"Salt shimmy" help

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Nippy

Sweetie's keeper
May 26, 2002
205
0
0
Fairbanks, Alaska
Is there anything else besides deficient salinity levels that will make a fish do the "salt shimmy?"
Some of the livebearers at work will do it and I'll check their salinity and it's totally fine(we try to keep it at 1.002).
Now, my chromide is doing it at home. I keep my salinity between 1.005-1.006. Both the tanks at work and at home are water changed once a week at about 25-30%. :huh:
Should I be checking anything else? None of my other fish at home are doing the shimmy and at work, only one out of 3 connected tanks is usually affected.
 

Nippy

Sweetie's keeper
May 26, 2002
205
0
0
Fairbanks, Alaska
If anyone's curious, I happened to solve the problem on my own. I came home today and found a multitude of dead fish. My chromide, 2 celebes rainbows, a limia and one neon swordtail. Everyone else alive (except the gobies) had begun the salt shimmy, too. Tested the ammo and pH. Ammo was the slightest amount, barely colored the water. So, I tested for nitrite thinking that maybe my tank mini-cycled and it was the on the tail end since there wasn't a lot of ammo. BINGO! My tank was mini-cycling and I had no clue. My past experience with unexpected mini-cycles has been that the fish stop eating during the ammo spike of the cycle. My fish did not stop eating at all. And in fact, I was the indirect cause of the mini-cycle. One of my bio-wheels had become incrusted with calcium and salt deposits, incasing the impeller and making it imobile. I took the filter off thinking that the tank would be okay with one filter while I took care of the other one. I guess not. :(
Lesson learned.
 

reiverix

Aye
Sep 4, 2004
1,470
0
0
55
Columbus, OH
Yeah I run two filters on my 29g brackish. One is an AC, which I really like, and the other is a Penguin with the bio wheel removed. I've heard that salt can slowly encrust around bio wheels making them immobile. Anyways I hope you get on top of your cycle.
 

flyfly

follow me on twitter @flyfly_mackay
Jan 21, 2005
540
1
16
43
Portland, OR
www.myspace.com
wow, good information to know

Ive been waiting to get a new filter for my bbgobie tank for a little while now. I didnt know if I should get an ac or a biowheel. I think Ill stick with ac. Thanks guys!
 
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