Fish die corals live?

[quote author=Craig_Manoukian link=board=Fish;num=1074566470;start=0#8 date=01/20/04 at 22:08:12]In my opion you have too many, 4, fish along with the anenome and corals for a 29 gallon.  I have only two small damsels in my 20 gallon.  This explains why your fish die as there is not aenough filtration to denitrify the water column.  You didn't indicate you have a skimmer, which if true, will only exacerbate the problem.
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IMO I agree with some of what Craig is saying. But look at how much frozen and live? food you feed the tank and not all is eaten. This is the way you get Nitrates and Phosphates which pollutes the water. Every reef should have a SKIMMER it is a must have.

Adding to many fish at one time will cause that small tank to imbalance (Ionic balance) and your Live rock does not have time to equalize it.
If this tank has only been up for 5 months you could have what is called "New Tank" syndrome.

Even if you have to many fish in the tank with no skimmer it is still a WATER issue.

When do you do water changes? and how much water is changed?

Doing Water changes weekly is only a temporary fix but your fish will not die.

Ask your LFS for a half gallon of fresh RO water and take it home and test it to see how pure it really is.
This is one of the reasons I have my own RO/DI system and I know my water is pure.
Ask you LFS what the TDS reading are of the RO/DI Water and let us know what that reading was.

One way or another it still leads back to the WATER quality.

(FYI) Craig you need the IE spell....  ;D

IMO
Dave

 

I actually wrote something on ammonia poisoning in the water chem section that addresses overstocking if you are new to reef keeping or any type of aquatic care go read it

 

-well, i have some good news and some bad, when i got up the clarkii that was lying on the bottom was up and had and ate, the bad is my colt and mushrooms were shrivled up, they're both directly down stream from the frogspawn, which was agitated when i put it in the tank
-the fish i have are all really small, the clarkiis and damsel about an inch each, the goby maybe 3 inches, and the mandarin maybe 2,
-the lfs said i absolutly did not need a skimmer, but i'll definately pick one up this weekend if ya'll suggest so,
-the test kit is fine it's a red sea sea lab,
-i'm not sure about the parameters of the ro water but i'll check before i buy some next time, the temp is normal,
-nitrates are little high, ph is 8.2ish,
-i change the water once a month about 10 gallons, i think that might be too little?
-i use a penguin bio-wheel filter, no refugium no sump, i was told i didnt need one on such a small tank
-i asked this before but i'm not sure if anyone heard, could the current be too strong for the fish? somehow i doubt it but...could be
-and i'm not laughing haha its more of a frusterated haha

 

should i clean off the efi substrate in my filter?

 

little off subject here, but i had posted a while ago that my cleaner shrimp was pregnant, well it still as the eggs under it and i just discovered that my 2nd cleaner shrimp is also pregnant, i guess they reproduce asexually? anyways if anyone wants one or both of these i'd be willing to make a trade (maybe for another cleaner shrimp) or something? i can't afford to buy a tank for them to reproduce in and i dont want to see two batches of eggs go down the drain.

 

Cleaner shrimp are hermaphroditic and change sexes after each monthly molt. The shrimp larvae make a great protein source for your fish and corals. This combined with their parasitic removal services for your fish make them very desirable tank mates. I have two in my tank and would keep them if I were you.

 

well...i would trade them for other shrimp, but now that u mention the benefit...

 

Other reef safe shrimp will exhibit the same bevior, but not provide the same benefits.

 

i mean other cleaner shrimp, but i guess i'll keep them if the eggs are good

 

You got it! Great decision!