Losing Fish

[mjtech12]

Hi Everyone,
I'm New as far as this Forum not new to the hobby just getting back into it, Have had a lot of Tanks over the years 65 Hex and 55 Gal setups up to 225 Gallon Tanks now I went with a 125 Gallon due to space in my House, I would like to ask some advice from the veterans here I am having a problem with losing fish here is my setup
FISH ONLY TANK SETUP
125 Gallon Tank- 72 X 18 Rectangle
2 10000K Attinic lights
Fluval FX5 Filter Rated For Up To 400 Gal Tank
2- 200 Watt Fluval Heaters
125 Lbs Of Live Rock and Some Fake ( Plastic) Rock Not Much 2 Pieces
2 1/2 Inches Of Live Sand
2 Standard Air Tubes ( Rated For 125 Gallon Tank)
Tank Has Been Setup for Over 10 Weeks and all signs of Cycling looks like it has been cycled
I Don't Have a Top To The Tank ( Open Roof)
No Ammonia
No Nitrites
3% Nitrate
PH Is 8.3
Fish Left In Tank Now
4 Damsels ( None Of Those Died)
1 Foxface Lo
1 Lawnmower Goby
Fish That Have Died
1 Yellow Eyed Kole Tang
1 Yellow Tail Angel
2 Clarki Clowns
1 Emperor Red Snapper ( Baby)
All Died With in The last 3 Weeks
Can anyone tell me why this is happening and Suggestions on how to stop the bleeding Thanks Paul

 

[bang guy]

Tell me more about the live rock and sand bed. Where did you get it, how was it cycled, etc.
How stable is the temperature?
Are you dosing anything?
Have you used any medications?
Were the fish showing any symptoms of disease?
And last, what I think could be the problem, what else do you have for waterflow?
Side note - what are the air tubes for?

 

[mjtech12]

ok thanks for replying
Live sand came from LFS Bagged and Sealed Bio-Active White Sand
Live Rock Came From Same Store Fully Cured
Temp Is 78 Degrees
Saw Signs Of Distress so I went out and got Lifeguards Marine Pellets
After about 3 Days Lost My First Fish 3 Weeks ago( Kole Tang) Then Went out and got a 10 Gal Med Tank
I use a Powerhead on the other side of the tank to move water Rated 450 gal an hr
No Air Tubes sorry for the confusion just air line and 2-3 in difussers
No SUMP Just the Filter
PS I have been feeding them once a day Frozen Mysis and Marine Cuisine San fransisco Bay Brand and Seaweed on a clip Not all at once though

 

[bang guy]

Hmmm, I can't see anything still in the tank that would cause the deaths. The sand bed is a long term concern but nothing immediate.
Were all of the fish added together? That is a lot of fish for only 10 weeks.
Did you test the water when you saw they were in distress?

 

[mjtech12]

No I Added Those Fish Every Couple Of Weeks in between 1 and 2 at a time water was good at time of deaths do you think its the food? the only thing I can think of is that when I lost the Kole Tang and the Yellowtail Angel I hurried and did a 20% Water Change and disturbed the cycle again
What do you mean by Sand Bed as a long Term Concern

 

[bang guy]

It wasn't the water change. You could have changed 100% of the water with no bad effect on the cycle.
You sand bed isn't live. At least not yet. It has bacteria to assist with biofiltration but a sand bed that deep is going to need sand bed critters to keep it healthy. They don't come in a bag on a shelf. I'd recommend either removing 2" of sand or adding some real, freshly harvested live sand to seed what you have.
We'll probably never figure out exactly why your fish died. My guess at this point is that your tank was not mature enough yet to handle a full fish load. I would leave what you have now for a few months and then only add one fish every few months. It really does take a significant amount of time for an environment to adjust to an increased bioload. Patience will be rewarded.

 

[mjtech12]

Thanks I will do that, I have been adding Bacteria Recommended Levels as per manufacturer I tried That ATM Product
PS Where would I be able to get True Live Sand Or Something To Seed What I Have LFS?

 

[flower]

Hi, welcome to the site.
Just jumping in... Test for phosphates, angelfish are very sensitive to the water quality. Do you rinse the frozen before feeding it to the fish? I read that reduces the phosphates that are naturally in frozen foods. New tanks go through a series of changes besides the cycle, as it matures, it stabilizes, and personally, back when I had a reef... I couldn't keep any angelfish alive in a new setup until about 8 months up and running. Another possibility are the Damsels, they are really mean little fish, are you sure they didn't go on the attack?...Did you notice any fins tore up or anything like aggression from others on the dead fish?
Long term sand issues: The sand needs to move or be stirred, or toxins get trapped in it, then when it does get moved or stirred up, it causes a real problem. keeping only about 2 inches of sand, and any critter that moves it will prevent that from happening. Nassarius snails are the best because they eat any food that the fish miss, and they borrow under the sand to hide in the day, moving it. Any other sand shifter/sifter eats the fauna from the sand bed, such as sandsifting sea stars, cucumbers or a sandsifting goby.

 

[bang guy]

Quote:
Originally Posted by MJTech12 http:///t/394265/losing-fish#post_3509146
Thanks I will do that, I have been adding Bacteria Recommended Levels as per manufacturer I tried That ATM Product
PS Where would I be able to get True Live Sand Or Something To Seed What I Have LFS?
This site sells some good Sand ---> https://www.saltwaterfish.com/Premium-Keys-Live-Sand--10lbs--FREE-Shipping_p_847.html
It's also available in larger sizes but 10 pounds is enought to get your sand bed started. The more you buy the faster it will populate your sand bed.

 

[mjtech12]

I just got some Nassarius snails 5 to start also some Premium Purple Fiji Rock to add some more to the tank checked all parameters again its all at 0 thanks for all the advise looking forward to conversing a lot on here Paul

 

[adam57]

When you said that you use a 450 gph power head on the other side were you using that in the 10 gal. quarantine tank or the main tank? If that is what you are using in the main tank, especially without a sump, I would lean toward a lack of flow and possibly a lack of oxygenation.

 

[mjtech12]

its one of those that push water not a true pwerhead

 

[adam57]

I had a 125 for my first tank and had no luck. I decided to start over with new sand and rock because it was an all used setup that i bought. When I pulled the sand out it smelled horribly rotten. I think it was because I had a lack of flow in that tank. I had a sump and 2 small power heads (not sure what size). My new tank a 5' 135 gal. tall tank and I have my sump plumbed to the basement but in the tank I have 2 1400 gph and 2 1050 gph power heads. I feel that the more flow the better. Agitation at the surface of the tank also creates some more oxygen. You tank may be leveling itself out for the amount of oxygen available and fish to use it. If it were me I would definitely get some more flow in the tank.

 

[flower]

The wave is the life of the ocean, and your saltwater tank. Saltwater has less oxygen in it...if you don't have enough flow, I'm surprised anything can survive. The sand however was not stirred or sifted by any critters and the reason why it smelled rotten. Toxins get trapped in the sand, if you stir a sandbed that has been sitting a long time you will kill the critters by releasing poison into the tank.

 

[mjtech12]

Just Bought 2 Marineland Ml90512 Maxi-Jet 1200 PRO, 295/1300GPH I think That Should Be Enough Flow I will keep you all posted thanks for all the advise