everythings dead am i supposed to give up

nicole05

nicole05

Member
okay guys ive killed everything (500$)
over a month now what i was ready to give up last week my ammonia is still up a little i do have 2 anomones and a star but have ick that has killed a majority of fish
i just dont know what to do from here LFS is telling me to hang in there let my water settle do the pimafix(herbal treatment for ick) for three days give it a week or two and try again with just one fish see how it does for a while and go from there but im thinking :thinking: that i dont want to kill anymore fish and keep wasting money. :help: but all this info i got now is useless if i give up and dont have room left in my brain for useless info!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
what would you do
 
jacklax

jacklax

Member
Don't give up...just be patient. I'd do some water changes to clear the ammonia up. You'll want to sit tight for about 6 weeks...that'll let the ich die off. It needs fish to survive, so being fishless will starve them out. Then begin adding fish...slowly. Do you have a quarantine tank?
 
nicole05

nicole05

Member
i started one two days ago for my clown fish that died yesterday but that should be ready for me to use by the time i get any more defensless creatures to kill
 
fishy7

fishy7

Active Member
Ok...
Do not give up, lets work it out
but will need some additional info to get started.
How old is your tank?
What are your water readings?
If you still have ammonia in your tank you need to return all livestock to your LFS. It is very toxic to all inhabitants.
 
nicole05

nicole05

Member
my tank has been set up since january
ammonia in between 0.25 and 0.50
nitrate0
ph7.8
nitite0
salityis 1.026
i was told that the salinty needed to be that for starfish but LFS told me this morning that he keeps his at1.023
also he told me to put cycle in the tank just to help out it made sense
 
jacklax

jacklax

Member
Ok...so you have a 55 gal. How often do you do water changes...and how much water?
Also...has the qt cycled yet? What are the water readings in there?
 
nicole05

nicole05

Member
no qt has not cycled and it is only 10 gallon i thought it would be okay being so small since they would only be in there for three weeks i was doing a water change of 15 gallons every two weeks but LFS is worried that if i keep doing water changes i will set my tank into cycle again he said only do a water change when my water parameters tell me to!i have not took any readings for the qt tank it is only two days old.
 
jacklax

jacklax

Member
A 10% water change every week is perfectly fine...if not encouraged. Especially with the inverts you've got. They really appreciate clean water. It's kind of like changing the oil in your car...preventive maintenance.
The qt will need to cycle as well. With a 10 gal there isn't much room for error. What equipment do you have in the qt? Kudos to you for getting a qt! You're definitely on the right track.
It sounds like your lfs is close, but not right on. I've done a lot of reading on this websight, and a few books. It really helps. The Conscientious (sp?) Aquarist by Fenner is a great book...it comes highly recommended.
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
Originally Posted by nicole05
he said only do a water change when my water parameters tell me to!i have not took any readings for the qt tank it is only two days old.
That is definitely not a good thing to suggest. That is almost like saying you are going to wait for something bad to happen before you fix the problem.
Do you have any live rock in the tank?
What all is in there as far as inhabitants?
How often have you been adding fish? Are you following the 1 fish for 3 week rule of thumb?
 
nicole05

nicole05

Member
i have about 40lbs of rock about the water changes why would it not put the tank into another cycleyes i have pretty much followed the three week rule of thumb but if one would die i would add one in its place i had niger trigger that killed two in a week so i added one when it would die
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
No, you shouldn't empty the tank. You would totally need to recycle it. What all has gone in it in the past month as far as fish?? I know you have a niger, and a yellow tang died, and I think I remember a powder blue tang from another thread. That is 3 fish that honestly never should have gone into the tank in the first place. The carpet anemone is also going to die (assuming you don't have metal halide lighting).
It sounds like this LFS is just selling you anything for this tank. List all the fish you have put into it in the last month.
 
nicole05

nicole05

Member
i havent bought them all at one place and he usally scolds me when i do come in and tell what i got he just doesnt have a big varierty but anyway i have had two yellow tail damsel, one domino three clowns ,yellow tang(traded my niger)blue hippo, powder blue, mandrian gobie, scotter blemmytwo cc starfish,the anomones,pep.shrimp,10 hermit crabs i am forgetting something but anyway i know this sounds like a lot but i didnt buy all at one time and have bought two at a time(i know im not supposed to)and on another site i was at they said that all these fish are hardy and are good for beginners!
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
Yeah, that is your first problem. You are overstocking your tank incredibly, and with fish that should not be in there either. Both the powder blue and hippo need a bigger and much more established tank, and the mandarin and scooter live on pods, which you probably do not have a huge abundance of. The starfish should have been added when the tank is more established, and like I said, the carpet anemone needs metal halide lighting to survive. The damsels are pretty aggressive to be in with tangs in a 55. The only thing that is okay to have in the tank is the clowns.
It sounds to me that you are getting a lot of terrible advice. I would stick to this site only because we know what we are talking about over here. I can't say the same about the other site. Any place you read will tell you that a powder blue, hippo, yellow tang, and carpet anemone are definitely not for beginners.
Honestly, you need to slow down greatly and do a little more research. Also, stick to the one fish every 3-4 weeks rule. Your tank will be SOO MUCH better off.
A great book to read would be the Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert Fenner.
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
well the next fish you add should be clowns. Start with easy stuff, let them establish themselves for 3 to 4 weeks, and work your way up. You may add 2 clowns at one time, but that is about the only exception to the 1 fish for every 3 to 4 week rule.
Right now, I would let the tank run without any fish for 4 weeks to kill any ich that may be in there. Running the tank without fish will kill the ich because they will not have a host.
 
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