I am beyond discouraged with this tank

[ablincoln01]

Our tank finally cycled (after many things dying off due to bad advice, such as cycling with damsels, its okay to put an arrow crab in during the cycle, etc.) and our water was stabilized. We waited for two weeks after everything read zero until adding fish.
We added two clownfish (we know the guy at the LFS and it was a true pair of clownfish - he had them in his display tank for a long time) a week ago. Right now, the smaller of the two is dying and we have no idea why. The ammonia is 0, the nitrites are 0, the nitrates are 20, the specific gravity is 1.024, the temp is 78. There are no other fish in the tank besides the two clownfish. The tank is a 55 gallon with about 20 lbs of LR (we are adding as we can afford it). We are both getting really discouraged because we follow all of the advice and our fish are STILL dying. I am just about sick of this hobby because we can't keep anything alive and have no idea what is going wrong. Is there anything anyone can tell me as to why the fish is dying?

 

[dacia]

Maybe there are contaminants in the water that you are using in your tank. Do you use RO/DI water? Tap water contains lots to crud that are "silent killers" of fish. Even though the ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite levels are all good, there may be something else in the tank that you are not testing for.

 

[bang guy]

What are the symptoms?
Clownfish are extrordinarily territorial. To the extent that a wild Clownfish may spend it's entire life in an area no bigger than 2'x2'. This makes them ideal captive animals but it also means they get very disturbed when removed from their home.
Hopefully it will quickly adopt its new home and live happily ever after with its mate.

 

[michaeltx]

was there any aggression that you seen between the 2 clowns?
Mike

 

[ablincoln01]

No, they loved each other. They would play together, swim by each other. There was never any indication of aggressiveness at all. They recently lost their anenome because we have a FO tank. We have used RO water from the beginning. The tank was originally my parents but there was never any copper based medication used. I just can't figure out what the problem is.
I think that we both agree that if the other clown dies, we are going to have to stop with this hobby as we can't keep throwing money at something that we can't even figure out.

 

[squidd]

Well you say your tank is cycled...Am.0, NitrItes 0, NitrAtes starting to rise...OK...
You know the Clown Fish were healthy...They were at the LFS for some time...
The levels you posted for PH, Salinity, and Temp are OK...
The only other variable would be...How did you acclimate the Clowns to their new tank water?
You say they have been in there a week...and you think the small ones dieing...Has this been going on for a while...or did it just start?
What makes you think he's dieing...Cloudy eyes, white spots,fuzzy coat,breathing hard,laying on bottom,any clues/symptoms?

 

[dacia]

Were the fish properly QT'd before adding them to the display tank? Maybe, even though the looked perfectly healthy, one or both introduced a parasite to the system. Maybe it was sick when you bought him?
I bought a sick mandarin goby that I had no idea was sick. The levels in my tank were perfect, but he only lasted a month. I was heartbroken, but I feel that if he were QT'd for at least 4 weeks while performing hypo, the parasite that took his life would have died off and he would still be swimming around my tank. Live and learn.

 

[toddpolish]

maybe try soaking your food in garlic juice. see if that helps.

 

[fearlessjim]

Saltwater fish are very fragile, even the hardy ones. One of the leading causes of death with new fish is stress. Think about it. You took the two clownfish from their home 'of a long time' and took them away from thier host anemome. These two things, could be enough stress to posible cuase the death of any fish.
Also, if their origanal tank was well maintained, it probably had zero nitrates, or atleast a very, very low reading for them. Even though your tank tested at 20ppm for nitrates, it is possible that your fish could not handle the higher levels that they are not used to.
Finally, jsut becuase your tank cycled, doesn't mean it is 100% stable. It took me over 5 months before I could finally get fish to survive for any long time. Of course, most of that was due to my own mistakes, but now I've had the same fish in my tank for over a year.
Remember, the key to saltweater tanks is patietns. Take your time, and try not to get discouraged.

 

[bdhough]

Something that noone has asked is, are you spraying any kind of aerosol anywhere near the tank. Any kind of incense, smoking, hairspray, cologne???? Even in the same room....
If any of that gets in the tank its not really testable and will kill everything in there. Knew a guy once who couldn't figure out why his tank kept dying and his wife was spraying air freshener in the room. He had no idea because it isn't something you can test for.....

 

[ablincoln01]

Thank you so much for your replies. No, we have not been spraying any air fresheners, etc. in the room, although that is a good suggestion.
I read about all of the successes of everyone's tanks and just get discouraged that after hundreds and hundreds of dollars, we still don't have anything in the tank besides the one fish and his dead partner.
The clown is dead. He was just fine yesterday and we went out this afternoon, came back and he was dead. Neither one of them have really been eating the mysis shrimp we have offered them. The other fish is still alive and swimming around the powerhead. I just don't know what to put in the tank without it dying or waiting for months and months of having an empty tank.
What ever happened to the idea that fish were supposed to be relaxing?

 

[michaeltx]

was there any visible damage to the fish?
or have you heard any clicking or anything like that in the tank.
I would watch the tank at night with a red light and rule out a preditory crab or small mantis just to be safe.
Mike

 

[ablincoln01]

There hasn't been any clicking in the tank (i.e. mantis shrimp) nor was there any visibile damage to the fish. We only have two pieces of live rock right now, the rest is just river rock. I just can't figure out this expensive mystery. I just went to the "show us your tanks" section and was a little more encouraged.
I would be a lot more encouraged if I knew why I just flushed a $40.00 fish down the toilet.

 

[michaeltx]

where did you get ther river rock? and could there be chemicals or anything that could come in on the rocks?
but you are bound to have losses in this hobby I just lost over 3000$ to a power company screw up. so it could be a lot worse than this. just dont give up and in time it will pay off and give you a nice tank
Mike

 

[dreeves]

Marine aquariums require a great deal of time, patience and dedication, along with research, research and more...
As home hobbyist...we are trying to mimick what mother nature has done in millions of years...sometimes we get it right, sometimes we dont, press on and try some more...eventually we will get it right.
Add your fish slowly..allow the system to adjust to the individuals you add...ensure you properly aclimate them to their new home...acclimation is very important of reducing the stress involved in their move.
Patience, knowledge and persistence is what makes this an interesting hobby. The challenge of tackling problems as they arise, finding solutions and applying them is a by product of it and is often times what makes it in enjoyable hobby...anyone can just fill a tank with water and throw some tetras or goldfish in...
Does anyone in the house with access to the tank use hand lotion, or not rinse their hands completely when using soap while washing them? Is there any other venues in which some sort of contaminants are entering the tank? Many things to look at.
Good luck.

 

[dreeves]

Oh and you mentioned all these other nice tanks...everyone one of those nice tanks went through the trial and tribulations probably very similar to yours. Some problems were caused by their own hand...some as MichealTX just stated are caused by outside influences...no one that I have ever known has just set a marince tank up and all of a sudden it looks good...

 

[scottnj]

Just wondering about airation and water flow. What is the turn over rate in the tank, and is the surface of the water being broken up, disturbed, airated, etc.
I know when I first put my tank together I didn't have enough interchange at the surface and probably caused a bit of undue stress because of it.
Just trying to come up with some thoughts.
-Scott

 

[squidd]

If I Only Knew Then What I Know Now!!!
Maybe we should start a thread about our earlier experiances...
Like when we started our tanks, and things just didn't go as planed...(The best laid plans of mice and men...)
A Lot of it came from lack of experience/knowledge, some from bad information, and a little bit from rushing things...
Sorry to hear about your loss, But trust us your not the only one who got discouraged and wanted to throw in the towel...
I encourage you to stick with it, go slow, and gather from the wealth of information on sites like this...(even when opinions may vary...)
I still don't know Why my first Shark was fine one day, freaked out and dead the next...
But my second Shark is doing fine...active...growing...and makes it ALL worthwhile.

 

[the claw]

You set off an alarm when you said river rock. This can be a problem if these rocks have contaminants on them, or they may be leaching minerals or other things into the tank that may be rather hazardous to your fish.

 

[bang guy]

ablincoln01 - how's the fish doing today?