Doom Tank!!! Please Help

[magoben]

I am not sure what is going on w/my saltwater tank! I Need Help!!!!
I started my tank beginning of Sept. 2013:
45g glass tank
50lbs of dead rock
2" of dead sand
1 live rock
1 cup of live sand
Eheim classic 350 canister
100w heater
2 hydor 425 power heads (added Nov. 2013)
CUC (added beginning of Oct. 2013)
So here it goes...after my tank had cycled (as I was told by LFS) and my water testing was right (I took my water to be tested to my LFS) it would be safe to add a few fish...I added 2 yellow tail Damsels end of Oct.(about 8wks in)They did Great! My LFS said to wait a month before I added anymore. So it was beg. of Nov. I added (too many fish) 1pair of clown fish, tribal blenny, pearl eyed clown, dotty back. All did Great for 3wks! Then I added the 2 power heads a few snails, & an emerald crab. & BOOM!!!! In 2 days ALL Fish were dead!

 

[jay0705]

What kind of water tap, r/o? How do u acclimate your fish? What do u feed them? Do u clean your canister filter?

 

[beth]

1 canister filter is not good enough filtration for a SW tank, even a smaller one such as you have. Also, you did overload the tank with fish, and you did it rapidly. And finally, fish come with fish diseases that when introduced to your display tank has the real potential to wipe out most fish. That is why using a quarantine tank is the best option.

Setting up a more natural system may be what you want to consider. Using live rock as your natural filter. Canisters typically result in systems that can not adequately export nitrates....as you can see by the high nitrates that you have. You will also need to include a protein skimmer.

How much research have you done before set up? I would recommend getting a very good beginner book, "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist". Its a good read, with lots and lots of how-to topics.

 

[magoben]

Jay- I get all my water from a trusted LFS that was recommended to me, which is saltwater & RO, I do the drip acclimation for 30-45m., I have rinsed my whole canister out 1x & rinsed just my white filter again for the 2nd time last wk.
Beth- I have done some research on the whole process. I bought my tank in May 2013, & didn't start it til Sept 2013. But when I went to my 1st LFS that's where like I said in my 1st half (added too many fish).. Again I am new at this & figured I could trust them they were a family owned business, & had beautiful fish & clean store....but I currently have switched to my 2nd LFS with a more reputable clientele & succession rate. But I have them stumped too. They have NEVER seen or heard of this happening. This is why I'm asking. They are searching for answers just like me. They have been coming to my home helping me with everything, because I seriously thought it was Me that was killing everything,

 

[magoben]

We can't figure out why ALL fish die when adding something new...even the healthy fish die that have been in the tank after a month. What can kill in less than 24hrs??

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Magoben http:///t/397257/doom-tank-please-help#post_3540482
We can't figure out why ALL fish die when adding something new...even the healthy fish die that have been in the tank after a month. What can kill in less than 24hrs??


Hi,

Welcome to the site, sorry about your situation



Fish don't care about nitrates, Kenya tree and mushroom coral don't need much light, but high nitrates above 20 will kill them. You wrote that your nitrates are .5, so that isn't an issue. Also, I kept a 90g reef for over 10 years using a canister filter without any issues at all.

Do you run a skimmer? Is it possible your container for change water is contaminated?

 

[magoben]

Flower- Thanks for the input Your right about damsels they are awful! Cute little fish for sure, just not something we want in our tank again. They are hardy fish, but couldn't survive my Doom Tank either

 

[hookem0981]

Your PH should be around 8.2-8.4. Also, I would take the temp down a notch to 78.

 

[magoben]

I was reading online. Could this help??
When netting a fish or after a water change use a product like stress coat that will add electrolytes to your tank and also increase the fishes natural slime coat.
Does anyone do this??

 

[magoben]

Hookem- how do I get my ph to increase??...I will lower my temp today, a degree an hr to start....I don't have any fish right now, can't hurt right!?! Thanks

 

[hookem0981]

Usually you keep your tank around 80 degrees? Is it possible that your temperature spiked while you were out of the house or sleeping or your heater failed to shut off?

 

[magoben]

Usually you keep your tank around 80 degrees? Is it possible that your temperature spiked while you were out of the house or sleeping or your heater failed to shut off?
It hasn't fluctuated as far as I know. We have the thermometer on the opposite side of the tank, & it always has read 80. I will try to lower it today.
How do you increase your Ph?

 

[hookem0981]

Have you tested your alkalinity?

One possible fix is you could raise your SG to 1.023.. that would be your best bet to increase your PH.

Also, running your lights longer will raise your PH. What kind of lights are you using and how long are you running them for?

If your alkalinity is low, another good try would be adding a tblsp of baking soda.. which would raise ALK and PH.

 

[magoben]

Have you tested your alkalinity?
One possible fix is you could raise your SG to 1.023.. that would be your best bet to increase your PH. 
Also, running your lights longer will raise your PH. What kind of lights are you using and how long are you running them for?
If your alkalinity is low, another good try would be adding a tblsp of baking soda.. which would raise ALK and PH.
I'm not sure what my ALK is....I've never tested for it. On my hydrometer it reads SG between 1.021-1.022.
My light is a Fluval LED Bright light. Not reef capatible. It's on for approx. 12-13 hrs a day.
Is there a tester I could by to test ALK you would recommend?

 

[magoben]

Have you tested your alkalinity?
One possible fix is you could raise your SG to 1.023.. that would be your best bet to increase your PH. 
Also, running your lights longer will raise your PH. What kind of lights are you using and how long are you running them for?
If your alkalinity is low, another good try would be adding a tblsp of baking soda.. which would raise ALK and PH.
Ok...I bought a test strip to test my ALK it read: Ph 7.8 ( which is accurate to my master test kit), ALK 80 ( which it sates is NOT Desired). So what do I do with out adding Chemicals to my tank...unless that's the on,y way.

 

[hookem0981]

I am sorry it took time to get back to you. I usually stay away from test strips and go with API. Test strips have a reputation of not always being accurate. One thing I love to use to stabilize my PH is Chemi Pure.. basically media in a bag that you can place in a moderate to high flow area.. kinda like carbon. I would do this once you raise your salinity. Usually you would see a 7.8 PH in something like tap water. Not saying that is your source, but I would test the water before you add it. So you know, there are PH buffers out there. I have read though that they only temporary raise the PH. Let me ask you.. are you using strips to test for PH? Just might want to consider getting an API kit for testing as they are known to give accurate readings. I personally believe you had a stable tank and had some sort of crash.. whether it be ammonia, temperature.. nitrates.. just seems to me that if it wasn't then all of your fish would not have died so suddenly.. so it's just too much of a coincidence.
I beleive if you raise your salinity to 1.023 and maintain temperatures in the 78 degree range you should be fine.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by hookem0981 http:///t/397257/doom-tank-please-help#post_3540774
I am sorry it took time to get back to you. I usually stay away from test strips and go with API. Test strips have a reputation of not always being accurate. One thing I love to use to stabilize my PH is Chemi Pure.. basically media in a bag that you can place in a moderate to high flow area.. kinda like carbon. I would do this once you raise your salinity. Usually you would see a 7.8 PH in something like tap water. Not saying that is your source, but I would test the water before you add it. So you know, there are PH buffers out there. I have read though that they only temporary raise the PH. Let me ask you.. are you using strips to test for PH? Just might want to consider getting an API kit for testing as they are known to give accurate readings. I personally believe you had a stable tank and had some sort of crash.. whether it be ammonia, temperature.. nitrates.. just seems to me that if it wasn't then all of your fish would not have died so suddenly.. so it's just too much of a coincidence.
I beleive if you raise your salinity to 1.023 and maintain temperatures in the 78 degree range you should be fine.

I agree, strips should not be used... but I like Seachem better then API kits. I use the ammonia strips only because they are fast and easy...and any ammonia reading at all, means do a water change, the number doesn't matter. On the others, I want exact numbers and I want them accurate.

 

[magoben]

I am sorry it took time to get back to you. I usually stay away from test strips and go with API. Test strips have a reputation of not always being accurate. One thing I love to use to stabilize my PH is Chemi Pure.. basically media in a bag that you can place in a moderate to high flow area.. kinda like carbon. I would do this once you raise your salinity. Usually you would see a 7.8 PH in something like tap water. Not saying that is your source, but I would test the water before you add it. So you know, there are PH buffers out there. I have read though that they only temporary raise the PH. Let me ask you.. are you using strips to test for PH? Just might want to consider getting an API kit for testing as they are known to give accurate readings. I personally believe you had a stable tank and had some sort of crash.. whether it be ammonia, temperature.. nitrates.. just seems to me that if it wasn't then all of your fish would not have died so suddenly.. so it's just too much of a coincidence. 
I beleive if you raise your salinity to 1.023 and maintain temperatures in the 78 degree range you should be fine. 
I do have a Master saltwater API kit. I just couldn't find any ALK test kit anywhere where I live so I bought the only thing I could find, which was a test strip.
My temp has been stable at 78 now. I will try Chemi Pure. What I can do is take my water to be tested @ the LFS, that WAS coming out to my house to help me, for the ALK.
They don like using any chemicals in a tank, & they also don't like canisters either

 

[hookem0981]

Have you started adding fish again? If you have a 45, I would advise against adding more than 2 fish every 3 weeks or so. Start out with something hardy.. such as chromis or cardinals. The fact you added 5 at one time in a 45, it probably was too much of a bio-load for that size of a tank. Even though it appeared your fish survived the initial ammonia phase..2-3 weeks later, you probably had just enough amount of nitrates that was poisonous to your entire tank. If you have 0 and it increases steadily over a few days, it could cause your fish to go into shock.

But I'd say your doing good.. still learning and willing to learn what went wrong.