Change in salinity causes rapid breathing?

[mxmarks]

Hello everyone.

I recently added a powder blue tang to my tank. It was very shy at first, but after about a week, it was out a lot, darting around.

My salinity for awhile had always been a tad high (I dont have an auto top off, and sometimes let it slide a bit longer than I should), and usually came in around 1.026-1.027.

I had heard that was too high, so I added 2 gallons of RO water to the tank (75g), and it lowered the salinity to 1.025ish.

Around that same time 3 days ago (either slightly before or after, I really can't recall), my blue spot goby died. I had him for about 7 months, and he was the 1st fish I bought. He was the hardiest thing I ever had - lived through me making so many mistakes. So I knew something had to be up.

I also have 2 clowns, a royal gramma, a lawnmower blenny and a zebra dartfish (the dartfish added on the same day as the tang), and all are doing great. Hmmm.

So this morning I noticed that the tang is really staying in the rock work, and really looks like he's breathing hard. His mouth was moving with his gills, so at first I thought he was 'chewing' or something, but it continued all day. He'd stay hovering in one spot, until I startled him, and he'd move. I went to work concerned, as I know these fish are 'ich magnets', but I didn't find any signs of ich - just an overall slight lighter shade to him.

When I got home, he was out more - in a way. He found a patch in the back corner of the tank that had an open space, and was hanging out in open view there - but still breathing heavy. When I'd get near the glass, he'd retreat to his cave. I added a seaweed clip (I have a TON of hair algae, and Ive seen him nibbling at rocks, so I didnt have one in there before, I just rubberbanded it to the rocks) and put it in that corner, but never saw him nibble at it. I also purchased some formula 2 pellets, but the clowns got them before it ever made it to him.

I have 0 nitrates and nitrites, but my pH and alk are low. That, and the specific gravity is now at about 1.025, when it was 1.027 when I first added him. I also today upped the heater to 80-82 degrees, as it was 78-80 and I had read Tangs like the low 80's.

I just really love this fish, and want to do all I can to make sure he's around for a long, long time. He's very small right now, and in about a year as he grows I will be getting him the 100g he deserves.

Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[inachu]

Point a water jet upwards to make the water tension somewhat turbulent.

Breaking up the water like this helps with air exchange.
I sure do hope you have a decent protien skimmer.
A picture of your tank would be nice.

 

[Flipper62]

Fast changes in salinity are NOT good. Plus......The salinity for the fish should be at 1.023...1.024.......

If its a true reef tank. The corals like a 1.026 water....BUT the fish still like a 1.023 salinity.

In my Reef tanks...I keep it between 1.023 & 1.025.....This keeps everyone happy.

NOW.....a salinity of 1.027....1.028....NOT GOOD FOR THE FISH

 

[kau_cinta_ku]

I'm not tring to start an arguement but NSW is 1.0264 you say sg for fish should be at 1.023-1.024 ok I could see that being a FO tank and want to save a little in salt. but in the ocean the fish don't go to where the sg. is 1.023 so I just don't see why a sg. of 1.026 wouldn't make the fish just as happy as 1.023.

 

[greenbean36191]

Salinity of 1.025-1.032 is ideal for fish, corals, and other inverts. There is absolutely no basis for the argument that fish prefer lower. It offers them no physiological benefits and significantly lower than that causes physiological stress and organ damage.

I don't really know what's going on, but the change in salinity is very unlikely to have anything to do with your fish's breathing. My first suspect would be disease, probably ich. There is no way to simply look at a fish and tell if it has ich or not. The parasite is microscopic and isn't visible to the naked eye. It also likes to live in the gills which make up about 98% or more of the total surface area of the fish. The only time you can look at a fish and tell if it has ich is if it's gotten so bad that the parasite has left the gills and caused skin damage on the body.

 

[inachu]

a lot of urine not being skimmed out can cause that too.

 

[Aquarist007]

what are some of the other measurement in your tank--temperature, pH and alkalinity---sudden fluctuations in these or levels outside the prefered norms can cause problems with fish also.
temp---76-84
alk 8-11 dKH
pH 8.2 - 8.4

 

[Lemeshianos]

urine is made of ammonia. I'm not sure if the skimming would affect that or not, the only way I know that urine/ammonia leaves the system is by bacteria that break it down to nitrites.

 

[Playa-1]

I think you need to tell us more about your setup and give us more information on your water parameters.
What are you using for circulation?
How much circulation do you have?
Are you using a calibrated refractometer to test salinity?
What are you using for filtration?
What Protein Skimmer are you using?
What are all your current water parameters for everything that your testing for?
How long has the tank been established?
Why aren't you using a QT?

This information would help us to help you.