Midas blenny hanging near top of the tank - sits in the corner near the surface of th

[ski]

hello,
i'm a new(ish) saltwater tank enthusiast. ive had my tank running for a month now. I cycled my tank with 6 live rocks, i have a mushroom, and just brought home a midas blenny on 5/3/11. when we first got her, she adjusted quite quickly - she found a rock to perch on, and swam around one side of the tank happily. I noticed she was avoiding the side near the filter and adjusted the water level - adding more water and salt. There is now about an inch between the rim of the tank, and the actual water level. The hydrometer is reading 1.019, which is a little low, but I am afraid to alter the tank too much right now - as she seems to be stressed.

I read that it may be a spike in ammonia or oxygen depletion. I noticed that one of the organisms that was on the live rock is now dead - that is any indication of tank stress?
Do you have any thoughts?

 

[Jeepguy242]

you need to bring your salinity up, check for ammonia, and nitrates, how did you acclimate your fish? putting a new fish from a tank with the proper salinity, into 1.019 without dripping it will surely stress it out, usually fish will look fine right after putting them in, but start to show signs of stress soon after, i suspect its the salinity being low

 

[skinz78]

Agreed, it sounds like an ammonia spike. I would do some water changes and slowly bring the salinity up to 1.026.

How many gallons is the tank and what powerheads do you have in it for flow?

 

[ski]

update

Thanks for the advice.

I went to my LFS and had the water tested for nitrates and ammonia. The nitrate reading was zero, and no ammonia spike. Hydrometer now reads 1.025, and I did a 10% water change. Also, i lowered the water back to where it was before. She is still hanging out near the top. However, I was told that this may be okay, and she is just getting used to the tank.

I have a 20 gal tank, with a whisper filtration system. I am wondering if an aerator is necessary?

The salinity level dropped after I added more water ( I didn't add enough salt) - and was reading 1.025 when i first put her in. I dipped the bag in the water for 10 mins, added my tank water to the bag and held open for another 10 mins, then added more tank water and waited 5 minutes. I then placed her in the tank.

She seemed fine and quite happy - quickly found a rock to perch on, then later started acting weird. She is now perching again, but she is still hanging out near the top. Since i first got her though, she has been opening her mouth wide and gasping for air. (it is like one huge gulp / gasp).

... She seems better, but I am still unsure. :squigglemouth:

 

[sf_ramsden]

You didn't raise the salinity from 1.019 to 1.025 in one day did you?

 

[skinz78]

It sounds to me like you don't have enough water movement. If you don't have a skimmer you'll need to have quite a bit of water movement on the surface to aireate the water. I would add 2 small powerheads, one on each end facing each other.