Fish mysteriously dying

[Jason Stajkowski]

Need help and ideas

In February we added a valentini puffer fish to our 55g tank. The tank ran fine for one year. It consisted of a blue tang, two percula clowns, 2 chromis a flame angel and a cleaner shrimp. One month later the tang had died. No visible signs of sickness. Chalked it up to old age. Everything was good until July when the flame angel died, same thing no sickness or visible signs of conflict. The two chromis were missing as well. In August, one clown jumped out of the tank. That left is with two fish in the tank. We bought a powder blue tang and a diamond goby they last 2 weeks. We separated the puffer and added another clown. The new clown disappeared in a few days. We thought the clown was getting territorial and chasing the fish but just brought home another powder blue and within 2 days he's not swimming but still breathing and currently is isolated.

We've tested after each fish died and water levels and salt were good. Ammonia and nitrite and nitrates were 0 PH was 8.0 - 8.2 and salt was 1.022. This last time with with the tang ammonia was .25 ppm.

We've checked for stray current and every thing is good. No visible signs of disease on any of the fish and the puffer is still alive. We need help.

 

[trigger40]

thoes tangs should not be in a tank that size. that could be one problem. if your tank is cycled you should have 0 ammonia. you may be adding fish too fast.

 

[Jason Stajkowski]

Woke up this morning and same symptoms our copperband butterfly is showing as the tang yesterday. The puffer is doing well and the shrimp. Both the tang and butterfly were fine the night before. Did a water change as well

 

[mauler]

Tangs and butterflies are sensitive fish so it was probably the ammonia that killed them. There's not supposed to be ammonia present in your tank and since your nitrate and nitrite are at 0 I think your tank is still cycling so you should probably take whatever fish you have now back to the store till your tank is ready also tangs won't last long in a 55 gallon tank

 

[jorge garrido]

sounds like a cycle maybe the missing chromis is the cause, I had my hippo tang for about a year in my 55 gal with a yellow tang and they did really good together but were still very small they grew fast so I had to upgrade to a 185 gal they get big really fast, you would have to upgrade in the near future.. make sure there is no ammonia in the water if adding another fish and wait a few weeks before you add another.

 

[lenand]

You should have a bigger tank or separate fishes into other tank. They need space to live