armywife022
New member
Hi guys. First let me give you a little back story on my tank. I have a 50 gallon tank, was a reef tank. Copper was accidentally introduced and I lost everything but one clown...don't want to talk about it 
To make that LONG story short, we removed the source of the accidental exposure and began the processes of rebuilding. I used cuprisorb and polyfilter for the copper. Clown fish was put back in the main display after copper dropped and the tank cycled (all the dead snails and such really did a number on it). After about 4 months I added a cardinal, it died two days later (never really ate). No idea why it happened so I checked all my levels again. There was a slight discoloration in the copper test, but still measured as "zero ppm." I made the assumption that copper was the culprit for the cardinal since they are sensitive to it. Added Chemi-pure to my canister filter during water change after the cardinal died. Copper test comes out crystal clear now, no way there is any measurable copper. Didn't want to try another fish so I added a few snails. Waited a few more weeks. Levels all still great. Decided to add a new fish. Put a damsel in and and he is still doing great. Waited at least three weeks and decided to try some more inverts. Added a cleaner shrimp and some turbo snails (I seriously needed a clean-up crew). They are doing great (shrimp wouldn't make it with copper, so it really doesn't seem like there is a copper problem). After two weeks of those guys doing great I felt it was safe to add another fish. I moved the damsel to my 15 gallon tank which is connected via sump and bought a coral beauty. Put her in a QT tank for a week (I know, not long, but she was doing so beautifully). Moved her to the main tank after about 45 min. acclimation (my QT tank and main tank had nearly perfectly matched parameters, including temp., SG, PH, etc). After the first 10 min. in the main tank the coral beauty didn't look so good. She was struggling against the current, seemed to have to fight hard. After an hour or two she looked a little better. She ate well that day. Today, not so good at all. She is pale but has no visible spots or anything that makes me think parasite. She can't swim barely at all, just kinda floats around the tank mostly on her side. She seems incredibly sick and I would be amazed if she makes it through the night. I am almost positive it is not my water. Here are the parameters:
Ph: 8.0
SG: 1.023
Ammonia, nitrates, nitrites: 0
Copper: 0 (crystal clear)
Temp: 77
Had all the levels double checked by my LFS, all the same results.
My guesses: I really think this has to do with acclimation. She was doing very well in the QT tank but did not seem to do well when transferred. Could the light do it? My QT tank has very low light while my main display has a much higher intensity for longer periods (36 Inch 2x96 Watt AquaticLife PowerCompact CF Light Fixture w/ 4 Lunar LEDs).
I have been watching this fish like a hawk and the clown is not chasing her, doesn't pay her any attention at all. I moved the damsel to avoid aggression. This fish keeps to itself and is not picked on.
Is the coral beauty more sensitive to transfers then other fish? I am getting very concerned that my tank will not be suitable for anything other than this one clown and damsels.
Ugh...I can't help but feel very discouraged about all of this. I want to just scrap the entire system and start fresh...
To make that LONG story short, we removed the source of the accidental exposure and began the processes of rebuilding. I used cuprisorb and polyfilter for the copper. Clown fish was put back in the main display after copper dropped and the tank cycled (all the dead snails and such really did a number on it). After about 4 months I added a cardinal, it died two days later (never really ate). No idea why it happened so I checked all my levels again. There was a slight discoloration in the copper test, but still measured as "zero ppm." I made the assumption that copper was the culprit for the cardinal since they are sensitive to it. Added Chemi-pure to my canister filter during water change after the cardinal died. Copper test comes out crystal clear now, no way there is any measurable copper. Didn't want to try another fish so I added a few snails. Waited a few more weeks. Levels all still great. Decided to add a new fish. Put a damsel in and and he is still doing great. Waited at least three weeks and decided to try some more inverts. Added a cleaner shrimp and some turbo snails (I seriously needed a clean-up crew). They are doing great (shrimp wouldn't make it with copper, so it really doesn't seem like there is a copper problem). After two weeks of those guys doing great I felt it was safe to add another fish. I moved the damsel to my 15 gallon tank which is connected via sump and bought a coral beauty. Put her in a QT tank for a week (I know, not long, but she was doing so beautifully). Moved her to the main tank after about 45 min. acclimation (my QT tank and main tank had nearly perfectly matched parameters, including temp., SG, PH, etc). After the first 10 min. in the main tank the coral beauty didn't look so good. She was struggling against the current, seemed to have to fight hard. After an hour or two she looked a little better. She ate well that day. Today, not so good at all. She is pale but has no visible spots or anything that makes me think parasite. She can't swim barely at all, just kinda floats around the tank mostly on her side. She seems incredibly sick and I would be amazed if she makes it through the night. I am almost positive it is not my water. Here are the parameters:Ph: 8.0
SG: 1.023
Ammonia, nitrates, nitrites: 0
Copper: 0 (crystal clear)
Temp: 77
Had all the levels double checked by my LFS, all the same results.
My guesses: I really think this has to do with acclimation. She was doing very well in the QT tank but did not seem to do well when transferred. Could the light do it? My QT tank has very low light while my main display has a much higher intensity for longer periods (36 Inch 2x96 Watt AquaticLife PowerCompact CF Light Fixture w/ 4 Lunar LEDs).
I have been watching this fish like a hawk and the clown is not chasing her, doesn't pay her any attention at all. I moved the damsel to avoid aggression. This fish keeps to itself and is not picked on.
Is the coral beauty more sensitive to transfers then other fish? I am getting very concerned that my tank will not be suitable for anything other than this one clown and damsels.
Ugh...I can't help but feel very discouraged about all of this. I want to just scrap the entire system and start fresh...
