looking for input regarding some recent deaths

[pop0tart]

So I started a 20L reef in mid may. I took 2 risks when I set up the tank: first, I have been using bottled distilled water from a place that claims to not use copper in the condensing coils. Second, I used lace rock which is volcanic in origin. Also, I tend to make salt water once every three weeks and keep the water stored in a rubbermaid container, and I do 1% daily water changes. One day in mid July, I noticed an ammonia smell in the container and tested it for ammonia and got a reading of .25 ppm. I tested the distilled water and got zero. I was keeping the water on a shelf that also housed my gf's pet rats.

I've since relocated my storage containers and the water currently tests at zero for ammonia. My tank water parameters are all zero for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and phosphate. Ca tests at 450 ppm. SG is 1.0255 I did have nitrate levels of about 10 ppm in early June before I started dosing a few mL's of vinegar every few days.

In June, I got a cleaner shrimp that had a pod parasite on it that made it two weeks before kicking the bucket. I talked the lfs into replacing the shrimp with a peppermint shrimp, and they did that. The peppermint shrimp lasted almost 2 weeks.

As a final issue, I was away for a few days last week and the ac timer stopped functioning, so the tank got up to 86 degrees for a few days. It was a few days after that that the peppermint shrimp died.

Also, my refugium used to be packed with feather duster worms. Now I can't find one. Also, my hammerhead coral and gsp haven't opened for a week since the heat issue last week.

Basically, I had an ammonia issue that more or less presented itself as a nitrate issue since I was adding the contaminated water very slowly, a heat issue and a possible source of contamination from my rock or another source.

All other livestock including the clownfish, ytd, and various mushrooms, zoanthids, ricordeas, and a leather all look good. No snail or hermit deaths. I am not sure when the feather dusters died..likely in the last few weeks sometime.

I'd love to hear advise regarding common killers of these critters with regard to my parameters.

thanks!

[wonderz]

From what I read in your post, you lost a cleaner and a peppermint shrimp and some feather dusters? Regarding the shrimps, they are pretty sensitive from acclimation, and since both of them died within 2 weeks, I am guessing it could be they molted and didn't make it. As for the feather dusters, I can't really comment on that. From my experience, they come and go as they please since they are filter feeders.

If you tested your water and its 10ppm, I don't think that's enough for kill any livestock from it. If anything it would be from your temperature, although 86 is not high compare to other people's experience and looks like you have it back to normal now so everything recover back to normal.

[pop0tart]

The cleaner shrimp likely died moltong. The peppermint was fine one day and dead the next. Its body looked normal with no signs of trauma. I drip acclimated both over a 4 hour period.

[wonderz]

Originally Posted by pop0tart

The cleaner shrimp likely died moltong. The peppermint was fine one day and dead the next. Its body looked normal with no signs of trauma. I drip acclimated both over a 4 hour period.

Did you trip and temperature acclimate? Because after the drip, unless you have a heater in the container, the water gets relatively cold compare to the tank temperature.

[Sk8r]

Test your water against the parameters in my sig line. And are you using a reef salt or a fish-only salt? Invertebrates have some trace element requirements that should be satisfied by a proper reef salt...but in the absence of some traces, like iodine, molt doesn't go well. Do NOT attempt to dose iodine in a tank that small, and without a specific test for iodine levels or you can do in your tank. But check your salt label.
And don't totally believe your distilled water source: I subscribed once to a company that came under investigation. They claimed there was no metal whatever---but the heated water, during the distilling process, was dripping and running onto a metal hood. You would do better, rather than using distilled, using RO water from a supermarket kiosk. But have a TDS meter (not too pricey) to ascertain on each bottle used that it is safe. Ro/di water has a TDS of 0.

[mm949]

have your salinity doubled checked

[pop0tart]

Thanks for the input.

I didn't temperature acclimate since it's summer so I just made sure the air temperature in the house wasclose to the tank temp at around 78, IIRC. I am not ruling that out as an issue. Also, I will get my salinity checked against another measuring device. I use a swing arm hydrometer that I calibrated using a measured mass of table salt dissolved in a measured volume of distilled water. It read spot on, but I haven't re-checked it since May. My lfs is going to be selling rodi, so that and a tds meter is on my list for the future, but it will still bug me as to what did those shrimp in.

[ReefCare4U]

Your thermometer may be suspect aswell. If it is off by 2-3 degrees, that would make your 86* reading more like 88-89.

[Gma]

invest in a refractometer if you can. Those hydrometers are not reliable.