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Coral Vue Hydros

Help! Fish breathing hard, unresponsive


jfran

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how trustworthy is that hydrometer?

 

Its made by Fluval. I have know idea how to tell if its not trustworthy or if it is.

Even when I buy SW from the LFS (Because I like to be lazy on occasion) I always mix it for a few hours to aerate it in the least.

 

Ok good to know. How do you do the mixing? Bubbler?

Are you saying the problem could be low dissolved oxygen levels?

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I have had incidents that fish suddenly fell ill when other fish stayed fine. But if your snails are acting funny too that may indicate something in the water. Maybe the water you got from your LFS got contaminated somehow? Are you running carbon? Try putting fresh carbon in, and if you have Prime, dose a small amount.

 

Hydrometers are inaccurate by design. Refractometers can be purchased fairly cheap on Amazon.

 

I hate putting air pump & airstone in saltwater.... It causes salt cre3p everywhere. A powerhead aimed at the surface will be fine.

 

Speaking of which, do you have enough surface agitation? What is your flow?

 

 

Its made by Fluval. I have know idea how to tell if its not trustworthy or if it is.


 

Ok good to know. How do you do the mixing? Bubbler?


Are you saying the problem could be low dissolved oxygen levels?

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GunslingerGirl

 

The kits are for both salt and freshwater, in that they have separate instructions and reading charts.

 

Should I remove the snail? Its not dead yet and I have nowhere else to put it so I would have to flush it alive which I feel horrible about.

 

What brand are the tests? Some are notoriously inaccurate unfortunately. Also how old are they? I have been victim of using expired tests before.

 

I wouldn't remove anything at the moment. If it was something the snail brought in... it's in the tank. If it's due to the snail dying, you should see a spike in something if not ammonia then nitrates.

 

Tomorrow I would take your water to the LFS (make sure it's a good LFS) and have them test it with better tests. Also have them test the salinity with a refractometer to make sure your readings are spot on. I got by using a hydrometer that I tested against a refractometer monthly for awhile until I had the cash flow to spend on more equipment. In hindsight, should have just bought it first and put off a good light or something.

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burtbollinger

if the fish and snail live through the night, return them to the LFS.

 

Put the 3 gallon back in your mom's basement, do 3 months of research and start again.

 

way too many variables here. way too many ways to toss time and energy and be wrong.

 

also, any physical injuries? you mention in one of your threads an emerald crab.

 

i've had emeralds kill fish and snails. what if you're looking at an injured fish and snail from a hungry crab?

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Have you ever upgraded the stock pump? Saltwater aquariums require a much stronger flow than FW. Turnover should be at least 10-20 times per hour. Turbulent flow is also superior to directional flow. A few reasons that I can think of: 1. Surface agitation to increase oxygenation. SW can hold much less oxygen than FW. 2. bring water to live rocks for biological filtration. 3. Blow away detritus resting on top of corals.

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GunslingerGirl

Maybe I missed it but what are the equipment specs for the tank? Powerhead/filter? What's the GPH for that? Lighting? Heater?

 

Have you checked the heater? Sometimes the short and give off electricity. Not very likely but idk.

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I have had incidents that fish suddenly fell ill when other fish stayed fine. But if your snails are acting funny too that may indicate something in the water. Maybe the water you got from your LFS got contaminated somehow? Are you running carbon? Try putting fresh carbon in, and if you have Prime, dose a small amount.

 

Hydrometers are inaccurate by design. Refractometers can be purchased fairly cheap on Amazon.

 

I hate putting air pump & airstone in saltwater.... It causes salt cre3p everywhere. A powerhead aimed at the surface will be fine.

 

Speaking of which, do you have enough surface agitation? What is your flow?

 

 

I put in fresh carbon today. I only have the flow from the filter, no powerhead. I thought a powerhead was more important for corals.

 

 

What brand are the tests? Some are notoriously inaccurate unfortunately. Also how old are they? I have been victim of using expired tests before.

 

I wouldn't remove anything at the moment. If it was something the snail brought in... it's in the tank. If it's due to the snail dying, you should see a spike in something if not ammonia then nitrates.

 

Tomorrow I would take your water to the LFS (make sure it's a good LFS) and have them test it with better tests. Also have them test the salinity with a refractometer to make sure your readings are spot on. I got by using a hydrometer that I tested against a refractometer monthly for awhile until I had the cash flow to spend on more equipment. In hindsight, should have just bought it first and put off a good light or something.

 

Tests are made by API. I haven't checked their expiration dates. that's a good idea, ones about a year old, the other maybe a few.

 

if the fish and snail live through the night, return them to the LFS.

 

Put the 3 gallon back in your mom's basement, do 3 months of research and start again.

 

way too many variables here. way too many ways to toss time and energy and be wrong.

 

also, any physical injuries? you mention in one of your threads an emerald crab.

 

i've had emeralds kill fish and snails. what if you're looking at an injured fish and snail from a hungry crab?

 

Sorry dad. Speaking of research, I recently learned that I could do mine starting in the fall of 2017 at Notre Dame or Princeton. I have yet to hear from Virginia, William and Mary, and Hopkins. Maybe that will show you that I'm no idiot. There aren't any visible injuries on either.

 

Have you ever upgraded the stock pump? Saltwater aquariums require a much stronger flow than FW. Turnover should be at least 10-20 times per hour. Turbulent flow is also superior to directional flow. A few reasons that I can think of: 1. Surface agitation to increase oxygenation. SW can hold much less oxygen than FW. 2. bring water to live rocks for biological filtration. 3. Blow away detritus resting on top of corals.

 

No I haven't. I don't know its GPH, it doesn't say. Its just the filter that comes with the Marineland Eclipse System 3. I hope to get a powerhead soon.

 

Maybe I missed it but what are the equipment specs for the tank? Powerhead/filter? What's the GPH for that? Lighting? Heater?

 

Have you checked the heater? Sometimes the short and give off electricity. Not very likely but idk.

 

The heater is fine. Lighting is a T5, not suitable for coral but I don't have any so... GPH of filter I don't know like I said. Like I said no powerhead, plan on getting one. Heater is able to go up to a 10 gallon, have had it for a while, very reliable.

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burtbollinger

 

 

 

Sorry dad. Speaking of research, I recently learned that I could do mine starting in the fall of 2017 at Notre Dame or Princeton. I have yet to hear from Virginia, William and Mary, and Hopkins. Maybe that will show you that I'm no idiot. There aren't any visible injuries on either.

 

 

 

Save your money. Student loans are a b____.

 

Not gonna bait me into personal attacks here, buddy. Good luck with your fish.

 

No one called you an idiot. You are acting like a hypersensitive millennial though, unable to handle any criticism of your uneducated approach which you bragged about in another forum as you having the "guts" to start a 3g you found in a basement.

Sorry I'm not gentle enough for you...and I'm sorry you didn't do more research before starting. I feel bad for the fish.

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Save your money. Student loans are a b____.

 

Not gonna bait me into personal attacks here, buddy. Good luck with your fish.

 

 

 

Don't worry. My scholarships will cover most.

Like you already haven't? Haha. allow me to quote "You have NO clue what you are doing. You have not properly researched and in NO WAY is a 3 gallon acceptable." or maybe "mom's basement." None of those are personal attacks. no way. Ok, mister high and mighty, take the high road starting now why don't you. I appreciate your staged formality of wishing me luck. I just wish you actually meant it.

 

Now back to the others who have been actually helpful. I have put in airstone and pump. Hopefully that helps.

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RIP Sebastian

Research is the key to this hobby. No offense, but it seems like you have not done enough. SW is much different from FW and patience is even more crucial in SW. It is possible to start with a Pico, but success rates are very low. As this is your first SW tank, and it's a pico, adding a fish was not a very wise decision, especially right after a completed cycle.

 

The first issue I see is that your test kits say they are usable for FW and SW. This is a marketing tactic and the test kit is most likely crap. If you wish to be successful long-term in this hobby, a high quality test kit is a must have. I recommend a Salifert or Red Sea test kit.

 

In my opinion, you should break down the three gallon entirely, do some more research, and, when you're ready, start up something a little larger, like an IM 10. A three gallon doesn't allow much space, so an upgrade was most likely inevitable. It will also allow some more stability.

 

I am not trying to offend you. This was a good learning experience and a reality check for you.

 

If you have any more specific questions, feel free to PM me.

 

 

Cheers,

 

Nick

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Glad you have an air pump handy. Now as the bubble burst they'll cause saltwater to fly everywhere and as it dries, you'll get a lot of salt creep. Protect your T5 from the splash. You may want to put towels around your tank to catch the saltwater if you have expensive furniture or wooden floor etc. I would also turn off the lights and hopefully the fish will rest and reduce oxygen consumption.

 

DO NOT DOSE ANYTHING. Dosing anything would further reduce oxygenation.

 

You'll probably want to get a powerhead asap. Return pumps that come with FW AIO are mediocre. Like I said shoot for 10-20x turnover. Make sure you point the flow upward to get some surface agitation.

 

Here is a link to a cheap powerhead that I use as supplemental in my 6.25G.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZW6OHHY/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Transitioning from FW to SW has its blessings and its curses. I switched over from FW just like you did. I would suggest borrowing/buying a book to relearn everything as a newbie. While like I said there are a lot of fundamental knowledge that spans across the two sides of the hobby, there are a lot many other things that are very different. You won't know until you learn as a newbie.

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burtbollinger

 

Don't worry. My scholarships will cover most.

Like you already haven't? Haha. allow me to quote "You have NO clue what you are doing. You have not properly researched and in NO WAY is a 3 gallon acceptable." or maybe "mom's basement." None of those are personal attacks. no way. Ok, mister high and mighty, take the high road starting now why don't you. I appreciate your staged formality of wishing me luck. I just wish you actually meant it.

 

Now back to the others who have been actually helpful. I have put in airstone and pump. Hopefully that helps.

 

FACT: The tank came did come from your dwelling's basement. As a high schooler, its not a malicious stretch to think it's your mom's basement. My guess is the tank was purchased when you were @ 11 or 12 years old.

 

FACT: You have no clue what you are doing because you did not do enough research.

 

FACT: You frame this as having "guts".

 

OPINION: You're being needlessly hypersensitive to not being stroked.

 

FACT: You need to break the tank down.

 

FACT: You need to return the livestock in the AM.

 

FACT: This is called a reality check.

 

FACT: Actually helpful? Re-read my advice and questions again.

 

OPINION: It is not personal. I don't know you. Your tone is not all roses and buttercups either.

 

FACT: Good luck meant I was leaving the convesation...aka....The end.

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Research is the key to this hobby. No offense, but it seems like you have not done enough. SW is much different from FW and patience is even more crucial in SW. It is possible to start with a Pico, but success rates are very low. As this is your first SW tank, and it's a pico, adding a fish was not a very wise decision, especially right after a completed cycle.

 

The first issue I see is that your test kits say they are usable for FW and SW. This is a marketing tactic and the test kit is most likely crap. If you wish to be successful long-term in this hobby, a high quality test kit is a must have. I recommend a Salifert or Red Sea test kit.

 

In my opinion, you should break down the three gallon entirely, do some more research, and, when you're ready, start up something a little larger, like an IM 10. A three gallon doesn't allow much space, so an upgrade was most likely inevitable. It will also allow some more stability.

 

I am not trying to offend you. This was a good learning experience and a reality check for you.

 

If you have any more specific questions, feel free to PM me.

 

 

Cheers,

 

Nick

 

No offense taken. I appreciate your input. I don't believe I did as much research as I could, but I have been researching this idea for months. The factor that probably shot me in the foot was budget, and trying to spend as little as possible meant I had to cut corners, even though I had learned things from my research. So, in other words, I thought that it was possible and rushed it.

 

It is probably true that the kits are not the best. This "reality check" will probably defer me from SW altogether for a while, which is a shame because I wanted this hobby to continue through college (asides from my majoring in biology and marine sciences, which doesn't really count) and Ive never heard of a FW pico tank, but maybe I can keep looking.

 

Glad you have an air pump handy. Now as the bubble burst they'll cause saltwater to fly everywhere and as it dries, you'll get a lot of salt creep. Protect your T5 from the splash. You may want to put towels around your tank to catch the saltwater if you have expensive furniture or wooden floor etc. I would also turn off the lights and hopefully the fish will rest and reduce oxygen consumption.

 

DO NOT DOSE ANYTHING. Dosing anything would further reduce oxygenation.

 

You'll probably want to get a powerhead asap. Return pumps that come with FW AIO are mediocre. Like I said shoot for 10-20x turnover. Make sure you point the flow upward to get some surface agitation.

 

Here is a link to a cheap powerhead that I use as supplemental in my 6.25G.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZW6OHHY/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Transitioning from FW to SW has its blessings and its curses. I switched over from FW just like you did. I would suggest borrowing/buying a book to relearn everything as a newbie. While like I said there are a lot of fundamental knowledge that spans across the two sides of the hobby, there are a lot many other things that are very different. You won't know until you learn as a newbie.

 

I also appreciate your helpfulness. The tank and light are both sufficiently covered. I will most likely buy a book, break down the tank, and wait a few years (like til I graduate from college) before touching SW with a ten foot pole.

 

 

FACT: The tank came did come from your dwelling's basement. As a high schooler, its not a malicious stretch to think it's your mom's basement. My guess is the tank was purchased when you were @ 11 or 12 years old.

 

FACT: You have no clue what you are doing because you did not do enough research.

 

FACT: You frame this as having "guts".

 

OPINION: You're being needlessly hypersensitive to not being stroked.

 

FACT: You need to break the tank down.

 

FACT: You need to return the livestock in the AM.

 

FACT: This is called a reality check.

 

FACT: Actually helpful? Re-read my advice and questions again.

 

OPINION: It is not personal. I don't know you. Your tone is not all roses and buttercups either.

 

FACT: The end.

 

I apologize for my snarkiness in reaction to you. I do recognize that. But I hope you recognize that your "advice" would be so much more effective if you were nicer.

 

FACT: The tank came from my school's science department lab, where it was gathering dust in a corner. From there I brought it to my dwelling, left it in my basement while I did research, then set it up. Stop assuming things.

FACT: My tone started out fine until you scoldingly preached at me from your high pulpit

FACT: And its people like you who deter people like me from forums like this altogether.

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RIP Sebastian

I am just going to remind everyone to be respectful. Burt was just trying to help you. He may have made some inappropriate comments, but you retaliated inappropriately as well. Let's make sure to keep this civil. There is no need to brag about colleges and/or living situations- especially to your elders. Thank you!

 

 

Nick

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Hey there - So I didn't read all the posts but I think I got most of the info you provided...

 

I'm guilty of it sometimes as well - but kinda bummed to see the posts that don't really provide any sort of real advice other than "you messed up - go research for X months and try again"...

 

So first regarding the fish - SW fish are for the most part still wild caught. They go through quite the journey before they even reach our tanks. Thus a lot can go wrong and it's not always immediately apparent what's happening. It could be new tank syndrome, where the fish is being affected by ammonia poisoning due to an inadequate biofilter. Or it could be something else entirely.

 

- Do you notice any physical signs of injury, disease, or parasitic infestation? Look for things like skin legions, excess mucous, bulges, scrapes, fin damage, gills sticking out, discoloration in spots, white spots, etc... Also behavioral things like acting listless or twitchy or rubbing up against objects in an "itching" fashion.

- How did you acclimate the fish? It's not uncommon for LFS to keep their fish systems at 1.018 SG. Acclimating them to 1.026 or thereabouts in an hour or less isn't sufficient time. It's best to change no more than .003 per 24 hours.

- Can you run through the process you took to do the water change? It's common for beginners to accidentally omit something. Did you match the temperature and SG of the new water? Use dechlorinator? Temperature and salinity swings have big impacts - this is why pico tanks are considered more difficult. Small errors or omissions can have big impacts.

- Finally some fish just don't do well acclimating to captivity. Eventually they succumb to the stress. They're surprisingly susceptible creatures in many cases.

 

IMO best thing you can do is try to maintain stable water conditions. Turning off the light can help reduce stress. We can't really say exactly what happened because there are simply too many variables but generally once a fish gets to this point it's pretty far gone.

 

Further advice on the tank:

- IMO a 3g is a bit small for any fish. Not impossible but definitely need to be on your game and know how to keep parameters stable. I just started a 3g tank myself (Fluval Spec 3 - love it!) and there aren't any fish in the plans. It's not that I don't know my stuff, it's just more than I want to deal with. Small fish can be pretty sensitive and in small tanks they're more reliant on things like multiple feedings per day, religious maintenance, etc...

- With 2 hermits and the emerald crab you'll likely want to feed herbivorous preparations. Nori - for making sushi, is commonly used as an algae supplement but you could probably use algae wafers or something as well. I'm not sure if they make a SW specific variant but they need some of the green stuff.

- 1.025 SG isn't bad. NSW is 1.026 so there's probably not a reason to lower it. Top off daily if you can. Getting what's called an ATO (Auto topoff) is a life saver for reef tanks - especially small ones where you can have significant evaporation during vacations and stuff. Keeping the tank topped off and salinity stable is super important. In particular my experience is that snails are very sensitive to changes in salinity so this could be the cause of the snail not doing so well. Fish are slightly more tolerant, particularly towards hyposalinity (a sudden decrease). Changes in the upward direction should be quite gradual though.

 

Good luck - hopefully the fish makes it. SW is NOT rocket science and there are no guarantees that ANY length of time spent researching will make you a successful hobbyist. What will make you a successful hobbyist is the desire to enjoy your tank and make it successful. I'm pretty sure I'm not making a bad assumption when I say that every new hobbyist loses a fish or makes a mistake. You learn by doing. If the fish dies that doesn't make you a horrible person. Some people don't take the time to understand and they just replace the fish the next day and the cycle repeats over and over. I'm not a fan of that type of person but you don't seem to be like that. No need to give up, you will gain experience over time. Make your next thread be a tank thread where you describe your tank and where people can offer more specific advice.

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Hey man I learned a long time ago leave your feelings at the login screen. A lot of veteran reefers come off as rude when only trying to help fix the problem. You have to understand you aren't the first this has happened to and you won't be the last. But guys and gals that have been around have seen and probably answered this same problem a few times. With a lot of research a lot can be avoided. We were all new to salt water at one point we all made mistakes what makes ya a good hobbiest is learning from them and not repeating them. Best advice I can give you is NOTHING COMES FAST IN THIS HOBBY. This hobby will test your will, spirit and patience really fast.

 

I hope all goes well and good luck with your livestock. I also hope you figure out the problem and post it here so others can learn from it.

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Hey there - So I didn't read all the posts but I think I got most of the info you provided...

 

I'm guilty of it sometimes as well - but kinda bummed to see the posts that don't really provide any sort of real advice other than "you messed up - go research for X months and try again"...

 

So first regarding the fish - SW fish are for the most part still wild caught. They go through quite the journey before they even reach our tanks. Thus a lot can go wrong and it's not always immediately apparent what's happening. It could be new tank syndrome, where the fish is being affected by ammonia poisoning due to an inadequate biofilter. Or it could be something else entirely.

 

- Do you notice any physical signs of injury, disease, or parasitic infestation? Look for things like skin legions, excess mucous, bulges, scrapes, fin damage, gills sticking out, discoloration in spots, white spots, etc... Also behavioral things like acting listless or twitchy or rubbing up against objects in an "itching" fashion.

- How did you acclimate the fish? It's not uncommon for LFS to keep their fish systems at 1.018 SG. Acclimating them to 1.026 or thereabouts in an hour or less isn't sufficient time. It's best to change no more than .003 per 24 hours.

- Can you run through the process you took to do the water change? It's common for beginners to accidentally omit something. Did you match the temperature and SG of the new water? Use dechlorinator? Temperature and salinity swings have big impacts - this is why pico tanks are considered more difficult. Small errors or omissions can have big impacts.

- Finally some fish just don't do well acclimating to captivity. Eventually they succumb to the stress. They're surprisingly susceptible creatures in many cases.

 

IMO best thing you can do is try to maintain stable water conditions. Turning off the light can help reduce stress. We can't really say exactly what happened because there are simply too many variables but generally once a fish gets to this point it's pretty far gone.

 

Further advice on the tank:

- IMO a 3g is a bit small for any fish. Not impossible but definitely need to be on your game and know how to keep parameters stable. I just started a 3g tank myself (Fluval Spec 3 - love it!) and there aren't any fish in the plans. It's not that I don't know my stuff, it's just more than I want to deal with. Small fish can be pretty sensitive and in small tanks they're more reliant on things like multiple feedings per day, religious maintenance, etc...

- With 2 hermits and the emerald crab you'll likely want to feed herbivorous preparations. Nori - for making sushi, is commonly used as an algae supplement but you could probably use algae wafers or something as well. I'm not sure if they make a SW specific variant but they need some of the green stuff.

- 1.025 SG isn't bad. NSW is 1.026 so there's probably not a reason to lower it. Top off daily if you can. Getting what's called an ATO (Auto topoff) is a life saver for reef tanks - especially small ones where you can have significant evaporation during vacations and stuff. Keeping the tank topped off and salinity stable is super important. In particular my experience is that snails are very sensitive to changes in salinity so this could be the cause of the snail not doing so well. Fish are slightly more tolerant, particularly towards hyposalinity (a sudden decrease). Changes in the upward direction should be quite gradual though.

 

Good luck - hopefully the fish makes it. SW is NOT rocket science and there are no guarantees that ANY length of time spent researching will make you a successful hobbyist. What will make you a successful hobbyist is the desire to enjoy your tank and make it successful. I'm pretty sure I'm not making a bad assumption when I say that every new hobbyist loses a fish or makes a mistake. You learn by doing. If the fish dies that doesn't make you a horrible person. Some people don't take the time to understand and they just replace the fish the next day and the cycle repeats over and over. I'm not a fan of that type of person but you don't seem to be like that. No need to give up, you will gain experience over time. Make your next thread be a tank thread where you describe your tank and where people can offer more specific advice.

 

 

Hey man I learned a long time ago leave your feelings at the login screen. A lot of veteran reefers come off as rude when only trying to help fix the problem. You have to understand you aren't the first this has happened to and you won't be the last. But guys and gals that have been around have seen and probably answered this same problem a few times. With a lot of research a lot can be avoided. We were all new to salt water at one point we all made mistakes what makes ya a good hobbiest is learning from them and not repeating them. Best advice I can give you is NOTHING COMES FAST IN THIS HOBBY. This hobby will test your will, spirit and patience really fast.

 

I hope all goes well and good luck with your livestock. I also hope you figure out the problem and post it here so others can learn from it.

 

Both of you said very helpful things. I will have to wait until the AM to see where things stand, but I appreciate the time you took into helping me out.

 

I am just going to remind everyone to be respectful. Burt was just trying to help you. He may have made some inappropriate comments, but you retaliated inappropriately as well. Let's make sure to keep this civil. There is no need to brag about colleges and/or living situations- especially to your elders. Thank you!

 

 

Nick

 

I did apologize didn't I? And how was I supposed to know he's an elder? Not like it matters that much, even if he wasn't he still deserves respect. I just felt I wasn't getting that same treatment either. But whatever. I'm done with this forum

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burtbollinger

if you're going to stop with the hobby for a while you're away at Harvard, thats a fine reason to stop visiting a forum.

However, if you're really going to be done with this forum because you feel insulted...because one random a-hole had a bit of perceived tone in his accurate answers, I think you should reconsider. Keep in mind, 5-6 other guys and gals sat with you for 3 hours on a Saturday night and tried to help you and your situation.

 

Get squared away at the LFS tomorrow morning and relax. Take everything back....or go crazy and by a refractometer. and non-expired test kits. Get super crazy and buy an ATO...and a 10g Innovative Marine.

Your fish and snail are mostly likely acting funny because of your salinity situation. If I were you I'd return the fish to save it's life while you learn to keep things more locked down.

 

A thousand apologies and Good night.

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RIP Sebastian

 

 

 

Both of you said very helpful things. I will have to wait until the AM to see where things stand, but I appreciate the time you took into helping me out.

 

 

I did apologize didn't I? And how was I supposed to know he's an elder? Not like it matters that much, even if he wasn't he still deserves respect. I just felt I wasn't getting that same treatment either. But whatever. I'm done with this forum

 

That's not what I meant, and I'm sorry for offending you. This was a blanket statement, as I had seen some harsh words in the previous posts. I really didn't mean to offend. I'm sure you'll come to see that this forum is a great resource with great people.

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Partially Submerged

Entertaining thread!

 

There is a way to remedy the whole situation. I am never sure how I should feel about all those pico tank kits available these days. On the one hand, they are amazing (I just set up an older 3g Picotope on my office desk tonight). On the other, they are deathtraps for "Nemo fish" and other unfortunate creatures in the hands of inexperienced beginners.

 

jfran, you have several years of experience with freshwater, so I am not considering you a beginner. Water is water. The same basic principles that are true in freshwater are true in reef tanks. But...reef tanks tend to be a lot less forgiving than the average freshwater tank, and that's especially true for very small tanks.

 

So here is what I'd do. Return the goby, the emerald crab, and whatever else you have in there. Keep the snail and see if it survives. 3g tanks are NO place for fish. None, no matter how small. Fish always have a relatively high bioload and also need more space. Keep your tank running with nothing but the live rock and the snail. Maybe get one or two cool species of macroalgae. Then - over the course of several weeks - slowly add a few more snails, a few easy corals, and maaaaaybe a small herd of sexy shrimp or peppermint shrimp.

 

Keep it at that. That's what pico tanks can do, and they can be a ton of fun. But stay away from fish and anything that requires a lot of food. Ideally you'll have nothing that requires feeding at all. If you need to feed, do your water changes right after.

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Partially Submerged

Oh, one other thing that even many experienced aquarists don't seem to understand: A cycle isn't a thing that happens and then is done. Bacteria populations constantly adjust to the availability of amonia, nitrite, etc. You can cycle the hell out of a new tank - the moment your ammonia source is gone, a majority of the ammonia-processing bacteria will die. Conversely, you can cycle your tank at a certain level, but if you add too much livestock at the same time, your tank will collapse. That's why it's so important to add livestock slowly.

 

Same is true for freshwater, of course, but in f/w, ammonia is typically less of a problem because the ph in your average tropical tank is low. Plus you can cheat a bit with plants. I haven't cycled a f/w tank in years. I just start out with a truckload of plants and add fish super slowly.

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"You have NO clue what you are doing. You have not properly researched and in NO WAY is a 3 gallon acceptable."

 

To be fair (and very blunt), you don't have a clue as to what you are doing if you panicked when your salinity hit 1.025 SG.

 

If we all take a step back, it is evident that Burt's first concern is the health of the fish and the quality of the ecosystem that they live in. While it may have come off as harsh, it's clear he has the fishes best interest in mind, something everyone entering this hobby should also have.

 

This is a difficult hobby and time consuming hobby relatively speaking. It takes time, patience, research, and money, all of which can end up resulting in the appreciation of our wonderful oceans within our own homes. We have all once been beginners and have made mistakes of our own, the best thing we can do is learn from them and move forward.

 

With all that being said, I hope that you can get this figured out. It sounds to me like you have not fully cycled your aquarium. It may be useful to read this guide if you haven't already: http://www.nano-reef.com/articles/_/beginners/cycling-your-tank-r8. I would also suggest returning the fish if you have any doubts as to whether or not your tank is cycled.

 

If you choose not to return the fish, it would probably be best to quarantine it and monitor its health over the next few days.

 

Good luck, I hope you are able to identify the root issue and get it situated!

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if you're going to stop with the hobby for a while you're away at Harvard, thats a fine reason to stop visiting a forum.

However, if you're really going to be done with this forum because you feel insulted...because one random a-hole had a bit of perceived tone in his accurate answers, I think you should reconsider. Keep in mind, 5-6 other guys and gals sat with you for 3 hours on a Saturday night and tried to help you and your situation.

 

Get squared away at the LFS tomorrow morning and relax. Take everything back....or go crazy and by a refractometer. and non-expired test kits. Get super crazy and buy an ATO...and a 10g Innovative Marine.

Your fish and snail are mostly likely acting funny because of your salinity situation. If I were you I'd return the fish to save it's life while you learn to keep things more locked down.

 

A thousand apologies and Good night.

Glad I gave up and went to bed!! I could see from the beginning it was heading nowhere fast.

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