Inverts Dying

[ericsze]

The tank's a 29G w/ 10G Sump: 1 Maroon clown, 2 Blue Damselfish, FOWLR, started it October 2003.

Water parameters (Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate) are excellent, all at zero; nitrates at 15. The water is crystal clear as well.

Got back from a weekend trip...I can't find my cleaner shrimp, some hermits are out of their shells (dead), two or three mexican grazers have gone back into their shells (no movement, can't tell if they are dead or not).

I don't really understand what's happening. What other things do i have to be wary of? Phosophates, silicates, etc.?

 

[Guest]

Has the tank ever been treated with copper?

 

[cj10488]

I would check the Salinity.. What is your salinity kept at and how do you measure it??? Also what do you have for top off.. Could it be while you were gone too much water evaporated and caused your salinity to rise... in a 29g tank it would not take that long and would have some pretty bad effects on inverts.. I know my 29g if I aint filling it as it evaporates my sg can raise quite a bit... FWIW inverts should be kept at 1.023- 1.025 or 35ppt..


James

 

[Biggen]

nitrates at 15.

While I am not sure if this is high enough to kill the inverts you mention, this will only aggravate the situation. In the longer term, if you have no way to remove nitrates from the tank, this number will only go up and cause problems.