Fish Dead (Again!)

t-towntank

t-towntank

New Member
I started my 75 gal. tank 4mths ago. Here's what died about 2 mths ago - 2 clownfish, 1 yellow tang, and all my inverts. I have also battled (and defeated) brown algae and red slime. After clearing the algae problems, I added 2 damsels.
Everything had gone well for several weeks, so I thought it was time to try again with more fish. I added 2 clowns last Saturday (9/20). The damsels were fighting the clowns so the damsels were removed. I added 1 lawnmower blenny Sunday (9/21). All of these fish were from LFS. On Thursday (9/25) 1 yellow tang and a 55-100gal. reef package were added from SWF.
Yesterday (Friday) 1 clown and the yellow tang died. I still have 1 clown and 1 blenny. Both look fine (but so did the clown and tang). None of the fish have eaten well (if at all) in several days. I'm feeding flake, shrimp, and seaweed. But, the surviving clown was pooping yesterday so I guess it must be eating something.
What am I doing wrong? This tank was something my husband and I have wanted for years.
Readings this morning (after yellow tang was found dead):
specific gravity = 1.023(measured with hydrometer)
high range pH = 8.0-8.2 (really hard to tell between colors on chart)
nitrate = 0
nitrite = 0
amnonia = 0.50
phosphate = 0
Equipment:
Eheim Classic Canister 2215
Marineland Penguin Powerheads - 2 powerheads (each 300gph)
Seaclone Protein Skimmer 150
Sundial T5HO Light (runs 6am-9pm)
Using RO water - last water change 9/20
 
jeanheckle

jeanheckle

Member
Originally Posted by T-townTank
http:///forum/post/2770896
I started my 75 gal. tank 4mths ago. Here's what died about 2 mths ago - 2 clownfish, 1 yellow tang, and all my inverts. I have also battled (and defeated) brown algae and red slime. After clearing the algae problems, I added 2 damsels.
Everything had gone well for several weeks, so I thought it was time to try again with more fish. I added 2 clowns last Saturday (9/20). The damsels were fighting the clowns so the damsels were removed. I added 1 lawnmower blenny Sunday (9/21). All of these fish were from LFS. On Thursday (9/25) 1 yellow tang and a 55-100gal. reef package were added from SWF.
Yesterday (Friday) 1 clown and the yellow tang died. I still have 1 clown and 1 blenny. Both look fine (but so did the clown and tang). None of the fish have eaten well (if at all) in several days. I'm feeding flake, shrimp, and seaweed. But, the surviving clown was pooping yesterday so I guess it must be eating something.
What am I doing wrong? This tank was something my husband and I have wanted for years.
Readings this morning (after yellow tang was found dead):
specific gravity = 1.023(measured with hydrometer)
high range pH = 8.0-8.2 (really hard to tell between colors on chart)
nitrate = 0
nitrite = 0
amnonia = 0.50
phosphate = 0
Equipment:
Eheim Classic Canister 2215
Marineland Penguin Powerheads - 2 powerheads (each 300gph)
Seaclone Protein Skimmer 150
Sundial T5HO Light (runs 6am-9pm)
Using RO water - last water change 9/20
It is almost definately the ammonia. That is why the damsels lived and still one clown they are much hardier fish. Don't get discouraged this is a learning process.
Were you sure your tank was cycled prior to putting fish in? Is there a possibility that there is still something dead in the tank causing the ammonia spike? You can't have fish in the tank until ammonia is 0.
What size is the tank and what equip are you running?
We'll figure this out!
Dori
 
jeanheckle

jeanheckle

Member
Sorry I didn't see you posted equip already. You should do a water change today. You SG is kind of low but not enough to kill a fish. Do you check SG and PH in the new water prior to putting it in the tank?
 
t-towntank

t-towntank

New Member
Thanks for the reply! I checked all the parameters yesterday afternoon when the clown died. The ammonia was 0 then. The tang died during the night so it was in the water dead for several hours. Wouldn't that cause the ammmonia spike? There are no dead fish in the tank now but possibly some dead inverts. It's hard to tell with so many. This is the first time I've had the ammonia spike since the tank was established.
Where do you recommend the specific gravity be for the tank. I don't check the specific gravity or pH of my new water but will certainly start.
 
t-towntank

t-towntank

New Member
I do not have a quarintine tank. Does it make that big a difference?
I started with tap water (HUGE MISTAKE). I have done weekly 20% water changes with RO water for about 2mths to correct that problem. I know that was the reason for the algae problems.
 
jeanheckle

jeanheckle

Member
I think another reason for the algae problem is the fact you may be keeping your lights on too long. For a new tank they should only be on about 6 hours.
If you aren't checking the SG and PH in your water prior to putting in the DT it could cause a big enough flucuation to kill fish. Everything has to match, the Sg, the PH and the temp. Do you have a heater where you are mixing your water and are you letting it mix for at least 24 hours before you use it.
Sg is recommended to be at 1.025, I keep mine at 1.026 because it was recommended to me that that is much closer to natural reef SG.
Quarantine tanks are important. How did you start your tank, did you add inverts first and then fish one at a time or everything at once?
 
t-towntank

t-towntank

New Member
My mix does sit for 24hrs before use, but I don't have a heater with it. I keep 3-4gal. buckets for my water changes.
What temp do you recommend for the water? My tank is at 76 with 1 heater.
Keep the comments coming! This is great help!
 
t-towntank

t-towntank

New Member
What's considered a "new tank"? When can I keep the lights on longer?
The first time around 2 clowns were added with inverts. Fast forward a few months to this week. The 2 clowns, 1 blenny, 1 tang, and lots of inverts were all added in less than 1 week.
 
jeanheckle

jeanheckle

Member
Originally Posted by T-townTank
http:///forum/post/2771233
My mix does sit for 24hrs before use, but I don't have a heater with it. I keep 3-4gal. buckets for my water changes.
What temp do you recommend for the water? My tank is at 76 with 1 heater.
Keep the comments coming! This is great help!
The water you add has to be the same temp as the tank water. You need a small heater for you mixing bucket. Get a large trash can from lowes or home depot you can mix your water in that. I use a 15 gallon trash can to mix my salt water in with a heater and an air stone.
 
jeanheckle

jeanheckle

Member
Originally Posted by T-townTank
http:///forum/post/2771239
What's considered a "new tank"? When can I keep the lights on longer?
The first time around 2 clowns were added with inverts. Fast forward a few months to this week. The 2 clowns, 1 blenny, 1 tang, and lots of inverts were all added in less than 1 week.
That was a lot of fish to add at once. That increases your bio load which can be detrimental. You really shouldn't add more than one or two fish at a time.
You definately will want to set up a QT tank, the fish that are alive now in your tank are going to stabilize as you are now going to do things in a safer manner. When you are ready to add a new fish you want to keep it in a small QT tank so that you don't introduce any new diseases to you main tank.
As the algae decreases you can start leaving your lights on longer, but 15 hours is never ok. You will want to get a timer for you lights. Your actinic lights should come on an hour before your main lights. The maximum you want your lights to be on should probably not be more than 8 hours.
Your tank was barely cycled at two months, now at 4 months you are starting to get there but you still need to take things really slow. You will definately get the hang of it and be one of the pros in no time. Just don't listen to the people at you LFS, they want to sell you things and don't necessarily take into consideration the health of your tank. I wouldn't add any fish for a couple of weeks. See of the clown and blenny stabilize. The clown should be ok, they are pretty hardy.
You will probably want to supplement their food with fresh garlic juice and some products called Zoe and Zoecon by Kent. When you say you are feeding them shrimp, do you mean mysis? It's alot better for the fish to make your own food, it's really easy and inexpensive as well.
 
john & sherri

john & sherri

Member
That was good advise I'm having alot of the same problems with my tanks and fish. We get so much info that sometimes it gets confusing. Is it OK to prime your tank everyday? I just had a big lose carpet starfish and puffer (within one week)-I'm so sad
 
stdreb27

stdreb27

Active Member
I've never had a sw fish actually eat flakes. Or dried food, I guess I'm unlucky. However, your ammonia is the issue at .5 that will kill fish. If you have the lr in there. I just read it but now can't remember what I read. I'd just let your tank mature for a week or so. Get some mysis or brine and feed your clown a dropper full. And do some a couple 10% water changes. And just wait.
 
jeanheckle

jeanheckle

Member
If you're using quality salt you shouldn't need to add anything additional to the tank, unless you have a lot of hard corals that need calcium.
Why are you priming it?
 
jeanheckle

jeanheckle

Member
Originally Posted by John & Sherri
http:///forum/post/2771741
That was good advise I'm having alot of the same problems with my tanks and fish. We get so much info that sometimes it gets confusing. Is it OK to prime your tank everyday? I just had a big lose carpet starfish and puffer (within one week)-I'm so sad
Your water should reach the correct levels naturally, not with prime, If you use prime than your tank never cycles correctly.
What are you water parameters w/o the additive?
 
john & sherri

john & sherri

Member
Thanks for the replies I had posted on a different thread about sick puffer. Which goes back to long story about add a carpet to my 47 gal tank and in 4 days in died and fell apart which turned my water cloudy and messed up still trying to get back right. Did two water change add all maintenance chemicals and changed filters. But with one week lost large choc starfish and last night lost my saddle puffer. Everyone else seems ok. but plan to do water change again today.. When the carpet start dying and my water turned cloudy on a sunday I freaked out and may have over done the water change did 40% twice that day morning and evening. After that my readings were amn-0.5 nitrite 0 p.h 8.3 nitrate 5.0 then one week later my readings are amn.25 nitrate 20 nitrate 1.0 and ph 8.3 Before carpet went in tank levels were great for month straight. the carpet was my first anemone it was very large and I just freak when it started falling apart and my lfs was closed and would open till tue and all this happened before sat night and sunday morning.
 
jeanheckle

jeanheckle

Member
Originally Posted by John & Sherri
http:///forum/post/2772263
Thanks for the replies I had posted on a different thread about sick puffer. Which goes back to long story about add a carpet to my 47 gal tank and in 4 days in died and fell apart which turned my water cloudy and messed up still trying to get back right. Did two water change add all maintenance chemicals and changed filters. But with one week lost large choc starfish and last night lost my saddle puffer. Everyone else seems ok. but plan to do water change again today.. When the carpet start dying and my water turned cloudy on a sunday I freaked out and may have over done the water change did 40% twice that day morning and evening. After that my readings were amn-0.5 nitrite 0 p.h 8.3 nitrate 5.0 then one week later my readings are amn.25 nitrate 20 nitrate 1.0 and ph 8.3 Before carpet went in tank levels were great for month straight. the carpet was my first anemone it was very large and I just freak when it started falling apart and my lfs was closed and would open till tue and all this happened before sat night and sunday morning.
WHat are your readings this morning.
 
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