Help plz...I kill fish :(

[Splat]

Plz nothing technical...I'm fish chemistry stooopid.

Here's the deal. I have a 55-gallon tank. The first 2 yrs were great. All my fish lived. A couple different tangs, wrasse, trigger, clown and damsel. I moved to another city, which maybe our water or our fish store are the source of the problem. After several months they all died.

Almost anytime we get fish now, within about 5 days they get white spots and die. OUr ammonia, nitrates and nitrites test out fine, along with the salt. Our pH is about 8.6 - 8.4 (lil high?) and our alkalinity registers very high (red sea test kit that shows low - high scale). I did a 25% water change and my alkalinity is still high. Does that even matter for fish? No invertebrates in the tank. The last fish we had just died

Also, I have been getting water from our local fish store to lower the alkalinity, and I just tested their water and the alkalinity is very high. I tested my reverse-osmosis water and it is not high. Should I just be using my own water with salt and "Prime" to get rid of chloramine/chlorine. I have lost all faith in this store.

Can anyone tell me what might be wrong with my fish? Does alkalinity play a major source in fish health? Is it OK to use my own water? Anything else it could be? Plz help. I'm desparate.

Oh yeah, my damn turbo snails live and grow like crazy.

Thanks!

Also, we don't think it's ick. We've treated that before and the fish always develop the white spots several days later. The green-ex we add never cures anything.

 

[fishfanatic2]

Hmmmm

Your pH is a little high, but it is not a great idea to go lower it with additives. Because of a high alk, you may be having a Total Disolved Solids problem, which affects the osmotic regualtion of the fish. This indirectly kills them by stressing them out to the point where disease takes over. I highly reccomend that you use RO water and just make your own. How often do you do water changes? ALso, when adding new water be careful to make sure it is the same temp and salinity as your tannk water. I realized that that was the case of my fish plague since it stresses them to the poin that they are overcome by disease. ALso, dont add so many chemical crap to your tank. The prime is fine, but pH additives and disease cure-alls shouldn't be added to the main tank. They really are just quick fixes for a long-term problem. Your turbos seem to be doing fine, which is a good sign, but there are many possibilities. I dont really understand where you are getting your water from. ALso, what doe s'high' mean. You really have to know a specific number with alk. I fyou have RO water, why not use it? SOmeone else will also be able to give you some more advice, I'm not an expert on this, But I hope this helps.

 

[fishfanatic2]

One more thing...it might be a good idea after the move to just let the tank settle down a little and adpat. How long ago did yu move? SUch changes can be very stressful on fish.

 

[randy holmes-farley]

Sorry, I don't know what might be impacting your fish. I don't think alkalinity usually does so at reasonable levels, but it is hard to say for sure without having an actual alkalinity value.

you may be having a Total Disolved Solids problem,

You mean high salinity?

 

[Splat]

Well, a couple things in our tank apparently were not working...and I also heard that damsels can carry the ick without being sick themselves, so maybe the 2 that always lived were getting all the rest sick.

Anyways, long story short, we spent quite a few bucks fixing everything, we're going to let our tank run fishless for about 2 more weeks, and then start over again. And I am finding many reasons why I will never own another damsel.

 

[Anonymous]

I think I can safely say that you also had a fish overload in that tank, which, in the beginning wasn't too bad, but I wouldn't be surprised if it ultimately hit critical mass (in a manner of speaking).

Go fallow at LEAST 6 weeks (I've only perused this thread, so please forgive it stated previously), 8 are better.

If you have turbo snails, you have invertebrates. Your pH isn't too high, but also know that a 25% w/c isn't going to do much. If you have your own RO/DI, you absolutely can use your own water!

Btw, welcome to reefs.org, Splat.. but, is that splat like the onomatopoeic word? Or is it "splat" like the bit in a chair?

 

[Splat]

Well I never had more than 6 fish in the tank at once, I just think the couple that kept living were the ones carrying ick.

I will take your advice though and wait. Question, when I do a water change (and I have LIVING FISH in the tank), how much should I change out?

And well...Splat is simply my name from an online game I play (Counter-Strike) and that's what the other person's head does. Sorry it isn't too much deeper than that, lol. Thanks for your help!

 

[Splat]

OK now I just read another forum and I'm concerned. Exactly how many fish would cause an overload in a 55-gallon tank. I've been told I could keep 2-3 medium fish (tang size) and 3-5 small fish. Is that too many? I won't put them all in at once of course, maybe over 2-3 months at best.

 

[fishfanatic2]

RHF

By TDS I mean like Tds meter, including everything(silicate, magnesium, etc.) A too high or too low TDS level can affect the process of osmosis in a fishes cells, thus stressing the fish with over or underworked kidneys. 8O

 

[Anonymous]

OK now I just read another forum and I'm concerned. Exactly how many fish would cause an overload in a 55-gallon tank. I've been told I could keep 2-3 medium fish (tang size) and 3-5 small fish. Is that too many? I won't put them all in at once of course, maybe over 2-3 months at best.

That is very difficult to quantify, in part because we have issues such as total mass, activity level, and feeding habits to factor in. There are also variables as far as your particular setup goes. Also, when you say "tang size", you should know that there are species that'll top 12", not to mention a high activity level. Personally, I wouldn't house anything over 4", and I would strive for fishes that stay 3" and under. Numbers, again, will depend more on these other factors (think what taxation on the system a 3" vs. a 3"mandarin would be).

However, I can tell you this; in your tank, I would leave out tangs altogether. Centropyge, gobies, dottybacks (or even a small roundhead such as a Yellow Devilfish), smaller Apogon (cardinals), less aggressive clowns would be a place to start. Leave very low the numbers of fish that tend to swim constantly, they will eat (and thus eliminate) more. Exact numbers is really more difficult, though.

 

[randy holmes-farley]

By TDS I mean like Tds meter, including everything(silicate, magnesium, etc.) A too high or too low TDS level can affect the process of osmosis in a fishes cells, thus stressing the fish with over or underworked kidneys.

The TDS (total dissolved solids measured by conductivity and reported in ppm) in a reef aquarium is largely controlled by sodium, chloride, magnesium, and sulfate. Everything else is just background noise.

So TDS in that context means the salinity. Yes, the salinity can be too high or too low, and that might stress particular organisms.