Green chromis dying

[AquaBear]

Hi all! I finally decided to take the plunge and bring home the first 4 fish for my SW QT. They haven't eaten a bite since I brought them home, which I thought at first might be them just getting acclimated.

Last night, one of them was swimming along on the bottom, he couldn't even right himself, just floating along in the current, and bobbing around like he was losing all control over his movement. He died. This morning, I watch another one do the same thing, but I removed him from the tank before he could completely die. I'm now down to 2.

The one that died last night, looked like he had some very light tan/brown markings on him toward his tail, but I'm not sure if that was a health condition or something else. This is my QT (good thing), 20g, Ammonia is .5, Nitrite is 0, Nitrate it 0, SG is 1.0218 and temp is 76.

Does any of this sound familiar to anybody and/or can you think of any intervention techniques I can try so I don't lose the others?

TIA,
--AquaBear

 

[steve-s]

Do several large water changes and continue to monitor the ammonia level until it gets closer to 0.1ish mg/l. If the QT was not cycled and you added all 4 fish at once, there would be no bacteria to handle the ammonia which has now reached a toxic level. If you have anything disposable from the main tank that can be transfered over to seed the QT like carbon, filterfloss and the like; that will help alot. You will most likely need to do daily water changes until the ammonia and nitrites pass.

I would also suggest keeping the water specs of the QT the same as you would the display tank. The temp and SG of your QT is on the low side. How's the pH?

Cheers
Steve

 

[srgetz]

SG is 1.0218

however that's one heck of an accurate swingarm or even refractometer for that matter!

 

[AquaBear]

Well, actually, it's the swingarm thing. I just let it get completely still and then sub-divide the hundredth down to what my eye says it is.

I ended up losing a third, so I grabbed the 4th one and threw him over in the main tank. He's actually doing okay, except he won't eat anything. I did a partial filter clean in the main tank and cut the floss in half, and have that floating in the QT, because obviously I need to let it cycle. Although it's a bare bottom tank, so I'm not sure how I'll be able to keep an adequate bio-filter, unless it's the few pieces of LR I've got in there and the filter cartridge.

I'll keep checking it until I get them the same. Now if I could just get the darn fish to eat something. I'd hate to think I went through all of it for naught and have him die of starvation.

Thanks for the advice!
--Aquabear

 

[steve-s]

Although it's a bare bottom tank, so I'm not sure how I'll be able to keep an adequate bio-filter, unless it's the few pieces of LR I've got in there and the filter cartridge.

Bare bottom is the safest way to maintain a QT for both water quality and the possible need for meds. Get a few 2-3" pieces of PVC well cleaned (no soap) and place them in. Bacteria will colonize any hard surface within the tank but you want to be sure it's inert and will not trap wastes.

Cheers
Steve

 

[Sparky]

I would think that 76 degrees is kinda low on the tempature. That is the bottom end for SW fish I think. If he is doing OK in the main tank, what is the temp there?

I know when my temp dropped a couple of months ago my fish started acting really strange and I noticed the temp was at 77 degrees. I normally keep the tank at 79-80 and they may have been a shock to them. My cats had unplugged my heaters under the tank. I have since closed up the back so they can't get in there anymore.

Mike

 

[AquaBear]

The main tank is 78-79.

I keep the back of my tank blocked off from my cats too. And I got a canopy to make sure they wouldn't walk right on the aquarium glass (I could see my big fat cat falling right through). I must just have a suicidal fish. Now I'm getting trigger shy about getting more.

Maybe I need to get a cleaning crew to get things started...an awful lot of brown algae growing on the tops of the LR.

--Aquabear