Invert Help!

[Reefer_2711]

I already have a few hermit crabs that live in the aquarium, but anytime I add torches snails, urchins, or shrimp they immediately freeze up. I drip acclimate everything for an hour. I can add nassarius snails and they usually live. So what gives?

 

[ScottR]

I already have a few hermit crabs that live in the aquarium, but anytime I add torches snails, urchins, or shrimp they immediately freeze up. I drip acclimate everything for an hour. I can add nassarius snails and they usually live. So what gives?

Welcome to REEF2REEF. Can you share a pic of your tank and provide more info about your set up?

 

[Reefer_2711]

Sure thing!

 

[stanleo]

What are your parameters? Alkalinity, calcium, magnesium, pH and salinity?

 

[Reefer_2711]

In the back you can see the hermit crab and there's a trochus snail that I put in, and the Urchin has yet to move as well

 

[Reefer_2711]

My pH is 8.2 salinity is 1.025 Alkalinity is 6.7 and I don't have anything to test magnesium and calcium. Perhaps it's my alkalinity, it is pretty low?

 

[stanleo]

My pH is 8.2 salinity is 1.025 Alkalinity is 6.7 and I don't have anything to test magnesium and calcium. Perhaps it's my alkalinity, it is pretty low?

No, that is fine. I like mine around 9 but above 6 is safe although if they came from a tank with a high alk, above ten I think that would stun unless you dripped them for a really long time. How long as the urchin and others been in the tank? It could just take them some time.

 

[Reefer_2711]

About two days now could it possibly be my temperature? I keep my tank at 77 but it seems colder

 

[stanleo]

About two days now could it possibly be my temperature? I keep my tank at 77 but it seems colder

I keep mine at 78. What do you use for a thermometer? I use a digital one that is calibrated and a mercury thermometer just to be safe.

Can you look really closely at the urchin? Is it moving at all? In between the spikes there are little tubes that should be moving around.

Also, how do you measure your salinity? I had this problem with my first tank years ago where new inverts would just stay put for days and then start moving. I was using a swing arm to test salinity and it was way off. When I thought my salinity was 1.025 it was actually above 1.030. I use a refractometer now. These are just ideas I'm throwing out there.

 

[Reefer_2711]

When I look closely at the urchins nothing is moving just frozen like the trochus snails. I use a refractometer and I'm right on the dot of 1.025. As for the thermometer, I use a regular hang on fish tank one and it still reads 76...perhaps the thermometer is off?

 

[Reefer_2711]

It's strange because I see the nassarius snails diving in and out of the sand bed but yet the trochus and urchins are just sitting there