don't know whats going on????need your help Randy

[hlama]

ok let me give my set up first.
tank 72X18X20 115ish gal with about 150lbs live rock and a 1/3" sandbed. on stand with canopy.
45gal sump with 24X12 refugium with miracle mud and caulerpa.
10gal sump with ASM G-3 skimmer
return pump for both sumps is a sedra 1200gph pump
flow in the main tank 3 maxijet 900's on a wavemaker, tunze streammer pump with controller alternating between 1850gph and 1000gph ish.
lighting is 6-80watt T5's
lighting in sump is 1-18watt T5, for past 2 weeks, other light broke getting new one soon.

tank water levels is;
NH3/NH4....0.0
NO2...........0.0
NO3...........0.0
phos..........0.0
silicate.......0.0
temp..........running 80/81-82/83 (little high)
ph..............AM 8.18 PM 8.33
Ca.............410
alk.............3.09
O2.............6ish hard to tell with this salfert test kit.
salinity......34

the story, well try to make it short. about two months ago i had two wrasse die basically over night. had them for 3 months noticed they were breathing kinda rapid the night before they died. but were not stressing at that time. after they died i thought it was my O2/CO2 because tank in a room not much air flow and i have a canopy. tested my O2 i think i read it to be close to two. i put air stones and openned up the canopy and stand doors. plus got some air flow in the room. i put in 6 greenbanded gobies, very small about 1/2", 2 weeks ago, they are doing fine. still in the tank with no issues. about 2 days ago
i put in a percula clown that i have had in another tank for about 4 years. i noticed today he was breathing very rapid and in obvious distress. took me a little while but caught him and put him in the QT i have had set up for a while now. looks like his eye are a little bubbled and he is still breathing rapid. dont know if i got him out in time or not, this just happend. he is still stressed in the QT resting on the bootom. hope he makes it but what could be the issue here. the greenbanded gobies are ok just dont know what it could be, any idea???

[hlama]

o yeah BTW the tank has been going for about 14 months. 6 onths with just live rock followed by 6 omnths with various snails (all still in the tank) then the past couple months had the wrasse (the first fish) greenbanded doing good tell now possible death of 4 year old percula clown from one of my other tanks.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

but were not stressing at that time. after they died i thought it was my O2/CO2 because tank in a room not much air flow and i have a canopy. tested my O2 i think i read it to be close to two.

2 ppm O2 with a test kit? If working, that is a seriois problem. 6 ppm O2 is ok.

Are you using tap water? Ozone?

[hlama]

useing RO\DI. the O2 reading was best guess, the color was not the same as the color scheme on the card. the color is more in line with the card given now. i still dont trust it. i have had the air stones going for a while. did not put in the clown till it was reading 6ish for a week with the test. the green banded gobbies have been in there before i added the air stones when the O2 was, according to the test 2. i also have a mandrin in the tank, went in a couple days after the gobies. i would think the other fish would have suffered if the O2 was really that low. plus the ph never has dropped or raised more than 0.2. with my flow to boot, i think it had to be either my error or the kit. still was testing 6 before the clown ever went and testing the same today.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Some fish will be more prone to low O2 problems than others, but I do not know what might have actually killed the fish. :(

[hlama]

ahhh ithink i might have found the issue. stray voltage from some cheap fan i got. will be getting a vottlage meter today to find out. thinking it makes sence. the gobies hang out around the rock so the current waves get deflected by the rock. protecting them from it. the clown is more out and about and sleeps out in the open water. just geussing now but will rule out the stray voltage first.

if not, do you now of any place i can test the water? something that will give me a broad spec of nasties, toxic stuff or pesticides ect.. would rather determine if anything is leaching into the tank before doing anything that would be futile effort.

[psimitry]

It's not a solve-all, but this is why I invested in a titanium ground-probe.

I'm hoping that I never run into the same problem. What a pain to diagnose. I hope your fortunes turn around!

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

if not, do you now of any place i can test the water? something that will give me a broad spec of nasties, toxic stuff or pesticides ect.. would rather determine if anything is leaching into the tank before doing anything that would be futile effort.

It would be very, very expensive to have the water tested for unknown impurities. Thousands of dollars.

[wong BANTEN]

Test the SULPHUR level

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

You mean hydrogen sulfide?

[wong BANTEN]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7297699#post7297699 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Randy Holmes-Farley
You mean hydrogen sulfide? H2S?.....is a GAS! SULPHATE content

[hlama]

well i fell asleep waiting for the store to opened. so i did not get the voltage tester. will try again in the am.

if it was hydrogen sulfide or sulphur would it not hurt the gobies that are in the tank now?

[hlama]

by the way the clown has fully recovered. cant tell you how happy i am about that. i know he is just a clown but i have had him for so long.

[wong BANTEN]

SO4 not HARM fish in general,.....but if You disturb the SO4 (at LOW Conc),..the DOMINO efect will appears in MUD and DSB.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

H2S?.....is a GAS! SULPHATE content

The sulfate concentration is seawater is about 2700 ppm. I've not seen any evidence that it causes problems being slightly higher or lower. It is not a place I'd look for a problem.

Hydrogen sulfide dissolves very readily in seawater, and is very toxic. That said, one can usually smell it or see black deposits that suggest it is worth investigating. Here's an article on it:

Hydrogen Sulfide and the Reef Aquarium
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-12/rhf/index.php

[wong BANTEN]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7302698#post7302698 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Randy Holmes-Farley
H2S?.....is a GAS! SULPHATE content

The sulfate concentration is seawater is about 2700 ppm. I've not seen any evidence that it causes problems being slightly higher or lower. It is not a place I'd look for a problem.
As a SO4,........some VIBRO bakeri (pantogent) will be very HAPPY if you disturb this.
Hydrogen sulfide dissolves very readily in seawater, and is very toxic. That said, one can usually smell it or see black deposits that suggest it is worth investigating. Here's an article on it:
Agree,......but not in form H2S!!, it's more long molekul (more complex), I try to find the name of that molekul,......
Hydrogen Sulfide and the Reef Aquarium
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-12/rhf/index.php I have diffrent reference but more or less the same

[RichardS]

I think it is very unlikely your O2 levels were low enough to kill the fish given your setup.

A high level of stray voltage can cause problems for some fish but usually doesn't kill them outright IME.

Could be a disease issue. Uronema, brooklynella and some other protozoans can cause losses without any easily visible signs. Gobies are very resistant to external protozoans.

What type of day/night temperature fluctuation does your tank have?

[hlama]

well they did not have any voltage testers so got to go to pep boys or something i n a couple hours. the temp is been 79-80 to 82-83. usually 80-82. i might have dinoflagellate. aahhh. there have been this brown covering covering my rock and after lights on for awhile tank gets a little cloudy. the bubble that i have been thinking was nitrous gas cause by upgradeing my lights. now think of dinoflagellate possible. i turn my lights off the brown has really gone away. stiill pockets with that bubble trapping thing. i decided to put a open brain in. at first did not seem to like it. after leaveing the lights off for a day the brown covering 50% gone. the brain looks much better. i know could be just acclimating. you guys know much about dinoflagellate??

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

you guys know much about dinoflagellate??

I do not know much about them, except that some folks claim to be able to reduced them by raising the pH.