Dying Inverts

[animalrie]

Hey all!

I'm just now getting back in the hobby with a 24 gallon AIO tank. I have a little bit of a mystery on my hands. After it finished cycling with live sand and dry rock (completed based on testing about 3.5 weeks ago), I added some blue leg hermits and nassarius/cerith snails. They went straight to cleaning but then slowly started dying. Levels were all testing fine (posted below) so I chalked it up to being from Petco (they were the last living creatures in the tanks they came from so I probably shouldn't have gotten them in the first place).

Now, I've had several other inverts die and I'm not sure what's happening! Could it be fluctuations due to a new tank? Everything I have been testing for has been fine. Here's more info:

Set up: tank's been running for 6 weeks.

Testing: been using the API test kit (giving ranges because it's tough for me to accurately read the colors)
Nitrates: previously holding steady between 0-5ppm. Just tested today and they were 5-10ppm (maybe due to the invert deaths?) -> did a water change today
Nitrites: 0ppm
Ammonia: 0ppm
pH: 8.0-8.2
Salinity (with refractometer): 1.025
Temp: 78-79F

Livestock:
Tailspot blenny (added 2 weeks ago): doing great
Wheeler's goby (added 1 week ago): doing great; only weird thing is every once in a while (maybe every 2-3 minutes) he forcefully pushes water through his gills. Doesn't seem stressed or anything so I don't know if this is normal for him.
Corals (a couple of acans and a torch): doing great
Cerith snails: doing great
Nassarius snails: most doing great

Deaths:
Cleaner shrimp: noticed he got black spots soon after I purchased him and they progressed quickly. Came home one day to see a molt + a dead shrimp :hmm2:
Fighting conch: just didn't move much once I stuck him in the tank a week ago (got him from LiveAquaria) and found my pom-pom crab munching on him this morning
Pistol shrimp: this is a MAYBE. He paired with the goby and built his tunnel but ever since the cleaner shrimp died, I haven't seen him. It's been 2 days so he could just be molting. I'm really hoping he's still kicking.
Random snails/blue leg hermits: I've found random nassarius snails and hermits dead but others are doing great. I only started with about 8 snails total.

These animals don't just die immediately, they seem to waste away.

Sorry for the long post! Hoping someone can give me an idea of what's going on here.

 

[mcgyvr]

I would try using a polyfilter and see if you get any color change out of it indicating copper,etc..
If nothing but a brown color change then chalk it up to "death happens"..

 

[animalrie]

I would try using a polyfilter and see if you get any color change out of it indicating copper,etc..
If nothing but a brown color change then chalk it up to "death happens"..

Thanks so much for the advice! I have purigen in there, does that do the same think as a polyfilter?

 

[scooter31707]

Are you feeding them? Just finishing a cycle there is not for them to feed on.

 

[billdogg]

I would try using a polyfilter and see if you get any color change out of it indicating copper,etc..
If nothing but a brown color change then chalk it up to "death happens"..

Are you feeding them? Just finishing a cycle there is not for them to feed on.

^^^Both of these^^^

I have 1 scarlet reef hermit, 2 turbo snails and a few cerith and nassarius snails as the CUC in my very well established 120DT. IMHO, the people claiming that you need a huge CUC are just trying to sell you CUC.

 

[ReeferNoob4ever]

I had a shrimp that got those black spots and died. I don't know if it's a disease and/or can spread to other inverts, but the 2 turbo snails that were in with the sick shrimp are still going strong.

 

[animalrie]

Thanks for all your advice! So far no more invert deaths. The only food they're getting (besides what little algae I have) is some leftovers from the fish's food.