Dying Clownfish!

[hansonfam]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9340174#post9340174 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by redvipe2010
I'm not real familiar with T-5, have been researching it. I'm not convinced the lighting you have is even enough for a BTA.

T5's are good if ther are high output. I have a 130 gallon with 2 lta's and sps and everything is growing wonderfully.
The problem with his tank is he only has 2. I have 12 39watt high ouputs with invidual reflectors. So mine is comparable to halides just a cheaper and cooler version...lol

Lisa

 

[Trip1117]

The T5s are 4 feet long (that's the longest they sell if I'm not mistaken) and with my tank and set up I think the most I can add is 4 T5s. They're like T3s but only thicker in diameter. And yes they are VHOs. My tank is also near the window so it gets a lot of "natural" light.

The LTA and Carpet seems to be doing ok so far but the BTA keeps on moving about.

I'd like to put MH but I just don't have the right set up for them and since I don't have a chiller yet I'm sure it'll make my water temp increase which is almost always on the hight side but not over acceptable lvls (i.e. 82oF).

Please direct me to where I can find information on chemical warfare between anemones.

"If your ammonia is all right and you are finding them on the sand dead i would say some kind of disease or a bad shipment..."

Most of the fishes I have were caught in the wild except for the clowns. Maybe you are right in saying that they are dying from bad shipment. My guess is that the clowns I've purchased are new arrivals from the dealer and are dying from the repeated change in environment but from what i've seen they seem really unhappy or stressed once introduced into the tank - that, to me, seems unnatural even for a newly shiped fish(s).

 

[redvipe2010]

You can begin searching wetwebmedia.com for chemical war between anemones.

Your BTA is on the move looking for a happy spot. He likely will not find one with your lighting and tank environment.

 

[hansonfam]

Yes 4 feet is as long as you can get them now. But for a 120 tank you need much more than 4. My tank is 130 gallon and 6 feet long and i have 12. And you could easily land a plane in my livingroom
No table lamps for my house...lol

The lta is not getting enough light. They need much more light than that. You may not see the effects yet but you will unfortunetly in the end.I believe the carpet will be the same and i am pretty sure that is bare minimum for the bta although i could be wrong asi have never had one...

Look up the link that redvipe gave you as the chemicals is going to be a huge issue. Really it comes down to you want to do the best for everyone in your tank and right now you can't provide it for the nems

Lisa

 

[slider162]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9337104#post9337104 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Trip1117
Thank you very much for your reply!!!

I leave the container that the clown is shipped with in the tank for 30 to 60 minutes then i open it and add a cup of tank water in the bag every 5 minutes. When the bag is almost full I empty half of it out and add a cup of tank water again every 5 minutes till it's full. I then get my fish net and remove the clown from the container and add it to the tank.

I'm just a newb, but that seems a little fast to me. I feel guilty at 1 cup every 15 minutes.

 

[redvipe2010]

I do 1/4 cup every 15 - 20 minutes. When the bag starts getting full, I dump part of it and start over. I usually spend two hours or more acclimating fish, corals and inverts. I'd rather over acclimate, than under acclimate.

 

[Trip1117]

"My tank is 130 gallon and 6 feet long and i have 12"

Wow! Would you mind posting some pics? Thanks

 

[GreenPuffers]

Well to me it looks like you have some pretty aggresive fish, are you finding the bodies of the clowns and is there a possibilitie the puffer or trigger may be killing the clowns? I had puffers at one time and they would kill anything, even me.

 

[kurt72]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9341165#post9341165 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Trip1117
My tank is also near the window so it gets a lot of "natural" light.

suprised knowbody said anything about this. i have always been told natural sunlight is BAD. causes algae booms, tempature swings, among other things. i have always been told to keep aquariums out of direct sunlight. all the light should come from the lights above.

also i have never rcvd anything shipped.......but when i do, my fish/inverts/etc., will be slow dripped. your acclimation time is WAY too short IMO. being in that bag and bumped around has got to is very stressful on those poor little guys. i slow drip even for the 10 minute transit from the LFS. but hey, that's me.

 

[kurt72]

also, please don't think myself, or anyone else is slamming you. just trying to help. i have seen some pretty heated discussions here. good luck in the future. :thumbsup:

 

[hansonfam]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9345788#post9345788 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Trip1117
"My tank is 130 gallon and 6 feet long and i have 12"

Wow! Would you mind posting some pics? Thanks

Yep i will post some when i get home from work. We made the hood ourselves and bought all the ballasts and what not from a local electrical ditributor

LIsa

 

[Trip1117]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9345899#post9345899 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GreenPuffers
Well to me it looks like you have some pretty aggresive fish, are you finding the bodies of the clowns and is there a possibilitie the puffer or trigger may be killing the clowns? I had puffers at one time and they would kill anything, even me.

All the other fishes (puffer, scorpion fish, crabs, etc) are in the sump bellow the main tank. I plan to move them to another tank.

 

[Trip1117]

With regards to the lighting do you guys think that 1 x 250 watt MH would be enough?

 

[itz frank]

Not on a 6ft long tank. MH is more of a spot light then a flood light kind of light dispersement.

On the topic of acclimation, i usually add a shotglass of water to my containers every minute. One cup every 5 is a little fast but is still better then no acclimation at all. So i doubt that is the problem. You still haven't mentioned whether you're finding bodies or not. But even still, i don't think that your fish selection is best. Eventually, small fish will end up a meal for those more aggressive fish. You might want to consider a calm community reef for awhile before moving to aggressive.
You say you added Live rock a little while ago with some coral. Was this live rock cured prior to your purchase and addition? Also, how big is your sump that you have a scorpion and a puffer living together in it. Mine is a 29gal sump and i only have it half full. I've kept a fish in there before. But wouldn't consider keeping a scorpion in it with somethign else.

 

[Trip1117]

I just find them dead on the tank usually after 24 hours or so.

Some of the live rocks were cured but the ones with the corals and polys were not.

My sump is 50g and so far the puffer and the scorpion are getting along well. I definitely plan to move the agressive fish(es) to a different tank. I just have them to test if my tank is ready i.e. cycled and stable.

Oh and my tank is 5x2 not 6ft

Thanks for the reply =)

 

[cschweitzer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9343001#post9343001 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by redvipe2010
I do 1/4 cup every 15 - 20 minutes. When the bag starts getting full, I dump part of it and start over. I usually spend two hours or more acclimating fish, corals and inverts. I'd rather over acclimate, than under acclimate.

I agree completely with your numbers here...no more than 20% of the amount in the bag added at one time. I do have to disagree with your last statement, though. I highly think overacclimation is as bad, if not sometimes worse than underacclimation. The water you are adding to is high in ammonia and other bad stuff, low in oxygen, and quite frankly I think that the faster they can get out of that the better. I don't think two hours is overacclimation most of the time, though. For something from my lfs, I try not to do more than 1-1.5 hours, but from overnight delivery, 2 hours is just perfect. Keep lights dim during acclimation and for the next 12-24 hours.

Trip, that worries me that you are finding them and they are not getting eaten...something would almost have to be wrong with your params

 

[Trip1117]

Man it worries me too! But if something's wrong with my parameters why are my other fishes still alive and doing well

 

[saltydude]

Having to do with accl time, I agree that the sooner out of their bag the better, but why put them threw additional shock if you can avoid it? I have not once accl a fish or invert for more then a half hour. I use a turkeybaster but whatever you use is just fine. I also use a 20gallon sicktank that has a 15gallon sump under it(technically it is behind it) so I avoid mucho problems. I never medicate the sick tank either, I adjust salinity and the rare fresh water dip. The key to a healthy fish has to do with whether or not it has been given enough time to "settle in" at the LFS. If it has, you will be able to better observe its health. Also, have your LFS feed the fish you want in front of you, his eating habit is often a telltale sign of its health.

 

[cschweitzer]

The reason behind a longer acclimation period than just .5 hour is due to all saltwater animals having to osmoregulate. The salinity of your tank will be different than the LFS(or like many of us do, get them shipped from another area of the country) or wherever they came from. Also, the temp needs to be adjusted to reduced the opportunity for shock, especially after a day in a hot/cold, bumpy ride. More shock occurs due to sudden environmental changes than a slow process of making their conditions better. Although it is good to get them in better conditions, doing this too quickly has a much higher chance of shocking a fish/coral than deacclimating(I think I may have just made up a new word) them from improper conditions(such as a bag with higher waste, lower oxygen, etc). Although improper, they have still acclimated their body to it, osmoregulated to that SG, and since cold blooded have brought their temperature to that of the water in the bag. This needs to be taken care of slowly, but also with caution not to proceed to long. It all really comes down to how severe a variance is in the conditions from where it came and to where it will be placed.