some reason the kit I got didn't come with that one. But the pH is at 8.2 the Nitrite NO2 is at 0.5 and the Alkinity is at the normal level on the chart which was 1.7 to 2.8...What I eventually want to do with this tank is a community tank...clown fish, coral beauty, powder blue tang....I guess I will just ask this now...when everything is good to go with the tank....how many is a safe number to put in a 33 gal...the tank is tall 21 1/2 inches deep and 20 1/2 by 20 1/2 wide..I also do have crushed coral in the bottom which as I keep reading on in the forums here is not good???
Take the damsels back. I am sorry your lfs advised you poorly. Did they know what size tank you have? The tang will not work in your system. The clowns would be ok. It is not a question of how many fish, but what kind. They all need different amounts of water. Some like small spaces, some need open water.

 

[lilchevygirl_0]

Ok thanks a ton....I will do that in the morning as soon as he opens at 10am...and hopefully I can get everything back to normal again....should I keep 1 or none at all till I get it all figured out? He did know the size of my tank but who knows if he forgot..I think i have been there about 1-2 times a week and everytime he asks me for the size of it

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by lilchevygirl_0
Ok thanks a ton....I will do that in the morning as soon as he opens at 10am...and hopefully I can get everything back to normal again....should I keep 1 or none at all till I get it all figured out? He did know the size of my tank but who knows if he forgot..I think i have been there about 1-2 times a week and everytime he asks me for the size of it
That is up to you. Normally for a new tank you get the levels good then add your cleanup crew then worry about fish. Being your levels are off right now, you may want to return them all and get a liquid master test kit. You realy need your own test kit.

 

[lilchevygirl_0]

Ok thanks...that will be my project in the morning then is to catch those little suckers....hopefully none of them die before then....Thanks again...And good night!

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by lilchevygirl_0
Ok thanks...that will be my project in the morning then is to catch those little suckers....hopefully none of them die before then....Thanks again...And good night!
Anytime you have questions please ask!

 

[puffer32]

And when its time to start adding fish you want to keep, research on your own, don't listen to your lfs, if he tries to sell you a powder blue for that size tank, go someplace else!