What is happing to my inhabitants

[aha24]

Ok first off my tank never had a high spike in its cycle. I got some cleanup crew 25 turbo?s about 35 hermits 3 emeralds & 2 or 3 small snails. First I added 4 small black and gold chromis first night 1 disappeared no sign never seen again. After realizing they were aggressive I killed 1 trying to get it out of the tank and managed to get the other 2 out and put them in my sump. waited 2 weeks I bought 2 blue green chromis this past "Saturday" woke up Sunday 1 blue green was missing went and grabbed 2 more "Sunday". Monday the second of the chromis I bought on Saturday was gone. That afternoon I saw a couple emerald crabs fishing it off. Now today I was just looking in the tank I noticed in the back of the tank was and emerald crab half gone. I don?t get it. I checked My PH 8.2 Ammonia 0 Nitrite 0 Nitrate 5 .

I had the live rock in and out of the tank several times during the cycle period and never noticed anything that resembled a mantis shrimp . I just don?t know I want to start adding other things to the tank but I don?t want to add stuff and have it die especially if the y start getting expensive.

 

[aha24]

O ya ray had given me a leather frag that I dont think made it it dissapeared from teh rock I put it on and is somewhere in the tank

 

[mano1192]

Have you watched your tank with the lights off?? Its true the freaks come out at night! Youd be suprised what happens at night, if you have a nightvision video camera set it up for the night and you might find your answer.

 

[NateHanson]

Sounds like you either have a killer on the loose, or a water quality issue.

Is anything currently surviving in the tank?

What source of water are you using? What salt? What's your salinity

What type of rock did you use to set it up?

Have you heard any loud snapping/popping noises from the tank?

Nate

 

[aha24]

Sounds like you either have a killer on the loose, or a water quality issue.

Is anything currently surviving in the tank?

What source of water are you using? What salt? What's your salinity

What type of rock did you use to set it up?

Have you heard any loud snapping/popping noises from the tank?

Nate

Yes the 2 black and gold chromis are in the sump have been for going on 4th week 2 blue greens still in display 2 emeralds still in display and all hermits and snails wondering if maybe the crab just moulted and is hiding.

I am currently using tap water.. bought salt from ray dont remember what kind salinity = 1.025

Rock = haiti
no snapping / popping

 

[nunofs]

How are you dechlorinating the tap water? A bottled dechlorinator, or just letting it aerate? Did you make any recent water changes?

Nuno

 

[aha24]

dechlorinating? nope no changes lately everything seems good

 

[nunofs]

dechlorinating?

Do you have well water, or town water? If you're using town water you need to dechlorinate the tap water...

Nuno

 

[PRTA79]

dechlorinator

dechlorinating? nope no changes lately everything seems good

if nothing else you should at least use a dechlorinator!
if you cant afford a ro unit , i would get a tapwater filter, or use springwater from a fill station. check you towns water specs online ,youll be suprised whats in your water

 

[aha24]

I have town water .... Also I just found all 3 emerals so one must have moulted

 

[nunofs]

Actually, I just did a bit of searching, and it seems that Gardner is one of the many towns that's adding chloramines to their water:

from: http://www.ci.gardner.ma.us/water_quality.htm

Chlorine and ammonia are added to the water to produce chloramines for the disinfect ion process.

So, if you're using town water, a simple dechlorinator won't be enough (or aeration, for that matter), you'll need to use a dechlorinator that handles chloramines too (like Seachem Prime).

Nuno

 

[nunofs]

I have town water

And you're not dechlorinating? You have your answer right there... I'm actually surprised you still have some fish and inverts alive.

Nuno

 

[PRTA79]

water changes

how often do you change your water???

 

[aha24]

Actually, I just did a bit of searching, and it seems that Gardner is one of the many towns that's adding chloramines to their water:



So, if you're using town water, a simple dechlorinator won't be enough (or aeration, for that matter), you'll need to use a dechlorinator that handles chloramines too (like Seachem Prime).

Nuno

I just finished my cycle so I havent started regular changes yet.... did 1 big one during cycle....

Does anyone have anything I could pick up from them "buy" at the meeting Saturday (like Seachem Prime)

 

[nunofs]

I just finished my cycle

I'm pretty sure your tank has not cycled, not with chlorine/chloramines in the tank... you said above that you didn't see a spike, that's probably because the chlorine killed all the bacteria responsible for the cycle... the 5ppm nitrates you're seeing now may be due to using tap water.

Nuno

 

[aha24]

I did get the alge groth and I am grow coraline alge right now?

 

[aha24]

would I be able to add Seachem Prime righ to the tank?

 

[nunofs]

I don't know how to explain that... I would recommend that you get a dechlorinator that handles chloramines, do a few very large water changes (using the dechlorinator; or better yet, invest in a cheap RODI filter) in a short time to get as much of the original water out of the system as possible, and then wait a few weeks to see what the tank does.

Nuno

 

[nunofs]

would I be able to add Seachem Prime righ to the tank?

I think so, but check the directions on the bottle beforehand.

Nuno

 

[PRTA79]

ro/di unit

if you want a good deal on a rodi unit go to www.hb watersystems.com
they have a 4 stage unit on sale for $119 this month