Things are starting to die please help

going up .001 in 24 hrs is not bad that is gust evap.

 

what do you do for low PH if i shouldn't add chemicals and i can't do a water change? Just wait it out and let things die?

 

Not an airstone, but a powerhead or water pump. Just something to keep flow in the mixing container.
And .001 could easily be evaporation. And the polyps may end up being fine. Star polyps are incredibly tough and can come through a whole lot. I wouldn't count them out yet.

 

you said that the ph was just below 8 what is it actualy?7.9 7.8 if that is what it is just wait it out and take a water sample to a good lfsin the am tou should be fine

 

How much air flow do you have going over the tank? Do you have it next to an open window or something like that? pH can change quite drastically just because of a sudden increase in gas exchange at the water's surface. It will also change depending on the time of day. pH fluctuates. When testing, test at the same time of day. And, as pointed out, you need good testing equipement. That should, IMO, be your next purchase. I like Salifert and Elos. Also if your hermits are dying, I will bet you your NO3 is high. Do you have a fuge or denitrator running?

 

so do nothing?

I ordered this test kit a few days ago called Red Sea Fish pHarm Reef Lab, any good?
Red Sea Fish pHarm Reef Lab at PETCO
the closest thing to a local fish store in Wilmington NC is Petsmart or petco. Those are the only places that sell or handel saltwater Aquariums. Both places use strips to test when i've asked for help in the past. One guy even gave me a strip to take home and use. he said "if this spare is bright pink you're water is fine". We use to have a guy specializing in saltwater called tropical paradise but his shop went down the drain, largly do to his bad scarcastic attitude and constant 4 letter words. No one i know wanted to deal with him then a few months ago i went in to hear him say "we're not selling anything right now", the store was empty with a few clown fish in a tank. The closest non corporate store is 2 hours away.
So you guys are telling me to wait a week then continue with a 3 gallon water change as normal and wait for things to balance out on their own? i've already had several hermits die on me and a few snails last week followed by an alge bloom and now the polyps are looking deathly.
I am very grateful for your help!

 

If you have not picked up the test kit yet....I would not. Here is what you need (IMO of course).

For a fish only system: NH4, NO2, NO3 and pH
If you have LPS, add to the above: Ca, Mg, PO4 and dKh(ALK)
If you have SPS, add to the above: K and Sr (optional, some like them some don't)

I would get Salifert for the Ca, Mg, NO3 and dKh. Elos for the PO4. I have no experience with the Salifert NH4, NO2 and pH, but it has to be better than the API that I am currently using right now.

Where to get them? Online. Pet Supplies | Dog & Cat Supplies, Pet Meds | DrsFosterSmith.com Pet Products is a good place to start. Some eBay purchases can be made also. AAT hear on 3reef can hook you up with test kits as well. You don't need to go through an actual LFS to procure what you need these days. A lot of us do a fair amount of online purchases that range from test kit to hardware to livestock.

 

no fuge or denitrator

PharmrJohn - I do not haev a fuge or denitrator that i know of other than the reef balls in the back of the Biocube. I just order the biocube skimmer but other than that i was hoping the rock would do the trick. my budy had the tank for 2 years and said he didn't have any trouble, but he did say he's had several livestock purchases that didn't last. When i aquired the tank he had a bunch of mushrooms, aptasia, 2 snails and one gramma. There was no green alge any everything was covered in purple coraline, including the glass. i scraped the glass, killed the aptasia with aptasia X after reading about it on here then added 20 snails and 20 scarlotte hermit crabs. A few weeks later all was well so i added 4 fish and several polyps. Then crabs started to die. The tests showed NO3 but not enough to get a reading. The test strips show NO3 at "safe" and nitrite at zero. amonia is at .1

So you think the issue might be CO2 in the water? Will the skimmer help that, the biocube skimmer has an airstone, will that be enough or should i get a powerhead?

 

The red sea is ok, but not that great as a kit. All that will test for is nitrate, ca, and po4. You also need to be testing for ammonia, nitrite, ph, mg, and alk/dkh.
Heres the kits I use for everything:
Aquarium Water Testing: Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Saltwater Master Liquid Test Kit

Aquarium Water Testing: Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Reef Master Liquid Test Kit

and this for MG:
Saltwater Aquarium Water Testing: Salifert Magnesium Test Kit for Marine Aquariums

 

What are the 4 fish?
How did you add them? You may have completely shocked the system. You should wait a minimum of 2 weeks in between each fish for the system to catch up with the added bioload. I prefer to wait a month. The main issue I see would be the ammonia. .1 is plenty enough to be lethal