big tank death syndrome

lopeyc

Member
I'm baffled and thought maybe somebody here could help me. Here's my deal:
After having successfully kept alive a 36g reef, I successfully started a 12g mini and a 55g reef. All three have been stable for over a year now. Then, six months ago, I got the not-so-bright idea to start a new tank -- a 90g. I did it up right with a small refugium, Euroreef skimmer, nice lights, etc.
Problem is, fish in that tank keep dying! I've lost far more fish from that tank in three months (5 or 6) than all my other tanks combined in two years ... and it's killing me. I'm doing everything the same, as far as I can tell, my water checks out and I (think I) know there's nobody in there who's eating everybody. Even odder is that the tank's invertebrates are doing fine while the fish drop off one-by-one.
Everytime I think I've figured out what is wrong and fix it, a month later another fish dies. I'm down to two: a scooter and a ocellaris clown (the latter I just moved there last week). The latest to disappear: a red-headed fairy wrasse who, like all the other fish who have died, seemed perfectly healthy until the day he died.
My newest theory is maybe I don't have enough live rock, although I have over a 100lb, at a minimum. Honestly, though, at this point I'm reaching for straws. All my specs are the same as the other tanks!
Any ideas?
 

blitz99

Member
are they dead and you find them? or do they disappear? if they are just gone then you have something with an appetite.
 

fishman77

Member
well what are the parameters?do you ever hear clicking at night because there could be a mantis shrimp in your tank.how are your corals doing in the 90?do you look for critters at night that might be killing them?in total what fish have you lost in the 90?you could also have ich so look for white spots on the fish.
 

lopeyc

Member

Originally posted by Blitz99
are they dead and you find them? or do they disappear? if they are just gone then you have something with an appetite.

Mostly they've just dissappeared, but I have found at least one or two bodies, half eaten by the hermits.
 

lopeyc

Member

Originally posted by fishman77
well what are the parameters?do you ever hear clicking at night because there could be a mantis shrimp in your tank.how are your corals doing in the 90?do you look for critters at night that might be killing them?in total what fish have you lost in the 90?you could also have ich so look for white spots on the fish.

i haven't heard any clicking.
because I ran out of money after setting up the tank :rolleyes: i don't have many corals in there. There's some buttons that have done fine and a condi anemone who is happy.
i've seen no white spots, everybody looked healthy with the exception of two damsels who had ragged fins, i believe from the other damsels (who I then removed by breaking down the whole tank). Besides those two and the wrasse, I've lost a square-spot anthias (underfed?), a scooter blennie (1 of 2), longnose yellow butterfly and a lemon peel angel. It hurts to write down that list.
 

sweetreef

Active Member
well some fish you get from your lfs are already sick and you may never know they look good@you lfs and they eat real good and they do the same as well in your tank but sometimes fish are sick and it may take months before it takes over i have seen what you are going threw alot of times it could be bacterial infections are viral but viral are more common in angels so what iam saying fish can look fine for a few months and out of the blue just die because of somthing inside the fish you cannot see...
 

sweetreef

Active Member
its not always what are you doing wrong it could be a sick fish from the get go it just the chance we reefers go threw its always a gamble when getting any fish
 

lopeyc

Member

Originally posted by sweetreef
its not always what are you doing wrong it could be a sick fish from the get go it just the chance we reefers go threw its always a gamble when getting any fish

I think probably what has happened is a combination of bad luck and bad husbandry. The longnose may have been outcompeted, the anthias might have not been fed enough, the damsels may have harried the others, etc. ... but after thinking I'd solved all the potential problems (too many fish too fast, the damsels, checking water, etc. ) the sudden dissappearance of this wrasse just threw me for a loop. Makes me wonder if I should stop buying things altogether and just keep what I have.
 

sweetreef

Active Member
yes we all have gone threw it we have to have it all@once...lol I think when we all started doing this hobby we went on that type of aspect...
 

sweetreef

Active Member
I just lost a cow fish on x-mas morning to a power head it had the cover and a sponge over it as well...he was stuck to it and still alive but i didnt get to him fast enuff
 

lopeyc

Member

Originally posted by Blitz99
powerheads have covers on them? so they dont kill your fish.
what about filters and sumps, etc...

all fine.
maybe dead spots/areas w/ no oxygen?
 

lopeyc

Member

Originally posted by Bang Guy
Kinda need to know everything about your tank, especially things like waterflow, skimmer, etc.

Euroreef skimmer, 90g tank (4'), built-in overflow, big pump, lotta water flow up high, (but maybe not enough under/behind live rock?), couple powerheads.
I just took my water to a fish store that tests water, just to make sure my testing was accurate. They couldn't find anything -- nitrates, ammonia at zero, pH good.
My temp is 79, same as my other tanks.
 

lopeyc

Member

Originally posted by sweetreef
I just lost a cow fish on x-mas morning to a power head it had the cover and a sponge over it as well...he was stuck to it and still alive but i didnt get to him fast enuff

I'm so sorry! I've never even heard of that ... but I guess cowfish are not strong swimmers?
 

lopeyc

Member

Originally posted by lopeyc
all fine.
maybe dead spots/areas w/ no oxygen?

this is my latest theory: I have so much circulation from my powerful laminar inflow up top that I didn't do enough to make sure their is circulation behind the rocks.
Does this seem like it could be creating death zones in a 90g? Or is that just silly?
I'm tempted to just get some big mean mother and let him have the whole tank! Maybe a dogface...
 
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