I don't get it...

have you tested your bottled water?

I often wonder about the maintenance practises of these in-store bottled water machines. I tested one locally and my tap water was better then the "RO/DI" from the store

j

 

I don't use the machines. I get the "drinking water" in the gallon jugs off the shelf and look for "reverse osmosis" on the label.

 

Drinking water is usually run through an r.o. unit then, certain "essential elements" are added back to the water. Not something I'd want to add to my tank.

 

Hmmmm........

Ok, but explain the wellness of my Yellow Tail and Bi-Colored Blenny. Neither of them are showing any signs of sickness. Inky, Blinky, and Clyde (The Hermit trio) are doing fine as well.

It seems that the more exotic the fish, the faster it dies.

I'd even bet that if I didn't trade in my Huma Trigger, he'd still be in there doing just fine...terrorizing my crabs and rearranging my "seascape".

 

Ok... I took both fish (I put them in the freezer to preserve them the best I could) to the LFS for a quick autopsy. Rob (LFS owner and quite the knowledgeable reefster) took a look at both fishes gills.

He said that both fish has irritated gills, and then asked me if I was running an aerator. Well, I of course said, "Yes, but it's on really low and slow." So, I took a scolding from him and was told to "Turn the damn thing off."

So...It's off. We're going to wait another month before trying any more fish, just to be on the safe side and treat for fungus.

I guess we'll see.

 

Aerator? As in an airstone? If so, I run airstones in all of my sumps. They do nothing but good and there's no way that it would have killed your fish. Red gills on a fish is indicative of Oodinyum (sp). I would try buying clowns from a different source and see what happens.

 

Are you saying you have a copper in the main tank? --- If so it should be your inverts passing away not the fish, unless you have a really high concentration of it.

Also, please ask LFS what is specific problem with running an aeroator in either tank or sump

Am concerned, as I can't imagine why that would be problem...

If there is, I want to know why.

Thanks

 

I don't have a sump tank. It's basically a 26 gallon bio-cube. I have one of those LED lights/aerator thingys that sits back behind some decorative coral (not live).

Rob was saying that the Blenny and damsel are shallow water fish and can handle the micro bubbles that the aerator gives off. The clowns and Coral Beauty come from deeper water where there's less turbulent water. Their gills will absorb the micro bubbles and the bubbles go directly into their bloodstream, stressing the fish to the point of death.

Now, we don't know for sure that's the problem, but we decided it was best to eliminate it and see where that takes us. Next step is treating for fungus.

 

Why do you add the buffer

HI,
I noticed if I add any of the buffer to my water everyone get ill, my anemones start barfing the fish all get blah and the hermits pop shut for a day or two, not sure why maybe your KH is high enough without adding more buffer , have you checked your KH,
Some salts have extra buffer already added are you aging your synthetic water before use.
Doug

ps I think your LPS is full of somethin, cause air stones don't bother fish, mine love them, its pretty hard to get O2 into saltwater, most people use them in sumps to help buffer the water with co2 too this helps lower the KH naturally, and buffer the water a little.my skiimer help alot if I take them down to cleanand shut down the overflow , everything sort of wilts till they are up running and saturating the tank with o2 in the water.
If I had to guess any irritation in gills would be due to nh3 or ammonia, or worse some type of bacteria or parasites.or
Brooklynella hostilis very common cause of death in fish next to ich

psps what temp are at in your tank, many are a little to warm due to overkill, lights pumps and heaters.
My tanks are hard to heat in the winter and need no additional heat in the summer , temp has a major effect on everything even o2 saturation. The higher the temp the lower the oxygen. I try and let my tanks coast around 74 during the night and 76 in the day due to heat from my lights and room temp. I keep my house at 73 at night and 75 at 0700 78 at 12pm and the 75 at 10 pm, this saves money and allows me to have a cool room to sleep in..

 

OK, a protein skimmer will put as many micro bubbles into a tank as an air stone will and we run them 24/7 regardless of whatever depth our fish are found in the wild. However, if you want to take the airstone out to rule it out, go for it. As for fungus, what makes your lfs think that the fish had fungus? Were there white puffy balls or bubbles on the fins or were the fins frayed at all? I still say that you need to go to another supplier and see what happens. I am almost thoroughly convinced that your fish had marine velvet (oodinyum) or brooknella (sp).