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| I need your thoughts... | |
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| Topic Started: Dec 31 2009, 12:26:55 PM (199 Views) | |
| Post #1 Dec 31 2009, 12:26:55 PM | Suzy |
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Guys, I am having nursery issues. My pipe babies were doing really well, but then started dying one by one, at a month old. The newborns all expired too, and my cuttlefish babies hatched, 2 have died. So, something is wrong in my nursery system. It is only the tiny, fragile and delicate that seem to be affected. The adult fish are breeding, eating like little pigs, and show no signs of distress. I went and bought a UV sterilzer, in case there is some bacterial pathogen hanging out. But, I wonder if it could be this? I have tested the parameters, no changes and no obvious issue. I am wondering if it could be lack of potassium? I know this sounds weird, but algae consumes K+, and K+ is a vital electrolyte. Or maybe Iodine? I have not been adding supplemental elements but just relying on water changes, 20% or more weekly. Could this affect the tiny and fragile? The other thing I am wondering about is copper. Could I be getting too much copper, with my house H20? It goes through a RO, but I haven't changed the filters for a while...Cuttles are very sensitive to copper but that wouldn't explain the pipe babies.... Any thoughts? The nursery set ups are the same as when I was having success with seahorses.....the flow, the oxygen all seem good.... |
Seahorse Whisperer
  ![]](http://z4.ifrm.com/static/1/pip_r.png)
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"i was informed of some dolphin related testing going on up there" Too Funny! | |
 
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| Post #2 Dec 31 2009, 10:54:30 PM | Clint |
| Boy that is a tough one there are so many variables. What about a missing nutrient? K is utilized but not eliminated and the algae is turned over in your system. K is the spectator ion is some supplements.... I am inclined to wonder about some vitamin or cofactor. |
breeding stock
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| Midvale (435) 213-6215 | |
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| Post #3 Jan 1 2010, 07:11:27 AM | Suzy |
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I pull out a lot of algae, and throw it out, so it is removed. But, it is mostly red. That makes me lean toward iodine, not for any scientific basis, just because.. I have been adding vitamins to their food, but I am going to tank up on some trace elements I think. I really wish I could do a 100% water change. Can I be introducing copper from my homes pipes? That would not explain the loss of the pipefish but it would the cuttles. Maybe I have 2 issues? |
Seahorse Whisperer
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"i was informed of some dolphin related testing going on up there" Too Funny! | |
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| Post #4 Jan 1 2010, 09:00:04 PM | Adam |
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No I dont think its your house pipes!!! I have a friend that uses just house water for his system and it works great!! So I wouldnt think that the pipes produce that much copper!? The cuttles are tricky!!!! The pipes I dont know mybe nutrition??!! lack of the right source of food? |
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| Post #5 Jan 2 2010, 07:42:03 AM | Suzy |
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Maybe, but they were doing so good. Over a month old... I am spending today hooking up the UV, buying some cuprasorb and trace elements, and doing a 90 gallon water change.... |
Seahorse Whisperer
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"i was informed of some dolphin related testing going on up there" Too Funny! | |
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| Post #6 Jan 2 2010, 04:38:28 PM | Amie |
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Don't dismiss Adam's question about food for the pipefish just because the pipefish were doing well for a month. Their metabolism could change and maybe they need different nutrients at 3-4 weeks. Have you tested your water for iodine? What about calcium? Alkalinity? Phosphates, etc. I would test everything to get a good idea of what's going on with the system. I think the UV sterilizer is a good idea, but maybe not for the entire system. Do you really want to clean out all of the good bugs? Maybe you should isolate the next batch of pipefish and cuttles and not have them on the big system, that way you wouldn't be hurting your biological system with the UV sterilizer. Have you checked your heaters to make sure they are all working okay? (just another thought, that's all.) |
stormy, stormy nights
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http://www.spawar.navy.mil/sandiego/technology/mammals/interns.html Tell them Adam sent you. | |
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| Post #7 Jan 3 2010, 12:34:18 AM | Clint |
| I read about raising orchid dottybacks and the guy would have them do great until a certain point then they would all die. He tried all sorts of food but could never figure out just what they were missing. He lived by the ocean so he finally just netted a bunch of plankton and brought then through fine. Although he did not ID the deficient, the problem was in the diet. |
breeding stock
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| Midvale (435) 213-6215 | |
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| Post #8 Jan 3 2010, 05:14:28 AM | Suzy |
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I check the temp daily. I do think the problem is nutrition with all captive bred organisms. CB fish are always smaller and weaker, IMO. Not with clowns, though. They seem the same. But, these guys all died! The one monthers, plus the 3 day olds. At 3 days, the first batch was really going strong.... I have tested for everything I can test, and I added iodine and trace elements yesterday. I am trying to think how to add the uv light without going through the entire system. I want it to be gravity fed so I think I will be able to go from my reef tank to the lower nurseries. This will completely bypass the worm/snail/limpet experiment. Wanna hear something I thought was funny? I asked the salesman at the lfs where I bought this if the light would kill the larvae from snails and stuff. He said "No, but they won't be able to reproduce. It sterilizes them"! Thanks for all the suggestions, guys. If you think of anything else, let me know? |
Seahorse Whisperer
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"i was informed of some dolphin related testing going on up there" Too Funny! | |
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| Post #9 Jan 3 2010, 12:00:50 PM | Amie |
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So tell us again exactly what died. It sounds like you lost 2 cuttlefish, out of how any? But you lost all of your pipefish that were a month old, right? Did they all die the exact same day? Or over the course of 2 days? One week? Exactly how long? Haven't you been tearing up one of the tanks for the new cuttlefish home? Have you added anything new the tank in the past week before this started happening? A new rock, pump, food, algae, fish, etc. Did you do a water change? |
stormy, stormy nights
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http://www.spawar.navy.mil/sandiego/technology/mammals/interns.html Tell them Adam sent you. | |
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| Post #10 Jan 4 2010, 08:10:25 AM | Suzy |
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I lost the first group of pipefish. Eight were born without one loss until a like a week ago. Then they just started dying one at a time, one a day or so over a weeks time. There are 2 left though. There were 2 new litters born after this first one, and they all expired quickly. The cuttles all hatched, then died with 2 days.... That makes me think bacterial pathogen. It it were environmental (release of a noxious gas from a tank redo), wouldn't it have happened quicker? But, I didn't really redo the tank. I just moved the fish that were in it to a different tank, and put in a back ground.... I did a water change, and added some iodine and trace elements. |
Seahorse Whisperer
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"i was informed of some dolphin related testing going on up there" Too Funny! | |
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