toohipnoob
New Member
While I'm not new, I consider myself a noob, because I only have a 29g JBJ nano tank, but I've had it for over 8 years, going through a lot of die offs and crisis's learning the hard way, but also using the googles. Sand bottom, 15% live rock, a few soft corals, various fish vertebrae (well used to ;o).
EXCESSIVE SALINITY?: I buy pre-made salt water at $4/5g bucket, which seems cheaper and easier then making my own with no ROI device. I have a small protein skipper, and assorted sponges/material in the sump, small pump and a small powerhead for flow. Lights are built into hood. If water level goes down, add fresh water (semi-distilled) so not to alter salinity. Here's the issue. I do about 5g water changes. . . oh, every 2 months or so. But I don't check the water I buy, and I keep about 5-6 5g buckets stored in the garage. I did a water change last week, I thought the water looked a little . ."dirty/brown" but though nothing of it. The next day. . HUGE die off of all fish. Inverts still hanging on, snails look listless. Checked chemistry, nitrates, ammonia, PH, Phos. all appeared ok. I have a salinity refractor, so checked salinity. It was over 1.035! Googled ideal and said 1.024-1.025. Read where over 1.03 was catostrophic, and what probably killed the fish. Started exchanging salt water with distilled fresh water about gal ever 6-10 hours, and now down to 1.025. So going to start over. My question is. . the die off must of been caused by the excessive salinity? And while I try to add fresh water when level goes down as instructed, maybe the last water change bucket had excessive salinity and this 5g was excessively high and existing water may have been high too, and bam! too much salinity = die off. It was sudden, it makes me believe the one water change did it, and other than contaminates in the water, I wonder if it was salinity. Going to let tank settle in for a while before getting new livestock. Recent additions (coral banded shrimp, anenome, )didn't fare well after one day, then the water change incident took the rest. Let me know what you think. (part 2 is "excessive bristle worms)
EXCESSIVE SALINITY?: I buy pre-made salt water at $4/5g bucket, which seems cheaper and easier then making my own with no ROI device. I have a small protein skipper, and assorted sponges/material in the sump, small pump and a small powerhead for flow. Lights are built into hood. If water level goes down, add fresh water (semi-distilled) so not to alter salinity. Here's the issue. I do about 5g water changes. . . oh, every 2 months or so. But I don't check the water I buy, and I keep about 5-6 5g buckets stored in the garage. I did a water change last week, I thought the water looked a little . ."dirty/brown" but though nothing of it. The next day. . HUGE die off of all fish. Inverts still hanging on, snails look listless. Checked chemistry, nitrates, ammonia, PH, Phos. all appeared ok. I have a salinity refractor, so checked salinity. It was over 1.035! Googled ideal and said 1.024-1.025. Read where over 1.03 was catostrophic, and what probably killed the fish. Started exchanging salt water with distilled fresh water about gal ever 6-10 hours, and now down to 1.025. So going to start over. My question is. . the die off must of been caused by the excessive salinity? And while I try to add fresh water when level goes down as instructed, maybe the last water change bucket had excessive salinity and this 5g was excessively high and existing water may have been high too, and bam! too much salinity = die off. It was sudden, it makes me believe the one water change did it, and other than contaminates in the water, I wonder if it was salinity. Going to let tank settle in for a while before getting new livestock. Recent additions (coral banded shrimp, anenome, )didn't fare well after one day, then the water change incident took the rest. Let me know what you think. (part 2 is "excessive bristle worms)
