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04-11-2009, 08:26 AM
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#1
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Plankton
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 26
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Can't keep fish alive
I have a 29g biocube with LR and LS. I have been able to keep 7 snails and a cleaner shrimp alive. The cleaner shrimp molts every 2 weeks and seems happy. Every fish I put in the tank dies. The tank has been going since the end of January, I had a diatom bloom, all the normal stuff. I acclimate the fish, then they eat like champs and die...my cardinalfish lasted 9 days...that is the record! SG - 1.0023, PH - 8.2, ammonia, nitrate, nitrates are close to zero. Should I be testing for other things? I do a 5 gallon water change every week. Any suggestions? My LFS aren't very helpful. I want a reef tank someday, but can't even keep fish alive. Help! 
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04-11-2009, 08:42 AM
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#2
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I've got the REEF rash!
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 33,775
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You need to waite till your tank is cycled!Once the Ammonia and nitrites are 0,I'd still waite a month to make sure!
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04-11-2009, 09:42 AM
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#3
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Plankton
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 26
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My numbers have been good for at least a month already. I have lost two fish, they seem normal but then develop heavy breathing...one gasped for air at the surface, the other gasped at the bottom of the tank. I have a Koralia1 powerhead in there, do I need airstones or something to increase the oxygen? I don't have an ammonia problem, what could be causing this?
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04-11-2009, 10:09 AM
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#4
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Shark
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Jacksonville,FL
Posts: 1,145
Reviews: 2
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take your water to your lfs and ask them to test for anything that would be causing your problems
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04-11-2009, 10:13 AM
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#5
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Carpe Noctem
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Western Colorado
Posts: 8,035
Reviews: 25
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What fish? Cardinals are horrible at shipping, acclimation and change. May just be the type of fish your adding?
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Hop~
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04-11-2009, 11:41 AM
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#6
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Shark
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Long Island NY
Posts: 2,225
Reviews: 108
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Any white spots on them before they died?
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04-11-2009, 03:30 PM
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#7
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Plankton
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 26
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First fish was a green chromis...it ate very well and was dead the next morning...no spots on it. Bangai cardinalfish lasted nine days...great appetite until the last day...it seemed stressed/heavy breathing after acclimation but recovered within a few hours. The last day it didn't eat and was struggling for air and at the bottom of the tank...no spots on it besides what it already had.
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04-11-2009, 03:33 PM
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#8
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Carpe Noctem
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Western Colorado
Posts: 8,035
Reviews: 25
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How are you acclimating and what are your parameters? I know you said close to zero, but how close?
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04-11-2009, 04:17 PM
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#9
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Shark
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Long Island NY
Posts: 2,225
Reviews: 108
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Quote:
Originally Posted by prixmo67
no spots on it besides what it already had.
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What do you mean? The pattern on the cardinal or an external parasite?
Was there any erratic behavior? Were the fish darting around or were they relaxed?
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04-11-2009, 11:30 PM
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#10
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Little Fishy
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 134
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did u do a water change or any cleaninng?
like the tank wall or anything like that?
i do this in my bio 14 and my royal gamma gets very stressed!
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04-12-2009, 08:37 AM
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#11
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Plankton
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 26
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To answer everyones questions...
I did a water change on Monday, the Cardinal died Saturday...I didn't do any cleaning or anything unusual to the tank during that time. He just hung out like they do, except for feeding time(frozen brine shrimp),then he went wild eating. The heavy breathing and decreased appetite is all I noticed as a change in behavior.
The cardinalfish didn't have any spots, just the spots it was born with.
I acclimate over a two hour period with a slow drip into a bowl that is filled with water from the LRS that the fish was in.
I have a saltwater test kit (test tubes, drops to watch change color) The colors I get are close to the colors on the charts for zero. For example: Ammonia...zero is a certain shade of yellow, the next color bar on the chart is more orange-yellow. My ammonia looks more like the yellow one, maybe just a hint darker. Should I get a more accurate kit? I thought this was better than test strips.
It's all very frustrating. I have a medical background, I hate to see anything die. I have done alot of reading, but nothing replaces experience. Thanks for everyones advice, this group is awesome!
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04-12-2009, 10:51 AM
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#12
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Carpe Noctem
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Western Colorado
Posts: 8,035
Reviews: 25
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It could just be that you are getting bad fish from the LFS. Try a hearty fish from another store. Something like a chromis or other easy fish.
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04-12-2009, 12:47 PM
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#13
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Shark
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Long Island NY
Posts: 2,225
Reviews: 108
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Do you feed brine shrimp exclusively?
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04-12-2009, 03:26 PM
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#14
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Keeper of the Kracken
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Martin, SC
Posts: 11,407
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.Peanut
Do you feed brine shrimp exclusively?
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Very good question.
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04-12-2009, 04:00 PM
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#15
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Plankton
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 26
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I already tried a chromis...it lasted one day.
Yes, I fed frozen shrimp only...I tried flakes but it spit them back out. I got the chromis at the fish store at the mall, the cardinalfish at Petco...those are the only saltwater fish alternatives here. I'll take a water sample for testing, how big of a sample does a LFS need?
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