Help! My Tank Died!!

[xena2blue]

I have many of the fish hobbyists in my area stumped. My tank was fine when I went to bed, I woke up 8 hrs later to everything dead. I lost all my fish and I think a lot of the things on my living rock. My levels are all fine as is the temperature and the salinity. Can anyone explain why my fish went from happy healthy to dead in a matter of hours? :help:

 

[aquafbody]

freak disease :notsure:

 

[kdfrosty]

Please post specifics:
-Exact water parameters
-pH
-Ammonia
-Nitrites
-Nitrates
-salinity/specific gravity (what are you testing this with)
-what else do you test for?
-Tank inhabitants? Last addition to the tank? When? Do you QT?
-Are you dosing any additives?
-Were there any symptoms whatsoever? Algae, cloudiness, ANYTHING?

 

[bigarn]

Could any household chemicals have been introduced to the tank by accident?

 

[scubadoo]

Originally Posted by xena2blue
I have many of the fish hobbyists in my area stumped. My tank was fine when I went to bed, I woke up 8 hrs later to everything dead. I lost all my fish and I think a lot of the things on my living rock. My levels are all fine as is the temperature and the salinity. Can anyone explain why my fish went from happy healthy to dead in a matter of hours? :help:
Many posibilities...use any cleaners on or near the tank?
Have you ever used copper in the system to treat for ich?
Any new additions recently such as live rock, coral, fish?
Did yuo recently do a water change?
Do you use tap water?
ANy one else have access to the tank...children, spouse, friends?

 

[xena2blue]

here are the specifics:
Nitrates=0
Nitrites=0
Amonia=0
Ph=Little Low at 8.0 but has been there for months
-I add increaser once in a while but it has been at 8.3 this last couple weeks
Water temp a little high at 82-84 on really hot days here.
- this is the normal temp with my lighting. Seven months or so.
Specific gravity right on key in my hydrometer= 1.023
I had a clown fish, psycodelic manderin dragonet, and a blue hippo tang.
I just got the tang a week ago yesterday, but he seemed healthy last night. The dragonet was looking a little peaked last night.
The tang was treated by the pet store for parasites, it was also quarentined there. I didn't mix in any water from his bag.
I have had the clown for about four months and the dragonet for about three.
I had feather dusters I am still waiting to see if they lived. I also had an anemone, but he lookes like he isn't going to make it.
My crabs and snails are all healthy as can be, doing their job.
I do have different kinds of algea in my tank but all of it is good algea and it is under control.
Like I said it hit over night, everyone was happy and swimming and then I wake up and my dragonet is belly up and my tang is dead and my clown is near death on the bottom, my amnemone was also shriveled and ill looking, now it is closed tight.
thanks for the help

 

[danish]

Are you sure your test kit is okay/maybe expired? This happend to me 3 weeks ago. Take a sample of your water to the lfs and have them test it :thinking:

 

[ludachris821]

do u have any pets that could have nocked something electrical into the tank or chemecals

 

[kdfrosty]

What type of a top do you have on your tank? Canopy? Eggcrate? Glass? No top at all? When you say that the tang was being treated for a disease at the LFS, what diesase? How long was it treated? Did you buy it form a QT tank? Does anyone else maintain the tank? Do you have kids around the tank? Does anyone but you clean up around the tank?
My concern, like others above, is that somehow some chemicals, cleaners, or harmful materials got in the tank. It is doubtful that all fish would die the same night with the same disease, but anything's possible.

 

[coralcrazy]

You sure a cleaning supply of some kind did not get into your tank? :notsure: ?

 

[ricks280]

sorry to hear about your tank xena

,
any chance of a power surge o/nite?(
any water changes?
food? check your equipment heaters pumps etc for power short outs.(rick)

 

[johncombs]

Any kids around? Same thing happened to me about three years ago, my nephew dumped a whole bottle of de-chlorinator into to my tank, wiped out just about everything!

Needless to say I was somewhat angry!

 

[exile415]

you should lock the hood.

 

[johncombs]

Originally Posted by exile415
you should lock the hood.

Nice advice but too little too late

 

[exile415]

I had a turtle and my little cousins kept feeding it. the tank was so cloudy i couldnt even see the turtle until it docked and i had to a quick water change .. they kept catching the fish in the tank also like it was some sort of game ..

 

[xena2blue]

Actually I think it was just a freak thing. Although we did have a bad lightning storm, but all the fish lived through it. Only the fish died and one feather duster. My other invertibrates are wandering around like they own the place and my corals look fine.
I'll check my test kit thanks. I am just stumped :notsure:

 

[jjlittle]

My friend's tank had the heater malfunction and it heated the tank way high and killed everything over night.

 

[ophiura]

OK,
We'll rule out temperature.
We'll rule out a recycling/overfeeding event with ammonia.
And I tend not to think sudden disease that killed everything, because ever fish has a different "level" if you will of immunity and usually not all fish will suddenly die from a disease.
So I am thinking like others along the lines of cleansers, painting, cleaning (in the house), etc...anything along those lines.
What is your alkalinity?
Where your hands in the tank at all the night before? Any water added? Wiping algae..Anything?
Everything was in top working order when you woke up?