HELP! Fish Acting Very Strangely

a bag of it

a bag of it

Angel Fish
M.A.S.C Club Member
#1
#1
So I just got back from picking up my reefcleaners order a few hours ago, I acclimated and added everything to my tank. I also acclimated and added a mandarin. Within a couple hours I noticed some strange behavior. All of my fish were hiding and not really swimming around. Then I noticed one of my clowns acting particulary strange. It's hanging out in once spot, swimming weirdly and occasionally rubbing against the rock. It looks like this rubbing has caused some patchs in the white band around the head. Its hard to see in the picture, but it definitely looks worse in person. It doesn't look like ich though. My melanurus was also hanging out with the clownfish in the same spot for a while, since i've typing this he has disappeared though. My red velvet is hiding in a weird spot in the rocks not moving much. the other clown looks better, but not great. the mandarin looks fine, the goby looks good too. I haven't really seen the royal gramma much and all of my coral look good. I fed the tank shortly after adding everything, and all the fish ate happily except the mandarin who was a little scared being new and all, I later saw him eating pods off the rocks. After I noticed them acting strange I added a little food and they seemed very uninterested, eventually they all ate a little but not nearly as much as they normally would. I'm pretty worried and I have no idea whats going on. I'm going to test my water right after I post this, but I did a water change a few days ago and everything was fine last time I tested.
 
Heffe01

Heffe01

Sting ray
M.A.S.C Club Member
#3
#3
Check the basics salinity, temp, etc. I don't think it would have anything to do with your new additions in only a couple hours.
 
a bag of it

a bag of it

Angel Fish
M.A.S.C Club Member
#7
#7
My red velvet has come out a few times and swims around normally then kindof twitches weirdly and goes back to hiding then repeats. Haven't seen the melanurus since the first post, sometimes he goes to bed early though. The royal gramma has poked his head out a few times and looks normal. The other clownfish was basically staying still in a different area from the other clown, so both were acting weird. His mouth also looked a little weird, I don't really know how to describe it though. Then the light just went out and they both took their position back top corner of the tank, so they're sleeping normally I guess. Part of me thinks I'm overreacting and its probably nothing since it just popped up so suddenly and everything else was normal, but I'm terrified that something will happen and my tank will crash over night.
 
Craigar

Craigar

Tiger Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#9
#9
Get a grounding probe every tank shoul have one cause at some point a pump a heater will leak voltage into the tank
 
kmellon

kmellon

Butterfly Fish
M.A.S.C Club Member
#13
#13
Even if he doesn't have a grounding probe right now, should he start unplugging each item one at a time to see how the fish react? I'm sure the heater isn't needed right now, and everything should be fine without pumps for a short while. Might not be a difinitive solution, but he might just come across something that is causing the behavior.
 
cdrewferd

cdrewferd

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#14
#14
Hmm. Might have to pick up a grounding probe. For less than $15, what could it hurt.


Drew

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Craigar

Craigar

Tiger Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#15
#15
kmellon;178607 said:
Even if he doesn't have a grounding probe right now, should he start unplugging each item one at a time to see how the fish react? I'm sure the heater isn't needed right now, and everything should be fine without pumps for a short while. Might not be a difinitive solution, but he might just come across something that is causing the behavior.
Click to expand...
If he goes to harbor freight and gets a $5 volt meter and sets both leads in the water it will tell him if he has stray voltage.

Elite has the grounding probes for $10 also
 
jahmic

jahmic

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#16
#16
Just a heads up...you really should only be using a grounding probe if your tank's equipment is plugged into a GFCI outlet. It's fairly hazardous without the GFCI.
 
cdrewferd

cdrewferd

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#17
#17
Oh, good point Khalis. That's not as simple as changing out the outlet is it?


Drew

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jahmic

jahmic

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#18
#18
Actually...it is as simple as changing out the outlet. ;)

I had an electrician friend come over to do the job (I was worried about my home's 60 year old wiring), but it's actually fairly straightforward if you have any experience with changing out those receptacles. The GFCI outlets only run about $10 at the hardware store; I have 2 GFCI receptacles in my home...one for each of my tanks. Hooking them both up took maybe 20 minutes tops.

I dunno if linking to outside forums is allowed or not...if not, mods please delete this link. That being said, here's a VERY good post I stumbled across some time ago that explains multiple scenarios with/without a GFCI/grounding probe in your tank. About 15 years ago I had a not so pleasant experience with a grounding probe and no GFCI...I now make sure all my tanks are plugged into a GFCI if I have submerged equipment.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4090805&postcount=18
 
D

djkms

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#19
#19
Do your research and make a informed decision before installing a ground probe.

http://angel-strike.com/aquarium/GroundingProbes.html

IMO the chances are slim to none that stray current is effecting your fish. We do not have a single ground probe on any of our maintenance accounts and I do not have one one my home aquarium either.

The debate about ground probes have been going on for 20+ years. Some feel it takes the stray voltage from the tank and grounds it. Others feel that it actually completes the circuit, causing more issues for your inhabitants.

Personally I prefer GFI. If there is stray voltage, as soon as you stick your hand in the tank, it uses you as the ground and will trip the GFI. In theory it should also trip without using you as a ground because the stray voltage causes there to be less going back into the circuit then going out.

I am by no means a electrician, I just gathered the most information I could over the years both pro and con for ground probes. I felt the risk outweighed using one and I chose to use GFI instead. Some even feel using GFI and ground probes is the best route.

I also minimize risk by not having anything electrical in my display tank. The only piece of equipment in my DT is my MP40's and the electrical part of that is on the outside of the tank, everything else is in my sump.

Here is the full thread that jahmic posted a single post from, good read:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=504227
 
a bag of it

a bag of it

Angel Fish
M.A.S.C Club Member
#20
#20
The fish seem to be back to normal. One of the clowns still has the patchy marks, but maybe that's from trying to host the rock? The wrasses are completely back to normal, it seems whatever was bothering them is gone now. The only electricity is in my sump and it's my skimmer pump, return pump, and heater. The heater and return are pretty much brand new, so it could be the skimmer pump, but it still seems unlikely. I don't have those outlets, but get a voltmeter just to check

Sent from my AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note
 
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