We've got a Fusion 25 gallon lagoon invert tank that's been up since about March and it's seeing just unexpected, but consistent death among the inverts. We see a pretty consisent pattern of death: 1 thing has died every 2-3 weeks. Parameters are unchanged. Water changes are less common, but mangrove and some lingering cyano keep nitrites down. Feed every other day or so. Everything that has died has been found whole, not attacked, discolored or eaten. They all seem like flukes, but they just keep happening. RODI water all the time. Tank was seeded with mainly dry rock and 1 piece of LR from LFS, then 2 bags of Live Sand. Never seen any aggression toward any tankmates except some of the shrimp chasing the others out of it's cave if it wandered in unknowingly. Basically
Parameters:
- Tank set up since March 1
- Temp: 79 degrees consistent (Using 2 heaters and temp does not fluctuate from what I see)
- Specific Gravity: 1.025 with an ATO, so no fluctuation there either (match perfectly on water changes)
- PH: 8.1
- Nitrates: Near 0, but about 0.2ppm
- Chemipure blue changed every 3 months or so, but never seen parameters spike
- Don't test for much else based on the simplicity of the tank
Critters we've lost:
- Skunk cleaner
- Emerald crab (2x, about 2 months apart)
- Porcelain crab
- Camelback shrimp (2x, spaced out a bit, one jumped)
- Sexy shrimp (2x)
- Halloween hermit
- Couple cerith snails
Current tankmates:
- 3x Azure damsels (been in tank 3-4 months)
- 1x Camelback shrimp (came in with the 2 that died, this one has hung about 4 months)
- Couple cerith snails
- 1x sexy shrimp (came in with the 2 that died, been in about 2 3 months)
- 1x peppermint shrimp (added last week)
- 1x skunk cleaner shrimp (added 2 weeks ago)
Basically post-cycle, we added something every few weeks or so, but the deaths have been spread out over several months, never in a big "wave" after adding something new. I really don't think we spiked ammonia at any point, plus the cyano and mangrove are likely helping keep that in check. We just lose a shrimp or crab, then a few weeks pass and another one turns up. Without any evidence, we thought it was "just one of those things" but now it's a pattern.
Any help is appreciated, we're clearly missing some piece of the puzzle here. Thank you!
Parameters:
- Tank set up since March 1
- Temp: 79 degrees consistent (Using 2 heaters and temp does not fluctuate from what I see)
- Specific Gravity: 1.025 with an ATO, so no fluctuation there either (match perfectly on water changes)
- PH: 8.1
- Nitrates: Near 0, but about 0.2ppm
- Chemipure blue changed every 3 months or so, but never seen parameters spike
- Don't test for much else based on the simplicity of the tank
Critters we've lost:
- Skunk cleaner
- Emerald crab (2x, about 2 months apart)
- Porcelain crab
- Camelback shrimp (2x, spaced out a bit, one jumped)
- Sexy shrimp (2x)
- Halloween hermit
- Couple cerith snails
Current tankmates:
- 3x Azure damsels (been in tank 3-4 months)
- 1x Camelback shrimp (came in with the 2 that died, this one has hung about 4 months)
- Couple cerith snails
- 1x sexy shrimp (came in with the 2 that died, been in about 2 3 months)
- 1x peppermint shrimp (added last week)
- 1x skunk cleaner shrimp (added 2 weeks ago)
Basically post-cycle, we added something every few weeks or so, but the deaths have been spread out over several months, never in a big "wave" after adding something new. I really don't think we spiked ammonia at any point, plus the cyano and mangrove are likely helping keep that in check. We just lose a shrimp or crab, then a few weeks pass and another one turns up. Without any evidence, we thought it was "just one of those things" but now it's a pattern.
Any help is appreciated, we're clearly missing some piece of the puzzle here. Thank you!