Maybe Yall Can Help

[xbambamx]

OKay me and my mom both have had our tanks running for about a month and a half, only had a cleaning crew, two damsels, one cleaner shrimp and 15 lbs of live rock and about 60 lbs of live sand.. Only difference is I have two peppermint shrimp and she doesnt, and my tank is a 75g and hers is a 40. I literally JUSt looked through her tank, all her damsels are dying, her cleaner shrimp is dead. Our levels are the exact same, very near zero, along with temperature and salinity. I now have a Percula Clown in my tank, two damsels, 5 turbo snails, 2 peppermint shrimp, one cleaner shrimp, and various pods that have grown on all the live rock that we got (note that hers has very little growth) What is causing this drastic difference in our tanks?

 

[outy]

maybe mom overfed ?

rite now the bacteria population in yours has more surface area then hers and with that population being new and probably low it wont take much to mess up the nitrogen cycle. [even with live sand]

 

[navajo]

Gonna need some numbers in order to help you out.

Specifically:

SG
PH
Temp
Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate
When was the last water change, etc.

With more info I'm sure someone can pin this down for you.

Also, if they are in different rooms of the house, have there been any cleaners/candles/airfresheners/etc used in the same room as her tank?

 

[jdieck]

Can you post the key parameters of her tank? PH, Alkalinity, Calcium, Temperature, Ammonia, Nitrite? Bacterial activity deficiency may show up as Ammonia and/or Nitrite.

 

[xbambamx]

I just finished testing my water, my lvls are at dead 0. Did a 50 percent change in mine AND hers yesterday, her nitrates are still not at 0 but are a fraction off.. Like I said all the lvls are good, and I feed all the fish due to her getting her Ph.d. lol So i take care of the house. I mean literally everything going in her tank is dying..

 

[xbambamx]

okay got her lvls, PH is 8.0, nitrates are less than 10 ppm, nitrites are at maybe a .1 if not 0.. Ammonia is 0. Salinity is 1.23, temp is 77, alk is 2.4 meq and phos is .05

 

[jdieck]

Alkalinity is low but not enough to kill everything. Any chances of any kind of :
a) pollution of unknown chemicals
b) Using RO/DI Water?
c) What about electrical short in the tank?
d) Low oxygen levels at night?

Those are the most typical "hidden" killers

 

[outy]

its the nitrites

 

[McCrary]

I doubt its the nitrites, 0-.1 are not high enough to cause that kind of destruction, at least not that I have ever seen. Damsels commonly survive much higher levels when the tank cycles. My advice would be to start over and watch the tank carefully. Test the water parameters throughout the cycling process. I am using live rock and probidio to cycle my 110 right now, with this method fish are not needed. Out of curiosity what kind of protein skimming and filtration do you have. Your DOC's could be so high as to cause Toxic Tank Syndrome.

 

[jdieck]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8108541#post8108541 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TurboSnail8898
I doubt its the nitrites, 0-.1 are not high enough to cause that kind of destruction, at least not that I have ever seen.

Agree, Nitrites will not kill the fish, my concern would be that those nitrites were Ammonia a couple of days ago and to find what created the Ammonia if other than the dying itself.

 

[navajo]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8108569#post8108569 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jdieck
Agree, Nitrites will not kill the fish, my concern would be that those nitrites were Ammonia a couple of days ago and to find what created the Ammonia if other than the dying itself.

Good catch jdieck


I would still be concerned about any cleaners used in the room if they're in seperate rooms though...

 

[boxfishpooalot]

I think MOMS not telling you somthing.

Anything can cause death that fast, most notably ammonia. I agree with jdeick

Things to consider are:
sugar added in huge amount
a copper penny
overfed.
soap/detergents

Where is your moms tank located?