Well... spunky the clownfish is dead...

[asherah]

=(
Poor spunky.. yesterday I noticed he was hiding, but when I gave him food he came out and ate it so I figured maybe he just wanted to hide.
Today, when I looked in on him he was sitting on the bottom of the tank.
Yikes ! I scooped him out into a cup and proceded to do a water change.
I thought maybe he didn't have enough oxygen in the water.
When I put him back in ...he just started floating and pushed around by the current.
I scooped him into my hand and held him under the water. I could see him gills moving..ok he's alive. I thought maybe the water is bad... I put him in the refugium in the main tank and held him again and talked to him.
I still see his gills moving....
I came here to look for some posts like his... when I went back after about 5 minutes he was gone =(

PH - 8.2
No2 - 2.0
No3 - 80
ammonia - 0.5... sigh I guess his water was bad =(
Poor spunky.. it's all my fault he died...
asherah

[Myanth]

Sorry for your loss. I feel your pain. I lost a cleaner wrasse today. He was alive and eating yesterday just fine and this morning was breakfast for about twenty hermits. I just bought him a week ago and he has been doing great. I brought him home and looked up care and feeding in my bible, The Concientious Marine Aquarist, (awesome book) and found a great big section on boycotting cleaner wrasses as they are needed in the wild and only last a week or so in captivity no matter how well they are eating. I feel doubly bad now.

Moral: Research first. Don't buy for looks and price alone. Only $19.95 to damage the world's ecosystem, lose a beautiful fish and pollute a tank.

PS. check your replacement water for ammonia concentration as well. Could be coming in new.

[christyf5]

Holey cow! Those nitrates are through the roof Your nitrates should be as close to zero as you can get them and nitrites and ammonia should always be zero. What were your water parameters after the water change?? Is your tank cycled??

[asherah]

It was cycled ! =(
I don't know what's going on with that... I'm going to use the vac on it and test again with new water tomorrow. Everyone seems to be doing fine..
I couldn't believe when I tested the water.
I added a new filter. Maybe that did it ? It's one of those waterfall type filters with the filter pads inside.
Also, for some reason the calcium won't go below 500ppm.
The alkalinity is 8meg/L. I think that is 400ppm.
Ph is 8.2
The only thing I've been added is Kent marine essential elements liquid. About 1 1/2 capfuls.
asherah