I have been keeping reef aquariums for six years. I have a 30 gallon reef, with an anenome(or whatever spelling you prefer) and a few soft corals, who are propagating quite nicely. Yesterday I picked up a squareback anthias at a lfs i respect heavily. the **** fish died in less than 12 hours. as soon as i put it in the tank it hid, and hours later after the lights were turned out he came out and laid on the sand while breathing heavily, soon he died. WHats the deal???? Anyone had this happen before? DOnt ask about my water parameters cuz i dont know. please help me, the fish was beautiful and i am mad.
dude, I'm so pissed
1 - 4 of 4 Posts
Don't be PSSSD - it happens once in a while to each of us I think.....(yesterday my $20 cleaner shrimp became a meal for my CBS only 2 hours after I put him in the tank).
There are a number of reasons your fishy could have croaked....
Did you acclimate the fish for at least one hour mixing the water from your tank with the bag slowly?
The LFS might have totally different paramaters than yours. Also - if you don't know yours - often nitrates or other toxins build up slowly over time. The existing animals learn to adapt but a new one gets a "shock".
Sometimes it is just a specimen that didn't travel well from the source - to the distributor - to the LFS - to your home is a long trip from bag to bag....maybe he just couldn't take the stress....
Sorry about your loss - I KNOW it is VERY ANNOYING! I would take a water sample to the LFS and get it tested if you don't have test kits at home just to be sure your H2O is OK - then slowly try again.......
There are a number of reasons your fishy could have croaked....
Did you acclimate the fish for at least one hour mixing the water from your tank with the bag slowly?
The LFS might have totally different paramaters than yours. Also - if you don't know yours - often nitrates or other toxins build up slowly over time. The existing animals learn to adapt but a new one gets a "shock".
Sometimes it is just a specimen that didn't travel well from the source - to the distributor - to the LFS - to your home is a long trip from bag to bag....maybe he just couldn't take the stress....
Sorry about your loss - I KNOW it is VERY ANNOYING! I would take a water sample to the LFS and get it tested if you don't have test kits at home just to be sure your H2O is OK - then slowly try again.......
Joined
·
1,618 Posts
Sounds like ph shock. The ph in the lfs can be quite differant from your home tank, especially if the anthias was held in a fish only system at the store. Many lfs keep the fish seperated from inverts in their systems so that the fish system can be treated for parasites and so on. The ph in these systems tends to be lower than a reef system because of lack of buffering. As long as the ph is stable, and the fish was properly acclimated, however, it is perfectly safe. This is why slow acclimation of new fish is so important. You didn't say if you acclimated it or just dropped it in your tank, so this would be my first guess as to the problem.
If you did properly acclimate the fish, then my second guess is that the fish suffered a fatal reaction to being captured, handled, and dropped into a new system. Some species of fish and some individuals of otherwise hardy species can suffer fatal reactions to being captured even without suffering any kind of physical damage. These fish generally react immediately to capture by going into a kind of shuddering paralysis and then die within minutes of capture. (This is why the advice to capture saltwater fish with a clear container and not a net.)
My third guess is that the fish suffered physical damage after being released. In a new system the fish would be very nervous and easily frightened. I have lost several fish to head injuries when they slammed into the rockwork or sides of the tank. In this case, they can either die immediately or flounder around on the bottom for hours before death. A head injured fish will often breath rapidly, also.
If you did properly acclimate the fish, then my second guess is that the fish suffered a fatal reaction to being captured, handled, and dropped into a new system. Some species of fish and some individuals of otherwise hardy species can suffer fatal reactions to being captured even without suffering any kind of physical damage. These fish generally react immediately to capture by going into a kind of shuddering paralysis and then die within minutes of capture. (This is why the advice to capture saltwater fish with a clear container and not a net.)
My third guess is that the fish suffered physical damage after being released. In a new system the fish would be very nervous and easily frightened. I have lost several fish to head injuries when they slammed into the rockwork or sides of the tank. In this case, they can either die immediately or flounder around on the bottom for hours before death. A head injured fish will often breath rapidly, also.
Joined
·
6,428 Posts
With rapid breathing sounds like not long enough acclimation! I usually turn the lights off for an hour or two when I introduce new fish so they can adjust easier!
1 - 4 of 4 Posts
