Within 2 hours after acclimating them one of them was dead

[jrt9430]

I recently got 2 true percula clownfish the other day. Within 2 hours after acclimating them one of them was dead. Params were:
Ph 7.7 (I know it's low)
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 20
Ammonia 0
Salinity 1.025

I did a wc and got a ph buffer and it's up to 8.1. I got another clown and today the one that I put in the other day is now dead. Is this from the ph? The only other things in the tank are a blood shrimp, hermit crab and about 9 blue leg hermits. Water params are the same

 

[Bectan01]

How do you acclimate them? What kind of symptoms do they show before dying?

 

[jrt9430]

I floated the bag and then slowly added the tank water to the bag until it doubled, took out some water from the bag and slowly added more until it doubled again. Did it for about an hour and then netted them out. I wasn't home when they died but before I left home, they were both swimming around and looked fine

 

[Bectan01]

What kind of set up do you have? Adding buffers is not a good thing to do, I wouldn't think a low ph would kill them but if it's low because there is little flow that might. What kind of filtration do you have and how much live rock?

 

[jrt9430]

I have a stock 29 biocube with about 20 pounds of live rock

 

[Bectan01]

I am not familiar with the bio cube, do you have a power head for flow? Or is there much flow in the tank? How long has it been set up for?

 

[Macscale]

Well some more live rock would improve the system. Did you cycle the tank?

 

[jrt9430]

Not sure what kind of powerhead it has. It's been cycled and up and running for about 2 and a half months. I was going to get another 10 pounds of rock

 

[baron1282]

For SaltWater fish! Dip acclimation is the best!

Don't feel to bad, both of my clowns jumped. :-(

 

[jrt9430]

Not doing the drip can kill them after 5 days?

 

[Cichlid-dude]

You said it died in 2 hours not 5 days. As for the other one that died, how fast did you raise the ph? Rapid raising or lowering of the ph is not good, you must do it slowly. I beleive its recomended to only raise it .02 per day until you reach the desired level.

 

[jrt9430]

Right but then the other one died after 5 days. The ph went up .3 in 2 days

 

[Macscale]

.3 is a lot to raise the PH in two days. The other poster was right, .02 per two days is the rule of thumb with PH buffers. The swings could cause issues.