First Salt Tank (established, purchased secondhand)

[DriftingNemo]

All you have going on is a mini cycle, it should be over soon. Just keep dosing your bacteria as instructed. The coral will hopefully bounce back when the cycle is over. By the way, corals can be closed up anywhere from a couple of hours and up to a week after being moved around. I remember having a Green Star Polyps frag that took over a week just to see 1 polyp opening up, after that the coral started doing fine.

[Pinner Reef]

I believe you are using API test kit? Think I saw it in the cabinet. The ammonia test is notoriously difficult to read.

[DontBeKoi]

Yes, API system. Coral wasn't just closing up, it was saggy and drooping against the rocks. They've straightened up now.

The bigger clown has always held his mouth open since before being transported. I realized it was a problem when he didn't feed like the other two. He really struggled and I overfed a tiny bit to get him to eat, but he barely even tries. Thinking to let the LFS try to fix this guy after the tank cycles out for another few days. Asked the previous owners if his jaw has always been open, they said yes.



"Hey buddy,
There maybe one or more reasons for the clownfish to have its mouth in this position.
If the area is irritated from parasitic attack, the fish may find it uncomfortable to close its mouth.

There is a possible physical damage (injury) to the mouth area.
There is a possible hyperextension condition in the fish.

To further investigate a parasitic condition I'd need to know if the fish is having any difficulty breathing and
does it have a white lip?

An injury would cause swelling and when the swelling goes down the mouth will return to normal.

If the condition is one of jaw hyperextension then there are two ways forward:
- do nothing and hope it returns to normal in a few days;
-- anesthetize the fish and manipulate the urohyal bone which has jammed into the cleithra.
-- I can explain in more detail how to perform the latter treatment.

If the fish is having difficulty in breathing, it could die from the condition.
Usually a parasitic attack affects breathing, so if the fish breathing normally,
it reduces the likelihood of parasites.

Unfortunately, certain cases of jaw hyperextension can also place the gills into a position where they will not function properly,
causing respiratory stress (rapid breathing), that can lead to death.

In general, there is a 50/50 chance things will return to normal providing the fish is still eating and getting the proper and best nutrition.
80% of the remaining cases, the fish is helped by manipulating the urohyal bone.
The balance (20% of the remaining cases) the fish is helped with a treatment by an antibiotic.

Let me know if this helps..."

[DontBeKoi]

A single (palythoa grandis?) stalk has completely crumpled up and fallen over, and turned white. That can't be good.

[Pinner Reef]

Be calm. Drooping is no big issue. Wait it out and don't do anything drastic. The corals are just acclimating to the new environment. Those polyps are damned near indestructible.

 

Who is that quote from? Solid info, but it seems a bit hardcore for a beginner.

 

WAIT THINGS OUT!

 

Be patient; it's the hardest part of this hobby.

 

As long as the fish still eats it'll survive. My guess the previous owner added a clown and the two had a fight.

 

Let us know if things deteriorate any further.

[DontBeKoi]

They were feeding brine before, I tried mysis shrimp. Next time I'll see if the clown has more luck eating the brine. I found that info with my google-fu. Don't recall the source. Maybe it is a bit hardcore, but I've cared for some exotic pets and my BF is a herpetologist. Not hard for me to understand it, but I'm not about to pull a fish out and try to work his jaw back into place.

[DontBeKoi]

My levels suck again, corals drooping. LFS said to let it happen and doing a water changes would only delay the cycling. Different opinion depending on who's in that day, that's sorta worrisome. The other woman said the 50% water change would help remove stuff that would turn into nitrates/nitrites. Was told to try adding bacteria daily this time.

 

Nitrites 0-2.25

Nitrates 20/40

Ammonia hard to read as always, maybe .25-50?

[markalot]

Just to check, are you topping off with RO/DI or distilled water between water changes? I noticed your salinity has crept up.

 

You will want to be making your own saltwater with either RO/DI 0TDS or distilled. LFS are notorious for giving bad advice and bad quality water. If they offer RO/DI make them show you the setup and TDS coming out of the DI.

 

Water change, water change, water change. Seachem PRIME to detox the ammonia.

[DontBeKoi]

I don't yet know how to make the water myself, and I haven't had it for long enough to need a top off unless you think I should just to lower the salinity. I used PRIME on my last water change yesterday. I still have 1/3rd of the water in a 5 gallon if that's still good to use today I could do a small water change. Not opposed to testing the water from the LFS to see how good it is...

 

Salinity back at 36/1.028

 

"If they offer RO/DI make them show you the setup and TDS coming out of the DI."

I don't know all the terms yet, just RO/DI

 

Thoughts on Instant Ocean Natural Nitrate Reducer? Came with the tank stuff.

[DriftingNemo]

TDS is stands for Total Dissolved Solids. 0 TDS means that its 100% pure water. The reason people don't use tap water is because of the high TDS content, but it depends where you live. I don't know why your salinity keeps creeping up, it would be good to invest in an auto top off system.

[DontBeKoi]

I've been hearing "do water changes, don't do water changes" across the board. It's been confusing, and I found this in the middle of some time researching. Thought someone here might find it an interesting read.

http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/226664-why-water-changes-during-cycling-are-good/

[CronicReefer]

Until this cycle is over there is nothing you can do other than daily water changes and using something to bind the ammonia. Your test kits will still test the ammonia even though it is no longer toxic and the bacteria will continue to process it into nitrite and nitrate. Also you might want to test the salinity of the water you are adding because it sounds like it is not always consistent if it keeps increasing.

[DriftingNemo]

Do water changes daily if it's at all possible. Only do 2 gallons or less each day, you want to dilute the ammonia faster than it gets produced.

[DontBeKoi]

The clown is still not eating. I have no idea how he survived with them for so long. He doesn't even try, or swim towards food.

[DontBeKoi]

Salinity 35

Temp 79

Nitrite 0

Nitrates 30

Ammonia .25

Phosphate 1.0

Calcium 400

Acidity 7.8

KH 89.5

[Pinner Reef]

Have you had your ammonia cross referenced by another company's test kits? I'm certain that you're getting a false positive with the API test kits. Thinking you're getting low Ph due to testing close to/after lights out.

 

Keep up the standard routine and maybe work towards reducing PO4

[DontBeKoi]

No, I tested ph at different times, just before lights out now and in the morning is the same result.

[markalot]

Find the nearest garbage can and toss your API ammonia and PH kit. If I tested my 150 right now with the API ammonia kit it would read .25.

 

Mixing saltwater is fairly easy. Buy a bag of Instant Ocean (cheapest) or Reef Crystals (not sure you need this) and mix with 0 TDS water made using a quality Reverse Osmosis + Deionizer (RO/DI) filter. In a pinch buying gallons of distilled water is usually good enough.

 

If you are serious about getting into this hobby you have a lot of reading to do and more money to spend.

[DriftingNemo]

I suggest that you take out a morgage.. this hobby will take over your life if you're not too careful

[DontBeKoi]

Not possible, I do photography for a living... talk about expenses! Saving up for two lenses at 2k each...

And thankfully I'm not allowed to have a bigger tank in this apartment.

Letting it run it's course, adding prime and bacteria. Getting a water change tomorrow, did one yesterday (just 10%).

Still can't get the clown to eat... I'm worried for him. What's the best test to use, if not API?

[CronicReefer]

My API ammonia tests just fine but I wouldn't trust their nitrate test. Good luck with your clown.

[markalot]

Not possible, I do photography for a living... talk about expenses! Saving up for two lenses at 2k each...

And thankfully I'm not allowed to have a bigger tank in this apartment.

 

Letting it run it's course, adding prime and bacteria. Getting a water change tomorrow, did one yesterday (just 10%).

Still can't get the clown to eat... I'm worried for him. What's the best test to use, if not API?

 

Salifert makes good test kits.

 

I think you'll get out of this fine now, just give it a week or so. If the API kit continues to read .25 (or less) by the end of the week I'd call it over and back off the Prime dosing.

[Pinner Reef]

I agree with Markalot.

[DontBeKoi]

Readings are getting better. 79-80 temp. Phosphates down a bit, Salinity down to more normal reading, ammonia is good. Nitrates continue to be a problem but I assume that's from the cycle process. Doing small water changes when they read mid-scale on the charts. PH is up now, too high but that's my fault for being dumb. Newb mistake trying to treat the tank and going by directions didn't work as well as promised. I should have left it alone, I know...

Using Microbacter7 now instead of a brand of bacterial treatment no one's heard of, I originally had on hand. I've added Chemi-pure blue to the first filtration slot, next to the skimmer that still isn't working. Going to let the LFS look at it. It pumps water over slot two, and some cut media the owner placed there, but no bubbling, no actual skimming. It's not a new one so I think it may be broken.

The filter media he'd been cutting for slot two would disperse a nasty cloud into the water if I even touched it, so I rinsed it lightly in a bucket of removed tank water, didn't squeeze. Hope that's right. Don't want to kill the bacteria.

Clown still not eating, LFS suggests pods (not a long term solution) or bringing him in to them. I probably will end up doing that. The brain coral is the same, still has some skin but mostly skeleton. I don't see any growth, but I don't expect to this soon anyhow.

Ironically the owners are asking for photos of the tank and want to be sure everything is okay. Funny, since they let the brain coral and mushrooms die (it is now part of the live rock, and they didn't know it was dead), and have a very sick clown they didn't even know was sick.

[DriftingNemo]

I would bring the brain coral back to your LFS or donate it to someone who's got a stable tank. It's better to give the colony a chance of survival in another system rather than have it die. Or you could ask your LFS to hold the coral for a couple of weeks until your water stabilises, some stores are nice enough to do it.