Snails in school tank died... help?

jellygirl · #1 10/30/2007, 10:28 AM

My school started a 55g tank and the guy that started the tank has no knowledge of saltwater. In less than a month he has added

1 yellow tang
2 clowns
2 royal grammas
5 damsels
1 peppermint shrimp
crabs and snails

there was feather dusters on the live rock and now they have died and the snails are dead and i cant find the crabs i'm guessing they died. i have checked ammonia and Ph, which is normal but I dont know how to keep everything else from dying. One thing that could be wrong is the water needed to be topped off and i told the guy in the office he needed to buy some RO water or get the device and do it himself. He told me that he used tap water out the sink... so that is one thing and another is that he didnt let the tank cycle long enough and thats to many fish for a 55g. So any help or advice how to keep stuff from dying? thanks

Vinnie71975 · #2 10/30/2007, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jellygirl
My school started a 55g tank and the guy that started the tank has no knowledge of saltwater. In less than a month he has added

1 yellow tang
2 clowns
2 royal grammas
5 damsels
1 peppermint shrimp
crabs and snails

there was feather dusters on the live rock and now they have died and the snails are dead and i cant find the crabs i'm guessing they died. i have checked ammonia and Ph, which is normal but I dont know how to keep everything else from dying. One thing that could be wrong is the water needed to be topped off and i told the guy in the office he needed to buy some RO water or get the device and do it himself. He told me that he used tap water out the sink... so that is one thing and another is that he didnt let the tank cycle long enough and thats to many fish for a 55g. So any help or advice how to keep stuff from dying? thanks

Steal all the fish and get them to good homes? thats about the best idea, 55 is WAY to small for a yellow tang to begin with they need at least 75 gallons!

SultanOfSushi · #3 10/30/2007, 10:44 AM

I agree with Vinnie, but baring that from a possiblity, sounds like it could be copper, which is deadly to inverts, especially all you have listed. Check it out with a Copper test and see. GET MOVING!!! All else fails do a water change too. Check the supply water for Copper, then check anything that is in or touches the tank. Inverts a re barometer for the overall health of the tank too. Post some more details and we will all try to help you I am sure. Thanks and good luck!!

hmello@bermexin · #4 10/30/2007, 10:44 AM

Can someone with more knowledge take over the care of the tank?

papagimp · #5 10/30/2007, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Vinnie71975
55 is WAY to small for a yellow tang to begin with they need at least 75 gallons!

I'd say the same thing about a 75g, way to small.

Vinnie71975 · #6 10/30/2007, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by papagimp
I'd say the same thing about a 75g, way to small.

Lol i agree i say 75g as the Minimum size tank but would recommend at least a 120g for a yellow tang. If not Bigger, and it makes me sick to see my LFS keep the yellow tang in a 5g cubical tank!

jellygirl · #7 10/30/2007, 12:14 PM

Where i live NO ONE is into saltwater. I know some and volunteered to help with the tank. Lots of the advice I have given the guy he hasnt used it and well... id say thats why his stuff is dying off. Someone replied check the copper. The test kit they have in the office only test Ph, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. I have a friend that knows his stuff when it comes to saltwater and I usually just ask him any ?'s i have he said the tang should be ok because its so small. it's like 2 inches. He said when it gets bigger it definitely needs to come out. Id steal the stuff if could because i really hate to see the fish die because i put alot of work in the tank and yea.

jellygirl · #8 10/30/2007, 12:26 PM

anyone know anything about the snails and feather dusters? are they pretty hardy? I guess not if they are dead...

Inverts a re barometer for the overall health of the tank too. What does this mean?

The whole thing was the guy wanted a "NEMO" tank and thats why he got the clowns and everything because they are all on nemo. Every few days he is adding new fish the royal grammas just came in yesterday and he has already planned to get 2 hippo tangs. I'm telling him he is going to lose everything but he is listening to our fish store which is the only one in the whole county and they dont know really anything. They are encouraging him to buy more and more and he thinks they know their stuff when really he is getting ripped off.

jehudson · #9 10/30/2007, 12:44 PM

AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!

SLAP EM!!!!!

Did he at least treat the water tap water for chlorine???? I'd recommend a large water change with R/O regardless of the copper outcome. Here's a calculater you can use to see how many water changes it will take to get that tap water diluted http://www.reefcentral.com/calc/RODICalc.php.

The heavy biological load, lack of cycle, plus the "tap water" could cause the nitrates to spike very quickly. If Nitrates should be close to 0 (I get nervous around 20ppm)

jehudson · #10 10/30/2007, 12:49 PM

CALL THE LFS AND TELL THEM NOT TO SELL THIS GUY ANY MORE FISH!!!!!!! ... give me the number ... I'll call the LFS and tell them to stop selling him fish

commabc · #11 10/30/2007, 12:51 PM

why dont you show him this thread, or this site and tell him to read up for one night and he will no that everything he is/has been doing is BAD!!!! it sucks that the fish have to be victims of his ignorance, but he will learn for himself i guess, after all of his money is gone and his fish are dead. Do the fish a favor and take them back to the store, or ship them to one of us who are responsible reefers!

Achapman · #12 10/30/2007, 12:54 PM

We should all feel lucky that we are on the better side of evolution.

hmello@bermexin · #13 10/30/2007, 01:01 PM

Is this a school sponsored tank with school funds appropriated? If so get to the department head in charge and let them know your concerns and maybe show them this thread as well as this one
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...readid=1031074
Maybe you can get some help that way.

Piscator · #14 10/30/2007, 01:20 PM

Could also be that this "teacher" didn't bother to acclimate the snails/crabs. Just "plop" drop them in. So sad.

If it were copper, I would think the shrimp would be a gonner by now. Maybe it is...

So sorry,

Best wishes,

SultanOfSushi · #15 10/30/2007, 01:26 PM

I agree, I have a few extra tanks that need something in them for me to care for...Send them all my way. Worse yet is this fella a Bio teacher... That would be rich!!

SultanOfSushi · #16 10/30/2007, 01:31 PM

The idea of using the inverts as a barometer, is to say if they are doing badly then the tank is not far from crashing sooner or later, seems in this instance sooner would be the operative wording. Hope things work out....

Boca Kris · #17 10/30/2007, 05:16 PM

I agree...this guy needs a wakeup call! I would have him read this thread. That is WAY too many fish for that tank, especially one so new. Its so much better to do things gradually. You can print this out and hand it to him.

Poor little fishies....

otrlynn · #18 10/30/2007, 06:04 PM

Jellygirl, I don't know what your school situation is but you need someone in a position of authority on your side. Perhaps if you make an appointment to speak with the head of the science department and/or principal and go with some printed information regarding stocking levels for saltwater tanks and using proper (RO/DI) water you can convince them to get this guy to go more slowly and research what he is doing. My suggestion is not to criticize the guy setting up the tank (who I assume is a teacher) but to let them know that you have been doing research and that you really want to see the tank succeed. You are to be commended for taking such an interest in "doing right" by this fish tank and its inhabitants. If you want to stay involved, be prepared to work! This guy in the office may be relieved to let you do some of the work, and, with research, you can do it the right way. Good luck!

jellygirl · #19 10/30/2007, 08:47 PM

well he did say that he used something to dechlorinate the water. I told him to do 5% water changes weekly and he said the lady at the pet store told him to wait til the nirates went up. It has been a month almost and they havent really went up. I have tried many times to show him different forums i am on that argue what he thinks vs. fact and he doesnt seem to believe me. I just was hoping that someone could tell me what i could do if anything to save everything from dying off. I feed eveything and test the water weekly, so i have a little power over the tank. I had a science teacher talk to him this guy is just really stubborn and ignorant. i really appreciate everyones input ifyou think of anything else please add.

commabc · #20 10/30/2007, 09:39 PM

hopefully he already read this thread and just feels like a big dummy and doesn't want to admit it to you, since he's the teacher and your the student. he's just really embarrassed! you need to keep doing whaT you doing and stand your ground. keep researching and learning as much as you can, its your duty to save the tank ("find nemo")

jellygirl · #21 10/31/2007, 08:42 AM

commabc, I really doubt he has read this because he doesnt get on this sight. I'm going down there later and check on the tank. The dead snails are still in the tank and someone needs to get them out before they rotting. Does anyone know how hardy snails are? Maybe he did just drop them into the tank without acclimation. Idk ill ask today.

jellygirl · #22 10/31/2007, 08:42 AM

commabc, I really doubt he has read this because he doesnt get on this site. I'm going down there later and check on the tank. The dead snails are still in the tank and someone needs to get them out before they rotting. Does anyone know how hardy snails are? Maybe he did just drop them into the tank without acclimation. Idk ill ask today.

jehudson · #23 10/31/2007, 12:32 PM

Jellygirl,

I'm shocked that the nitrates havent gone up yet. Is he following the directions for the test correctly? I have to stand on my head, shake the tube for 30 seconds, add the other drops at 2 second intervals shake again then wait for exactly five minutes etc. If he's not letting that test kit sit long enough it may not be an accurate reading.

jellygirl · #24 10/31/2007, 12:37 PM

I tested it a friday before the peppermint shrimp and 2 royal grammas and the nitrates were at 0. Since then maybe they have went up. I asked the guy how long he acclimated everything and he said he let the bag float in the water for probably 10 mins at most. Its pretty horrible what he has done.

Boca Kris · #25 10/31/2007, 09:00 PM

Any updates? Im pulling for the fishies! I say, demand to take over or you have a PETA rally planned in his honor! That might wake him up. Tell him Pamela Anderson is on the way with a camera crew.

...on second thought, scratch that last part...he would probably like that.