Fish dying?

[antgod]

Yesterday I put two clown fish in my tank to go with 5 chromis I have,Today or night one of my chromis is lying on his side on the bottom of the tank,while all of the other chromis hide.The clowns justt swim around and seem okay.I don't have a QT so I have the chromis in a cup on the side of my tank inside.Need help. my tank is 55g and this morning the test look normal but Im getting ready to test the water again thou

 

[NWDiver]

How long has the tank been setup?
Be sure to test for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate.
How long since the last water change?
Please post the test results.
I will ask the mods to move this to the fish forum so Lee can get you some help.

-Todd

 

[antgod]

The tank has been up for 6 weeks,all the test look good so far (just ran them) and I test before I put the clowns in.Oh, looks like the nitrate spiked it at 5.0 or 10 ppm

 

[antgod]

should I put the chromis back with yhe other fish or will he be alright left in the dish tell tomorrow when I can get a QT ?

 

[NWDiver]

I would put it back in the tank. The temp and oxygen will be more stable if nothing else. 10ppm nitrate shouldn't hurt the fish short term. Ammonia and nitrite are the real short term problems. Have you tested for them?

 

[antgod]

yes ,nitrite was 0,high range ph was 8.0 or 8.2 ,ammonia was between o and 0.25. So I should do a water change and watch and see? Also thanks for the response back.

 

[NWDiver]

You might also pre-mix some new water for your QT so it is ready for tomorrow. If you don't have a sponge filter ready for the QT, make sure that you have an ample supply of new saltwater to make daily (small) water changes.

 

[NWDiver]

Heh, posting at the same time.
Yep, do a water change for sure. You really don't want to see any ammonia at all. It sounds like your cycle might not have finished yet.
If you can match the temp, salinity, and pH in your mixing container, do the largest water change you feel comfortable with.

-Todd

 

[antgod]

thanks

 

[NWDiver]

Sure thing, I hope it goes well for you tonight.

 

[Krish]

yes ,nitrite was 0,high range ph was 8.0 or 8.2 ,ammonia was between o and 0.25. So I should do a water change and watch and see? Also thanks for the response back.

Sorry to hear of your troubles. :doubt:. Ammonia is VERY toxic to fish and could be the problem here. Seems like the tank has still a bit of cycling to go, but let us know how your results look today. Also, moved to Lee's forum as suggested to see if he can maybe add anything here.

 

[willandcorina]

i have heard that chromis will kill each other down to three in a tank no matter how large the tank is. does any one have more then three chromis longer then a few months?

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Tank is too new for that many fish unless you started with a mountain of aged quality live rock/sand.
It is cycling. Let nature run it's course and keep fingers crossed that the fish are tough

 

[antgod]

Not sure how much a mountain is but I have 45 pds, also Im about to do a water change ,the fish are moving around ,some of them, the clowns dont seem to be effected by this ,they act normal.One question ,I turn off my skimmer from time to time because the pump can be load ,would the water that settles in the skimmer cause this? If so sould I shut it off? Thanks everyone I'll put up picks later today to show you what Im working with.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Anything that is removing polutants is helping the fish. Besides the filtration, the skimmer also has surface area with bacteria that is consuming Ammonia so don't turn it off.
45 Lbs isn't a mountain, but we make do with what we can :>) Make sure the water change matches what is in the tank woth salinity, ph and temp. Stress is what is harming the fish so the less tyhings change the better. Time is on your side assuming they survive

 

[returnofsid]

Maybe I missed it, but what size tank is this?

Any signs of ammonia, at all, especially when combined with a spike in nitrates, indicates that the tank is probably still cycling.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

6 week old 55g

 

[returnofsid]

Thanks Mike, I got the 6 week old part, but sure didn't see the size...lol.

 

[antgod]

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/NpM7XEDh2e70u83Zj29vTuIKRKWQ1OgsdCck-rS7vVs?feat=directlink I notice theirs a spot by the clowns eye kind of like mold?

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Since stressed fish have weakened immune systems, bacteria and fungus use the opportunity to move in. As the tank cycles and matures, the water quality will improve and the fish should clean up.
What all are you feeding them?