New Tank - snails and fish dying

[Ice King]

Hi everyone. I am new to the hobby and having problems. I cycled my 45g tank for over 6 weeks and then added 2 turbo snails. They died within a couple of hours. Then I added 2 more smaller snails that also died within a couple of hours. I finally added a Blue Damsel understanding that they were heartier. I added it in at 6pm..was fine at 9pm....by 7am it was dead. The salinity has always been around 1.022. All of my other levels are within normal range. The one problem I did have in the beginning was when I originally added salt water a thick white sludge developed but over a week or so started to deplete. I thought that it might have to do with the fact that I didn't wash the gravel because it was supposedly pre-washed. I then added additional gravel which I did wash and no sludge. I only turn the light on over the aquarium when I want to look at it but turn it off for most of the time. Is this an issue? Do I need to start all over (i.e. remove the water, wash the existing gravel and reinsert, etc.)? Help is greatly appreciated.

[Ice King]

When the first set of snails died the temperature was really low. I added a heater and the temperature has been at 79-80 degrees consistently.

[Fish Biscuit]

Not sure what the problem was with the fish, but your SG is too low for inverts. Most stores keep their inverts at 1.023. Your SG should be kept between 1.024 and 1.026

Test your water & list all of the results so people on here can give you better help. It's hard to tell what happened without having more details about your tank.

[bamf25]

Gravel? Not sure what you are using for your substraight, but most people use sand or go bare bottom. More importantly what kind of filtration are you using? Do you have a skimmer? Where are you getting your water from, RO/DI, tap, fish store?

My quick bet is low oxygen if you using a closed tank, with low oxygenation. But double check all your values.

[Ice King]

I should have said aragonite. When speaking to the folks at the fish store we commonly say 'gravel'. The filtration I was told to use by the store is the live rock. They said that with a 45g there was no need to put an additional filter. Is this accurate?

I am using an Eco-Shoppes protein skimmer that has been running from the beginning of the cycling phase.

Water-wise, I originally filled the tank with pre-made saltwater from the store. All of my water changes have been fresh RO from the store mixed with salt at home.

I will need to check all of my parameters again and post when I get them. Thanks for the help so far.

[soverjas]

sounds like it could be your low salinity if everything else checks out. your aragonite sand with stuff sounds like you are referring to the finer particals that where just mixed into the water column that hadent settled. That's normal if you dumped the sand into the tank that already was full of water. Your issue could be chemical if all other parameters check out (run some chemi pure) or more likely poor acclimation process especially with a big swing in temp and salinity as you stated.

[sporto0]

Inverts are very sensitive to changes in water parameters, however 1.022 sg is fine, the Damsel dying on the other hand is very alarming to me, they are very hardy, so I am going to say either your tank has not cycled yet or you have a serious toxic chemical or heavy metal in your water, both would kill snails very quickly. I don't think people realize how little difference 1.022 & 1.023 really is, don't dwell on salinity, as long as it's at least 1.020 you are fine.

[ahhdui]

Odd that the damsel would die. Even if the tank is not cycled, it wouldn't die in a matter of a few hours. I also think you have toxic stuff in your water. You can try using some activated carbon for a few days.

[Fryman]

Damsels can die?

You probably have something pretty toxic in there. Where are you getting your water from? If it's from the tap, maybe you've got chlorine. Get some Seachem Prime (red bottle, pretty much every pet store will have it) and add according to the directions.

Optimally you'd be using RODI water, but if you're just starting out I doubt that's the case.

*edit*
Ah, just saw your second post. So if you're using RO water from the store, prime shouldn't be necessary. Still not a bad idea though. I don't know what else to suggest except testing & try another source for the water, Good luck.

[hglumac]

Maybe ask the store to check the TDS of the RO water you are buying from them, if they sell RO water they really should have a tds meter and be willing to show you the result...they might be pulling a fast one, or if they have never changed cartriges it may be no better than standard tap water. I would say add a hang on back filter or a canister to give yourself a way to run active carbon or chemipure.

Have there been any cleaning products like windex, pledge ect used on or near the tank?

[Ice King]

I have been very careful not to use any chemicals even near the tank. We bought cloths specifically for cleaning the outside of the tank. I have used paper towels to clean parts of the inside of the tank that showed buildup (salt and/or sand) but primarily have used a magnetic cleaner to clean the glass.