Problem Keeping Fish in Reef Tank

[marrone]

Just want to get some opinions on the problem that I'm having in my 35 gal reef tank. Every time that I place a fish in the tank the fish dies within 2-3 days. The fish develops a white film on it, like a bacteria infection or when your tank start to cycle and the fish gets an ammonia poisoning, and then dies a day or two later.

Now all my corals, crab, snails and nubraches are doing great and the water condition are as follows:

Ph:8.2
Salt:1.025
Nitrates:.15-.20
Nitrites:0
Ammonia:0
Alkalinity:14

Now the only problem that I see is the Alkalinity is high. I have never had any problems like this with my other fish only tanks and this tank was orginally a Fowlr tank, before I replaced all the crushed coral with live sand and took over th bio wheel on the filter. Before I changed over the fish in the tank where fine.

tia
Michael

 

[heuerfan]

I'm not an expert, but i think your alk is too high, 14? I belive it should bet. 7-11.

Just my 2 cents.....

 

[House of Laughter]

I believe it should be around 8.5 - also, I think we need more information about your tank - stocking levels, the type of fish you are introducing, your substrate and rock etc.

Also, are you doing water changes have a skimmer etc?

House

 

[marrone]

The tank is a 35gal hex with about 40-50lbs of live rock and 60lb of live sand. I have a Prism skimmer on it and running a Emperor 280 without the bio wheel and a poly pad in the filter. I have the following:

Star polyps
Red, purple, frilly and green mushrooms
Green and orange zoo's
Green, Orange and Blue Recordia,
Xenia
4 large mexican turbo snails
1 Lettuce Nutbrach
bunch of small blue & red hermit crabs.

Sounds like alot but the tank is not over stock.


I do water change 1 a week, about 5 gals, + top off during the week of another 5 gals.

I dose iodine once a week, was doing kalkwasser also weekly but have stop about 2 weeks ago, because the Alk was to high. The Alk should be about 7-11, I;m been bring it down slow with water changes it was at 15 now it's 13 and by next week it should be about 9-11. Just wondering if that is the problem.

The tank before was FOWLR and I had no problems.

 

[House of Laughter]

Interesting - good idea to tak eit down slowly

How long ago was it FOWLR? How long did you let it re-cycle with adding the new rock?

still looking for bacterial infection info - haven't found anything yet!

House

 

[marrone]

How long ago was it FOWLR? How long did you let it re-cycle with adding the new rock?

The tank was a FOWLR for about 5 years, give or take a year. I add more live rock about 4-6 months ago so that wasn't the problem. I removed the crush coral and replaced it with sand about 2 months ago and everything was still ok. I did a couple of water changes to help bring the nitrates down, also was adding Kalkwasser water, but it was still high 40ppm. I then changed the filter material and removed the bio-wheel that's when the problem started. But that was over a month ago and everything is doing great so I don't know what the problem is. It;s bein 2 weeks now and I will try another small fish and see what happens.

 

[Tommy98016]

why are you dose iodine once a week ? do you test for it ? also are you using a RO/DI unit for water changes and water top off's. Imo weekly water changes will give you all you need as in trac elements. No need to dose iodine.
Good luck
Tom

 

[JimFitz]

It sounds like a stress induced fungus infection to me. Your alk is way too high and i'd be suprised if your PH is only 8.2 with an alk like that.

How did you acclimate these fish, unlike the corals who experienced a gradual rise in the alk the fish was subjected to it rather quickly unless you did a slow acclimation with a until you had 100% tank water in the bag. Also I might suspect the iodine causing the problem too.

If you feel you must use Iodine in your tank use iodide instead. It is far less toxic than iodine.

But I agree with the earlier post about why use iodine at all if your changing your water regularly. I've found absolutely no benifit to using it in my tanks...I've never added any and I've tested the water and found that the levels where always within range. I do a 15% weekly water change.

just for of another persons 2 cents