Losing Fish - Could Lava Rock Be the Cause?

[mikebranson]

I just typed a huge thing, but i think it was more info than needed so im gonna shorten my story..

set the tank up perfect and let it run for nearly a month..
bought a few fish - (5)
then lost a yellow tang..

replaced with a naso

lost all of my fish, but 2 damsels and 2 anemones over a period of 3 days...

Could there be something in my red lava rock that caused this...

(100 gallon tank - undergravel filter - canster - bubble strips)
if u need more info on my setup i'd be glad to give it...

Thanks for the help.....

 

[RogerMcAllen]

I believe that some lava rock contains heavy metals, which could be the culprit.

 

[srgetz]

What are the water parameters? Sorry for the losses, but tangs don't do well in anything less than an established, stable system - same for anenomes. The lfs should have steered you clear of these for a new sw aquarium. Did the fish show any symptoms?

 

[mikebranson]

my tank had been running empty for around 3 weeks and i just take my water to my lfs and have them check it or readiness.
When they said go, I went....
The yellow tang was the first one to act up, and i just thought he was a goof - he was bright yellow at first, but lightened up considerably and had light brown patches thru his body, but it didnt look external - lfs said it was from stress and he didnt have enuf hiding places (i have 100lbs of lava rock - should be plenty of places to hide)
he died - and i thought it was a bad fish..
so i got a naso and it went down hill from there...
they didnt show any visible signs, but the naso was only there for 3 days before i lost them..
still the 2 damsels and 2 anemones are thriving right now...
(its been a week since the others died)

 

[mikebranson]

any thoughts?

 

[lando]

Sorry to hear about your troubles. There could be a number of things going on here. I am not sure about the lava rock. Not too many people use that in a SW tank. It sounds more like a water parameter issue or an acclimation issue. What are your current water parameters? If you do not have a test kit, that should be the next thing you buy. I would stop buying fish until you figure the problem out. We need to know Temp, SG, Ph, amonia, nitrite, nitrate. Also, what kind of anenomes do you have in your tank? What is your lighting set up? Looking forward to helping you out, good luck...Lando

 

[mikebranson]

I found several problems in my water test.. i dont think the lfs has been doing to good of a job keeping me informed.. yet another reason i found you guys...
here are a few of the problems that i have no clue how to fix...

nitrate - 20
nitrite - 0
ammonia - 0
ph - 7.8
water temp of 79
sg is 1.020

have 2 pink tip anemones and 2 damsels remaining...
48" marine glo (20 watt bulbs)
magnum 350 canister
2 power head 802's w/ an undergravel filter
100lbs of florida crushed coral
and the questionable lava rock... (60lbs)

thatnks again for the help..

 

[vertex]

Hey mike, I'm just starting out too but I think you want your ph a little higher, around 8.2 and sg maybe just a bit higher 1.023-1.024. Not sure myself if this is dangerous to the fish or not? Hopefully someone else can comment on that..

 

[lando]

Yes, ph is a bit on the low side. SG is okay at 1.020 but it could be up to 1.025 with no problems. I am not sure if you have enugh light to support the anenomes long-term. An upgrade should be in the works if you want them to survive. I would seriously start looking for another LFS. sounds as if this one is off on some info. How have you been acclimenting the fish?

 

[mikebranson]

i have already ordered more lights and they are on the way...
The fish were acclimated over the period of an hour...
they did fine for the first 3 days or so and then just misteriously died...
im scared to add more in fear of another loss....
but the damsels seem just fine...???

what would you use to raise the ph?
do i need to bother with calcium tests yet?
and still - is there a test out there for iron to see if the lava rock is a prob?

 

[Salttanker]

I am sorry to hear about your losses. I remember reading about different types of rock in my "Conscientious Marine Aquarist" book that some rocks like lava rock can contain heavy metals in it. They may not show up right away, but sooner or later it will rear its ugly head when you least suspect it. The best way to fix your pH problem is to use live rock. Tangs love to graze on them all day. In addition, Tangs are very suceptible to low levels of pH, especially anything below 8.0. Also, if you are using glass tops I would leave the flaps open. This was a real problem for me, so I got rid of the glass tops all together and went with eggcrate.
You can usually lower nitrates by doing water changes, and cutting back on feeding.
I have never had luck keeping an anemone in a tank less than 6 months old. What type of lighting did you get for your system?
I would slowly work on getting your SG raised to 1.023 as well.
I have seen tests out there for iron. Not a bad idea.
Damsels can survive just about any condition of saltwater. Very hardy fish.

Mike

 

[jaiden]

I'd like to suggest not adding fish for at least a month. I think you added too much at once.

Definitely get your ph up, but not too fast!

 

[mikebranson]

thanks for the info...
i'll begin raising it slowly. (both sg and ph)


Michael