Nancy Christian Posted January 28, 2010 Share Posted January 28, 2010 Alright, I have a 20 gallon saltwater tank with a small damsel, dwarf lionfish, and snowflake eel. I do realizine that the tank is going to be too small in a few months and I am prepared for that. However, I recently perform a 50% water change on this tank last night using tap water since I had no distilled water on hand. I used a dechlorinator, the proper amount of saltmix, and made sure the temperature matched that of the tank. This morning, I noticed the lionfish breathing rapibly and being very lethargic in its movement. I am planning on running to RiverCity to get some of their reverse osmosis saltwater, however, I am afraid that by performing another water change, I may be putting my fish at higher risk. Should I wait this out, or perform another water change tonight? If I perform the water change, what percent should it be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffT Posted January 28, 2010 Share Posted January 28, 2010 Do you have a test kit to check water parameters? Hydrometer/Refractometer to check SG? If water params and SG check out good then another water change with RO water might be a good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddybluewater Posted January 28, 2010 Share Posted January 28, 2010 You said you used the correct amount of salt. Did you check the salinity before you added it to the tank? Small tanks are hard to maintain consistency in levels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NonSequitur Posted January 28, 2010 Share Posted January 28, 2010 The first thing that comes to mind is the chemistry of the new water. Did you test to make sure the salinity and pH of the old and new water matched (or at least were close)? I've seen (as well as heard anecdotal reports) that the mixing instructions on salt mixes tend to be inconsistent. It is also possible that the salinity and pH of your tank water had shifted due to evaporation, top offs, etc. to not match the specs of newly mixed water, and that could be causing stress. Also, when you mixed the new water, did you let it sit (or, better yet, circulate) after mixing and adding dechlorinator, or did you use it immediately? If you didn't let it "age" it's possible that the dechlorinator didn't have a chance to fully neutralize the chlorine before being added, and I've heard that freshly mixed saltwater tends to be somewhat irritating if used immediately after mixing, but I'm sure opinions on that vary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nancy Christian Posted January 28, 2010 Author Share Posted January 28, 2010 The salinity is at 1.021, I tested the nitrates and nitrites, both were nice and low. Right now i'm not sure what to do since everything seems to point towards the change being successful except for the lionfish's breathing which I am worried about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NonSequitur Posted January 28, 2010 Share Posted January 28, 2010 How long has the tank been set up? I'm concerned that you're seeing any nitrites at all, since those usually drop to 0 once the tank is fully cycled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nancy Christian Posted January 28, 2010 Author Share Posted January 28, 2010 Should I do another water change with RO water, or would that only do more harm this soon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nancy Christian Posted January 28, 2010 Author Share Posted January 28, 2010 The tank has been set up for about 3 months Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NonSequitur Posted January 28, 2010 Share Posted January 28, 2010 Perhaps a series of small daily water changes (5-10% or so) with RO saltwater adjusted to your pH and salinity. Adding a large amount of 1.026 water (which is usually what comes from the LFS) to your tank will definitely be stressful for your fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nancy Christian Posted January 28, 2010 Author Share Posted January 28, 2010 Alright, Thank you for your help. =-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NonSequitur Posted January 28, 2010 Share Posted January 28, 2010 Also, I'd say test the new water with the same hydrometer you usually use before adding it. In my experience swing arm hydrometers (if that's what you're using) are almost always inaccurate, but they are typically consistently (with themselves) inaccurate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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