Help - All my fish died, even the bristle worms.

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coco1963

Guest
I have had a 29 gallon Saltwater tank up and running for about a year now with very little problem, but last week I got some new fish & grape Caulerpa MACRO ALGAE. And as of today all my previous and new fish died, even the bristle worms crawled out and are laying everywhere in the tank dead today. We tested the water last week and everything was high, I think it was like "New tank Syndrome" that we overloaded with everything at once. The nitrates and nitrites were brought under control to 0 by water changes but the ammonia was still very high. We put in some Ammo Lock but still this happened. Now I'm afraid to start over and am thinking of going back to freshwater fish. Any help or suggestions? I'm so sad about this.
 
deltablack22

deltablack22

Active Member
What did you have in this tank to begin with and what fish did you add? What kind of filtration, and # of LR? Sounds to me like you overloaded the tank and caused a crash. Did you have anything that was toxic in the tank like a cucumber, or sea apple that could have died and killed everything else?
More info is needed... Dont give up just yet!
 
monalisa

monalisa

Active Member
Originally Posted by coco1963
I have had a 29 gallon Saltwater tank up and running for about a year now with very little problem, but last week I got some new fish & grape Caulerpa MACRO ALGAE. And as of today all my previous and new fish died, even the bristle worms crawled out and are laying everywhere in the tank dead today. We tested the water last week and everything was high, I think it was like "New tank Syndrome" that we overloaded with everything at once. The nitrates and nitrites were brought under control to 0 by water changes but the ammonia was still very high. We put in some Ammo Lock but still this happened. Now I'm afraid to start over and am thinking of going back to freshwater fish. Any help or suggestions? I'm so sad about this.
We definitely need more info on what you've added and at what intervals. How did you go about the initial cycle and what parameters were you monitoring? As previously stated as well, did you have a cucumber, sea apple, anenome or something else recently die and release toxins into the water? If not, why did your ammonia spike so high? What is your feeding schedule, and how much do you feed to (how many?) fish in a 29 gallon. I'm sure there are more questions regarding this that need to answered in order to help you out, but this is a start. Sorry to hear about what happened. I'm sure that you'll find great advice on this board...don't give up.
Lisa
 
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coco1963

Guest
The tank is 29 gallon, filter is just a regular filter with 2 size C filter cartridges & seperate powerhead. About 20 lbs of live rock. Coral on the bottom and sand on the top. I am ashamed to say that because everything was going well and the fish were acting normal we didn't check anything before we got the new fish and they're so pretty you just want 1 more . Had: Sailfin Tang, 2 percula clowns, royal gramma, scooter blenny, snails, hermits, coral banded shrimp & Urchin. Added: porcupine puffer, pygmy angelfish, horseshoe crab, sand sifting cucumber & brittle sea star. (most added for tank cleanup) The purple urchin didn't die till later, the cucumber didn't die till last. No Anemones or Sea apples. I'm sure it's our fault for overloading and not being consistent with the maintenance. We're going to drain it, throw away all the old coral & sand. Put the LR in a bucket of saltwater to sit for a few days till we're ready to start anew. Unfortunately we're learning by our big mistake. I added copepods & live brine shrimp for food & grape Caulerpa MACRO ALGAE last week too, do you think any of this was a problem?
 
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coco1963

Guest
Yeah I figured, you live in learn in a world you know nothing about. Saltwater tanks are hard and it's difficult to find people locally that can help you in person, so most of our learning has come from people in groups like this. thanks
 
deltablack22

deltablack22

Active Member
Originally Posted by coco1963
Yeah I figured, you live in learn in a world you know nothing about. Saltwater tanks are hard and it's difficult to find people locally that can help you in person, so most of our learning has come from people in groups like this. thanks
Funny thing is, I have met local people from these boards. If it were not for SWF.com I wouldnt have a reefing network since we dont have a club around here.
 
deltablack22

deltablack22

Active Member

Originally Posted by coco1963
The tank is 29 gallon, filter is just a regular filter with 2 size C filter cartridges & seperate powerhead. About 20 lbs of live rock. Coral on the bottom and sand on the top. I am ashamed to say that because everything was going well and the fish were acting normal we didn't check anything before we got the new fish and they're so pretty you just want 1 more . Had: Sailfin Tang, 2 percula clowns, royal gramma, scooter blenny, snails, hermits, coral banded shrimp & Urchin. Added: porcupine puffer, pygmy angelfish, horseshoe crab, sand sifting cucumber & brittle sea star. (most added for tank cleanup) The purple urchin didn't die till later, the cucumber didn't die till last. No Anemones or Sea apples. I'm sure it's our fault for overloading and not being consistent with the maintenance. We're going to drain it, throw away all the old coral & sand. Put the LR in a bucket of saltwater to sit for a few days till we're ready to start anew. Unfortunately we're learning by our big mistake. I added copepods & live brine shrimp for food & grape Caulerpa MACRO ALGAE last week too, do you think any of this was a problem?
It sounds like you had a decent system going with livestock and equipment. Obviously the tang shouldnt be in a 29 gallon tank and I dont think the puffer or horseshoe crab should either. I dont know how grown any of these fish are but the utter meltdown of the tank honestly sounds like something toxic was added - weather from within the tank or an outside source. From within, I could only think that the cucumber may have caused it but if it did indeed died last then I would rule this out. Are there any outside toxins that could be attributed?
 
coraldude

coraldude

Member
Originally Posted by DeltaBlack22
It sounds like you had a decent system going with livestock and equipment. Obviously the tang shouldnt be in a 29 gallon tank and I dont think the puffer or horseshoe crab should either. I dont know how grown any of these fish are but the utter meltdown of the tank honestly sounds like something toxic was added - weather from within the tank or an outside source. From within, I could only think that the cucumber may have caused it but if it did indeed died last then I would rule this out. Are there any outside toxins that could be attributed?
I would think it was the added bioload. It sounds like the tank was on the verge of a crash before the new additions. Way too many fish for a 29 with a HOB filter and only 20 lbs. of LR. Also, as stated previously tangs, puffers, horseshoe crabs, and pygmy angelfish should not be kept in that small of a tank. Don't give up though we've all made our newbie mistakes.
 
3stripedamsel

3stripedamsel

Member
Caulerpa MACRO ALGAE, I think cause the ammonia spike. Part of it die and then didn't get rid of it, crasht the tank.
It suck up the bad stuff but probably die and release it back.
Just my thinking
 
deltablack22

deltablack22

Active Member
Originally Posted by CoralDude
I would think it was the added bioload. It sounds like the tank was on the verge of a crash before the new additions. Way too many fish for a 29 with a HOB filter and only 20 lbs. of LR. Also, as stated previously tangs, puffers, horseshoe crabs, and pygmy angelfish should not be kept in that small of a tank. Don't give up though we've all made our newbie mistakes.
You may be right, a bioload meltdown shouldnt happen that fast though. I disagree that a Pygmy Angel cannont be maintained in a 29...
 
squirreloso

squirreloso

Member
FYI some macro algaes are toxic if ingested and tangs have been known to die from eating such a source.
grape caulerpa is not one of them, but you could have been sold something else that looks similiar but is indeed toxic
 
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coco1963

Guest
Thanks for all the info. We threw everything out and redid it today with new live sand and Saltwater from the petshop. Some of our snails and hermits & the horseshoe crab lived so they're doing fine. The pygmy should be fine SWF.com says 30 gal and up so 29 is only a gallon off & they're small. The Horseshoe Crabs Saltwaterfish.com offers are only an inch or two in size. I got the Caulpera from ---- and it fell apart when I put it in the water, most went through the filter didn't look much like the pic, they're sending replacement but I'm gonna keep it in a small aquarium for awhile. 29 gal should be 5-6 1 inch fish? Does that include a shrimp & star fish for cleanup?
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
No. The "rules" like that are often very misleading. At best it would be 6 inches of fish (1" per 5 gallons) but even that is not particularly accurate.
In a 29g tank you are looking at perhaps 4 fish, realistically. And these are SMALL fish. You need to base this on ADULT size, not purchase size. Definitely research ANYTHING before adding. A horseshoe crab is definitely a bad idea. As for a starfish, few will be suitable, and all require a very mature tank.
Patience is critical in this hobby. The tank, I'm sad to say, was very overstocked and totally crashed. It is a tough lesson to learn, but it can be avoided with going VERY slow and doing a lot of research.
 
coraldude

coraldude

Member
Originally Posted by DeltaBlack22
You may be right, a bioload meltdown shouldnt happen that fast though. I disagree that a Pygmy Angel cannont be maintained in a 29...
CANNOT and SHOULD NOT are two different things. Centropyge species prefer a larger tank with plenty of LR for grazing. Yes, a pygmy angel could survive in a 29, but most likely live a shorter less healthy life compared to one kept in a larger tank with lots of LR.
 
grabbitt

grabbitt

Active Member
I don't think a Pygmy would have any trouble in a 29 gallon tank. However, when there are about six or seven other tankmates, the story changes roles a bit...
 
deltablack22

deltablack22

Active Member
Originally Posted by GRabbitt
I don't think a Pygmy would have any trouble in a 29 gallon tank. However, when there are about six or seven other tankmates, the story changes roles a bit...
Agreed.
 
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