New to saltwater, and in need of guidance!
- Thread starter sebastio12
- Start date
Bifferwine
I am a girl
If they were hyperventilating, are you sure it wasn't a dissolved oxygen issue? Do you have enough flow in your tank? Do you have a glass top over your tank?
dcantucson
Reef pro
+1 Biff
sebastio12
Living Reefs Student
If they were hyperventilating, are you sure it wasn't a dissolved oxygen issue? Do you have enough flow in your tank? Do you have a glass top over your tank?
-The tank had no flow before, and they were fine, but I did add a Koralia 1 about a month ago, so there was a bit of flow. And the tank does have a glass top.
It looked like ich from the symptoms, so I took the hyperventilating as the mucus build-up in the gills. I never really thought of an oxygen problem. All my snails have died, could it be related to the lack oxygen, or ich?
And what about the white dots? And would my shrimp have died if the oxygen was the problem?
-The tank had no flow before, and they were fine, but I did add a Koralia 1 about a month ago, so there was a bit of flow. And the tank does have a glass top.
It looked like ich from the symptoms, so I took the hyperventilating as the mucus build-up in the gills. I never really thought of an oxygen problem. All my snails have died, could it be related to the lack oxygen, or ich?
And what about the white dots? And would my shrimp have died if the oxygen was the problem?
dcantucson
Reef pro
Not everything would die or react the same to an oxygen problem at the same time. Different animals are more delicate than others. Fish are usually the first to have problems before the CUC. Shrimp are not as tough as crabs or snails in my opinion. I don't believe ick will effect any of the CUC including the snails.
I would recommend more water flow with at least one powerhead directed to the top of the water surface. Also remove the cover so dangerous gases can escape the water.
I would recommend more water flow with at least one powerhead directed to the top of the water surface. Also remove the cover so dangerous gases can escape the water.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Snails would not have been affected by ich at all. If they died too, it sounds way more likely that everything in your tank suffered from a lack of oxygen. Low oxygen levels could have caused the ich outbreak on the fish -- ich is an opportunistic parasite that can take over very easily if the fish are already stressed and unhealthy. Being stressed from a lack of oxygen could have compromised their immune system enough that the ich took hold.
Remove the glass tops and make sure your powerhead is pointed at the surface of the water where it can create ripples and break the surface.
Remove the glass tops and make sure your powerhead is pointed at the surface of the water where it can create ripples and break the surface.
sebastio12
Living Reefs Student
There was no current in there before, and the fish were completely healthy, or so I thought.
Should I remove the cover completely or just open it up? It covers 2/3 of the tank when it's closed, so if I opened it up it would only cover about 1/3 of the top.
And the snails have been dying off for weeks, could it be lack of food or something?
Should I remove the cover completely or just open it up? It covers 2/3 of the tank when it's closed, so if I opened it up it would only cover about 1/3 of the top.
And the snails have been dying off for weeks, could it be lack of food or something?
yote
In Memoriam
Your tank will do a whole better without the glass tops.There will be better gas exchange at the water surface which will help.
But something else to think about would be stray voltage.
But something else to think about would be stray voltage.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
sebastio12
Living Reefs Student
I think the problem was stray current. I went to my lfs today to get some hermit crabs, so I decided to ask him some questions.
Turns out snails are more delicate to stray voltage than other animals in there :frustrat:
So I tested my water when I got home, and as soon as I put the the probe into the water :shocking:!!!
The water heater was old, came with the tank, and it was producing stray current in the tank. I assume this along with some drastic change in the tank triggered the ich in my fish.
My lfs told me that I could add a hardy fish in there and that it would be fine (after removing the heater of course). it's been about three weeks since my fish died,
he knows what he's talking about, so should I add a hardy fish in there? If so, what? maybe a clownfish?
Turns out snails are more delicate to stray voltage than other animals in there :frustrat:
So I tested my water when I got home, and as soon as I put the the probe into the water :shocking:!!!
The water heater was old, came with the tank, and it was producing stray current in the tank. I assume this along with some drastic change in the tank triggered the ich in my fish.
My lfs told me that I could add a hardy fish in there and that it would be fine (after removing the heater of course). it's been about three weeks since my fish died,
he knows what he's talking about, so should I add a hardy fish in there? If so, what? maybe a clownfish?
dcantucson
Reef pro
Good that you found the problem.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Yay! Hope my article helped ;)
You should be fine to add fish again. Just take it slow. Clowns would be a good choice.
You should be fine to add fish again. Just take it slow. Clowns would be a good choice.
sebastio12
Living Reefs Student
I added in a clown, a porcelain crab and some snails last week! Two of the three snails died, but the surviving snail and the clown is doing great! My fire shrimp was heavily discolored after one of his molts, but after his last molt his color came back, oh and the crab also molted! Things are going great well, but I'm getting a 56 gallon tank this week for christmas! It's this one for 400, a good deal?
Should I cycle this for the full time if the sand is live sand? I plan on transfering the sand and rock from my current setup?
And thanks Bifferwine, your article was great!
Should I cycle this for the full time if the sand is live sand? I plan on transfering the sand and rock from my current setup?
And thanks Bifferwine, your article was great!
dcantucson
Reef pro
Oh gosh Sebastio, she's gonna get an even bigger head now!:shock::grumble::mrgreen:
sebastio12
Living Reefs Student
Haha, well she has helped me quite a bit.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
:lol::lol::lol::lol:
