URGENT!!! Six line wrasse dying!

jcdeng · Jan 22, 2022

sucked into powerhead? or stuck to the side of the powerhead? if into the powerhead then thats pretty much the reason hes dying, trauma?

Jay Hemdal · Jan 22, 2022

Lavey29 said:
But he was fine the first half hour in the tank. It was the sudden impact with the powerhead that has now resulted in shock type injury. Salinity would have onset right away yes?

Not immediately - just like a fish can tolerate a FW dip for five minutes. I once messed up and put a moorish idol into 10% seawater for an hour and it was fine after I moved it back.

I've never tested the response of fish to the time it takes for salinity changes to cause symptoms, I usually see it the next day if they went through it....

Jay

Jay Hemdal · Jan 22, 2022

Just a Wrasse. said:
I'm afraid he's dead now. I don't know the salinity of the shop tank, and yes it was fish only.

Very sorry to hear that.

Well, not definitive then, but suspicious. I would suggest testing the salinity of the bag water of new fish prior to acclimation, so that you know what you're up against...or ask the dealer in advance.

Jay

Lavey29 · Jan 22, 2022

Jay Hemdal said:
Not immediately - just like a fish can tolerate a FW dip for five minutes. I once messed up and put a moorish idol into 10% seawater for an hour and it was fine after I moved it back.

I've never tested the response of fish to the time it takes for salinity changes to cause symptoms, I usually see it the next day if they went through it....

Jay

Sorry for your loss OP.

I honestly don't temp or drip acclimate at all. My LFS is at 1.025 and 8 alk which is comparable with my tank so the fish just get dropped right in and have not had an issue. Fish shipped in with unknown parameters is different though.

Cubbies · Jan 22, 2022

Sorry to hear about your loss. Maybe when it jumped out of the rocks it hurt itself? Six lines are skittish to begin with when first introduced in my experience. Took weeks for mine to get comfortable with me being around the tank.

There're so many theories to the acclimation process. I know people who acclimate slowly and swear that is the right way and then I know people who literally only temp acclimate and drop fish in, and it works just fine for them. I personally am not a long acclimation kind of guy as I feel fish are stressed out as is. One thing you should have absolutely checked was the salinity in my opinion. Could have been possible for the salinity to have been close to yours and maybe you over did it by adding more saltwater or vice versa. Maybe it just didn't like the longer acclimation? Who knows?

SlugSnorter · Feb 23, 2022

Just a Wrasse. said:
I got him about 2 hours ago, after a half our drive, I acclimated him:

10m float
Added a bit of water
10m
Added some more tank water
10m
Added some more water
10m
Let him and 2 corals into tank.

He was fine for the first half hour, checking out the scape. I added some flakes and he jumps out from behind my rocks, and immediately gets sucked onto my powerhead, so I turned it of and he fell to the floor barley able to move. And so I put him into a breeder box, he's lying on the bottom heavily breathing. All parameters great!

Thanks,

Just a wrasse.

screen that powerhead btw

Tamberav · Feb 23, 2022

A healthy sixline should have no issues with a powerhead. The fish was likely already ailing from something. Possibly the salinity shock as has been suggested.