Problems with fish

Discussion in 'ASAP' started by Doratus, Mar 21, 2011.

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  1. Doratus

    Doratus Teardrop Maxima Clam

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    This post is gonna be short and sweet because I'm too upset to go into detail.

    I have coral, shrimp, snails, hermit crabs, and even a clam that are all doing fantastic, you have all seen the pictures. My zoas seem to spout new polyps on a weekly basis.

    But I can't seem to keep fish alive. I have a six-line wrasse and a single oc. clown that have both been in the tank for a while and they both seem to be doing just fine. I used to have a blenny and he was fine for months, then died recently. Now when I try to add new fish its like a %50 chance that it will die. When the fish doesn't die it does just fine and shows no signs of anything.

    I really don't know what to do. I even tested the water in the display for an electrical charge and found nothing.

    My parameters are just what they should be, pH 8.2, NH3 0.0, NO2 0.0, NO3 10.0 (a little high). I don't know my levels of phosphate or magnesium or anything like that, but remember that my inverts are doing fantastic.

    The reason I post this is simply because I'm praying that someone else had a similar issue in the past and figured out that it was something unusual. Short of that I doubt anyone will be able to figure this out without actually being here and working on the tank in person.

    The reason I put this in ASAP is because I have a fish that is laying on the bottom and breathing heavily and it's clear that it isn't going to live long.

    Thanks as always,
    Doratus
     
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  3. Corailline

    Corailline Super Moderator

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    It is a dry heat, yeah right !
    So this is the 40 gal breeder set up? And currently you have 2 fish?

    No signs of bulling?

    No serpent star fish?

    How do you acclimate the fish?

    A lot to rule out Doratus, sorry.
     
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  4. amcarrig

    amcarrig Super Moderator

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    When you're checking for stray voltage, are you checking when all of your electrical equipment is turned on and running? Are you buying your fish from the same store? Have you tried to lower your nitrates before adding fish again? Have you tested your water change/top off/fish store water for ammonia/nitrite/nitrates/etc.? Is it possible that you don't have enough oxygen in your water?
     
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  5. Peter T

    Peter T Flamingo Tongue

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    What are your acclimation methods? And do you happen to buy them at the same LFS? If so, how long where they at the store before you bought it? It could be something as simple as they were sick to begin with.

    edit: Guess Corailline beat me to one of my questions about acclimation.
     
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  6. evolved

    evolved Wrasse Freak

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    Another question: Do you always buy them at the same place?
     
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  7. Peter T

    Peter T Flamingo Tongue

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    You may also want to check the specific gravity of the store you are buying the fish from (online or local) as fish are many times kept in lower salinity (around 1.019). If you do not acclimate them to a full blown reef tank's salinity gradually, it can cause problems to say the least.
     
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2011
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  9. Doratus

    Doratus Teardrop Maxima Clam

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    Yes.

    No bulling at all.

    No star fish of any kind.

    I acclimate by dropping the bag in the water for about 10 minutes, then I replace a about a half-shot glass worth of bag water with tank water every five minutes, usually about 3 times.

    I know there is a lot to rule out and that is what is so frustrating. I've done everything in the book to prevent this kind of problem and here I am anyway.
     
  10. Doratus

    Doratus Teardrop Maxima Clam

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    I doubt lack of oxygen is the problem because I am running a protein skimmer, plus I see bubbles in the water column. When I tested for stray voltage every last conceivable piece of equipment was plugged in and turned on. The fish have come from different stores. And the last fish I bought was in the LFS for many weeks without any problems at all. It is clearly my tank that killed it.

    I had my water tested by the LFS prior to purchasing the lasted fish because I wanted to prevent exactly this from happening. They said they tested "everything" and they told me my water was "perfect".
     
  11. Sacul1573

    Sacul1573 Millepora

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    If this is your acclimation method, then you're basically putting only a few ounces of water in the bag, and then introducing the fish?

    You need to almost completely replace the old water with new. Here's my routine:
    Float bag for 15 for temp acclimation.
    Usually there's a few cups of water in the bag, so I'll pour out some until I have about 2 cups left.
    Introduce 1/8 cup of tank water every 4-5 minutes until there are 4 cups of water.
    Dump out half that water down the drain.
    Introduce 1/8 cup of tank water every 4-5 minutes until there's 4 cups of water again.
    Remove fish from old water with net, and introduce to new home. Discard old water.

    Acclimation should take more than 15-20 mintues, more like 1-1.5 hours. It sounds like with your method you might be shocking the fish.

    How often do the fish die after being introduced? Minutes, hours, days, weeks?
     
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  12. Doratus

    Doratus Teardrop Maxima Clam

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    No. And even if I did, the place that I mainly go to, I watch the fish for weeks before I buy them. Every fish I have bought from my usual place that has died was perfectly healthy for weeks before being introduced to my tank.