Fish are dying off

[jt]

i have a 30 gallon reef that has been set up for about 6 months. i have a cardinal, two yellow tailed damsels, pygmy angel, peppermint shrimp, hermit crab and 5 snails. until this week i also had a lawnmower blenny and a five line wrasse that we bought five days ago. we also bought a red brain five days ago. i have about 25 lbs of live rock, crushed coral, live sand, a plenum, a skimmer, a filter, and a powerhead. sunday i noticed the blenny's gills were working overtime. i checked the water temp, salinity and phosphate levels. all were fine and the other fish seemed fine too. tuesday the blenny died. the next couple of night the wrasse hid more than usual. wed his gills were pumping too. he died during the night. i took a water sample to the store and they checked everything. it all tested perfect, there people were stumped. now my damsel isn't acting right. he is hovering over the powerhead and not moving much. none of these fish have showed any spots. several months ago a blenny and pseudochromis disappeared without a trace. we thought there might be a mantis shrimp so we set a trap but never caught anything. we never heard any noises either. no more fish have disappeared. i don't think the disappearences are related. ANY IDEAS?? thanks for your help

 

[xavier]

Sir,
I know the sad loss. I lost 3 good friends yesterday (Puffer, Lion and Blue Line Trigger) due to high ammonia levels.
Check your ammonia again. My spiked like 3 days before and I cannot explain it.

 

[harris]

1.You probably creamed your ecosystem when you introduced that many fish to a 30 gallon. I bet that Xavier has hit the nail on the head. Your ammonia proabably went through the roof, so the weak, young, less hardy fish died off. Then the dead fish started to give off ammonia as it rotted. You may lose some more fish before this is all over. Your biological cycle has to catch up with the outputs of your new fish as well as hang with your old ones. This will take time. The microorganisms need to multiply to break down the wastes and such. So essentialy your tank is going through a new minicycle becasue of the introduction of all of the new fish. Next time try adding 1 fish and waiting a while at least 2 weeks and then maybe another one.
Possibility #2.
Since the fish is hovering in the top near the corner, you may have low oxygen levels, maybe your fish cannot breathe effectively enough in your water.

 

[jt]

Thanks for the response, Harris. I added fish fairly gradually. The wrasse was the first new one in about 6 weeks. All are small except the blenny and wrasse, so I don't have that many "inches" of fish. You may be right about the ammonia, but the store tested it and it was fine. The small damsel died the next day. All appears fine now. Question: how do I tell if the oxygen level is low and what do I do about it? I would think with the filter, powerhead, plenum, skimmer and open space at the top, that would not be a problem....
Possibility #2.
Since the fish is hovering in the top near the corner, you may have low oxygen levels, maybe your fish cannot breathe effectively enough in your water. [/B]

 

[harris]

hmmm. It still could have been a short ammonia spike, but the shorter we go with time the more unlikely. As for the oxygen you might be able to tell by seeing if your ph is slowly creeping down between water changes. The reason is co2 is been accumulated in the h20 and not being released. If this is not being released then the o2 most likely is not coming in. Sounds like you have good turbulence though in the tank to promote gas exchange.
When you said you added the fish fairly gradually was it over a few hours or days?
How long did you wait to take a sample to the store? In a few days (2-3) your ecosystem may be back at equilibrium, but the fish may have been pushed too far and not be able to recover.
Another thought, were the dead fish beat up at all? Maybe your other fish are terrorizing them? Do they chase them around?
other then that I am out of ideas, someone else can jump in at any time.........
good luck JT.

 

[jt]

Interesting thoughts Harris. Thanks again for the input. Now let me shoot down all of your suggestions. The pet store people suggested the ammonia spike too, but ruled it out since two fish died 2 days apart instead at the same time. They tested the ph too and it was up - perfect. Regarding adding fish, there were six weeks in between new fish. I took a sample to the store within 20 hours of the wrass dying. The damsel then died the next day. So the tests were done between deaths. The bodies were unmarked. They lay peacefully on the bottom without any scratches, bites or scrapes.
Good thoughts, but like me, the pet store and everyone else, I think you're stumped. Oh well. The remaining fish (yellow-tail damsel, cardinal and pygmy angel) are fine. The shrimp is fine. The snails and hermit crabs are fine. ALl appears well now....
Any more thoughts anyone??

 

[the rock]

the rock says....
parasites flooding the gills making it difficult for them to breathe

 

[sharkee]

hi there, i'm new at salwater tank but i love it and understand your losses. lost an $80 flame angel fish, was my favorite, to no apparent reason. after putting him in the tank with other new fish, just layed low and 3 days later was dead. ran to the store and the *&^%$#@! store keeper sold me some unecessary medication... my theory is that fish either new or old, when they see changes in their environment feel disoriented and lost and tend to stop eating...i could be wrong but from what i've read i think this is the clossest possible explanation...good luck

 

[harris]

You are right. I got nothing.
Well those are usually the starting areas and finishing for most problems, like I said before I am out of ideas.....
good luck with it though.

 

[jt]

Thanks everyone. It's been 5 days since the last casualty and all appears well. I appreciate the time you all took to respond.

 

[mr.trigger]

Originally posted by JT:
i have a 30 gallon reef that has been set up for about 6 months. i have a cardinal, two yellow tailed damsels, pygmy angel, peppermint shrimp, hermit crab and 5 snails. until this week i also had a lawnmower blenny and a five line wrasse that we bought five days ago. we also bought a red brain five days ago. i have about 25 lbs of live rock, crushed coral, live sand, a plenum, a skimmer, a filter, and a powerhead. sunday i noticed the blenny's gills were working overtime. i checked the water temp, salinity and phosphate levels. all were fine and the other fish seemed fine too. tuesday the blenny died. the next couple of night the wrasse hid more than usual. wed his gills were pumping too. he died during the night. i took a water sample to the store and they checked everything. it all tested perfect, there people were stumped. now my damsel isn't acting right. he is hovering over the powerhead and not moving much. none of these fish have showed any spots. several months ago a blenny and pseudochromis disappeared without a trace. we thought there might be a mantis shrimp so we set a trap but never caught anything. we never heard any noises either. no more fish have disappeared. i don't think the disappearences are related. ANY IDEAS?? thanks for your help
IM glad everything is AOK...but i think you had way to many fish in a small 30 gallon tank.....now that some are gone the new fish are doing better......they dont have to work over time and neither does your system......good luck.......