What happened to my Green Chromis?

[Willow]

you don't have a slug in there that might have died?

[Jim Barry]

No slugs in the tank........The only thing I can't find in the tank is a chocolate chip starfish

Things seem to have settled down a bit today. I put in a ton of carbon and I think things have stabilized. Everyone is eating (and getting along), except my Atlantic Blue Tang who is still hiding and not eating.

I guess we'll wait and see.


Thanks for the comments

Jim

[EmilyB]

Jim, I really think it is toxic tank as well.

You had the bounce sheet thing, you mentioned something to me about painting in the house, and really just because you have burned scented candles in the past without effect, doesn't mean all of this didn't build up to the point where the fish just couldn't handle it any more.

BTW, there was a thread on the newsgroup years back about scented candles and their detriment over time.

Hopefully things will improve with water changes and carbon.

[trilinearmipmap]

I would suggest opening up your windows in your house and turning on some ventilation fans. Just in case it is something in the air that is affecting your fish. Then again if it is 40 below zero in Calgary maybe you shouldn't.

[Reefhawk1]

I have had the same problem with chromis myself. I purchased seven and now only three remain. It seems the shy chromis become overwhelmed by the more aggressive ones and they kick the bucket.

The problem you are having in your tank sounds like a toxin may have entered the water. Have you used any airbourn chemicals lately or intoduced any cleaning sponges that may not be aquarium safe or have hidden chemicals in them? This has happed to me in the past with a "3M" sponge that didn't have any warnings about it not being aquarium safe. It wiped out my whole tank in hours.

You should do a large water change and if you have a separate tank that may have not been affected, transfer your fish ASAP. Do you have sufficient water movement and protein skimming? If you have any live rock, it will absorb the toxin, as well as your live sand.

Hope this helps out. Good luck.

Stan

[Jim Barry]

I don't think a toxin has entered the water as the corals were not affected in any way.

After rethinking it again, here is my latest theory..

I raised my alk level the other day by increasing the CO2 from my calcium reactor. When I checked it the next day, I realized I had made too much of an adjustment and the alk level had risen to 16 DKH. I think there was so much CO2 in the water the fish suffocated from lack of oxygen. This might explain why the Sailfin was "twitching" in the water before she died and why the fish died over a short period of time. Although my tank gets good O2 as a result of my overflow, sump and surface water movement, it is an acrylic tank and is covered by acrylic panels on the top. This may have reduced the amount of O2 getting into the water and impacted the ability to burn off the excess CO2.

My Atlantic Blue Tang is still hiding in the rocks and will not eat, she continually goes to the cleaner shrimp to have her mouth area cleaned.

Could too much CO2 in the water have caused permanent damage to the Tangs gills?

I have turned my reactor down and my reading is now 11.5 DKH. All the other fish are eating and appear to have survived without ill effect.

I am doing a water change this morning and have taken off the acrylic panels. I will also add a venturi to a powerhead to oxygenate the water.

Damn rookie mistakes

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

I was also going to suggest O2 deprivation, so instead I will second your last theory. Chromis seem to be very susceptible to O2 deprivation & be among the first to die. Tangs also have high O2 requirements. If CO2 levels are too high, this for sure will drop O2 levels since water, especially saltwater, can only hold so much dissolved gases.

Sorry for your losses.

Anthony

[Aquattro]

I don't think CO2 levels were the cause. More likely a too rapid shift in chemistry, CO2 easily gasses out of solution if you have decent agitation of the surface, and the lids aren't going to reduce this reaction. If you took the total area of gaps between the lid and tank, you'd likely have enough square footage to put your hand thru, thus more than enough air would be available to the surface of the water.
Also, that much CO2 (required to suffocate fish) would have given a huge drop in pH, which in turn would have shown as a much more serious problem. And the first sign of 02 deprivation is all your fish gulping air from the surface. (which isn't the case, right?)

[Bob I]

I am going to agree with Brad. I know that tank very well, as I have fed the fish while Jim was away. There is plenty of space between the lid and the water along with large openings. There was also plenty of surface agitation last time I was there.