Greetings All- I had my Valentini puffer (Antonin) for two weeks and my royal gramma for a few months when suddenly they both died last night. I put a papuan toby last night too and at first thought it was a fight. i brought the fish and a water sample to my LFS and the lady said my pH had really dropped to around 7.5. I do 15% water changes every week and always buff as well. my water tests indciate a pH of around 8.3.... I used two different test bottles and both had similar results. despite what the tests said I rebuffed a few hours ago.
THe green chromis and clownfish appear to be okay in the tank. the papuan toby is on his side and breathing although a little heavy. sometimes he gets up, swims around and then sit back on the shells. amonia, nitrite, nitratae are 0, 0, <20.
ANy ideas?
Aparently low pH....
Forum rules
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32979
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Puffers I have kept:
T lineatus
T miurus
A modestus
T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
- Contact:
Re: Aparently low pH....
Id' say their test is wrong then. If you are using a buffered salt & have aragonite sand in there, your pH should always remain >8. Can you add an airstone?
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
-
MatthewLaw
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 198
- Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2008 1:29 pm
Re: Aparently low pH....
the toby just died....
i can add an airstone....i really have no idea what is going on now...
i can add an airstone....i really have no idea what is going on now...
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32979
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Puffers I have kept:
T lineatus
T miurus
A modestus
T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
- Contact:
Re: Aparently low pH....
That's terrible! Add fresh carbon to your filtration. Any chemicals been near the tank?
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
-
MatthewLaw
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 198
- Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2008 1:29 pm
Re: Aparently low pH....
thanks for the help pufferpunk.
I used some windex to clean the outside glass of the tank last Tuesday afternoon. I made sure to clean UNDER the top of the tank. Everyone was fine Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and then died late Friday night. I mean the conditions somehow got bad enough that the toby died in 18 hours!! I have seen that toby in my LFS for about 6 weeks so i assume that fish was healthy before brining brought home.
I added a pair of new Koralia 1 powerheads yesterday evening. I have used Koralia 2s and Koralia 4s in the past and not had any issues! Could some chemicals from the motors have entered the tank?
I used some windex to clean the outside glass of the tank last Tuesday afternoon. I made sure to clean UNDER the top of the tank. Everyone was fine Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and then died late Friday night. I mean the conditions somehow got bad enough that the toby died in 18 hours!! I have seen that toby in my LFS for about 6 weeks so i assume that fish was healthy before brining brought home.
I added a pair of new Koralia 1 powerheads yesterday evening. I have used Koralia 2s and Koralia 4s in the past and not had any issues! Could some chemicals from the motors have entered the tank?
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32979
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Puffers I have kept:
T lineatus
T miurus
A modestus
T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
- Contact:
Re: Aparently low pH....
I was tought not to spray cleaners onto the glass but to spray them on a cloth, away from the tasnk, so no over spray can get into the tank. I would never think to clean the hood with it. I always remove my hood & clean with vinegar & hot water in the sink.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
-
MatthewLaw
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 198
- Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2008 1:29 pm
Re: Aparently low pH....
thanks for the help. i did not spray the cleaner directly onto the glass but intead onto a papertowel (as you mentioned). I did not clean the hood with anything except every so often using a wet paper towel to take excess salt off of it.
the green chromis passed away last night. i moved the two clowns out of the tank and they are both still alive this morning.
What could have essentially killed all the fish in 24 hours?
Could some toxin been released by the Papuan Toby?
Right now the 30g tank is empty, what do you think I should do with it? Should I move the live rock to a different tank or could that be contaminated? What should I do with the filters in the tank? Finally how do I know when the tank is 'viable' for marine life?
the green chromis passed away last night. i moved the two clowns out of the tank and they are both still alive this morning.
What could have essentially killed all the fish in 24 hours?
Could some toxin been released by the Papuan Toby?
Right now the 30g tank is empty, what do you think I should do with it? Should I move the live rock to a different tank or could that be contaminated? What should I do with the filters in the tank? Finally how do I know when the tank is 'viable' for marine life?
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32979
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Puffers I have kept:
T lineatus
T miurus
A modestus
T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
- Contact:
Re: Aparently low pH....
Oh, I thought you had the chromis left too.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"