I'm new and my fish all died.....

[pekoecat]

I am new and this is my first post.....
I had my small 8 gallon biocube delivered on Sunday afternoon.
I have a live rock, bubble coral, frog spawn, mushroom coral (please excuse me if I get some of the names wrong), a cleaner shirmp, some hermits, snails, and I had a royal gamma, 2 clown fish and a twin spotted goby and a kind of starfish (I can't remember it's name - but it looks like an octupus to me).
I was told to feed them twice a day (just a pinch) of the food that I soaked in garlic extract. Turns out I shouldn't have tried to feed them first thing in the morning because they were sleeping. Monday night the gamma was acting kind of jerky almost like it was having a seizure. Tuesday morning he was dead. I called the guy I bought the aquarium from and he said not to worry the star fish would "take care of the dead fish".
Last night I noticed my clown fish weren't quite as bright orange and one was hanging out at the bottom of the tank and only came up a little when I fed them. And they were both doing something with their mouths... opening and closing a lot... like they were panting. This morning, they were dead. I don't know if my goby is alive or not. I was so upset I couldn't look closely. I know these clown fish had ich for a time before I bought them. And the aquarium had been up and running with all of these things in it for at least 2 weeks. We are taking some water to the guy to test. I was so upset I had my husband call him and ask him to take it back and I'd take whatever money he offered me. I paid $480 total after food and garlic and stuff. I really wanted this to me a new hobby for me but right now I'm very depressed by this. I figured by starting out with this small aquarium and the fact that all I had to do was every 2nd week drain a gallon of the salt water off and add new (I bought 5 gallons of salt and 5 gallons of fresh water from him) I figured it was a good way get into this.
I'm sorry I seem to have rambled and I may have forgotten something... oh yes, the first night the tank temp went down to 69.5 degrees. He suggested I get a 25w heater and I did.
I am really torn because I hate seeing fish that are ill or worse dead at the bottom of the aquarium.
Any suggestions/comments?
Thank you.
Angela

 

[doahh]

Woah there slow WAYYYYY down... you need to do some research about Cycling your tank... This is a 3-4 week process that involves toxic ammonia and nitrite spikes... it kills most all fish

 

[renogaw]

no offense hun, but you made THE classic mistake of jumping in without the knowledge of what to do
hopefully this will be a sad, but effective lesson for you look at the top of this forum, there's a ton of information that you need to read up on. you need to learn the basics of ammonia breakdown (the nitrogen cycle)--most likely your fish died from ammonia and by being put into a brand new tank.
if you really want to get into this hobby (i really hate that it is called that) then i suggest doing some reading, get some books, do some research by looking at tons of posts here, and start over.
welcome to the boards though, and we'll help you out if you're willing to accept the suggestions BTW, 3 fish in an 8 gallon is too many.

 

[baloo6969]

“And the aquarium had been up and running with all of these things in it for at least 2 weeks."
There's your first problem man, read up on cycling.
Also, take the water to the LFS, have him look at it, and mention to him that it was all set up in a week. If he sees the ammonia levels high, and try’s to get you to get some ammonia lowering stuff...Find a new LFS, obviously he is more into making money, or has no idea about SWF

 

[mr. green]

I would suggest before starting back up that you read and do lots of reseach. Second, I have learned that the bigger the tank, the less chance of something going wrong. It sounds like you did not cycle the tank and the temp. went way too low.
I would suggest that you pick up some books, read this site and others, and learn the proper care and set-up for a saltwater aquarium. It takes a while to get everything down, but the enjoyment you will get out of it will be great and you save some money too.

 

[mr. green]

Also, I see you mentioned that some of the fish "had" ick before you got them. Are you sure they were cured and how were they treated (chemicals, hypo?). Again, research and do not dive into Saltwater Aquariums without learning first. It is critical and makes it all the better.

 

[pekoecat]

Thank you for all your replies. I will take all of them to heart.
Wow, I just read all the replies and now I feel worse.
But thank you all.

 

[susie&jeran]

You made the same mistake that alot of new hobbyists do. When you first set up a tank you need to let it cycle for quite a while before putting anything in there. When I first heard that you had to cycle, I thought it was crap and that you could just throw any fish in there and they'd be fine. Well apparently not - and with salt water fish being so expensive.. it's not a mistake you really want to make. If you're impaitent and just have to have fish - start off with really hardy fish like damsels.
This site is a great place to learn everything you need to know about setting up a tank - getting fish - maintaining a healthy environment for them. Before getting any new fish, I suggest reading through the forum and researching the correct way of cycleing a tank.
Good luck. :cheer:

 

[pekoecat]

It was already set up with all the fish and others in it already.
I have "visited" this aquarium 2 weeks before I bought it.
I will be seeing the guy tonight and will ask him a lot of questions.
Thanks again.

 

[kanicky]

First of all, welcome to SWF! I'm glad you found us.
I know you must be feeling all kinds of horrible and frustrated now, but please don't let it discourage you. It does look like you jumped in a little too fast and didn't do enough research, but it also looks like you've learned a hard but valuable lesson.
As far as books go, for research purposes, I highly suggest The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Dr. Robert Fenner. It's generally considered the Bible of the saltwater aquarist. You may also research here, of course, and the "Search" button up top works wonders. If you have a specific question that you cannot find an answer to in your search results, definitely feel free to ask on the boards. It's likely that someone (or several someones!) here has "been there, done that."
Good luck!

 

[gubber]

Yep, their right. I too jumped in head first and I've learned alot since then. It takes time and then some more time but please don't give up on it. I've had my 10gal
for 3 months now and I'm loving it. Hang in there and you'll be okay. Trust me. I too have learned the hard way. I still have my six line wrasse and my Mandarin Dragonet. It's been a challenge but I'm doing it. I have it here at work and I get to see them all day long. Sometimes I catch myself paying more attention to the fish than to my work.

 

[timt6379]

i feel ya on this i have just started my saltwater aquarium and i have had it up and running for under about a week and i want more than ever to buy some fish and put them in there but, look what happens if you rush into things. i have been doin a lot of reading and reaserch on it 2 ensure that i will have a successful tank.
Be sure to post a ? on here be4 u do somthing these ppl are really helpfull

 

[renogaw]

Originally Posted by Pekoecat
It was already set up with all the fish and others in it already.
I have "visited" this aquarium 2 weeks before I bought it.
I will be seeing the guy tonight and will ask him a lot of questions.
Thanks again.

just remember, people at the LFS are there to sell you whatever they can. You may not get the answer you want to hear on these boards, but most likely the answer you get is an honest answer because we've all been there. I'd ask more questions here than at the lfs. That way they think you know what you're talking about and can't take advantage of you too much.

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by Pekoecat
It was already set up with all the fish and others in it already.
I have "visited" this aquarium 2 weeks before I bought it.
I will be seeing the guy tonight and will ask him a lot of questions.
Thanks again.
If this is the same store that sold you all of that stuff without telling you anything about cycling the tank then be cautious of anything they tell you. Have you bought a master test kit yet? That is the next thing you need. What are using to measure salinity?

 

[monalisa]

By all means, WELCOME to SWF.com!! Sorry to hear that you're off to such a rocky start, but I'm glad that you found this site and have started to ask questions. I agree that starting off with such a small tank is much more challenging, simply because the water parameters can fluctuate significantly if not kept well in check. It's not impossible though...check out the nano tank section of this site to get some hints and ask questions. Also, the books mentioned in previous posts are awesome and will give you step by step instructions on how to set up and get your tank ready for inhabitants.
Also, don't be shy about asking questions here and getting tips from the peeps on this site...they're the best, and won't steer you wrong.
Best of luck to you, and sorry about the loss of your new critters. Research.
Lisa :happyfish

 

[puffer32]

So you bought an exsisiting set up from your LFS? I would assume it was already cycled if you did, but you never know, that is one question you need to ask them,how long its been setup, and why they had 4 fish in an 8 gal tank, thats just crazy! Your numbers were probably off the charts before you even bought it

You need to start over fresh, maybe even recycle if it ever was that is

Read read, read, while you are waiting, and get a new LFS, the one who sold you that setup should refund your money at least for the livestock you lost. Good luck, and hope we can help you out here on the boards.

 

[hatessushi]

Sorry to hear your LFS put you through that. There is a lot more to keeping salt water fish then setting it up like a fresh water tank. Welcome to SWF.com and I hope you read as much as you can. The people here can help out alot. Some were even in the same boat as you find yourself. Good luck.
And by the way, I would only use an 8 gallon tank as a quarantine tank for one fish. If you cannot get a tank of at least 50 gallons then maybe rethink being in the hobby. Salt water fish need lots of room.

 

[trippkid]

What happened with the guy that sold you the aquarium? If you can get your $ back, I would and never go to this guy again. I know you heard this already, but buy some books, then put your setup together your self. For $480 you could do a little larger tank, and you would be a little more familiar with parts and equipment. Helps when there are problems. Don't get too upset, it does work. You just had somebody that either has no clue or just does not care(about you as a new hobbiest or animals in the tank). I hope everything works out.