My fish keep dying!

[rondo]

Hi everyone,
I am getting very frustrated so I am hoping someone here can shed some light on whats going on. In 4 months I have had 5 fish and 4 of them have died. I started my first SW tank about four months ago. Its a 55 reg with 70lbs of LR and LS. After the initial cycle I added a CUC and a CBS, and Sally Lightfoot Crab. A few weeks later I added an Ocellaris Clown. He was doing great for a few weeks then I added a Coral Beauty, about three days later both were dead one morning when I woke up. I switched from tap water to RO/DI after that, waited a few weeks and got another clown. Waited another few weeks and added an Orchid dotty back. All seemed to be going well for 2-3 weeks then one morning the dottyback was just gone. No sign of it in the tank whatsoever. Last week I added another Coral Beauty and again three days later it just died. The only survivor so far has been the last clown I got and he seems to be doing very well. I have also had no problem with any of my inverts.
I check my params regularly and have always been fine, I change about 5 gallons every two weeks and now use only RO/DI water. I am ver y confused and frustrated at this point. The strangest thing is that all of the fish that have died seemed fine and the deaths seem to come very quickly. The only thin I noticed on the last CBA was that before it died its breathing was irregular and heavy. I run a sump and protein skimmer so I don't think it is an O2 problem. Any suggestions would be great. I really enjoy the hobby but am starting to be afraid to add new fish.

Thanks everyone.

 

[jetskiking]

Sounds like you are passing around a parasite, disease or something. Did any of the fish show signs if being sick before they died?

 

[rondo]

No, thats the unusual thing. They all seem to be fine and a few hours later they are dead. I had thought about that at one point too but it seems so fast for a disease. I posted the sam question on the disease forum to see if anyone there had an idea.

 

[contraband629]

You said your dottyback died with no trace? Perhaps you have something in your tank that is taking out the fish one by one? But this would suprise me because you actually found them dead instead of being eaten.

 

[rondo]

Yeah I thought Mantis shrimp at one point too but besides the dottyback, which was really strange, I have found no instance of damage to the fish. I have heard that Sally Lightfoot can be aggressive but he seems to leave the clownfish alone.

 

[contraband629]

You said you have a CBS. I heard they can be fish killers too. Not always though.

 

[nycbob]

i doubt its the cbs. if it was, u would hv seen it eating the fish. adding an angel after 3-4 weeks sounds kinda fast. it also sounds like u might be rushng into things. last, u havent mentioned ur water parameters.

 

[rondo]

Bob,
Honestly I wasn't aware that angels needed a mature tank, so thanks. I know it sounds a bit hurried but I have never had more than two fish in the tank at one time due to the continued deaths. My params are listed below, sorry bout that.
PH 8.2
SG 1.023
Amm 0
NO2 0
NO3 10-15
Alk Test indicates normal
Temp 78

 

[xcdennisx]

Originally Posted by Rondo
http:///forum/post/3131617
Bob,
Honestly I wasn't aware that angels needed a mature tank, so thanks. I know it sounds a bit hurried but I have never had more than two fish in the tank at one time due to the continued deaths. My params are listed below, sorry bout that.
PH 8.2
SG 1.023
Amm 0
NO2 0
NO3 10-15
Alk Test indicates normal
Temp 78

Might be the SG, try and raise it to 1.025 what about your calcium levels?

 

[spiderwoman]

All of your levels look fine. Low calcium levels won't kill your fish, nor will the 1.023 SG.
Do you have a titanium probe in your tank? You could have a faulty powerhead(s) in the tank and your fish get electricuted.
You could check what your pH is before the lights come on and what it is again right before the lights go off. Large swing in the pH could cause fatalities.

 

[rcdude1990]

how do u acclimate the fish?
also its very wierd to have a fish jus completely vanish, try to look everywere in the tank, fish turn pale and can blend in wit the LR but if u notice a fish die try to remove it ASAP, cause it might cause levels to rise.

 

[calbert0]

Originally Posted by SpiderWoman
http:///forum/post/3133329
All of your levels look fine. Low calcium levels won't kill your fish, nor will the 1.023 SG.
Do you have a titanium probe in your tank? You could have a faulty powerhead(s) in the tank and your fish get electricuted.
You could check what your pH is before the lights come on and what it is again right before the lights go off. Large swing in the pH could cause fatalities.

i was thinking PH as well.... do you run a light on your sump when the lights in the display tank go off?

 

[chaseter]

Originally Posted by rcdude1990
http:///forum/post/3133406
how do u acclimate the fish?
also its very wierd to have a fish jus completely vanish, try to look everywere in the tank, fish turn pale and can blend in wit the LR but if u notice a fish die try to remove it ASAP, cause it might cause levels to rise.
Have you not acclimated the fish you bought? Did you just dump them in once you got home? If you buy from your local fish store, bring them home, turn off the aquarium lights, and put the plastic baggy in your aquarium and let it float for 15-20 minutes. This allows the fish to acclimate to the temp. of your aquarium. To be super safe, after floating keep adding small amounts of your tank water into the now open plastic baggy a little bit at a time. This will help them acclimate to the chemical levels in your aquarium. Transfer the fish but DO NOT ADD THE BAG WATER TO YOUR AQUARIUM!!!
SWF.com recommends you drip acclimate and you can find that right to the left by clicking the bar "Acclimation." Dripping is the best way to acclimate fish but what I wrote above has worked just fine for me.
If all params are good and it isn't the cbs killing your fish, then it may be shock from just tossing them into your tank when you get home. Hope this helps. This fish that vanished may have already been killed and dragged into some hole and being eaten by your cuc. Maybe it went into your sump or back chambers???

 

[jackri]

Reason you couldn't find the one fish is your CUC and shrimp will take care of the remains -- which is pretty much their job.
Sounds like you might be getting unhealthy livestock, and acclimated incorrectly, or could be something else as well.

 

[crypt keeper]

Does your lfs have snails and rock in the tanks or crushed coral no inverts and fake stuff for hiding spots?

 

[ophiura]

Please post your specific parameters, including alkalinity, pH and calcium. Do you add anything to the tank?
A coral beauty is not a good early fish in the tank. The fact that they died may have nothing to do with anything - they are just a more delicate fish and do better in established tanks. Dying after 3 days is not surprising - most LFS for example have a peak mortality 48-72 hours after fish arrive. Be sure a fish is at the store at least a week and eating well before bringing home.
Has anything happened around this tank including painting, carpet cleaning, etc? On mystery deaths, you should think back a good 2-3 days as to what was happening. Cleaning products are easily overlooked and will often kill fish suddenly.
I am assuming these are from the same store?
For me, the big thing is the fish selection. Fish certainly die in new tanks But in particular the loss of two coral beauties does not rule out just the fact that they are delicate fish...as opposed to a critical problem with the tank.
Do you have covers on the tank? dottybacks can be jumpers.
However I am concerned that "3 days later" it died appears to be happening a couple of times. Definitely think about what happened 3 days before, if anything, in and around the tank...even if it seems inconsequential. Did you do a water change then, for example.
What is your desired fish list? Post it and we can help decide what to try. In addition to posting your params, I would get a polyfilter and start running that.

 

[crypt keeper]

Im assuming the store either runs copper or runs low salinity like most LFS do. These fish need longer acclimation periods.