About to give up saltwater
- Thread starter Fabuis
- Start date
Elricsfate
New member
Some of these responses present a teachable moment. For those who stated that they do not drip acclimate, what DO you do to acclimate new fish? Just float the bags for a bit to equalize temp? Does this mean that in your opinion fish do not need to be acclimated to salinity, ph, etc., prior to placement in the DT?
Just another noob trying to learn...
Just another noob trying to learn...
d0ughb0y
Active member
there is no right or wrong answer.
cutting your losses and moving on to another hobby is just as good an option.
It's not a fun hobby if the whole time you are battling one problem after another.
good luck.
BigDave
Premium Member
Most places shipping fish will tell you what salinity they maintain their tanks at. The LFS will too.
The best recommendation is to have a QT setup at the salinity that the fish is shipped in. Float the fish to stabilize temperature. Open bag and verify salinity matches from bag to QT. Assuming it does, add some water from QT to bag a few times to get pH to match, then put fish in QT. Try to keep the pH match period to less than 30 minutes. I try to have the water volume in the bag nearly double in this 30 minute period.
You can then use the QT to slowly change the salinity to match your display tank over a period of time (QT times vary by person).
canadianeh
New member
I agree with this statement. I think only for shipped livestock
Don't give up OP and try to buy locally and not shipped livestock
missblonde
New member
I had an issue with my 24 gallon and what I believe was ich.
I just started over with a new tank while that one sits fallow. Sometimes starting from scratch and "resetting" is best - but it does take cash.
I just started over with a new tank while that one sits fallow. Sometimes starting from scratch and "resetting" is best - but it does take cash.
+1, especially if the bagged time is an hour or less. (FWIW, I temp match by floating and match my QT to the bag salinity)
To those that said to go back to freshwater, you are doing a disservice to this guy.
I ask because you mentioned clowns and chromis. Any red marks or lesions on the fish during or after death? I am asking because Uronema and Brooklynella are both common diseases with these and they can persist in the tank.
Mark9
New member
Really?
I went through all his posts.
He started cycling early Sept. then built a stand and sump which he finished early October.
He then talks how his rock is full of poop, but he only has 1 shrimp in the tank.
Middle of October he gets some hermits and turbo snails.
Nov 19 he gets a 2 clowns and an anemone.
1 clown dies that day.
On the 20th, he's having issues with the nem, but says tank parameters have been stable for 3 months.
Yesterday he rants, and i quote
"Had chromis they died. Tried clowns, they died, blenny.. Dead. Bta dead. All my parameters are where they are suppose to be. Water flow is excellent. And nothing fluctuates. Just don't understand it"
I think Fabuis is doing the disservice.
sde1500
Active member
A little harsh, but it does seem to be the truth. The hobby isn't forgiving to those who rush it. Cycling a tank, then building a stand and sump is certainly not the advised order of events. Tossing 5 fish into a brand new 36 gallon tank isn't either. Nor adding more fish and a nem after everything else has died.
I'd bet there is some disease or something in the tank. Either run it fallow for a while, or just restart right. Get new sand, bleach the rock, and set it back up and re-cycle the tank. Let it cycle, test frequently, take it slow. Add a few small hermits and snails, maybe a shrimp if you want to start. Let them go for a bit, and while that is all going, do some reading on quarantining fish. It doesn't have to be crazy complex. I've lost a few fish, but all were during QT, where there is no worry of a disease ruining the tank. I simply do TTM and treat with prazipro and paraguard. It works for me so far. And add 1 or 2 fish at a time, 5 fish is probably maxing out a mature 36 gallon tank. So much at once can overwhelm the tank and cause it to cycle again, killing the fish.
I'd bet there is some disease or something in the tank. Either run it fallow for a while, or just restart right. Get new sand, bleach the rock, and set it back up and re-cycle the tank. Let it cycle, test frequently, take it slow. Add a few small hermits and snails, maybe a shrimp if you want to start. Let them go for a bit, and while that is all going, do some reading on quarantining fish. It doesn't have to be crazy complex. I've lost a few fish, but all were during QT, where there is no worry of a disease ruining the tank. I simply do TTM and treat with prazipro and paraguard. It works for me so far. And add 1 or 2 fish at a time, 5 fish is probably maxing out a mature 36 gallon tank. So much at once can overwhelm the tank and cause it to cycle again, killing the fish.
CrayolaViolence
New member
And yet every reef store I've been in so far drip acclimated *everything* that comes into the store after it has been in a bag for upwards of 72 hours.
I honestly don't think anyone knows unless there has been a scientific study done on the affects. And that study has been repeated with the same results.
Fish Friend
New member
As fishes are living creatures that cannot handle stress very well - many things can kill them.
Forget the people trolling please.
Did you but them from the same dealer?
& from a nice dealer or a not so nice dealer?
Did the dealer pull the fishes above water with nets?
Why don't people ask this:: tank-raised or live caught?
Uhm.... equipment, equipment, equipment
Did you see signs of stress?
Often fishes stick together when stressed and then fight eachother when the aquarist don't notice.
Did you see signs of the fishes throwing up with the ones that lived longer? They can eat until they die from it as well.
The acclimatisation should, in my opinion, not take longer than aprox 1h.
The aquarist need to get the fish out of the shipping water or at least thin it out fastly with proper water as the water in the bag can become completely toxic in contact with air.
All damages (like gill-collaps from being pulled into air) can ofc kill the fishes faster or slower.
Ammonia poison, can happen in at the LFS and then they can die in your tank etc etc etc.
You might just want a reason. Perhaps the fishes just died.
Perhaps you just think you need to blame yourself when there is actually nothing to indicate that it has to be your fault or your equipment. Fishes are not immortal, that is why they spawn so much
Don't give up. You will be better from the experience and know more & really: don't listen to trolling. At some point you will convince the fishes that they are happy and loving your tank & this will all be easier to look back on.
Forget the people trolling please.
Did you but them from the same dealer?
& from a nice dealer or a not so nice dealer?
Did the dealer pull the fishes above water with nets?
Why don't people ask this:: tank-raised or live caught?
Uhm.... equipment, equipment, equipment
Did you see signs of stress?
Often fishes stick together when stressed and then fight eachother when the aquarist don't notice.
Did you see signs of the fishes throwing up with the ones that lived longer? They can eat until they die from it as well.
The acclimatisation should, in my opinion, not take longer than aprox 1h.
The aquarist need to get the fish out of the shipping water or at least thin it out fastly with proper water as the water in the bag can become completely toxic in contact with air.
All damages (like gill-collaps from being pulled into air) can ofc kill the fishes faster or slower.
Ammonia poison, can happen in at the LFS and then they can die in your tank etc etc etc.
You might just want a reason. Perhaps the fishes just died.
Perhaps you just think you need to blame yourself when there is actually nothing to indicate that it has to be your fault or your equipment. Fishes are not immortal, that is why they spawn so much
Don't give up. You will be better from the experience and know more & really: don't listen to trolling. At some point you will convince the fishes that they are happy and loving your tank & this will all be easier to look back on.
toothybugs
New member
Whereabouts are you located? No reason one of us locally couldn't be a mentor/ second check for you.
75mixedreef
Member
Hang in there man. Things can go wrong in the hobby and it sucks. Once you take care of this issue, and stay away from the same source of fish, you should probably be fine. It sounds like there are diseases at that store (or online supplier if ordered) so the store is likely to blame for much of what is happening. Not that you can do much of anything or that they deserve blame, its just how the hobby works. Now you know that you have to quarantine and treat any fish that come in and remove any chance that they can infect your fish.
heathlindner25
New member
As fishes are living creatures that cannot handle stress very well - many things can kill them.
Forget the people trolling please.
Did you but them from the same dealer?
& from a nice dealer or a not so nice dealer?
Did the dealer pull the fishes above water with nets?
Why don't people ask this:: tank-raised or live caught?
Uhm.... equipment, equipment, equipment
Did you see signs of stress?
Often fishes stick together when stressed and then fight eachother when the aquarist don't notice.
Did you see signs of the fishes throwing up with the ones that lived longer? They can eat until they die from it as well.
The acclimatisation should, in my opinion, not take longer than aprox 1h.
The aquarist need to get the fish out of the shipping water or at least thin it out fastly with proper water as the water in the bag can become completely toxic in contact with air.
All damages (like gill-collaps from being pulled into air) can ofc kill the fishes faster or slower.
Ammonia poison, can happen in at the LFS and then they can die in your tank etc etc etc.
You might just want a reason. Perhaps the fishes just died.
Perhaps you just think you need to blame yourself when there is actually nothing to indicate that it has to be your fault or your equipment. Fishes are not immortal, that is why they spawn so much
Don't give up. You will be better from the experience and know more & really: don't listen to trolling. At some point you will convince the fishes that they are happy and loving your tank & this will all be easier to look back on.
Just because someone gives their advice and its not popular,or yours, does not make it trolling.hth
fijisrfr
New member
I brought up this subject during a talk with Bob Fenner. He stated the same thing!
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OldReefGuy
Well-known member
I shipped fish for a living.....
above is correct IMO
above is correct IMO
