Stable Tank, New fish keep dying

[chyotrix]

Hi,
I have a 55 gl FOWLR tank that has been up and runnng for 3 years.
I had a Clown, Chromis and Blue Fin and Yellow Tail Damsel.
My Blue Fin was quite the bully so until he passed on I didn't add any new fish. Inherited him with the love rock we bought when setting up the tank.
Spike finally passed a few weeks ago and I went to the local SW fish store and purchased 2 female Basselet Anthias.
Water parameters were perfect, drip acclimated them. Put them into the tank. All 3 were dead by morning.
Went back to fish store who were kind enough to give me a credit and purchased a Yellow Tank and Strawberry Dottieback.
I also purchased 3 more Anthias Male Lyretails from another source. This was yesterday, Drip acclimated them, tank water parameters fine. Woke up this AM, again all three Anthias were dead as well as the Dottyback.
Through all this both the Clown and Chromis are fine. As well as the 3 Turbo Snails.
Yellow Tank is doing well too.
So I am at a loss as to what is happening to my new fish. Except for the Tang all have died within 24 hours.
Any ideas as to what the cause may be? This tank has been fine for over 3 years.
Thanks,
Chris

 

[geoj]

What changed?
What have you been testing?

 

[chyotrix]

Other than the Damsel dying and that was from old age, nothing changed.
We replaced a filter that stopped working.
We test PH, Nitrate, Nitrite, Amonia, Salinity and water temp.
The Percula has been in the tank since the start and the Chromis over a year.

 

[meowzer]

How long did you acclimate for? Did you observe the fish's behavior at the store.....3 years is not old for a fish BTW.....
I have been told....that anthias are difficult to acclimate....I have NOT had any lucj with them myself....BUT took them longer to die then 24 hours
Do you have a list of equipment? How about a picture of the set up itself

 

[1guydude]

hows water movement at the top of the tank? Im thinking its a lack of oxygen in ur system...if the clown and chromis are alive than maybe they are using up wat lil oxygen their is!

 

[flower]

Welcome to the site, sorry about the circumstances.... Are you sure it wasn't aggression, do the dead fish show signs of a fight?

 

[gemmy]

Sometimes anthias do not do well. My first batch of anthias died rather quickly after I got them. Always be sure to see them feed at the LFS.

 

[1guydude]

flower i dont think that a clown or a chromis would put up a fight! Maybe the dottyback though

 

[chyotrix]

Hi,
No agression signs,
How do you know you have enough oxygen?
We have 2 power heads, a protein skimmer and a new bio wheel filter.
We have 2 unused power heads just no way to hang them.
Thank You Flower. I belong to other SW forums but there's hardly any action on them.

 

[1guydude]

o ya WELCOME

lol
well i would think the protein skimmer would oxygenate the water enough so that kinda throws my hypothesis out the window lol!

 

[chyotrix]

Spike was old when we inherited him with the live rock we bought,
We had him for 3 years but his previous owners had him much longer than that.
First set of Anthias were acclimated for 2 hours the 2nd set 30 minutes.
2 power heads, bio wheel filter, protein skimmer, heaters.
Live rock and sand.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chyotrix http:///t/387701/stable-tank-new-fish-keep-dying#post_3413304
Spike was old when we inherited him with the live rock we bought,
We had him for 3 years but his previous owners had him much longer than that.
First set of Anthias were acclimated for 2 hours the 2nd set 30 minutes.
2 power heads, bio wheel filter, protein skimmer, heaters.
Live rock and sand.
All the fish you have had were pretty hardy...anthias are very delicate...I purchased 6 for my 90g some years back, all but 1 died within a week...that 1 fish lived for some time....

 

[chyotrix]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///t/387701/stable-tank-new-fish-keep-dying#post_3413306
All the fish you have had were pretty hardy...anthias are very delicate...I purchased 6 for my 90g some years back, all but 1 died within a week...that 1 fish lived for some time....
Glad to know I'm not the only one with Anthia issues. And even tho I've had good luck with the fish I bought at the local fish store, I understand they're there to sell fish. When I saw the Anthias and asked about them I was told they were easy keepers. Lesson learned.
Thanks to all who replied. Always looking to learn as much as I can.
Chris

 

[1guydude]

yep watchout for those LFS...theyll tell u or sell u anything to make a buck!

 

[chyotrix]

So now that y'all have helped me with my Anthia issue, what's the general consensus on Dottiebacks?
The Yellow Tang I got from the LFS is doing awesome but I did lose the Strawberry Pseudo.
And it's not the first one I've lost.
Have had no luck with them at all yet a lot of the website recommend them for beginners.

 

[1guydude]

im no fan of the dottybacks...theyre are some more docile ones but the strawberry psuedochromis is prob the most aggresive lil fish ive owned. I had him for about a week and i lost another fish because of it...i thinks. He went back to the fish store!

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chyotrix http:///t/387701/stable-tank-new-fish-keep-dying#post_3413521
So now that y'all have helped me with my Anthia issue, what's the general consensus on Dottiebacks?
The Yellow Tang I got from the LFS is doing awesome but I did lose the Strawberry Pseudo.
And it's not the first one I've lost.
Have had no luck with them at all yet a lot of the website recommend them for beginners.
I have had:
The Royal Gramma
Black capped dottyback
Orchid Dottyback
I love the fish, the colors are awesome...my only complaint is the small size.

 

[chyotrix]

Well seeing as how I've tried 3 different times with 3 differnt Dottiebacks and lost them all within a 24 hour period,
I think I'll just add a Coral Beauty and be done.
That should be plenty of color.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chyotrix http:///t/387701/stable-tank-new-fish-keep-dying#post_3413677
Well seeing as how I've tried 3 different times with 3 differnt Dottiebacks and lost them all within a 24 hour period,
I think I'll just add a Coral Beauty and be done.
That should be plenty of color.

If you can keep a anthias alive, you won't keep a coral beauty alive either

dwarf angelfish need good conditions more than the anthias do.
Dottybacks are hardy, and if you a losing them within 24 hours something is wrong. You said you a problem with anthias....so now I'm confused.

 

[1guydude]

ya wat are ur parameters?
Also wat equipment are u running?
We need more info to help u!