Help! Dead fish everywhere!

[bunnyl99]

I've had a 90gal tank set up for 9 mos. I have crushed coral on the bottom, undergravel filter, XP3 filter, protein skimmer and 4 power heads. My salinity is 1.023, PH 8.1 Amonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrates 0. I currently have 2 starfish, 1shrimp, 2 damsels and 1 lipstick tang. If I add anything else, the fish die within a day or 2. I have lost over $300 in the past 9 mos buying fish. Can anyone help me?

 

[fishieness]

what is the temp?
are those measurements stable?
how do they die? do you see any symptoms before they die?

 

[bunnyl99]

the temp is approx 79F. They are fine the first day I put them in & the next day they lay on the bottom on their side. The bi color angel I had--the yellow part on him turned a little blackish. It wasn't a bright yellow like the day before

 

[fishieness]

how are you acclimating them?
are all these fish bought from the same store?

 

[bunnyl99]

yes they are--I'm thinking maybe it's the store distributor

 

[fishieness]

how are you acclimating them though? This is a key factor

 

[bunnyl99]

float them for 15 min in the tank w/lights off. Then add stress coat & put them in the tank. They are fine for a few days then they die

 

[fishieness]

that would be your problem right there!
all you are doing is getting your fish used to the temperature, not the chemistry of the water. Everything is different in your tank than in the fish stores. the amonia, the nitrates, the nitrites, the salinity, the pH!!
use the drip acclimation method.
Put the fish in a bucket, or if the LFS gives you small bags you can jsut use the bag and use something to stand it up strait.
1. buy a piece of airline tubing. A very thin piece
2. tie a not in the piece of tubing at the end, and stick that end in the bag or bucket with your new fish
3. siphone the water from your main tank into the bucket
4. adjust the knot so 5-6 dripps fall out a second
5. let sit for 2 hours, longer depending on the fish or invert. or until the water volume has quadrupled
6. let bag sit for a few minutes
7. add fish into tank without getting the water from the bag into the tank! (dont want your nasty LFS water in there, could be full of pathogens)
8. leave lights off for 24 hours

 

[bunnyl99]

sure that's the problem cause they live awhile after they're put in there--it's not immediate

 

[sw65galma]

Originally Posted by bunnyl99
sure that's the problem cause they live awhile after they're put in there--it's not immediate
Yes that's 100% the problem and that's EXACTLY to a T what happens.
Fish will live a day during what is called Acclimation shock...Which you are doing to them.
Fish breath based on salt content...it's like how peope get the "bends" in the ocean..Come up to fast and you're gonna die.. That's sort of what you are doing to the fish.

 

[fishieness]

bingo

 

[bunnyl99]

Is there any other way to acclimate? That seems kind of complicated.

 

[cowfishrule]

Originally Posted by bunnyl99
Is there any other way to acclimate? That seems kind of complicated.
its really not complicated, and its the healthiest way to add new fish. you will have more success by following this.

 

[hot883]

Originally Posted by bunnyl99
Is there any other way to acclimate? That seems kind of complicated.
How faraway is the LFS? If close, (within 20 min.) IMO and what works for me is to float the closed bag for 5 min. Open the bag and roll down the top catching air in the fold/rolled over part. Roll it several times and it will help it float. Slowly add 1/2 cup of your tank water, wait 5 mi. and do the same. Do thisseveral times until you have more than doubled the bagged water. Using a net, carefully net the fish and gently release into your tank. DO NOT empty the LFS water from the bag into your tank. If the bag will not float then you can pinch a corner of it in the lid to keep it up. This of course is done in a dark room, blinds closed, lights off and tank lights off as well. Leave lights off for up to 4 hours. I HAVE NEVER lost a fish to this method.

 

[ophiura]

What is the alkalinity?
Have your readings been verified at the LFS? How old are your tests?
The only problem I have with the acclimation issue is that many LFS don't acclimate at all...while a lot of fish die they don't all die. So just to be sure, I would consider other possibilities and rule them out as well. It is odd to me that they ALL die. However I do agree there should be a longer acclimation. What other fish have you tried? How long were they at the LFS before you bought them?

 

[bunnyl99]

Some have been there days, some have been there weeks. I don't test for alkalinity because I do not have a reef tank. My test are about 6-9 mos old

 

[ophiura]

Alkalinity is also important in FO systems and can be a sudden cause of death due to the inability to prevent severe pH fluctuations. Often new fish die and established fish do not. How often do you do water changes?
What symptoms do you see in the fish? Are they alive at night and dead in the morning? How much circulation do you have...do you have a protein skimmer as well? Surface aggitation?

 

[bunnyl99]

they're alive at night & on the verge of death in the morning. I have 4 powerheads and a protein skimmer

 

[sinner's girl]

You must acclimate fish!
You can use the drip method, or if you have hardier fish, you can float the bag for 20-30-min, add 1/4-1/2 cup water (depending on how much water is in the bag), wait 20-30mins, add water, wait, add water, when the bag is full, dump half out (not in your tank!), add water, wait, continue till bag is full. Release fish. Drip method is better, I've never used it on a fish though, not yet anyway.
hot883 does it much faster than we do. I've always waited at least 20min. that's the way the lfs told us to do it.
But yes, test everything in your water, have the lfs test your water, your test kit might be wrong (ours was once, told me I had deadly nitrates when they were under 20). Check the date on the kit.
Why are you adding stress coat? I thought that was for fresh water? :notsure: Never heard of anyone adding that to saltwater, is the stress coat made for sw? Just asking...
are your damsel and tang picking on the new fish (though I wouldn't think they would die in a day...). Do you see the fish eat at the lfs?

 

[ophiura]

Definitely get an alkalinity reading to be sure of that, and do have your LFS double check all readings. Do your powerheads or return get good surface aggitation? How often and how much of a water change do you do? Stress coat can be used but it is not worth the money, IMO, and will probably make the skimmer go nuts.