Help! Im a fish Killer!

[atlfish]

:scared: I need help. I fairly new to salt water and can't seem to get a grasp on what the hell im doing wrong. So far I 12 fish have died but some of them were do to bad advise. I have a 55gal. tank. sand liverock ( need more), and Two filters one being the biological system. Currently I have a clearner shrimp, and Damsel and a yellow tank. The yellow tang is on his last leg which will make the third one that did not make it. everything seem go good for about a month or so. then things start to die. Does anyone have any thoughts. i had a lawnmower benny, he die last week . When ever a fish dies I get a sample of water an have it test. The only thing that has shown up is that my ph was low time. I just cleaned my filter last night after 3 months. Im not sure if that was good or bad :notsure: ? I figured nothing has lived in the tank long enough for it to be that dirty. My shrimp and surviving damsel seem to be just fine. i have had them about two months but everything else has die. Can anyone :help: !

 

[celacanthr]

how long had ur tank been running w/out fish or inverts?
and did u add all of them at once?
i dont think but 1 yellow tang can be kept in a 75 long tank.

 

[teresaq1]

ok, lets slow down. How old is your tank. what are your levels. what equipment do your have (filters, skimmer, power heads.) How much live rock, and sand. ??
ok, now. 55 gal are too small for tangs. they stree tooo much

 

[atlfish]

The guy at the fish store said to run it about a month, with I did. the I add about 3 Damsels. Wow that was quick

 

[atlfish]

Ok give me a minute Im going to run down stairs and get all the info. I wont be long. this is my first time on this site, I was not expecting such a quick reply so bear with me. and THANK YOU!

 

[atlfish]

oK Im back! here is what i can tell you. the salt level is 1.021, the filters i have is the cascade 700 canister filter and the one that came with the tank just a regular one that hange one the back , I also have a blower to help with curculation. I did start out with live sand, and the ph should be between 8.0 and 8.3. I have been using the kent marine superbuffer. But i only add it when I add water. I only have a few pieces of live rock about 3lbs. I know i need about 20 for a 55 gal tank. At least that's what the fish guy told me? I do not have a protine scimmer. Is that an absolute must? I can never tell if the fish guys at some of the stores are just telling me I need stuff to boost their commision or what?

 

[f1shman]

Its recommend to have 1 to 1.5 pounds per gallon to have really beneficial live rock that helps filter your tank. so that would be 55-82 lbs of LR. Protein Skimmer isn't an absoulte must, but it does help keep your water cleaner.

 

[teresaq1]

ok, lets start. yes you do need a goood skimmer if you want your water to be really clean I run a aqua remora pro on my 55 gal.
yes you need more live rock. you should have 50 plus lbs., but you can add a little at a time if you want.
you need at least two good power heads to move water around. one on each end. i have two on each end, but i also have corals.

 

[ericp2311]

Have you hit the public library? I'll bet they have a ton of books on Saltwater...the newer the better. You can never read too much about this! Also, the "Archive" section of the site has a ton of useful knowledge...wish I wasn't feuding with my ISP when I set up MY tank!

Take your time...don't do ANYTHING on impulse...think about everything twice before you plunk your cash down. You'll save a s***-ton of money, and a lot of stress and heartache that way.
Eric
P.S. Welcome! :happy:

 

[atlfish]

Nobody told me that about the Tangs. They just kept selling them to me. Nowbody asked what size tank I had. did you get my other message about what I had?

 

[atlfish]

Thanks Love. i have not hit the library, but I have talked to alot of fish guys and have done alot of research on the net which Im still doing. Im not trying to get real fancy just a few fish in a tank. This has turned out to be a nightmare because Im not sure were im going wrong and ca'nt get staight answers. Im a what do i need and what do I need to do person.

 

[teresaq1]

lets talk about water changes. how ofter are you doing them, and how much water.
when you mix your water for changes are you letting it set for 24 to 48 hr with powerheads . that will bring the ph up in the water, and make sure it is mixed good. also should use a heater to make sure same temp.

 

[atlfish]

ok, now I knew about the rock, another blower no problem. I will also get a skimmer, but is not having this stuff killing my poor fish. Oh i also have two snails but i have not seen them lately

 

[atlfish]

ok, the water change thing freaked me out the first time because the fish guys at the store told me to take out about 20 gals and add fresh water. WRONG! killed everything! I was crushed! Then i had a guy tell me that gradual was the best thing. so i add two gallons of fresh water a week that i let sit out so it is room temp. when the salt level drops a bit I'll add a gallon of salt water.

 

[atlfish]

Thanks DUDE! I plan to get a skimmer but they are a little expensive so im trying to see if I can just keep some fish alive before I spend the cash. Im going to get some more live rock this week.

 

[teresaq1]

now you are freaking me out. HEHE Here is how i do my water changes for my 55 gal.
First get a 5 gal bucket, fill with ro water. add salt, and power head and heater. let run 24 to 48 hrs. check salitiy to make sure same as your tank.
now tank out 5 gal tank water, and add water from bucket.
every day or so add fresh water to tank for evaporation. check our salitiy when you do.
you may be stressing fish when you do water changes.
also i clean my canister filter when i do my water changes.
what do you run in your canister. I run a course blue filter, then carbon, and the fine fiber.

 

[teresaq1]

what temp are you keeping your tank???
itmay well be the way your are doing water changes. make sure your salt levels are steady. adding more live rock will help filter your tank.
I hope i have been of some help. by all means i am no expert, but have had success with my own 55 gal. feel free to e-mail me if you have any more questions. m0m24@earthlink.net

 

[teresaq1]

one last thing. really research what fish you are putting into your tank, and make sure they are healthy. look for white spots, and sunken stomachs. also that they are compatable. .
also when adding live rock, be sure it is cured, if not you will need to cure it in a sep tub.
look under curing live rock.

 

[keonia]

It sounds as if you are adding Tap water?????, are you adding an ammonia, chlorine remover with the ocean salt mix?

 

[pontius]

Originally Posted by AtlFish
so i add two gallons of fresh water a week that i let sit out so it is room temp. when the salt level drops a bit I'll add a gallon of salt water.
explain this? are you saying that once a week you add 2 gallons of freshwater? if so, that could very well be a fatal mistake. freshwater should be added to balance out evaporation. If you're adding 2 gallons of water once per week, and no other time, then your specific gravity throughout the week probably looks like this.......
day one.....1.021
day two.....1.022
day three.....1.022
day four......1.023
day five......1.024
day six.......1.025
day seven......1.021 (when you add two gallons of freshwater at one time)
this quick of a change in SG in a week's time would be extremely stressfull and would probably be the cause of some of your fishes' deaths.
also, are you using RO water, DO water, tap water? if tap water, are you adding something to removes chlorine and heavy metals?