Help with stock list, and explinations of fish deaths?

[fedukeford]

Well, I've lost 2 fish in the last week, a foxface and a beautiful kole tang, so I need some nice larger fish to add color back to the tank.
I know most of you are going to think I should find why my fish died before I start thinking about other fish, thats what i do too when i see threads like this, but i cant find any explination. Both fish died within 2 days of each other, and they were the 2 most recent additions to the tank (foxface went in mabey a month and 1/2 ago, kole tang went in 2-3 weeks ago. Both fish were fine until about 12 hours before they died. The both started to swim lazily, and hover over the sand in caves, or new rocks. The kole tang would have a few spots of ich one day, be fine the next day, then have a couple the next day, and so on. I figured it was just new fish stress, and with the help of Garlic Extreme would go away on its own, and it did, no ich on it 3-5 days before it died. Also, on our last water change, my dad got this tubeing so it would be a little easier to do the change, and there was a warning like "dont use for drinking water, contains some chemicals". He said it should be fine, but we used this tubeing less than a week before both fish died.
All my paramiters are good:
Nitrate-0
nitrite-0
amm.-0
ph- 8.3
salinity-1.025
calcium-450
alk-2.9 (im pretty sure, may be a little off)
phosphate-0
(All are sailfert tests, and the salitinty is measured with a refractometer.)
So any ideas what happend to my fish?
also, anybody have any ideas for a nice larger fish (not a normal blue or yellow tang, something different)
Right now the stock list is (in a 125 reef):
bicolor blenny
percula clown
chromisx3
sixline wrasse
Thanks
Feduke
also, heres a link to my thread for some more info about the tank
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/229036/fedukefords-125-reef-diary

 

[tang lover]

Well how long have you had the tank? Do you acclimate? Yeah I know what you are talking about because my new additions to my tank die. They basically starve themselves to death. Well what kind of large fish do u want? Since its a reef tank you probably could get a trio of anthias. Like square spot or a lyretail anthias. Well good luck.

 

[fedukeford]

Tanks been set up since early august so... almost 8 months. I drip acclimated the foxface, but i couldnt acclimate the tang (long story) but it was fine until 12 hours before it died. Both were fat and eating like pigs, so i dont think starvation was a problem.
Id like to have either an unnormal tang, or a bluethroat, or pinktail trigger(i know they are a risk with shrimp).
I had been thinking about the anthias, the only thing holding me back is the price of them. Guess ill just wait to get anthias till i have a large livestock order.

 

[hatessushi]

Based on the information you gave, and the water parameters looked fine, I would venture to guess that the tubing caused the deaths. If the tubing stated not to use for drinking because it contained chemicals then you have those chemicals in your tank. without knowing what the chemicals are makes it a bit difficult to say for sure. I would run some carbon in the filter for about a week before introducing anything new. The carbon will remove most chemicals. If you buy a new fish and QT it for 3 weeks before putting in the MT then your MT should be ok by then. Oh, and don't use that tubing anymore.

 

[fedukeford]

I wasnt planning on useing the tubeing any more, i was reluctant and first to use it, but my dad kept saying it was fine... well now $80 down the drain i think he'll take my suggestions from now on. I had asked him to get PVC, but he got the tubeing instead. Carbon has already been running, i ran it just after we used the tubeing just in case. Its kinda weird though, would'nt you think that if some chemicals were in the tank that could kill fish, that the coral would be effected more? all the coral is looking better than ever.
Thanks
feduke

 

[hatessushi]

You never know about the corals but since you don't know what chemical it is. I would have thought that the crabs, snails, and corals would go first.

 

[fedukeford]

Ya me too, but the only thing i can tell that died was the two fish...
Feduke

 

[sepulatian]

Feduke, I see that you had ich in your tank. Did you take care of that problem yet? Even if you are not seeing it on your current fish it is certain to attack anything new if you hve not taken care of it yet.

 

[fedukeford]

No I haven't taken care of it yet. But im not planning on getting another fish for at least 2 months, to make sure the ich is all gone. Starting to look for a 20 gallon breeder to use as a QT.
Feduke

 

[browniebuck]

Do you have a UV sterilizer on your tank? We had an ich problem and lost several fish to ich (damn blue tang). We were told by several people that getting a UV sterilizer would help to ensure that the remaining fish would not contract the ich, as the sterilizer would kill the ich quite quickly. I am not 100% sure if that is true, but we haven't seen any signs of ich for two plus weeks and all fish are doing well!

 

[seattle]

Try a Lavender Tang,cheap,uncommon,hardy :jumping:

 

[useskaforevil]

uv sterilizers any where near the recommended dosage won'y really do much to ich. fish become immune to a strain of ich after they fight it off once, if you only have one strain you'll only have one outbreak. if you do have an outbreak though all fish will get it unless they are already immune to that strain. of course, you can have an outbreak of many differnt strains at the same time, and recombination will allow them to keep at yoru fish for awhile.

 

[fedukeford]

I dont really want to get a UV, since im getting into keeping more SPS coral, and the UV will kill some important food for the SPS i tihnk.
Feduke