Fish aren't Swimming! Help

do i pour the ro water for the change into the sump...
how much at a time???

 

do you have a refractometer or hydrometer?? I would do 5 gallons at a time till you achieve 1.017 (you could do .015 if you had a refractometer) I say .017 to give you a little buffer zone as hydrometers aren't too accurate. you can do this in a few hours. Sudden drops don't bother fish, it's sudden increases that are dangerous.

 

i have a hydrometer...
into the sump or tank??

 

either one. they are going to the same place.

 

how long until the ick is dead at that reading?? BTW is there anything else I can do to lower the near deadly nitrate levels... 80ppm even after a 50 percent change is disheartening!!!

 

what a horror story, i'd take those dead fish down there and make him eat them,literally
there's a difference between caveat emptor and just being a flat out scumbag.
i hope things go better for you from here on in ryan.

 

At last check dan, ryan was at 1.026 last night when we talked.
Lowering the SG to far in in one night "considering" the still alive fish have already went thrue hell last night.

I wouldint bump to low in one change.
hell if it were me'.. i'd start a drip or do this over a period of a couple or so days.

I think lowering it would be unwise, they have lived thrue this and since last night ryan has improved their enviroment thus far right now.


I'd leave it be for now ' not to even mention the fact he's already performed over half a water change already .
I think it will just put these fish under more un-needed stress , should this lowering go to fast.

I think the fish will fix them selves ( they seem to be pretty hardy and are moving about ).

All this setting up tank, then adding more LR to an already unstable tank, then adding 7 fish at once , then watching 5 of them die off in one night, then lowering the SG' will only bring more unneeded agravations.

The tank will finish its cycle wether or not the SG is lowered , the fish that are still left alive are hanging in there .

Nothing short of removing them will help, and then again may not, shocking them more and the strain of catching them could send them to the locker.

 

Wow, I can't begin to express how much this situation ticks me off. Wouldn't it be just awful if somehow the name and location of this particular LFS got out?

Ryan- go to a LFS (any one at this point) as soon as they open. Buy a boat load of cycling bacteria (a lot of stores have their own supersaturated, others have powders like Biozyme, and all should a least have bottled stress-zyme, not to be confused with stress-coat made by a similar company). Find the dosage for your tank and pour in more than it says. You can't really overdose this stuff. This will help your tank build up the bacteria it needs to combat the ammonia, nitrites, and all that fun stuff quicker. This is what your cycling process does in a nut shell, and while rushing something is never good, in your case it is highly recommended.

As to the rest, for the love of everything, research everything before you put it in the tank, and always know your parameters. Never add more than one fish at a time, unless it's a pair or something of that sort. Never buy a fish because it's pretty. Know their requirements.

Clown: Actually a good choice as the first fish after the cycle due to their hardiness.

Tang: Needs a supplemented algae diet and prefers an established tank.

Purple Anthias: An extremely hard fish to care for even by experts. Requires multiple daily feedings and superb water quality. Absolutely must have an established tank, and need to be kept in groups of 1 male to 2 or 3 females. They enjoy larger tanks as they are very much a swimming fish. These are some of the primma donnas of fish and should only be kept by aquarists who will be truly devoted to their care and upkeep.

So please, please, please, RESEARCH your fish and tank. Hopefully this is a lesson learned, albeit a hard one, and one that we can blame your LFS for mostly (At the end of it all you should have shown the responsibility to research something like this, but at the same time it was the LFS moral responsibility to make sure that you didn't mess up and they royally screwed up, and this is what we get.)

Since they are so completely horrible, I would recommend that you post ALL queries and thoughts here, as there are many exceptional individuals with experience and true kindness here. You won't ever be made fun of for asking a simple or complicated question, since that type of behavior is discouraged here, and there are plenty of people who will help you out. 3 Reef has guided many a newbie through their saltwater adventure with success and fun so it is not a problem to help you out, and though I wish it were under better circumstances:

Welcome to 3 Reef!;D

 

Ryan you may could get a chemical to reduce the nitrates, or to detoxify them atleast, that may help.

 

I think "Amquel plus" Detoxifies nitrates. Just keep in mind they are still there so the test kit will still show them. There are also some new ick medicines such as Ich Attack thats all natural works pretty good or Kent's rXp and add Garlic to their food such as Seachems "Garlic Guard".