Do you ordinarily test for copper? New fish disappearing within 3days

[DI68]

I have an API test kit I bought when I was going to treat a fish in the hospital tank with copper but went with hyposalinity-and it died. I haven't used the test kit for my DT. Is copper something you would normally test for in a reef tank or should I take it back to the LFS ? It's becoming clockwork that I introduce a new fish on a Sat and by Tues night I can't find it. The other fish are going strong and showing no signs of any illness even though I had dramas a couple of months back.My readings are:
SG 1.024
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 0
Phosphates 0.25
Ammonia 0
PH 7.8 ( will need to add buffer-I can never get it high) ......could this be the problem? Have the other fish adapted to the lower PH and the new fish die within a few days? I added a hugely fat mandarin- I had two before which recently died when my tank crashed and it was eating the lobster eggs and was really active. Within a day or 2 it was sitting on the sand bed and wouldn't eat then I couldn't find it when I got home? I have my own RODI system so maybe that's not filtering the water correctly?


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[DI68]

I have an API test kit I bought when I was going to treat a fish in the hospital tank with copper but went with hyposalinity-and it died. I haven't used the test kit for my DT. Is copper something you would normally test for in a reef tank or should I take it back to the LFS ? It's becoming clockwork that I introduce a new fish on a Sat and by Tues night I can't find it. The other fish are going strong and showing no signs of any illness even though I had dramas a couple of months back.My readings are:
SG 1.024
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 0
Phosphates 0.25
Ammonia 0
PH 7.8 ( will need to add buffer-I can never get it high) ......could this be the problem? Have the other fish adapted to the lower PH and the new fish die within a few days? I added a hugely fat mandarin- I had two before which recently died when my tank crashed and it was eating the lobster eggs and was really active. Within a day or 2 it was sitting on the sand bed and wouldn't eat then I couldn't find it when I got home? I have my own RODI system so maybe that's not filtering the water correctly?


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[Sniperhank]

Didn't you just state you were still cycling in another thread? This is most likely the same cause of death.

 

[DI68]

That's a different tank. This one is established although upgraded from 300 litre to 400 litre - around about the same time the tank started crashing ( I blame my hubby as I wasn't home when he moved everything across between tanks). Saying that, I have upsized several times using the same bio media, rock, sand and water so it is supposed to be more like a water change with the additional water (so I have read)


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[Sillyfishies]

How do you acclimate? If you float and drop, with your pH, that might just do them in.

 

[DI68]

I float them in the bag for some time -around 20-30mins and then open the bag, let some water from the DT in and let it float for another 5mins or so before releasing them into the tank.


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