Can't Keep fish alive

[pufferfreak]

I have had a tank running for 6 months and I can't keep any fish alive, my water is perfect nothing weird. I use deionized water premixed from the lfs and add c balance and iodine and I can't keep fish alive but I can keep corals and inverts alive so what do you think I am doing wrong? Also I hear clicking noises at night I have a peppermint shrimp.

 

[shadow678]

First, I would suggest holding off on any iodine supplements until you are sure you haven't saturated the water with it. Secondly, popping sounds at night are a symptom of a mantis shrimp. How do the bodies of the fish look when you find them? If they are torn apart and partially eaten, especially if there is nothing else in the tank, then you more than likely have a mantis shrimp somewhere, and it is preying on your additions. You may need to sit up one night after you have turned the tank lights off and see if you can locate the source of the popping sound. If it turns out to be a mantis shrimp, DON'T try to grab it with your hands as it can easily hurt you. Get a trap from your LFS and bait it. If you do capture one, I would suggest trying to sell him, as opposed to flushing it down your toilet, as they do fetch a pretty decent price to people who would like them in a species tank.

 

[richy rich]

the clicking noise could also be the balister from the lights. mine do it all the time.

 

[iechy]

How long are your lights on? I made the mistake of leaving my lights on too long when I first got into the hobby years ago. It makes sense but I didn't think about it. How long could you live with no sleep? I have a baby so I'm testing the limits

 

[pufferfreak]

I stopped adding iodine till i get it tested, my lights are on for 8 hours, all the fish are torn up and half eaten but I have some hermit crabs, the clicking is sometimes at night so its not the lights the only fish still alive is a green chromis the size of a nickel.

 

[hnf2k]

cant you also catch a mantis shrimp during the day? i thought i read that you can just check every piece of rock, and being that he only has 38.5 pounds of live rock it should take too long...im FAR from an expert(i dont even have a cycled tank yet), but i think you can just take a turkey baster and flush out all the holes and hiding spaces in your rock. i was told to use a new unwashed turkey baster...i think that will work...right?

 

[joerdie]

if you go in and try and find a mantis with a turkey baster in your live rock what are you going to do once you find it? you dont want to pick it up with your bare hands and i have heard of them tearing up nets and such in the past. GET THE TRAP IT WILL WORK and its not that hard to use

 

[bigbonedee]

Sometimes hermit crabs bang their shells togther one against the other.