I'm a bad fish mother!

After 8 weeks cycling I finally decided to put a fish in my tank. I tested everything....all was good (or so I thought). Two days later the fish died. Tested again and the ph had dropped to 78. All else was good (or so I thought). Talked to the lfs and he said if ph is low check the salt-I assured him I did with the floating hydrometer and he said I needed a better gauge than that. So, bought a good hydometer, came home and bam! Just like Emeril tooo much salt. It was 1.028! Yikes. Once I got that straightened out the ph went back to where it should be. I still have the little blue legged crabs, the hermit and not sure where the emerald is. Man, there are a lot of things to learn in this here new hobby! On the up side my husband has been really, really nice to me tonight because he knew how much my first fish meant;D

 

karma for your loss. Yep lots of stuff to check and lots of stuff to learn....you couldn't have come to a better place either!!!

 

I love it here-you guys are my rock in a sea of confusion-but I will overcome and I will not get another fish til I'm more sure of my water! I knew you guys would understand how upsetting this was for me.

 

you should invest in a refractometer, way more accurate than a hydrometer, you can find them on ebay for like 40 shipped

 

Thank you

I'll look into it-and I thought I had really moved up with the non bobbing hydrometer! Miles to go before I sleep........

 

And miles to go before I sleep.


I love Robert Frost's "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening"

 

Good luck and sorry for your loss! :-/

 

Refractometer really a must for a SW tank.

Not a "Bad Fish Mother" - a caring and responsible one.

 

Ahh, thanks for giving credit where credit was due-I should have done that!

 

Welcome to 3reef. Your not a bad fish mother, at least you are learning. Just like said before...a refractometer is a must in SW if you want to be sure.