Help I’ve lost 2 fish in a 4 week difference.

sam tavo · Aug 21, 2022

I’ve lost one wrasse and one clown they both disappeared and I found them 1-2 days later and the day after I found the wrasse it died the night before it died it was resting on a rock and was breathing heavily. I found the wrasse under a rock hiding. I noticed my clown was gone but I found him and started hand feeding him. The next day it was fine and was able to swim and eat flake. The day after that I found it back on the ground and it died later that day with the same breathing problems.

AydenLincoln · Aug 21, 2022

What are your water parameters? You are testing correct if not you need to and post them. More information is needed. How old is the tank? What is the source of the water?

sam tavo · Aug 21, 2022

AydenLincoln said:
What are your water parameters? You are testing correct if not you need to and post them. More information is needed. How old is the tank? What is the source of the water?

The parameters are all at normal levels the tank is about 11 months old the clown was about 10 months and the wrasse was 4 months I get the water from a lfs and there has never been a problem the only thing different was 1.5 weeks before the wrasse disappeared I got some snails from a reliable lfs

AydenLincoln · Aug 21, 2022

sam tavo said:
The parameters are all at normal levels the tank is about 11 months old the clown was about 10 months and the wrasse was 4 months I get the water from a lfs and there has never been a problem the only thing different was 1.5 weeks before the wrasse disappeared I got some snails from a reliable lfs

Parameters probably aren’t normal if your fish are sick/dying. What are you using to test? Can you post them? Did you introduce anything new recently? Did you dose/add anything?

sam tavo · Aug 21, 2022

AydenLincoln said:
Parameters probably aren’t normal if your fish are sick/dying. What are you using to test? Can you post them? Did you introduce anything new recently? Did you dose/add anything?

The ph is 8.0 the ammonia is .25 because I’ve been trying to get rid of some Dino the nitrate is 5 the nitrite is 0 the phosphate is .25 and the salinity is 1.024. I use api test kits and a refractor for the salinity. all I added was snails I haven’t dosed anything in about 2 months.

Fishy888 · Aug 21, 2022

API tests are the least accurate you can get. If you have dinos they may well be releasing toxins that are killing your fish. If you can I would get Hanna checkers for phosphates and nitrates. If you can't get them then get Salifert tests for nitrates and phosphates. Salifert is the way to go for everything besides the nitrate and phosphate tests. Salifert is a close second for for the nitrate and phosphate tests. For salinity your refractometer should be accurate enough.

That said are you sure you have dinos? Can you post a picture under white lights? Dinos usually happen when your N and/or P crash ie go to zero.

toomanymatts · Aug 21, 2022

Wild A guess, ich or velvet. How is everyone else doing?

sam tavo · Aug 21, 2022

Fishy888 said:
API tests are the least accurate you can get. If you have dinos they may well be releasing toxins that are killing your fish. If you can I would get Hanna checkers for phosphates and nitrates. If you can't get them then get Salifert tests for nitrates and phosphates. Salifert is the way to go for everything besides the nitrate and phosphate tests. Salifert is a close second for for the nitrate and phosphate tests.

That said are you sure you have dinos? Can you post a picture under white lights? Dinos usually happen when your N and/or P crash ie go to zero.

I did have Dino not as much any more mostly hair algae with a little Dino on top of the hair algae I’ve been wanting to get Hanna checkers I hope to get some in a couple weeks