Why Can't I Keep Inverts?

[bzb]

To date, I've lost:

2 Cleaner Shrimp
1 Fire Shrimp
2 Emerald Crabs
3 Large Snails
1 Sea Hare
Probably a dozen or so hermits

The shrimp lasted maybe a month in my tank. The emerald crabs I had since I started the tank, one died a few months back and the other one died 2 weeks or so ago.

I had a sea hare in my tank for months. There's still plenty of the same algae in the tank, plus I add nori and all kinds of other stuff.

Water changes are 5-7% per week (5 gallon water change, 70 gals total volume). Rock is mostly cooked/cured dry rock, with a few very small live rock pieces. Sand was dry Caribsea aragonite that was washed in RODI until clear. Fuge has some rock rubble and chaeto growing. I run wet skimmate, export about a baseball size of chaeto every two weeks. I have fuzz growing on my back wall - assume it's some sort of hair or turf algae.

Fish (ordered by size): Foxface, Kole Tang, Copperband Butterfly, Spotted Hawk, Lawnmower Blenny, Two Ocellearis Clowns, Chromis, Blue/Yellow Damsel.

I have no issues keeping most corals with obvious signs of growth. Zoas, Leathers, Xenia, Various encrusting SPS, two types of euphyllia, purple stylo, digis, birdsnest... they're all in the tank.

Just frustrating as hell I can't keep a crab or shrimp... or a fat blob. What gives? Ideas?

 

[bigd]

What’s your alkalinity at? Do you see a lot of growth coral wise?

 

[bzb]

Currently it's at 8.3 - certainly the corals have been consuming. I've been dosing a little bit more to try to get it back up to 8.7 which is where I've held it for the last few months, but I'm doing it very slowly.

Yes, solid growth out of the corals.

 

[bhodges82]

High mag levels can affect inverts too

 

[ichthyoid]

Low iodine is also a problem which often affects crustaceans first.

How long has your tank been running?
May be a good time to get an icp test run.

 

[bigd]

Low iodine is also a problem which often affects crustaceans first.

I was thinking iodine too, but with weekly water changes I figured it should be somewhat in check. I guess that depends on the salt mix being used too though.

May be a good time to get an icp test run.

Probably the best route to go, would help reduce a lot of time/effort in troubleshooting!


D

 

[bigd]

Are you running a ground probe on the tank? I know when I had stray voltage issues, inverts were the first to go.

 

[bzb]

High mag levels can affect inverts too

1180-1380 is what I've been running into over the last few months.

Low iodine is also a problem which often affects crustaceans first.

How long has your tank been running?
May be a good time to get an icp test run.

Yeah, that was mentioned when I had that huge xenia rock and my first emerald died. I dosed a bit of Kent Iodine and got rid of the huge xenia rock (and did a large water change after). That about two months ago, and I lost my second emerald last week (or maybe it was the week before. I don't even know what day it is anymore).

Yeah, maybe I need to go ahead and do the ICP...

Are you running a ground probe on the tank? I know when I had stray voltage issues, inverts were the first to go.

There is indeed. I don't wanna be shocked

 

[Eric_n_Ga]

I lose random inverts but nothing like a fire or cleaner shrimp. When inverts molt they become easy pickings, especially crabs. From what I see it's invert on invert crime .

 

[bzb]

I lose random inverts but nothing like a fire or cleaner shrimp. When inverts molt they become easy pickings, especially crabs. From what I see it's invert on invert crime .

Thought that might be the case, but I'm not finding molts often, if at all. The emerald crabs were whole, and the shrimp were just toast, floating around.

 

[Eric_n_Ga]

Hmm if not predation , copper maybe or lack of iodine

 

[FutureInterest]

If they aren't molting then its probably lack of iodine. Mine molt pretty frequently.

 

[Rainblood]

Mine molt about every 2 weeks but I feed mine daily.
I lost a smaller cleaner in the beginning but haven't lost any since...my tank is 112 days old.

 

[bzb]

Hmm, ok. Will have to run a better set of tests. I sure would like some babybackless scrimps.

Although I think since I added the hawkfish, that's probably a bad idea. Maybe just get some thicc crabbois.

 

[Eric_n_Ga]

Hawkfish huh ?

 

[bzb]

He's a recent addition. Been dealing with dead inverts long before Hawky came around.

 

[Jaycen B.]

kinda off topic, but seeing how it was mentioned. A grounding probe turns stray voltage into current.

 

[bzb]

kinda off topic, but seeing how it was mentioned. A grounding probe turns stray voltage into current.

I’m not saying I’m don’t know what this means, but what does this mean?

 

[Jaycen B.]

It completes the circuit, so now you have a pathway for electricity to flow.

 

[Jaycen B.]

The GFI is your best friend