Here's the basics.
We have a 24 gal Aquapod with 22 lbs of LR that's been curing and running for 2 months. All the numbers have been great for at least 2-3 weeks. We've had the cleaning crew for about two weeks and added a Chromis last week.
This past Sat. we got two O. Clowns. Both an inch or less. Acclimated them for almost an hour. Both were doing great, looked great (no tears in the fins, bright eyes, no physical signs of anything wrong.) Except for the first night when the little guy slept at the top of the tank, they've been together all the time. They hadn't eaten yet, but I've heard that's not all that uncommon.
Today, Tuesday, my husband called at work and said that the little guy was up at the top of the tank, facing upwards and poking his head up through the surface of the water. When I got home, I found him dead up against the intake to the back compartments.
I understand that stress can be difficult to overcome, but a thought occured to me and I'm really upset by it. I modified the tank and have a Maxi-Jet 1200 in place of the stock pump, and a MJ 900 attached to a Loc-line in the first chamber.
Could our little guy have been fine but just gotten sucked into the inlet because of the additional flow??? The top two grates are open on the inlet, so I don't know if that could do it. I know clownfish aren't the greatest or strongest swimmers, but could that additional flow, or additional suction in the filter intake have trapped the clownfish against the grate and killed it?
I'm really feeling guilty at the thought, but I have to ask.
Our numbers (on an American Pharmeceuticals test kit):
Ca 500 ppm
KH 179 ppm (dropped to 161.1 tonight)
PO 0
NO 0
pH 8.2
Did the tests two weeks ago and again tonight. Tested Nitrates on a test strip every other day or so and always read zero.
SG is 1.024
We have a 24 gal Aquapod with 22 lbs of LR that's been curing and running for 2 months. All the numbers have been great for at least 2-3 weeks. We've had the cleaning crew for about two weeks and added a Chromis last week.
This past Sat. we got two O. Clowns. Both an inch or less. Acclimated them for almost an hour. Both were doing great, looked great (no tears in the fins, bright eyes, no physical signs of anything wrong.) Except for the first night when the little guy slept at the top of the tank, they've been together all the time. They hadn't eaten yet, but I've heard that's not all that uncommon.
Today, Tuesday, my husband called at work and said that the little guy was up at the top of the tank, facing upwards and poking his head up through the surface of the water. When I got home, I found him dead up against the intake to the back compartments.
I understand that stress can be difficult to overcome, but a thought occured to me and I'm really upset by it. I modified the tank and have a Maxi-Jet 1200 in place of the stock pump, and a MJ 900 attached to a Loc-line in the first chamber.
Could our little guy have been fine but just gotten sucked into the inlet because of the additional flow??? The top two grates are open on the inlet, so I don't know if that could do it. I know clownfish aren't the greatest or strongest swimmers, but could that additional flow, or additional suction in the filter intake have trapped the clownfish against the grate and killed it?
I'm really feeling guilty at the thought, but I have to ask.
Our numbers (on an American Pharmeceuticals test kit):
Ca 500 ppm
KH 179 ppm (dropped to 161.1 tonight)
PO 0
NO 0
pH 8.2
Did the tests two weeks ago and again tonight. Tested Nitrates on a test strip every other day or so and always read zero.
SG is 1.024