Help, fish committing suicide.

[tpcjohann]

Hello everyone, I have a 36 gallon bow front with a PS aquafuge refugium (3 Ã"šÃ‚½ gal). For some reason my fish keep committing suicide and I donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t understand why. My water parameters are ok. Someone please help. Thank you

Johann

 

[Toddrtrex]

How exactly are they killing themselves?
What are the numbers behind "ok"
What type of fish?

 

[tpcjohann]

They are jumping out of the water (Damsell and clown). First it was the damsell then the clown. temp77-79, nitirites 0, nitrate and phosphates very low almost 0, ammonia 0, salt 1.024-1.026. thanks

 

[bigdee65]

First off they are not trying to kill themselves, they are using thier instincts to escape a threat. By jumping out of the water they are trying to throw off the thing that is scaring it by leaving the water and returning in another spot. However in this case the tank is smaller than the ocean and they are landing on the floor instead of back in the water.

What else do you have in the tank? It might have nothing to do with the water params but instead something is trying to attack them.

 

[tpcjohann]

I dont have anything else in the tank, unless there is a hitchhiker(s) that i havent seen yet. However these past weekend i put in some crabs that i got from the sea weed on the beach. They are yellowish with tigerlike strips. On the back legs the have fin-like legs that they use to elevate themselves in the water. I have watch them to see if they attack the other crabs or snails, but they havent. All the do is burry themselves and eat particle off the sand. The damsell jumped out before these crabs were in the tank, so im not sure if they had anything to do with the clown jumping out.

thanks

 

[rustybucket145]

A piece of eggcrate over the top is a good temp fix. I do it everytime I am out of town or add a new fish to the mix.

 

[Thurge]

What is the Ph and alkalinity. When I have had thse out of wack I have had fish unhappy with the water.
I agree though its probably just fish being fish.