Inverts Keep Dying

[Erichk]

Hey everyone, a few months ago I picked up a used IM Nuvo 20g Drop Off tank. This tank as been set up for 2 months. There was a large amount of algae growth so I decided to buy some snails, within a day they had all died. I thought this was odd and maybe the tank had not finished cycling, I waited a couple more weeks and added some more. Same thing happened. I went to my LFS (who has helped me for years now and I trust) to have them test my water because I thought my test kits might be bad but the store got the same results and said it was cycled. So once again I added an invert, this time a peppermint shrimp to eat some of the aptasia I have and within a few hours he had died as well.

I have never had a tank give me problems like this, I have been in the hobbie for about 4-5 years now, understand how to set up a tank, the cycle process, and how to acclimate inverts and have had success with many other tanks as I suffer from multiple tank syndrome. By no means am I claiming to be an expert or anywhere close. I would say more like an advanced beginner

I started the tank with live sand, live rock and marine pure bio media from a 2 year old tank that has been running great.

My 60 gallon tank is having a plumbing issue and I might be breaking it down and want to put my gobies and clowns into this 20 gallon drop off but after all the troubles I am very nervous to as my inverts keep dying.

One thing I was thinking that might be causing it was the fact that the tank was used, perhaps the previous owner used copper in the system and that is what is causing them to die? Maybe I’m way off, but was hoping maybe someone might have some ideas what might be causing it.

water parameters:
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10
All tested with API test kit, both by myself and LFS

 

[Plunder]

Hey everyone, a few months ago I picked up a used IM Nuvo 20g Drop Off tank. This tank as been set up for 2 months. There was a large amount of algae growth so I decided to buy some snails, within a day they had all died. I thought this was odd and maybe the tank had not finished cycling, I waited a couple more weeks and added some more. Same thing happened. I went to my LFS (who has helped me for years now and I trust) to have them test my water because I thought my test kits might be bad but the store got the same results and said it was cycled. So once again I added an invert, this time a peppermint shrimp to eat some of the aptasia I have and within a few hours he had died as well.

I have never had a tank give me problems like this, I have been in the hobbie for about 4-5 years now, understand how to set up a tank, the cycle process, and how to acclimate inverts and have had success with many other tanks as I suffer from multiple tank syndrome. By no means am I claiming to be an expert or anywhere close. I would say more like an advanced beginner

I started the tank with live sand, live rock and marine pure bio media from a 2 year old tank that has been running great.

My 60 gallon tank is having a plumbing issue and I might be breaking it down and want to put my gobies and clowns into this 20 gallon drop off but after all the troubles I am very nervous to as my inverts keep dying.

One thing I was thinking that might be causing it was the fact that the tank was used, perhaps the previous owner used copper in the system and that is what is causing them to die? Maybe I’m way off, but was hoping maybe someone might have some ideas what might be causing it.

water parameters:
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10
All tested with API test kit, both by myself and LFS

I would do one of those test kits you send in, they should be to figure out what's really in the water.

 

[Erichk]

I would do one of those test kits you send in, they should be to figure out what's really in the water.

I was thinking about doing one of those, my problem is I need to try and get my 60 gallon tank drained ASAP as it is unable to run the return pump, so I just have bubblers and wave makers while I try and figure out what to do with it and this seemed to be the easiest alternative to keep my fish happy

 

[kyleorso]

They could be starving if you have a full crew with low nutrients / bioload. Anytime I have had inverts die off in numbers it has been a Alk problem, salinity problem, or they are starving.

 

[Erichk]

They could be starving if you have a full crew with low nutrients / bioload. Anytime I have had inverts die off in numbers it has been a Alk problem, salinity problem, or they are starving.

They definitely are not starving. There is plenty of algae and they are dying within a day. There is nothing living in the tank besides some gsp and tree coral. My alk tests expired, I’ll have to pick up a new kit and test to see what it’s at

 

[kyleorso]

They definitely are not starving. There is plenty of algae and they are dying within a day. There is nothing living in the tank besides some gsp and tree coral. My alk tests expired, I’ll have to pick up a new kit and test to see what it’s at

If nothing is in the tank, where is the algee getting its nutrients? What are the water paremeters? Salinity, Alk, Ca, Mg, and phosphates?

 

[Crustaceon]

How are you acclimating them? I used to have really bad luck with inverts until I went to an hour-long or more drip and temperature acclimation. I always try to triple or even quadruple the water volume in the bucket.

 

[Erichk]

If nothing is in the tank, where is the algee getting its nutrients? What are the water paremeters? Salinity, Alk, Ca, Mg, and phosphates?

I think the nutrients came in from the rock, I forgot to put in the original post I put 1 piece of dry rock that had some dead algae on it which I think helped with the nutrients, I also put some pellets in when I first started the tank to help get the cycle started. Then came some algae, followed by a few snails once it seemed the tank had cycled. These then died and created an ammonia spike. I waited about 3 weeks, tested and had the LFS test to make sure and ammonia and nitrite were 0.
I’m going to try and make it to the LFS if I can get off work in time to pick up new test kits this week as mine expired and will get more numbers

 

[Erichk]

How are you acclimating them? I used to have really bad luck with inverts until I went to an hour-long or more drip and temperature acclimation. I always try to triple or even quadruple the water volume in the bucket.

I usually will float them for about 15 minutes to get the temperature to match them slowly fill the bag with tank water 3-4 times over about 15-30 minutes. I think I need to switch to the drip method though to make it more gradual, I’ll have to try that next time. I’ve done the method I normally use many times with no issues but then again no 2 tanks are the same and this one seems to need more patience than my others

 

[Crustaceon]

I usually float a container in my sump and wedge it so it wont flip as it fills. That way I’m getting the temp and ph acclimation done at the same time. My “drip rig” is just an air stone, a long section of tubing attached to the stone and a ball valve. I use the airstone as an anchor to hold the air tubing underwater in the display. I typically do 2 drips per second.