Dead, and don't know what to do... Read  - 1/24/08
<?>
Hi
Ok here is my situation. I have an 85 gallon tank, reef lighting (Current) , a euro reef protein skimmer, a Megaflow sump filter model 4.
Live rock, two sea anemones,
<... likely trouble. See WWM re Actinarian comp.>
one brittle star fish, one sea urchin, one fire shrimp, a cleaner wrasse,
<...>
a six line wrasse, a mandarin Goby and small clown.
My lights on a timer so 2 hours in the am and then 6 in the evening.
OK so every time I add a fish that is a little bigger (Naso Tang or an Arugula Butterfly) they die.
<...>
The last one was a Naso tang, I drip acclimated him and for three days
<!?>
he was great he zipped around the tank and then on the third day he is on his side no spots or nothing struggling to stay alive and then dead.
Water levels are all in zone.
<What zone?>
What is going on ??? help?
Thanks
Jim
<... Water tests? Filtration, maintenance... Read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/cnidcompppt.htm
and on to Env. diseases, Marine... You have a toxicity problem... likely from the Cnidarians here... but... w/o test results, knowing what gear you have... more data, can only vaguely guess. Bob Fenner>

HELP NEEDED... LR introduction wipe-out...
I have a 55 gallon salt tank it has been up and running now for a few months. everything has been fine until last night. I recently bought 16 pounds of new live rock to add to my existing LR.
<Best by far to sequester, re "cure" this outside main systems...>
I also did a 10 gallon or so water change. everything was still fine for about 24 hours then it all happened. At the stroke of the new year, I seen the tank was cloudy, checked my ph it was 7.0,
<Yikes!>
checked nitrates they were over 5.0,
<... likely Nitrites... deadly>
then I seen lots of bristle worms( I had never seen these in my tank before) all the fish were dead including the sea urchin, however my red starfish, and anemone are still alive, the anemone is not looking so good but is still alive. I also seen some cocoon looking white sacks on a live rock. (what could these be) now today I am doing water changes readily to try to get the nitrates down. Am I doing this right and what happened to cause this. I don't want to cause this again, ever.
<?>
I appreciate any information and help you can give me. I am a nurse who feels like a murderer to these poor fish. last night it was almost like a code blue call for me. I even had my husband assisting me in doing emergency cares for the star and anemone until 5 am this morning.
Sam
<... much for you to read. Please start here: http://wetwebmedia.com/lrh2oqualfaq2.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Dead marine fish... not a joke, but pretty humorous/tragic  12/30/07
Hi,
My fish only tank is almost 3 years old. During most of that time the tank has been doing great. Recently fish have started to die. First new fish would die within hours of adding them. Then the other fish began to die. My PH was quite low.
<How low is low?>
I probably raised it too quickly
<How much and how?>
and most of the fish died the next day. Two (Puffer and Snowflake Eel) stopped eating and died 2-3 weeks later. Water chemistry is perfect.
<What does this mean?>
Added 3 fish yesterday all are dead or dying. Prior to the death of most of my fish I added a Wrasse. He died within two days of adding him. Same with a Lion fish. (tails looked torn, poor respiration. Is it possibly my salt is bad?
<Possibly>
How about RO filter? Mine is one year old.
<What does testing tell/show you?>
I store my RO water in the basement in a covered 35 gallon rubber garbage can with an air stone and cover on it. Any ideas?
<All sorts>
What do I do next?
<Likely read>
My Tank is a 90 gal. with UV, protein skimmer, and sump. I have never touched the bio balls but I do clean the sump and pads.
My tank has no ammonia or nitrites. Nitrates are below 20. Temp. is 70 degrees and salt is 1.019.
<Too low...>
There is some copper that I added .10-.15.
<A very poor idea to have constant exposure>
PH is 83.
<No>
Please advise!
Thank you"
Roy Pakett
<Please start reading here: http://wetwebmedia.com/mardisindex.htm
The Yellow tray... Toxic H2O cond.s... and re the spg, Cu... You're killing these fishes... need to educate yourself. Bob Fenner>

Re: Dead marine fish... not a joke, but pretty humorous/tragic  – 1/2/08
Bob,
<Roy>
Please Help!!
I believe I narrowed the problem down to the quality of the water that I am adding to the tank. I also have a 14 gallon nano reef tank and after doing a water change my healthy clown fish died. (No remaining live fish) I just added two Chromis fish to my 90 gallon. Both died within 1 day. Added one to my reef tank- It too died within 2 days. I believe the problem is either bad salt, bad RO filter (one year old) or bad storage of water- I keep in basement in 35 gallon rubber garbage cans air stone on all the time.
Tested storage water-T.D.S.= 25 I have had aquariums all my life and I do know how to acclimate fish.
Please advise- How do I do a complete water change of a 90 gallon tank without killing the good bacteria?
<Not to worry re... I would drain the water out completely here... add some chemical filtrants... replace all water...>
I only have one small snowflake Eel currently in it.
Thank you.
<... Keep reading where you were referred to. BobF>

Sudden death of Ocellaris Clown, Cleaner Shrimp and Emerald Crab... Small, overcrowded mis set-up and managed SW system...  12/30/07
Hello WWM crew,
<Rana>
Your site has been a great help as we established our first tank, a 14gal BioCube. Sorry to say I'm writing cause we are having tragedy in the last 48 hours. First, some background. Bought it 'complete' from the LFS, and it had been established in the store for a little bit of time with reef rock, sand, corals etc and a couple of fish. Oh yeah, I forgot, bonus thing we discovered when we got home, a HUGE (10-12 inch) bristleworm. Nice.
<Perhaps for fishing bait>
It started with quite a bit of coral (different types, polyps etc) and added a frogspawn coral, emerald crab, a regular hermit, a scarlet hermit and 2 snails. Fish are 2 small (1.5 inch) Ocellaris clowns, 1 Banggai Cardinal, 1 small shrimp goby. First cleaner shrimp didn't make the trip from the store.
<... this life needs more room than this>
First problem in the tank after a few weeks of setup (about 6 months ago) was "red slime". We had quite the outbreak and it killed 2 corals (pretty delicate purple things). LFS recommended ChemiPure - which we treated and double-treated. Reduced amount of light to 8 hours, tank does not get direct sunlight. Long story short, we barely contain the red slime and when it gets bad we do a ChemiPure treatment and significant water changes (30-40%). So it's more or less stable. Deep cleaning was done recently (cleaned bio balls, reservoir area etc for any detritus, didn't remove from water). Test kits shows our nitrates go up significantly - we test every 2-3 weeks. This has been a mystery.
<Less so with a bit of study...>
My best guess so far is that we have too much 'life' in the tank, the corals are thriving and growing and things could just be getting crowded.
<Yes>
About 4 weeks ago, found 1 snail dead. And about 3 months ago, added a cleaner shrimp. About 2 weeks ago, we replaced the snail with a new one, and added a blue-legged hermit (medium sized). All animals had been otherwise healthy (shrimp molting etc) and growing.
Then 2 days ago tragedy struck. The tank has been stable for over a month. Nitrates ok but we picked up the pace of water changes to 7 days to control it (and the red slime).
<BGA... very common in small, unstable, "incompletely" filtered crowded systems as yours... the rule rather than exception>
Went away on vacation for 5 days and had a friend care for the tank. The day after we got back, 1 day after last seen healthy, one of the clowns had flopped into the reservoir and died (despite enough water being in the reservoir). Best conclusion was stress of some sort as this clown had not jumped out before like this (the other one had previously). The other clown was fine. One clown had done this 2 times before - despite the lid on the tank, managed to flop through the 1 inch space between the reservoir and the tank.
Then this morning (less than 48 hours after clown died), found the previously VERY healthy cleaner shrimp and emerald crab dead (and being consumed or partially consumed overnight) by worms etc in the tank.
<Are you surprised? I can't register this>
Tank still looks thriving. Tested water - pH has dropped a bit from 8.0 to 7.4.
<!!!... Uhh, this is a base ten logarithm... This drop is more precipitous than the fall of the U.S. dollar against other world currencies... a bit of humour>
Nitrates still high (it's been 1 week since water change) - around 50mg/l.
<... disastrous>
Help. Very sad day, since we have been overcoming these tank issues and all life looked thriving, it's sad to see a third of our stock just die within 3 days. And all very mysteriously. No fish or corals or anything shows signs of disease. They eat well and even the red slime is not present.
Your insight and advice is sorely needed.
Sad in SF,
Rana from SF
<Uhh... you've got some reading to do... Maybe start here: http://wetwebmedia.com/small.htm
and then on to the linked files above. BobF in SDiego...>

What happens within the tank when an Anemone dies? 12/20/07
Hi Crew,
<Hello Bobby, Brenda here!>
I have a question about Condylactis Anemones.
<Okay!>
If I were to buy a Condylactis, and it happen to die (obviously not hoping, just sort of planning ahead), what would happen within the tank? Would this pretty much crash my tank?
<It is a definite possibility, especially in smaller tanks.>
I'm new to anemones so any information about what happens after their death would help.
<They can fall to pieces, and are very hard to get out of the water in one piece. You may need to siphon a lot of it out. It smells horrible, and will cause an ammonia spike. You will need to do several large water changes over the next few days. Having a supply of premixed saltwater is always recommended for emergencies. I recommend researching their care several months in advance so you can eliminate the chances of it dying. More information here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm >
Thank you very much, Bobby
<You’re welcome! Brenda>

Metal in reef aquaria 12/19/07
Greetings Crew
<Hello Mark.>
I am in the process of starting a new 100 gal reef and would like to get it right the first time with your help. The lighting is installed, a new Euro-Reef skimmer is in the sump, and I'm ready for live rock.
<Congratulations>
What I'm not sure about is the use of metallic objects in reef systems.
The metallic objects I refer to include a titanium heater, a submersible Mag 12 pump which utilizes stainless steel screws to fasten the pump chamber to the motor, and an Aqua UV ultraviolet sterilizer. The sterilizer is my main concern here as it is equipped with a sleeve wiper actuated by a 1/4" rod about 8" long. All these items have been used in a previous setup with no appreciable corrosion so the stainless is of good quality.
I have always made a point of avoiding metal fasteners and clamps where contact with the water is likely but these items are supposedly made for this application.
<Good practice.>
Do I have cause for concern?
<No, these items can be used no problem.>
Thanks,
Mark P.
<Welcome, have fun, Scott V.>

Sump Near Oil Furnace - 12/13/07
I have learned a great deal from your site, thank you. I have not been able to find any mention of what might be troubling me with my tanks. I have two reef tanks one 72 bow front in my basement, one 210 on first floor of my home - they run off the same water system and sump in the basement. The sump, which contains my protein skimmer, water pumps and heater is in very close proximity of my oil burning furnace. [Living in Maine - basic necessity.] The sump ( a 45 gallon tote ) is approximately 1 foot away from the furnace. I do not have a cover on the sump - lots of open water. I use RO water. My fish are doing great, fat and healthy. My corals are not so great; they fail to thrive. Do you think it has something to do with the proximity of the furnace/sump.
<Mmm... might have an influence... I would likely contact a business in the field of such heat technology, ask what tools they suggest for testing for contamination here, what compounds are typically found in association... Perhaps a few calls to a college with a chemistry department re what they might be able to do for you re mass spectrophotometry>
My local reefing expert and friend at AquaCorals in Fairfield, Maine has brainstormed all parameters -
<Mmm, would like to see/hear this...>
thinks all is fine but questions the
furnace. What do you think?
Jeanine M. Brown
<... Could experiment or just move the sump... try covering it at least... Bob Fenner>

Disaster...no Clue. AP TWP, some sort of catastrophic cascade poisoning event Hello!   12/9/07
I have a major problem with my tank and have spent 3 weeks trying to sort it out. I have searched your site and just can't seem to find anything that relates to my situation.
<Let's see...>
My set up is a 90 gallon with a Pro Clear 150 series 2.
<This wet-dry? http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00061UXXC?smid=AEL917WTFL8PV&tag=msnshop-pet-mp-20&linkCode=asn>
The tank has been up and running for over a year now with no problems. Nitrates, Nitrites and Ammonia all at zero. PH runs about 8.2. I added some red Gracilaria to the Sump. (After the skimmer below bio ball before the return) I was running a light on opposite cycle from the main tank lights as well. A month after adding the Gracilaria I started to see copods
<No such thing... Copepods>
down there and when I did a water change they would sometimes go flying out into the tank. A few of them took up residence around some of my polyps and pulsing xenia. Life was good in the tank! I did water changed weekly of about 10 gallons. This went on for a year with no problems or losses.
<Good>
Rather than purchase water I decided to invest in a Tap Water Filter by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals.
<Mmm, please see WWM... this product is unworthy... a toy if you will... Not cheap or really functional to produce clean water>
I did some reading and this was supposed to be a great product. Recommended by Jack Wattley and all.
<Jack... Wattley... knows better than to have lent/sold his name here. I will say no more re>
I mixed up my first 5 gallon batch and decided to test it first since I wanted to be sure the water was good before adding it to my tank. Testing pre-salt showed 0 nitrates, nitrites, ammonia and chlorine. I did note the PH was very low. Around a 5.0 but once I added the salt mix it came right up to the 8.0 level. I added the 5 gallons and then mixed the next 5 gallons. Testing again gave the same results. While I was working on the tank I decided that I would add a little of the bio active sand to the sump. I placed it down with the Gracilaria to try and keep the pods going strong.
The next morning it looked like a war zone. Pulsing xenia was withered away and the mushroom leather corals were all shriveled up. I tested and found my nitrates 20 nitrites were at .5.
<Yikes...>
Panic set in so I went and did another 10 gallon water change. Again, testing the water before placing it in the tank. 24 Hours later my nitrates 20 nitrites were at 3.0 and all coral, blue leg, emerald green, peppermint and cleaner shrimp were dead.
<Yes... poisoned>
I again did another water change, this time I did 30 gallons. The nitrites came down to .5 and I decided to go and purchase some Prime since it seemed my tank was in a cycle. Odd thing is ammonia was 0 or .5 during this whole ordeal.
<Not all microbes mal-affected evidently>
Day 4 I tested and now the nitrates 20, nitrites were at 5.0 I lost a chromis ammonia was .05. I did another 30 gallon water change and got nitrites down to 1.0. I decided that perhaps too many water changes were causing a cycle. I had to go away for 3 days and the tank just sat. I turned off the lights as to try not to stress the remaining fish. Upon my return the nitrites were back up, but to 10.0 this time! Nitrates were 40 and believe it or not 2 false Percs, yellow tail blue tang and lawnmower were still alive. Ok, so the tank is clear I thought maybe it's my test kit. I got a brand new kit and tested. Nitrates 40 Nitrites 10.0 and ammonia at .5. Two test kits same readings.
So a week after using the new water filter and adding the sand I am in a mess. I did water changes of 10 gallons every day for a week. That kept the nitrites at about 3.0 all week. I then tried cycle to see if somehow it would help balance things out. Day 14 I added the cycle nitrites were 3.0 nitrates at 10. The next morning I was looking at Nitrates over 200 and nitrites over 10 ! All 4 fish were still alive. I tried both test kits same readings.
<Yes... a cascade effect... the nitrogenous materials are/were derived from the rapidly decomposing biota...>
I know it seems like I am just throwing stuff at the tank to make something stick but I tried water changes I am starting to think that it's the water I am using from that filter.
<Likely this is/was the origin here>
(Perhaps I am being stubborn and I could just go buy water again but after shelling out the money for the water filter and testing the water and it being fine I figured that can't be the cause) I DID test each batch before placing it into the tank and it was fine.
<... for what you were measuring...>
Perhaps my local water becomes unstable after going through that filter?
<Mmm, not the source water, no... but possibly the TWP>
I have replaced the filter now twice since it is only good for about a 100 gallons. My readings were good but since the package said "up to 150 gallons" I did not want to press my luck.
<... Let me cut to the proverbial chase. I'd toss the TWP... and look into, buy a real water filter... either an RO or RO/DI device...>
So at this point what would you suggest? More water changes? Just let it sit and run it's course? Light on ? off ? More prime? More Cycle? Take the sand out of the sump? Trash the water filter?
<Yes to the second, and last, no to all others>
It's been about 3 weeks now and the 4 fish are still alive but the Gracilaria lost it's color completely. I added a little more to the tank to see and it too lost it's color.
LOST and in desperate need of some direction here.
Thanks So Much I just know you can give me some help.
Derek
<Please, take your time... and read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/setup/index.htm
the sixth/blue tray on water... the sections, articles, FAQs files on treatment/filtering. Bob Fenner>

Fingernail polish reef safe?   12/9/07
Hello. I wear fingernail polish that is reapplied every 2 weeks. Is it safe to put my hands in my 72G. reef tank?
<I do think so... Once the chemicals used are "cured", set, they are inert. When new/"wet", do keep your hands out of the tanks>
When my husband cleans the tank every week the shrimp "clean" his fingernails and climb on his arm. Looks like fun! Is it safe for me to do this?
<Likely so... the smelly solvents that function as carriers, evaporate, go away with curing, leave behind material that is non-toxic>
Thanks for the wonderful service you provide. Ellen
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Termite Treatment  11/1/07
Hi Crew!
Well here's another problem I'm having. I have 6 tanks set up in my house. From a 220 down to a 10 gallon. Well my house has dry wood termites and they say it has to be tented. Is there a way I can tent without having to take the tanks down? Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks In Advance!
<Ask the folks doing the tenting... Actually not them, but the licensed Pest Control Advisor that works for them... what the specific treatment will involve, and tell them that you have aquariums... Some techniques do not involve toxic chemical application (and you may get away with simply covering your tanks with damp towels)... Others call for taking down, removal... Bob Fenner>

Re: Untimely demise... tank poisoning by baby/battery  10/22/07
Thank you for the prompt reply. I do believe I found the culprit, now I am not sure if there is anything specific I need to do, other than a water change. I was looking in the sump this morning, the light on it has been off because it got wet, oops, and saw a reddish orange color. That piqued my interest, because there is nothing that color in the tank. I found a AA battery, swollen and exploded (compliments of the 2 year old I'm sure). The substrate there is stained reddish orange as well, I am assuming I need to remove that. An additional concern now is that the Scolymia coral is very pale looking, not totally bleached out, but pale. I am guessing it is related to the pollution as well?
<<Veronica: Wow. A battery is not good. A water change would help a lot as it will dilute any toxins. If the tank doesn't look better, try doing more than one. Best of luck, Roy>>

Toxics Water?...More Likely Overcrowding, Lack Of Knowledge 10/15/07
I have a 40 gal tank that has been running for 3 months with a Three Striped Damsel, False Clownfish, Yellow Tang, Scopas Tang, Mandarin Goby, 2 Diamond Gobies, 2 Cleaner Shrimp, 2 Crocea Clams, Sun Coral, Frogspawn Coral, two Bubble Tip Anemones. One assumption
<Assumption of what?>
was the Mandarin Goby, after buying and doing my reading. I realize I shouldn't have it due to the lack of live rock (100lbs or more).
<And the fact that your tank is overstocked by a good margin.>
I have had her for about a week and she is doing fine, last night when the water was cloudy she turned very white in color and would swim near the surface on the water which I found to be very unusual for a Mandarin Goby. This morning I checked the mandarin and she is fine, good color and size.
<and size??>
Just to sum up a few things here it is. Recently I noticed that my cleaner shrimp was indeed pregnant, ok cool midnight snack. Second was the red slime algae, I treated that with the proper dose of Blue Life Red Slime Remover. It worked great. that treatment was 3 days ago, no more
red slime after one treatment.
<Not a cure, just a temporary band-aid. It will be back. Better to control the source of the problem. Read here and linked files above. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/bluegralgae.htm>
For the past few weeks the water quality has been good all except for nitrates.
<Not surprising with the load you have in that 40.>
It have been around 10-15 ppm. I added Algone
<Another band-aid and not a fix. Go here.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/nitratesmar.htm>
and have been doing 10% water changes every couple days to gradually bring them down. Last night I came home to my tank being completely cloudy and I had assumed it was maybe my cleaner shrimp giving birth so I left it as is. This morning the tank was clear but my Xenia was dead, so I did a water test. The first thing I checked was ammonia, it was way to high like 6 ppm. The Xenia is the only thing that died. This morning I did a 25% water change and the ammonia did not change. Any Suggestions?
<You definitely need to reduce your fish load. I'd would find homes for the tangs, as your tank is much too small for
them to begin with. Next would be the Diamond Gobies, they are not going to survive for long in that environment, and not a real easy goby to acclimate to begin with. And, the Bubble Tip Anemones, not good mixing these with corals. BTA's will move from time to time, and in the process, sting other animals along the way. Without a source of copepods for the Mandarin's diet, it too will more than likely perish. Never mentioned lighting, do not know what your lighting consists of, but the Crocea clams do require high intensity lighting to survive. It sure sounds like you have had very little direction or knowledge before setting up this tank. You mention nothing about using a filter and/or protein skimmer. This info does help us give a better answer to your query. In your case though, it is quite obvious that overstocking is the major problem here. Reading here and related linked files above, will give you a much better understanding of
what is required to establish and maintain a healthy marine system. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marineSetUp.htm>
Thank you for your time.
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog(>
Riley, Christian E.

Mystery deaths  9/7/07
I work at a LFS, I have a customer whom has lost several fish. Water parameters are all great, Nitrates less than 5ppm, .5 on the phosphates,
<Soluble? This is high>
8.2 for the ph, and currently a Fire shrimp and some hermits are enjoying life, health as ever. After there initial losses they waited several weeks, then replaced there fish, 48 hrs and they were floaters. While testing of their water (everything great) they admitted to not performing a water change in 6 months. I suggested two large water changes, with a day in between. In addition to a 72hr dark period to clear up some Cyano.
<This is likely the culprit here>
After waiting two weeks, in that time the Cyano. all but disappeared, water chemistry looked even better, they took home a Orange spot sand sifter and a yellow tail damsel. The fish lasted five days, st least the sand sifter, the Damsel is M.I.A. presumed dead though. I hope you can offer some guidance on our situation. I am at a loss, and would like to help them. Maybe some parasite which does not require a fish host to complete it's life cycle is lurking within their tank. I hope you have a fresh perspective on this problem. Let me know if I left out any pertinent info. Thanks for what you do, James.
<I do suspect a latent/residual toxicity from the long-standing water and BGA... If it were me/mine, I'd have these folks dump the water, bleach all... and re-set-up... Please read and have them read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/clnornart.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Re: Ammonia?  8/20/07
>Hi WWM,
>I think i have a slight ammonia problem. I feed my fish and 30 - 60 minutes later my fish start breathing for air at the surface.
><Yikes>
> I test the water and it shows 0ppm on my test kit.
><Might be low dissolved oxygen>
> The next day the fish are fine and no more breathing. It has been happening for about 2 weeks and it happens everyday after i feed my fish. But yesterday my Chromis' started to breathe at the surface and about 3 days ago one of my yellow tangs disappeared
<!>
> and i have a
>feeling he is causing the ammonia spike in my tank the last 2 days. Before he died the Ammonia was kind of like an on and off thing. But now most of my fish are gasping for air. Is it unusual to constantly have ammonia going up and down?
><Yes... insufficient biofiltration...>
>I have these pouches in my tank called 'Maifan Stones' by 'SUN SUN'. Have you heard of them?
><Have now:
>http://www.google.com/search?q='Maifan+Stones'+by+'SUN+SUN'&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-Address&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7PCTA>
>They are meant to lower ammonia and nitrite
><I would remove this material>
>and i think this might be what is lowering the ammonia every time. If you have any idea what is happening i would really like to know urgently.
>Thanks, Maison
><... what re the set-up, size, history of this system? BobF>
Hi Bob,
My tank is 6 x 2 x 2 foot, Multi SL protein Skimmer, UV Sterilizer, Reef
Octopus Nitrate Reductor, 12,000l/h return pump, Tunze Pump in a Rock(9000
l/h of movement),
<5 Nitrate, 0 Nitrite, 0 Ammonia on my test kit (Aquarium Pharmaceuticals),
pH 8.2.
My fish are:
Convict Tang
Blue Tang
2 Yellow Tangs(1 now)
Desjardin Sailfin Tang
Lawnmower Blenny
Mandarin Dragonet
10 Chromis
Flame Angelfish
Longnose Hawkfish
1 Black Ocellaris Clownfish
1 Ocellaris Clown
Haven't had any filtration problems before, it only started 2-3 weeks ago.
Yesterday i noticed these grey blotchy patches on my black clownfish. His middle white stripe has a transparent looking blotch on it. Would you have any idea what it is?
<I suspect something amiss with your Nitrate Reductor... I would take this off-line. Likely either the feeder stock is poisoning your system or some co-factor here.>
I've been searching for it on the Internet and can't seem to find it. All my other fish look perfectly fine. I just bought a new rotating powerhead yesterday and i am going to put it in the tank today to see if it helps the oxygen level. What would be the best and most accurate Ammonia test on the market? Because i don't like the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Ammonia test kit.
Thanks, Maison
<Look to Hach, LaMotte brands/manufacturers... BobF>

Rapid breathing 08-16-07 SW nitrogenous  – 08/17/07
Hello, to whomever is responding at this time. Thank you for what you do for all of us beginners! If you could direct me to the portion of your page dealing with gill burn or something similar, I would be grateful. I guess I am not typing in the correct search queries to bring me to the right page. I have a green wolf eel and yellow striped maroon clownfish. My tank is stable with Ammonia and nitrite at 0ppm, Nitrate at 5-10ppm, ph of 8.3, temp of 78 degrees and SG of 1.023. All of these readings are very consistent. The two fish have been back in my display for 7 days. I have had both since May 2007. They were in my QT tank for 6 weeks before introducing them to the display due to an Ich outbreak on a regal tang, which has been moved to a large system. These two never showed any signs of ich, but moved them to QT to be safe and let the tank fallow.
<Good move>
My concern is that the QT tank started to cycle while they were in it and they were exposed to ammonia levels of close to 2ppm and then Nitrite of 2ppm.
<Yikes!>
Their breathing (more so the eel) still appears rapid and deep. That seems to be their only problem. One time (yesterday) I saw the eel open his mouth very wide (like my yawning) and push his gills outward. Do you know what he was doing?
<A mechanism for cleaning? A reaction to low DO? A "threat" display due to your presence?>
They both are very active and eating great and otherwise appear normal. Is this gill burn from the bad water quality (I did 50-100% daily water changes with pre-mixed and aerated water while they were in QT to fight the high levels), or possibly something else? Is there anything I can do to help them?
<Patience, good care otherwise>
Is it even possible for them to recover from gill burn (if that is what it is)?
<Oh yes>
Thank you for any advice or link you can direct me to. I try so hard to keep them happy and healthy but seems I always, unknowingly, do something wrong, so now I turn to you. I will continue to read and learn. Thanks!*~*April*~*
<Don't think we have a link per se... I would try a search here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/WWMAdminSubWebIndex/question_page.htm
with gill burn marine fishes... and read the colored cached versions to save time... But gill burn from nitrogenous metabolites is very common as are dire hemolysis from environmental challenges... But/and can be resolved/cured. BobF>