Lost my tang and a clown? no idea why - Page 3

RobynR · #21 02-09-2010, 07:15 PM

I'll come by too, if it's okay. I wouldn't mind seeing what you guys have done with the place since moving in. Also want to see your 125 FW set up.

kien · #22 02-09-2010, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daniel475

ya i will get some pictures after work i think paul is coming over at 4 30 after work.. i tested for nitrate and it came back as 20.. says in the instructions if its at 50 its bad??? so ph read 8.0 nitrite was .1 really light and nitrate was 20

What is your ammonia reading? If you have a reading then those numbers suggest to me that your tank is in fact in a cycle and still in fluctuation which can be quite taxing on fish. That compounded with what I also agree is a lack of oxygen is a very bad mix of scenarios for any inhabitants. I would follow Naesco's recommendations.

Funky_Fish14 · #23 02-09-2010, 07:24 PM

Not that im dissagreeing that it could be a problem... but a test kid reading .1 ppm for nitrite (which is 1/10th of 1ppm, that is a bad amount) is nothing surprising. Test kits suck... in general, its true. It cannot be denied. The average test kit can certainly measure some ammonia or nitrite(by that I mean a hint of colour which some might interpret as 0.1ppm) even when it is zero in the tank. Again, im not saying the nitrite is not the problem, just suggesting we not jump to the conclusion of it being the precise cause of this issue.

Cheers,

Chris

Daniel475 · #24 02-10-2010, 04:05 AM

ok did a water change got salinity good.. it does seem like an oxygen issue got the tank all topped up again then he was straight to the top poking his head out.. so i added the power head to the top of the tank to disrupt the surface.. for more oxygen .. good idea?

Jason McK · #25 02-10-2010, 04:17 AM

What Kind of Tang is it. I truely believe you will have issues with this fish because 30G is just too small for a Tang

J

Funky_Fish14 · #26 02-10-2010, 05:51 AM

Jason I think his tang is dead, so he cant exactly have an issue with it anymore?

Any fish poking their head out of the water often means either not enough oxygen, or too much ammonia in the water. But given that you had just done a 25% water change (good idea btw), then I think maybe he was just stressed out? I would leave the powerhead there for now. I really dont think your fish died as a result of an oxygen problem. How big was the tang though? I mean unless it was huge and the clownfish are very big, its quite unlikely. It really doesn't take much to oxygenate the water, and HOB filters do a great job of it.

Also, a salinity level of 1.023 is not bad at all, just a bit low of the normal range. This probably would not cause your problem either. A refractometer is definitely a good investment (as you had mentioned you were considering).

Can you better describe the 'shedding' that your fish seemed to be doing? Was it slimy? Coloured? Rough? Clear? Thick? Did it peel off easily? How quickly did it form/come off? The more the better.

Good luck with the clown!

Cheers,

Chris

P.S. - I would take up the other reefers on their offers to come by and check out the tank. Sometimes an in-person view helps, and also they could bring their own testing kits and double check the measurements. The more confirmation and the more eyes, the better.

Daniel475 · #27 02-10-2010, 07:48 PM

i lost them all now, the tang was only about 3 inches id say.. it was a slimy clear coat that was on them it developed on monday .. did the 25 percent made water made everything perfect and nitrate still came back at 10... it was 20 before hand.. salinity is 1.024 ph is perfect .. so i think im just going to let the shrimp hermits and snails age up the tank.. maybe it wasnt done cycling? and i think they were just to stressed to survive. Any ideas on what to do? best thing leave it for a month and let it age up?

Funky_Fish14 · #28 02-10-2010, 08:12 PM

Sorry to hear.

Yeah I definitely dont think it was lack of oxygen with a tang that 'small'.

I would certainly leave the tank for a little while to mature... at least a month.

blueyota · #29 02-10-2010, 11:07 PM

if it was ammonia and nitrate the shrimp would have died also if not first ??

RIPTANK · #30 02-11-2010, 05:57 AM

Check your pH again. I'm bettin' it's your pH! Pick up a good pH test kit. Preferrably the Instant Ocean for about $15. Very accurate and easy to use! I had the exact same problem. My fish all dropped dead within 12 hours and were covered with a slime or mucus coating from complete stress and my LFS finally pinned it down to the pH.

Or better yet, take your water to your LFS and ask them to test the pH for you. If it is your pH then pick up some ReefPure pH buffer. Very good stuff and only about $12-$15. Be sure to mix it with some of your aquarium water first before putting it into the tank! Don't just throw a teaspoon of it directly into the tank or you'll burn your corals.

I was scratching my head 'cause my salinity/sg, temperature, ammonia, nitrate and nitrite were all reading good. Then finding my fish dropping like flies and covered in a white film of mucus. The cause of the mucus is from the fish over producing their slime coating to protect themselves from the acidity of your water. This quickly exhausts their little systems completely stressing them out and kills them. So chances are your pH is reading 7.9 or lower where it should be at 8.2-8.5.

I lost 2 blue spot jawfish, 1 percula clown, 1 yellow eye kole tang and a 6 line wrasse to dangerously low pH. All died from the same symptoms: Gasping for air, covered in a white mucus membrane and completely pale.