Urgent Fish are dying and or lethargi

Discussion in 'ASAP' started by Kristi, Apr 18, 2016.

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  1. Kristi

    Kristi Plankton

    Joined:
    Apr 18, 2016
    Messages:
    2
    We are someone new to this hobby and are having some issues. We have had a few fish die. First our puffer, three damsel which is fine (found out we should not have had them anyway) , anemone, and then recently a Royal Gamma and two snails. if our water tests fine, what could be the issue. We have a few fish left but want to keep them alive :)
    Brief description of the problem.
    A picture(s) will also help.
    PARAMETERS (important)
    Temperature: 78-84
    PH: 8-8.5
    Ammonia: .25
    Nitrite: 0
    Nitrate: 0
    Salinity: 33 - 1.025
    dKH/KH/Alkalinity:120
    Magnesium:
    Calcium:
    Phosphate:
    Test kits you own: API
    Liquid or Strips: both
    Brand Name: API
    Are they Expired?: No


    Tank size? 46 bow front
    Estimated total system? 50

    Reef, fish only or, freshwater? Reef and Fish

    Current inhabitants? What and how many? 3 turbo snails, 6 hermit crabs, 2 crabs, serpentine star fish, clown, pseudo, Midas Blenny, 2 Dotty back, Lawnmower Goby. Coral, Mushrooms, 2 Kenji trees, frags.


    How long has your tank been set-up? 4. years we bought established after move it has been set up 12 weeks.

    Substrate.
    Type?
    Depth?

    Live rock? Yes
    How much? 30 lbs
    Did you recently add some? no

    Filtration. Sump tank
    Type?
    Protein skimmer? yes
    Do you wet or dry skim? wet
    Maintenance schedule for filtration? weekly
    Drilled tank/hang on back overflow? drilled
    Sump/refugium. What's in it and how much? Tank and 10 gallon
    Macro? What kind? un known

    Lighting.
    Lighting type? 24/7 Automated LED
    Age of bulbs? NEW

    Feeding
    What? Frozen Brine
    How much? 1 square
    How often? every other day

    Water change schedule.
    How much? 3-5 gallons
    How often? weekly
    What salt brand? premix from local fish place
    Water source? RO from local fish store
    Additives/supplements used? When ammonia is high we use product for that no other supplements used

    Do you have a ground probe? No
    What kind of flow does your tank have? return and two waterblowers one at each end to create current
     
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  3. dienerman

    dienerman Corkscrew Tentacle Anemone

    Joined:
    Sep 20, 2011
    Messages:
    719
    Location:
    West Chester, Pennsylvania
    Im not sure that Im the best person to respond but I ll at least start things off. First, the ammonia is a little concerning, it should be 0, and i think the cause may be over feeding. My preference is to feed by hand instead of just placing a cube or something in the tank. That way you can see everything being eaten before it hits the sand, or at least most of it. Also, you may want to sry another testing system such as Salifert. API, while inexpensive is not the most accurate. Also, you said that the tank was running for 4 years but that it was moved about 12 weeks ago. Did you reuse sand? Moving a tank can stir up a lot of things that have been settled for a long time which can cause ammonia problems and other issues. Water changes and water testing are your best friends who there are issues with the tank until you can nail down the cause of the problem. Good luck!
     
  4. Kristi

    Kristi Plankton

    Joined:
    Apr 18, 2016
    Messages:
    2
    We do hold the cube until it melts and breaks up so that we are not just tossing the cube in. I know this is a patient hobby lol I need to remember that. Thank you for your response and we will look into another water change soon. One more questions should the protein skimmer be pulling out dark brown stuff, ours is very light... could this be the issue?
     
  5. dienerman

    dienerman Corkscrew Tentacle Anemone

    Joined:
    Sep 20, 2011
    Messages:
    719
    Location:
    West Chester, Pennsylvania
    It really depends on how you have your skimmer set. That sounds to me like a "wet" skim. That should not be your issue. Moving a tank can really cause issues and may take a while to stabilize. Go for better test kits and search out your reason for the ammonia.
     
  6. civiccars2003

    civiccars2003 Great Blue Whale

    Joined:
    Mar 18, 2010
    Messages:
    2,827
    Location:
    Akron Ohio
    Do frequent small water changes. Get that ammonia to zero.
     
    cody3819 likes this.