My New QT killed 3 chromis

[alpenreef]

I built a new QT with a sump, and cycled it with filter media and rock from my big tank.
Tossed in 3 chromis from LFS today. I matched LFS salinity and temperature. 2 chromis died within 8 hours, the third is swimming sideways.
What do I do with the QT now, drain the tank and sump. Toss the media and start fresh? Or is that just what chromis do?
I am planning on QTing newly arriving tangs and a trigger next week.

 

[Ben.QLD2]

Almost certainly either a water quality issue and/or a poor acclimation process.

What are the water parameters of your QT?

What was your acclimation process?

Photos of your QT set up would help too.

 

[alpenreef]

Almost certainly either a water quality issue and/or a poor acclimation process.

What are the water parameters of your QT?

What was your acclimation process?

Photos of your QT set up would help too.

Parameters are very healthy for a freshly cycled tank. Ammonia, Nitrite, Phosphate are 0, nitrate is 5ppm. It’s a simple diy setup, 29 gal tank, 20 sump. I acclimated them by pouring a cup of water into a bucket of LFS water every 5 minutes for 30 minutes.

 

[KC2020]

Chromis are typically shipped in extremely crowded bags with low salinity and their short term mortality is often high as a result.

How long had your LFS had the fish ?

What's their sales policy on survival ?

 

[alpenreef]

Chromis are typically shipped in extremely crowded bags with low salinity and their short term mortality is often high as a result.

How long had your LFS had the fish ?

What's their sales policy on survival ?

They haven’t had them long, not sure about their policy. Not worried about recouping my money, but the health of my QT for new fish arrivals next week.

 

[areefer01]

Maybe review your QT protocols. You are talking about cycle, sump, etc, so maybe you are mixing things up? I am sure there is a sticky or article here you can check against.

 

[KC2020]

I'd ask your LFS how long they had them wether you're worried about the money or not. And what is their QT process, if any ?

 

[KC2020]

For reference: QT protocol.

 

[areefer01]

For reference: QT protocol.

Thanks - I didn't have it handy. The part that confused me above was the mention of the sump.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Acclimation important with these guys and recommended is a 60 minute aerated bath with ruby rally pro
How did you acclimate them and for how long?
What is age of tank

 

[Sharkbait19]

Could you post closer pictures of your chromis? These fish are often susceptible to uronema, which usually presents itself within the first few days of introduction.

 

[alpenreef]

Thanks - I didn't have it handy. The part that confused me above was the mention of the sump.

Yeah it’s more of an observation tank. The tank is bare bottom, I use a sump for media.

 

[alpenreef]

Acclimation important with these guys and recommended is a 60 minute aerated bath with ruby rally pro
How did you acclimate them and for how long?
What is age of tank

acclimated them in lfs water bucket, added a cup of tank water every 5 minutes for 30 minutes

 

[alpenreef]

Could you post closer pictures of your chromis? These fish are often susceptible to uronema, which usually presents itself within the first few days of introduction.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Not urronema and would be too soon
Acclimation inadequate and may have caused shock

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

acclimated them in lfs water bucket, added a cup of tank water every 5 minutes for 30 minutes

It wasn't clear to me - you said you matched the LFS and your tank's specific gravity. Did you do that before acclimation? Sometimes, LFS hold their fish in low salinity, and the fish don't handle being acclimated up from that if you tank was at full salinity.

ay

 

[alpenreef]

It wasn't clear to me - you said you matched the LFS and your tank's specific gravity. Did you do that before acclimation? Sometimes, LFS hold their fish in low salinity, and the fish don't handle being acclimated up from that if you tank was at full salinity.

ay

Yes I matched my tank to the lfs water. It’s displayed on their tanks and I tested it to make sure when I got home. It was at full salinity (35ppt)

 

[Tired]

6 cups-of-some-size of tank water in a bucket-of-some-size of LFS water may not have done the trick, acclimation-wise. Did you match temperature?

(for the record, and this is me nitpicking: 0 phosphate is not a healthy parameter for a tank at any stage. Irrelevant to fish, but relevant to algae and corals.)

 

[alpenreef]

6 cups-of-some-size of tank water in a bucket-of-some-size of LFS water may not have done the trick, acclimation-wise. Did you match temperature?

(for the record, and this is me nitpicking: 0 phosphate is not a healthy parameter for a tank at any stage. Irrelevant to fish, but relevant to algae and corals.)

Gotcha, I meant healthy for a QT. There is nothing in it that could provide phosphates or nitrates

 

[alpenreef]

I don’t know what it could have been. Something in the water. Maybe the pvc cement. The sump is new (to me) and I built the plumbing a few days ago. I rinsed and scrubbed everything but maybe some toxin was leaking.
I returned the dead fish to the LFS for a second opinion. Just did a 100 % WC, now running carbon for a week, then I’ll try again.