Dying Boxfish!

[SavageEwok]

HELP! I bought a spiny boxfish on Monday, and it wasnt eating until yesterday (we finally found the right food, which turned out to be freeze-dried krill). It was doing fine and showed no signs of illness until this morning, when I found it wedged between some rocks in the back of the tank. I thought it was dead, but it is still hanging in there. I have no idea why it is suddenly dying, but here are some things that you should know:
Nitrite lvl = 0
Nitrate lvl = approx. 15
Ammonia lvl = .5
Tank occupants = 1 niger trigger (showed no signs of aggressiveness so far)
1 clown goby, inverts and of course, 1 spiny boxfish
We do regular water changes, and the lfs said that nitrates shouldnt be dangerous unless there is also ammonia and nitrites present.
The tank has been up and running for about 3 months, it is 75 gallons plus a 30 gallon sump/refugium.
Any ideas???

 

[yote]

From my understanding,boxfish are hard to keep anyway and are senstive to nitrates.
If you think its dying,I'd suggest getting it out of the tank and into a quarintine tank.Boxfish release toxins when they die that will kill everything in your tank.

 

[Bifferwine]

If you mean .15 nitrates and not 15 nitrates, then it's highly unlikely that the nitrates are responsible. Nitrates CAN be harmful to fish, but only at very high levels (in the 100s). However, if you really do have ammonia present and it's not a faulty test kit, then ammonia could be to blame.

Yote is right though, boxfish are very difficult to keep anyways, and are usually kept in tanks by themselves because they are so toxic and difficult to keep alive. It may not be anything that you have done wrong or is wrong with your tank, they are just a fish that do not survive well in captivity and should usually be left in the ocean.

 

[nudy6969]

try punching it a couple of times

 

[Bifferwine]

Umm that's useful info and all, but I have the sneaking suspicion that Ewok's question was serious, and that perhaps, just perhaps, he/she was looking for a serious answer.