Something i did wrong?

[ddaddy2420]

I have a 10 gallon tank with live rock. After putting the water in it and letting it cycle for a few days i took a sample to two different fish stores. Both said my water was fine and was ready. I put a damsel in the tank. The next day i put a powerhead in my tank and a heater although the heater never kicked on. My water seems to stay at around 80 to 82 degrees F. By the third day the damsel seemed pretty stressed. On the fourth day i saw him swimming around the top of my tank with his mouth towards the top of the water like he was feeding or something. I thought all was good but when i came home he was dead. What went wrong? I have continued to test my water and from what i can tell, from those 5 in 1 strips, everything is fine.

[drummereef]

First, the test strips are junk. Invest in a quality test kit, like Salifert or API. Knowing exactly what is going on in your tank, chemistry wise, is invaluable. Can you list all the water params as they are currently? How did you acclimate the damsel?

[griss]

I would recommend getting some better test kits. IMO, those dip strips are not the most accurate. Some of the better and more affordable tests out there are made by Salifert.

Also, take a water sample to the LFS again and ask to see the results if you didn't the first time.

Good luck and sorry about your Damsel

[griss]

Jinx

[Whisperer]

Look at your water cirlculation also, the fish was suffocating the way you described it. JMHO

[cdangel0]

Your water may have "appeared" fine at the LFS - if you had not yet begun your cycle all readings would have been zero.

If the fish was gasping it may have been because the ammonia spiked and burned it's gills.

I can not agree more...throw the strips away...water quality ios the quinessential element to success in this hobby and you truely can not afford to have less then excellent testing equipment to ensure the highest quality H2O.

[papagimp]

Originally posted by drummereef
First, the test strips are junk. Invest in a quality test kit, like Salifert or API.

API? Qualtiy? Really? I've always considered them junk as well, but still I continue to use them.

fwiw, alot of LFS (not saying yours is this way, but possible) will tell you that your water is fine even when it's not. Opinions on what will support life will vary to the extremes in this hobby. I second the nomination to get a better test and check for yourself. I'd also look to your circulation as mentioned, did sound like the fish may have had trouble getting oxygen.

[kevin2000]

Water quality and disease are two likely candidates.

Ammonia can burn the gills (lungs) and some diseases/parasites are known to attack the gills .. both result in breathing difficulties and potential death.

I suggest you invest in an inexpensive Seachem ammonia alert badge ... they are pretty reliable and will tell you when you have an ammonia issue.

[ddaddy2420]

How do i check my water circulation?

As far as acclimating the damsel, i was told to put the baggie in the tank and add a bit of my water to it every 10 minutes for about an hour, then add the fish to my tank.

The fish store used a test strip to test my water, should i ask for some sort of more comprehensive test? The fish store i got to really looks like a pretty good one, not to mention it is the only mainly saltwater store in the area. Everything else around here is Petco and crap like that.

The test strips show:
Nitrate: 20ppm
Nitrite: 0
Total Alkalinity: 300ppm
pH: 7.8
Water temp: 82F
Salinity: 1.025

[kevin2000]

A little suface water turbulance is all you need to insure aeration -no big deal. So long as your water temp and salinity are reasonable the only water quality condition that would normally kill a fish is ammonia.

[m_wonnacott]

Doesn't look like that test strip tells you ammonia or did you just forget to list it?

[ddaddy2420]

It doesn't tell ammonia. I am going to the fish store now to have them test it.

[Grins]

Your tank is only a few days old? You need to let it cycle before adding livestock. It probably didn't have any ammonia in it until you put the fish in it .

[Nanemene]

Yeah, the few days old part is no good. The thing probably started to cycle the second livestock was added.

[ahullsb]

LFS's love to sacrifice their damsels. Even though they are somewhat annoying fish, I am getting sick of the same threads where some LFS said the tank was ready for fish, but then recommend a damsel. (I wonder why?) ddaddy2420 I'm not venting at you, God knows I made a mistakes in the beginning by listening to the wrong people.

[ahullsb]

You should just bag the dead fish, take it back, and tell them they can give it to another customer to cycle their tank too.