All fish dead, Completely Confused

cjml

cjml

Member
Originally Posted by jason490
Well from what I read and was told, this new sand is instant cycling. It says "Just add fish" So was this wrong? I thought the process of cycling was to let the substrate build bacteria, if the sand already has it, what is the point?
Please listen to the experts on this site-(I am not one) but I do know that cycling your tank definitely takes more then a few days-it can take very many weeks-the longer you wait to put fish in the better-and one fish at a time...one fish....so try again and go very slowly--your tank will do much better! We made the same mistake and tried to rush things-not a good thing... :happyfish
 
J

jason490

Guest
I appreciate all your help guys. This is devastating when you spend 400 dollars on fish alone and they die that quickly. Calling the LFS tomorrow to see if they will do anything about it, but I doubt it even though they are the ones that told me to do it that way. I have never seen this happen that quickly though. I had a cycle happen one time before and kill some fish, but it took about 3 weeks, this took all of 2 days.
 
S

shark bait

Guest
The only product I have seen cycle a tank cost $$$ and is kept in the fridge but still takes a week. Nano tanks have a low bio load level and a spike in the tanks would be my final anwser, to new, to many fish. Sorry you lost the tank, and a purple tang I love this fish that is a costly fish. I would buy a book on how to start a tank. I belive every person who buys a tank should be given a copy of one of the many books on the market about tanks. I have about 15 or so in my office and use them quite often when I have a question. I would buy Conscientious Marine Aquarist, Bob Fenner is great.
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
I would strongly suggest you find a new LFS immediately. They gave you some BAD advice...remember, they want your money.
 
ol'salty

ol'salty

Member
Originally Posted by jason490
I appreciate all your help guys. This is devastating when you spend 400 dollars on fish alone and they die that quickly. Calling the LFS tomorrow to see if they will do anything about it, but I doubt it even though they are the ones that told me to do it that way. I have never seen this happen that quickly though. I had a cycle happen one time before and kill some fish, but it took about 3 weeks, this took all of 2 days.

Trust me when i tell you almost everyone loses something in the beginning. Don't let it get you down. The only thing you have to remember is the lfs is making money off of you and the people that help here are not. Even if they don't have a return policy on salt water fish, if they knew how new your tank was, i would raise caine. The reason it happened so fast this time is with that many fish, the ammonia went up real fast. Now that it is started, iwould just let the cycle go and test the water about once a week until the levels start getting down towards 0, then test it every other day or so. then just go slow adding fish (about a fish every 3 to 4 weeks). I know that sounds like a long time, but youwill have a more healthy tank because of it.
 
bruder

bruder

Member
Hey Man - Sorry to hear about your losses. Don't get down on yourself, it stinks, but you'll learn from it. Don't let anyone (on the forums, books, or LFS) tell you that they know everything. We are ALL still learning. That being said, some know a lot more than others and you should definitely listen to their advice (best way to learn here is read the forums and learn from others trials, mistakes, successes, experiments, opinions).
Best of luck in the future. I think Shark Bait suggested it earlier, but I would highly recommend picking up The Conscious Marine Aquarist. Great book with a lot of information for novices and pros alike.
Keep us updated and feel free to ask for help! We all did at some point...
p.s. Not all LFS are complete rubbish!!! Find one you trust and stick with it. I have a LFS of great guys who are honest, nice, and want the best for me and my investment. Go in with some basic questions that you know the answers to and see what their opinions are. An easy one that might make you look like a fool is..."Can I keep this fish (pick a tang or other well known large fish) in my 30 gallon tank?" Or "Can I keep this coral under this lighting" They should explain to you that tangs need a certain amount of room to swim or they could/will develop stress related diseases and that certain corals have certain needs that may or may not be fulfilled through your set up.
 
payton 350

payton 350

Member
Originally Posted by fisherkid91
When u first start up a tank most people use damsels for the cycle, the beginning fish are expected to die.

Not true....that's an old school way of thinking......i didn't lose a fish, because i let it cycle first......many people don't lose their fish
 
fisherkid91

fisherkid91

Member
Originally Posted by Payton 350
Not true....that's an old school way of thinking......i didn't lose a fish, because i let it cycle first......many people don't lose their fish
I know my fish didnt die either, but sometime people do have their starter fish die, i was just saying that damsels are good to start with.
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
There is the distinction there between "starter" fish meaning hardier fish that go in AFTER the tank has cycled, and the idea of cycling the tank with fish. These are two very different things. A tang should never go in a really new tank, IMO, regardless of the size of it (which is an issue here, certainly).
 
J

jason490

Guest
So do you think I would be ok to go ahead and put in a couple of black and white clowns? Or will they croak too?
Thanks
Jason
 
payton 350

payton 350

Member
no....give your tank about 4 to 5 weeks to completely cycle then you can add the pair of clowns after the water tests ok......you need to add some more live rock at least 20-25lbs too
 
renogaw

renogaw

Active Member
most people will agree with me on this one:
WAIT!
your tank is only a couple days old. put a piece of shrimp in there, let it spike ammonia, get your nitrite spike, then when its down to zero, then add your cleaner crew.
in 2 or three weeks, then add a fish or two.
 
ravennreef

ravennreef

Member
I do think that product is misleading. If I was new to this hobby I would probably have thougth the same.
That being said, find a new LFS, wait for it to cycle, do some research, and be patient. It is a great hobby and very rewarding.
 
J

jason490

Guest
suchbuy,
Yea I just figured that out, 400 bucks worth of fish down the toilet. I am pissed :mad: But not giving up,
 
suchbuy05

suchbuy05

New Member
Yeah don't give up I had some frostrating times when I first started my tank and that was still with the help of a honest LFS but it is still a very rewarding and fun hobby to have I'm just glad that there are places like this that we can go and help eachother out.
 
watson3

watson3

Active Member
Originally Posted by jason490
suchbuy,
Yea I just figured that out, 400 bucks worth of fish down the toilet. I am pissed :mad: But not giving up,
Purple Tang=80
Clowns=20*4=80
Damsels=6*3=18
Not quite $400, but maybe you will read through all of this good info before starting again..Your tank may not take 4-5 weeks with that sand, and some people do not believe in cycling at all, but you do have to give it some time..
 
J

jason490

Guest
Watson,
I honestly believe that they would have made it had I not added so many. I still don't think it was overcrowded, but it probably was for startup for sure. Yea it was close to 400 I lost some other stuff too, but oh well.
I never have cycled a freshwater and always been fine, but saltwater is a different story for sure. I will always wait on the next new tank, this was one lesson learned.
 
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