'2 of my Fish and snails suddenly passed away in my tank'

Sharkbait19 · May 7, 2022

ClownfishAnemone said:
i only have moved the pulsing xenia and kept them in water, and quickly moved them back to the main tank. And do you mean dip as in dip them in the water so they’re acclimated? in that case yes i did for about 30 minutes

Dipping is keeping it in a solution containing iodine and tank water for 30 minutes to kill hitchhikers you don’t want.

pap2 · May 7, 2022

ClownfishAnemone said:
i only have moved the pulsing xenia and kept them in water, and quickly moved them back to the main tank. And do you mean dip as in dip them in the water so they’re acclimated? in that case yes i did for about 30 minute

i mean coral dip to remove parasites

Shufflepig · May 7, 2022

ying yang said:
.

Excellent point.

Tamberav · May 7, 2022

A few thoughts...

I would not use bottled products like waste away, especially in a 5g. I would say all bottled products can at times have negative effects, in most cases, depleting oxygen depending on ingredients. Obviously in a tank so small.... it is easier to have negative effects from anything added.

Three fish in a 5g (two clowns + goby) is a large bioload. I would suggest at least 15g for this stocking level. 20g would be even better for a beginner. The fish are likely contributing to your algae issues. I have a 5g and I only kept the smallest of fish in it... much smaller then a clown... tiny blennies and gobies. It was very easy to maintain.

The coral does not look happy to me.. I don't know if it is because you moved them or if the algae is irritating them or what. They all look closed to me. Both nems also seems to be unhappy... a happy BTA?? will have its foot in a rock... not crawling up the side of the tank. They need decent lighting and water. Also two in 5g with corals would never work long term. They get large and sting things. Mine once got so big it was touching the front and the back of my tank, 24 inches.. before it split. That is excessive but a 5g just isn't enough room.

You want to get calibration fluid for your refractometer. 1.026 would be ideal.

All a small tank like this needs to beat algae issues is regular water changes, appropriate stocking, and a clean up crew.

vetteguy53081 · May 7, 2022

one thing I noticed- You are using a Freshwater Master kit ?
Also salinity can have effect for Some occupants

ClownfishAnemone · May 7, 2022

Tamberav said:
A few thoughts...

I would not use bottled products like waste away, especially in a 5g. I would say all bottled products can at times have negative effects, in most cases, depleting oxygen depending on ingredients. Obviously in a tank so small.... it is easier to have negative effects from anything added.

Three fish in a 5g (two clowns + goby) is a large bioload. I would suggest at least 15g for this stocking level. 20g would be even better for a beginner. The fish are likely contributing to your algae issues. I have a 5g and I only kept the smallest of fish in it... much smaller then a clown... tiny blennies and gobies. It was very easy to maintain.

The coral does not look happy to me.. I don't know if it is because you moved them or if the algae is irritating them or what. They all look closed to me. Both nems also seems to be unhappy... a happy BTA?? will have its foot in a rock... not crawling up the side of the tank. They need decent lighting and water. Also two in 5g with corals would never work long term. They get large and sting things. Mine once got so big it was touching the front and the back of my tank, 24 inches.. before it split.

You want to get calibration fluid for your refractometer. 1.026 would be ideal.

All a small tank like this needs to beat algae issues is regular water changes, appropriate stocking, and a clean up crew.

The waste away im using isnt bottled, its a small suction cupped plastic piece with blue stuff in it that they said would turn grey after about a month and then i discard it, the only reason i kept 2 clowns and a goby in such small space is purely because they themselves were/are small, im not going to get a goby this time but i only got it last time because he was a real helper when it came to stuff on the bottom that the clowns didnt eat etc and he was a part of the cleanup crew, otherwise i have just snails and corals. The purple zoanthids on the frag plug have been like that for a while, they were my first coral and i wasnt doing the best at properly taking care of them, so its expected they dont look the best to me, and yeah ive been paying attention to the BTAS, they were stinging each other for a bit but i was able to separate them because the smaller of the two was on the heater and i just moved the whole heater, besides the zoanthids and bubble tips the rest of the coral is new within the last 12 hours, with the BTA crawling up, im assuming i just need to make my powerhead give out more flow since its sitting there next to it and has been for a while now.

ClownfishAnemone · May 7, 2022

vetteguy53081 said:
one thing I noticed- You are using a Freshwater Master kit ?
Also salinity can have effect for Some occupants

yes i am, im going to the lfs right now though to get a Fluval saltwater test kit. Also going to see if they have calibration fluid for the refractometer

ClownfishAnemone · May 7, 2022

Sharkbait19 said:
Dipping is keeping it in a solution containing iodine and tank water for 30 minutes to kill hitchhikers you don’t want.

ill be getting some iodine as well

Tamberav · May 7, 2022

ClownfishAnemone said:
The waste away im using isnt bottled, its a small suction cupped plastic piece with blue stuff in it that they said would turn grey after about a month and then i discard it, the only reason i kept 2 clowns and a goby in such small space is purely because they themselves were/are small, im not going to get a goby this time but i only got it last time because he was a real helper when it came to stuff on the bottom that the clowns didnt eat etc and he was a part of the cleanup crew, otherwise i have just snails and corals. The purple zoanthids on the frag plug have been like that for a while, they were my first coral and i wasnt doing the best at properly taking care of them, so its expected they dont look the best to me, and yeah ive been paying attention to the BTAS, they were stinging each other for a bit but i was able to separate them because the smaller of the two was on the heater and i just moved the whole heater, besides the zoanthids and bubble tips the rest of the coral is new within the last 12 hours, with the BTA crawling up, im assuming i just need to make my powerhead give out more flow since its sitting there next to it and has been for a while now.

Regardless you are adding a foreign substance to a very small amount of water. There is no need to do this. Most additives can potentially effect oxygen. I am not sure what the tablet it, probably an algaecide. You don't want that in there.

Nassarius snails will eat left over fish food off the bottom.

It could be crawling up because it need lights or the water quality is poor.. but yes flow could also disterb it. Two in a 5g isn't going to work out long term with other corals. They can get good size. You either have a 5g BTA tank or you have a tank with corals. I think anyone who sells you two BTA for a 5g is being irresponsible.

ClownfishAnemone · May 7, 2022

Tamberav said:
Regardless you are adding a foreign substance to a very small amount of water. There is no need to do this. Most additives can potentially effect oxygen. I am not sure what the tablet it, probably an algaecide. You don't want that in there.

Nassarius snails will eat left over fish food off the bottom.

It could be crawling up because it need lights or the water quality is poor.. but yes flow could also disterb it. Two in a 5g isn't going to work out long term with other corals. They can get good size. You either have a 5g BTA tank or you have a tank with corals. I think anyone who sells you two BTA for a 5g is being irresponsible.

The DrTim's is very small, its for cyano, slime, and algae which i have both algae and i had cyano in my tank but i manually removed a good majority of all of them. I think what youre doing here is assuming im not going to upgrade, i have all the intentions once the clowns grow out of this tank to upgrade to at least a 30-40, its not irresponsibility on the shops part, he gave me the other one for free because he knows who i am now and talks to me frequently, im going to have to agree with him over you, he has over 30 years experience. The nems havent ever bothered the other coral and im constantly vigilant about that because i do know that it can happen and that they can sting each other, i brought my new water down to test with him and it already had some signs of PPM in NO3 and PO4 so its clearly something that ive done, hes suggested i rightfully not get any more fish for a week or more and closely monitor how things are over the next week, if i notice any spikes in N03 do a slight water change to keep the number under control etc. I also bought fluval test kits, ill keep you people updated though regardless if anything else happens

pap2 · May 7, 2022

this may be a odd question but, how old is the tank?

Tamberav · May 7, 2022

ClownfishAnemone said:
The DrTim's is very small, its for cyano, slime, and algae which i have both algae and i had cyano in my tank but i manually removed a good majority of all of them. I think what youre doing here is assuming im not going to upgrade, i have all the intentions once the clowns grow out of this tank to upgrade to at least a 30-40, its not irresponsibility on the shops part, he gave me the other one for free because he knows who i am now and talks to me frequently, im going to have to agree with him over you, he has over 30 years experience. The nems havent ever bothered the other coral and im constantly vigilant about that because i do know that it can happen and that they can sting each other, i brought my new water down to test with him and it already had some signs of PPM in NO3 and PO4 so its clearly something that ive done, hes suggested i rightfully not get any more fish for a week or more and closely monitor how things are over the next week, if i notice any spikes in N03 do a slight water change to keep the number under control etc. I also bought fluval test kits, ill keep you people updated though regardless if anything else happens

I am not assuming you won't upgrade... almost anyone who is in this hobby for any extended amount of time... upgrades. I am just telling you the facts as to why you have too much algae now and that products like that do not ONLY effect cyano/slime/algae. In fact, corals have beneficial 'algae' (zoo) growing inside them. There is no need to use such things in a 5g for sure.

It is a fact that those nems grow large and and can kill corals and you can't watch them 24/7. Your corals are hardy so they probably won't die but they will get irritated if a nem walks by.

He may have 30 years of experience but you lost two fish so something went wrong. You buy all your fish there and water it sounds like and medications and you have two dead fish to show of it.

I am not blaming you. I am trying to help steer you into the correct path so you have success for many years to come. I guess I don't agree with what he has done for you regardless of how many years of experience he has. You are free to do whatever you want as it is your tank and your money. I have no stake in it... you pay him for stuff. My advice is free.