Need a little help with a livestock purchase I just made... Dying?

[SoK]

I just picked up some livestock yesterday from a local guy tearing down his tank. Everything looked OK (not great) in his, but it's all suffering in mine. I brought home a green yuma, 2 orange FL rics, a dwarf hermit, some zoo's, a damsel (went in the office tank), a few frags of green digi, and a coral banded shrimp.

immediately the coral banded and my scarlet cleaner went at it and the new shrimp lost an antenna. No biggie, seen it happen before. Everything else was looking a lil closed/shriveled from the move, so I just let them go to acclimate and relax.

My acclimation with the coral was a quick scrub to help reduce some HA, a freshwater dip and in. The saltwater i brought with me was the same temp as my tank so no need for a long float to get them up to temp.

The damsel I just dropped in at the office tank.

the coral banded I drip acclimated a little over an hour.

This morning I woke up to a dead coral banded, and some rough looking coral.

I know my levels are good. Sunday I put in a bunch of new zoos, a new monti, a gorgonian, and a candy cane. I acclimated them all the same way. All have opened up but a part of one patch of nuclear green zoo's and are looking very good.

This new batch hasn't faired quite as well. The ricordias are almost like dissolving, what you'd expect to see from a dying/dead anemone. I see no polyp extension from the green digi. Heck the hardy zoo's havn't opened up at all, not one polyp yet. I placed everything in the bottom of my 55g (4x56w t5ho individual reflectors). I've since moved the ric's up more toward the top.

I guess my confusion is, why is are these new animals looking so rough just days after putting in other livestock that looks great?

Thanks for any insight you guys.

[bb0029]

I would probably have done things a lot slower. I have better luck the slower I go acclimating corals and such. Shrimp I have no idea but corals and fish I always take it slow. Hopefully everything will come back around.

[SoK]

what do you mean by slower?

Longer float? Less new animals for the time span?

[fihsboy]

Well they probably werent doing too hot in his tank. And if there was a salinity change...which im sure there was, it probably shocked a lot of your critters. I dont really acclimate anything.....not even my fish. I know it sounds stupid, but I just toss them in, but the temps are always the same. I would say since they werent in great health to start with, they are probably stressed out. And shrimp are very intolerent of sudden change. But I hope everything makes it for you!

[bb0029]

Originally Posted by SoK

what do you mean by slower?

Longer float? Less new animals for the time span?

I just float longer and I drip all mine. It seems to be a matter of preference but I slowly acclimate everything to the tank. I have had good success so far so thats why I do it.

[fihsboy]

drip acclimating is the best you can do. I would, but im impatient. Just stay on top of your water quality and lighting and the corals should be fine.

[SoK]

just an update, damsel made it and was sold at the LFS. shrimp, green digi, yuma, rics all died. The only thing I'm seeing possibly work out are the zoo's, but they still haven't even opened up...

Really pissed I bought all this half dead crap. Ended up not getting a deal, rather a bucket full of LR covered in HA thats going to need cooked...

[biowheel]

Well you gave it a shot. Next time test the water before you drop stuff in . I agree with above . The water quality was probably on its way down in the other tank and yours is perfect . Next time stick everything in a HT .

[Jadinop]

Suprised I'm the first to hit on this but why did you freshwater dip the corals? I believe that this may have been the issue more than a change in water quality. Zoanthids grow in tidal areas and are routinely exposed to freshwater rain baths during low tides. They are one of the few corals that I would expect to survive a freshwater dip without any problems. Other than dipping clams for pinched mantle, I wouldn't dip any fish or coral in freshwater unless it was a last ditch attempt to save it.

[biowheel]

Originally Posted by Jadinop

Suprised I'm the first to hit on this but why did you freshwater dip the corals? I believe that this may have been the issue more than a change in water quality. Zoanthids grow in tidal areas and are routinely exposed to freshwater rain baths during low tides. They are one of the few corals that I would expect to survive a freshwater dip without any problems. Other than dipping clams for pinched mantle, I wouldn't dip any fish or coral in freshwater unless it was a last ditch attempt to save it.

Yup I missed it

[Hop]

Originally Posted by Jadinop

Suprised I'm the first to hit on this but why did you freshwater dip the corals? I believe that this may have been the issue more than a change in water quality. Zoanthids grow in tidal areas and are routinely exposed to freshwater rain baths during low tides. They are one of the few corals that I would expect to survive a freshwater dip without any problems. Other than dipping clams for pinched mantle, I wouldn't dip any fish or coral in freshwater unless it was a last ditch attempt to save it.

That is the first thing that caught me eye

And to add to that... pH and temp need to match when doing a FW dip.

[SoK]

Well thats probably what did it. I used RODI water that was up to temp but I didn't PH test it. For some reason I thought I read on here that everyone freshwater dipped coral to rid it of nudi's, flatworms, etc....

I'll be really upset if it was me that ruined these things....

[reefandfish]

for coral dips you can use "coral revive" (there something else too this just this is what I use), but no one would recommend FW unless its a last option you got, also when I get something new I drip acclimate it for about half hour, depends on what it is. Some inverts are more sensible to water change than others.

[SoK]

sucks, but lesson learned. I'll pick it up some revive for my dips and be sure to drip acclimate all of my coral from now on.

Thanks

[bb0029]

Originally Posted by SoK

sucks, but lesson learned. I'll pick it up some revive for my dips and be sure to drip acclimate all of my coral from now on.

Thanks

Sounds like a good idea and sorry about the carnage you had to deal with.