biggs Posted January 31, 2004 Share Posted January 31, 2004 My JBJ nano is on day four. I have never done this stuff before. There is about 10 pounds of live rock in there (cured) and 12 pounds of live sand (both from LFS.) There's a pretty small damsel in there (blue body/ yellow tail) who is not quite an inch long. The first day he was in there he was 'jumpy' and wouldn't sit still. Today he spent most of the day hiding and I got worried and moved the rock around to flush him out. Now he's swimming and sitting near the bottom and I notice his mouth is moving fast as if he were breathing fast. Should I be concerned. Oh and before anyone yells at me for putting a fish in there, I was told it was OK by local fish place. After reading more I see it might not be the best idea. But TWO places said it was OK to do it. FYI, my levels (ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, sg, temp) all seem OK except for the pH which I have trouble reading. The color just doesn't really seem to be the color on the little card (it's an Aquarium Pharmacuticals kit.) But that's because the colors on the card are strong in hue and the color of the sample is lighter of course. Is there an easier kit to read? I can't afford an electronic tester right now. Thanks in advance. Tony Link to comment
Paulc Posted January 31, 2004 Share Posted January 31, 2004 My guess is that the the levels of ammonia and or nitrite are higher than you think or the Damsel was sick before you bought it. Take a sample of water to your LFS and have them check it out. Damsels are tough so it may not necessarily end in it's death. PS how long did you have the LR and LS in the tank before you placed the Damsel in it and was the LR fully cured ? Link to comment
Orange Crush Posted January 31, 2004 Share Posted January 31, 2004 doesn't sound like the damsel is going to make it Does he have any other problems? Fins look torn? If that's the case, you might be able to help him with Melafix - good stuff. How long was the tank set up before he was added? Link to comment
biggs Posted January 31, 2004 Author Share Posted January 31, 2004 Day 1 was water and salt. Day 2 LR and LS. Day 3 fish. He is clearly sick. He hasn't moved since I went to bed 7 hours ago. Still breathing though. I am going to take a water sample to the LFS in an hour. Here are my personal test resuts from 5 minutes ago: pH is very hard for me to tell but it seems like it's somewhere between 7.8 to 8. Ammonia is between .5 and 1. It's closer to 1 though. Nitrite is .25. That one is aways easy to read. Nitrate is 20. That one is easy to read as well. Link to comment
seabass Posted January 31, 2004 Share Posted January 31, 2004 The fish really has no business being in your tank at this time. Is your LFS still open? Call and see if they will keep it in their tanks until your tank cycles. Otherwise do a significant water change as soon as you can. Also, put some Seachem Prime in it to reduce your ammonia levels; they are bad enough to kill the hardiest of fish. Keep up the water changes if you can’t find someone to keep it in an established tank for you. The poor guy. :| Link to comment
biggs Posted February 1, 2004 Author Share Posted February 1, 2004 The fish is going to be moved. I don't want to do water changes right now as the defeat the purpose of the cycling process. Don't they? Link to comment
seabass Posted February 1, 2004 Share Posted February 1, 2004 It might be too late, but I’m glad you decided to move it. You should never cycle a tank with a fish. Without livestock in your tank, you can cycle your tank without water changes. However, I still recommend weekly water changes from the start. Ten to Twenty percent water changes will not halt your cycle; and there is still plenty of life on LR that you are trying to save. Link to comment
biggs Posted February 1, 2004 Author Share Posted February 1, 2004 Big update. Today I got up with the intention of returning my sick damsel. I walked downstairs to my office and found that he is like a new fish. He is incredibly active. He's eating and running around exploring. His color has improved and his dorsal fin is more upright and spikey. And for 2 days he didn't move an inch. It's remarkable. The only thing I did to change things was buffer the pH up to 8.2. There is no way I'm giving this guy up now. He might have tough times in the next couple days and I know I should return him. But we have history now and I don't want to give him up. In fact, I am pretty tempted to keep him forever. I'm just not sure how well he will get along with the clown that I am going to get for my kid. When the time comes I wil rearrange the rock to trick him into not thinking he owns the tank. Thanks for all the help everyone. Link to comment
Empty Posted February 3, 2004 Share Posted February 3, 2004 "There is no way I'm giving this guy up now. He might have tough times in the next couple days and I know I should return him. But we have history now and I don't want to give him up. In fact, I am pretty tempted to keep him forever. " Yes, when I have a pleasant association with something I like to lock it in a closet full of noxious gases and sewage. If you are keeping him, do 10-15% water changes daily until ammonia and nitrite and nitrate are unreadable, then slow them to every few days for a week or so (testing a lot) and then, iff everything stays at 0, move back to once a week. ~Empty Link to comment
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