Mobile Bay Reef Keepers

I took a dead fish back to the lfs last night and had to bring some water to be tested. I was told the my fish died because my ph tested 8.0. I know that is a little low but do yall think that is the reason my fish died? I'm going to let everybody vote on it.

My tank is running 8.0-8.1 right now as we speak, all 270 gallons or so... My alk is 5.0 meq/L, which doesn't seem low, but I'm still running low PH for some reason. Time for some water changes maybe??

Did you have to go back home and get water to bring back? or did you just bring water to them with the fish?

It says to bring water on the fish return paper. I have had to bring fish back to the same store before so I know to bring water. I wasn't one of the fish you picked up for me, it was the Kole tang.

8.0 ph did not kill the fish.....IMO

hell no the pH didnt do it, ive ran fish only's with the pH fall to 7.4 and it was fine. why do you think most fish swim into brackish water to spawn? the pH there is 7.3 depending on how far you to to the delta

That's what I thought. I think it was my pump leaking electricity or just a defected fish.

my tank has dropped to 7.7 a couple of imtes in its lifetime. No problems with fish at all. IMO.

One thing to keep in mind is the change in ph is worst than the actual value (within reason) Reefs do not like change...come to think of it neither do people....

I didn't have a sudden drop, It usually stays around 8.0.

was there a sudden change when you placed him in your tank.....I would still look at how he was cought .... he was most likley dead when you bought him....just waiting for last breath....

He looked really healthy. He Was not skinny or had any of the signs of being destressed.

sometimes fish are cought with cynide and the gills are distroyed....does not show up for a while....

That could have been it. I asked them in the store how long they have had that fish and they said about 2 weeks. They could have been wrong too. I've had other fish die from that I think.

tbmoore is absolutely right.
Most Saltwater fish are dead before they ever reach the pet store. They just don't stop swimming until after you buy them.

Cyanide not only destroys gills but it also destroys the immune system and shuts down vital organs. It causes a lingering death that takes weeks or months. In the wild, weak or sick fish are the first to be eaten, so fish instinctively are really good at hiding it until their last few hours.

Despite the hype, false advertising, and lying salespersons, most saltwater fish are still caught with cyanide. The ones that are are almost certain to die. That's why most stores guarantee freshwater fish but not saltwater.

Part of the problem is that customers don't demand serious quaratine procedures from their local pet stores. In fact most stores don't, period.
And neither do the customers. It never ceases to amaze me that people will invest $1000s in their tanks and will risk losing everything on impulse livestock purchases. We've all done it before.
Most people will buy a fish without even seeing it eat first.