No Luck with inverts..help?

jgordie · 06-27-2007, 11:14 AM

I have not been able to keep an urchin, shrimp, or starfish(brittle and serpent) alive for more than a few weeks. My tank is still new (2 1/2 mths)..I never really had much of a cycle. I have a 125 w/LR and LS. My ammonia/nitrate/nitrite have been 0 for the last month. I only had a little ammonia spike in the beginning. I have had trouble with the pH being low, but this week after using buffer it has come up to 8.3. I am waiting on 2 more powerheads to come this week then I'll have 3. Could a carbon dioxide buildup be causing so much loss? Or is there something else I am missing? I use tap water and put Amquel + in it. I keep it stored in a trash can (just for water) and use it for top offs.
Any help would be appreciated. Is my tank just too new for inverts right now?

Hendersonracing · 06-27-2007, 11:17 AM

Ive had inverts since the 1st month...its real important to acclimate them really good....Id recommend the drip process for acclimation of inverts..(IMO)

YLChik · 06-27-2007, 11:21 AM

jgordie, what did you use to cycle your tank?

I am wondering if it is done with it's cycle?
Do you have any fish in the tank?
Algae blooms at all?

*scratches head*

jgordie · 06-27-2007, 11:38 AM

I have LR and live sand in my tank. The wet/dry bioballs came from an established tank. I've already had the diatom algae bloom. And I have several fish that have done really well in the tank.

jgordie · 06-27-2007, 11:39 AM

Joe-
How long do you acclimate them for? My problem is they live for a few weeks then die off.

Hendersonracing · 06-27-2007, 11:58 AM

I acclimate mine for about an hour....just put them in a cooler with the water out of the bag and drip the water from the tank slowly into the cooler, removing some of the water in the cooler every 15 minutes...If you don't acclimate them good they can become more stressed in the tank and not eat like they are use to eating causing them to die in the tank after a few weeks.

dobejazz · 06-27-2007, 08:36 PM

Do you have an Auto top off? IF not how often do you top off? The stars and urchins are very sensitive to changes in salinity

JY13131 · 06-27-2007, 08:42 PM

Is it a brand new tank, or used?

jgordie · 06-27-2007, 09:33 PM

its a used tank..I remembered that the guy used it for a freshwater tank so I am now wondering if there might be some trace amounts of copper. I am going to go get a test tomorrow and test to see if that is the issue.

jgordie · 07-09-2007, 12:39 PM

Well I got a test and there is no copper in the tank. I still am not sure why my inverts keep dying. I am going to do a water change this week and then try another brittle or urchin. Wish me luck

Reefyone · 07-22-2007, 09:17 AM

You may try, just in case, the some kind of Toxic metals remover.

I'm also using the tap water, but with Prime conditioner, no problems at all - with shrimps, crabs, urchin, stars, cucumbers, worms.
pH is on the low side, 7.8 to 8.2 in the best case, but my animals are stressed by buffers and alkalinity additives, only slow dripping is acceptable.

I checked Mg levels, that contribute to pH level too, they were way to low, it's a salt mix, started to add magnesium supplement in a newly prepared water - better.

I really have no idea, beside the residual metals or medications in the tank.

My invertebrates standed very well any water parameters changes.

To exclude tank influence, you wish, you may try to set the small Rubbermaid container or $8-10 5g new tank, add there LR or biomedia from the main tank, shold be no cycling, I'm doing this all the time.
If everything will be OK, than it's used tank.

The big coffee pot, glass vase or a brandy sniffer will work just fine too.

Loverotties · 07-22-2007, 09:22 AM

What are all your water perimeter?Something is out of wack.Do you have a good skimmer?Tell us more about full set-up besides the full water perimeters.

tabz · 08-28-2007, 03:39 AM

Fish, Coral, and Invertebrate Acclimation Procedure: Adding New Fish to a
Tank

this might help check it out

seasalt dreams · 08-28-2007, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jgordie

I have not been able to keep an urchin, shrimp, or starfish(brittle and serpent) alive for more than a few weeks. My tank is still new (2 1/2 mths)..I never really had much of a cycle. I have a 125 w/LR and LS. My ammonia/nitrate/nitrite have been 0 for the last month. I only had a little ammonia spike in the beginning. I have had trouble with the pH being low, but this week after using buffer it has come up to 8.3. I am waiting on 2 more powerheads to come this week then I'll have 3. Could a carbon dioxide buildup be causing so much loss? Or is there something else I am missing? I use tap water and put Amquel + in it. I keep it stored in a trash can (just for water) and use it for top offs.
Any help would be appreciated. Is my tank just too new for inverts right now?

Not sure what type of shrimp you have treid, but the inverts you are trying to keep need a better established tank, probably the shrimp too. Start with snails and crabs, then when your tank is a few more months along, try the brittles and such.

jgordie · 08-31-2007, 11:05 AM

Thanks...my tank has stabilized better and over the last 6 weeks I have added abrittle star, 2 urchins, my peppermint shrimp, and a knobby starfish. I now have several different anemones and all are doing very well. When I received all of these over different periods I did the slow drip acclimation over 2 hours and I think that is why everything has thrivednow..Thanks for all the help