my fish keep dying

[oceandude]

Hi. Sorry about your issues. Agree with other members on this thread. May I ask what you are checking the SG of your water? I believe you mentioned it was 1.022...but if you are using a swing arm, it might not be what you are reading. Are you using RODI Fresh for top offs?
It's about impossible to have a nitrate level of zero, but if it's genuinely low you should not have issues.
pH, salinity should be kept constant as I'm sure you know...just want to stress the importance.
Please do not put Tangs in your 55g. Even small ones need a good deal of swim room.
Wish I were in your area to try to help. Please keep updates coming...thanks.

 

[sweatervest13]

I agree about the ocean water. If you are getting all your water from a dealer, and he is saying that he is getting it from the ocean. Shouldn't your SG be 1.026?? How is it getting down to 1.022?
Like Shawn said: Never trust your water to someone else!! Not that they are trying to do you wrong but it is something YOU can control (by making your own RO/DI water + salt mix).
Do you use a refractometer or a swing arm hydrometer? How are you doing your top off's? Are you doing it with that same ocean water?? If so this might be your issue. The fish can live in different salinity levels (see hypo treatment for proof, 1.009) but you need to go slow up and down. You need to really go slow when raising it up. So if you have a higher salinity in your tank and it got there by not topping off with fresh RO/DI water then the fish you had in there would be fine. But any new additions would have salinity shock. Even if you acclimated it for 5 hours. But I would think that it would not take 3 weeks to kill them.
I am just trying to come up with some ideas to help you get fish back in the tank. I still think you should QT all new additions and let the tank go fallow for the next 6-8 weeks. Good luck
HTH's

 

[achilles tang]

No worries I know how it is with work. But I have not tested the water I get from him. But you have a really big point on not trusting anyone my water quality thanks for that. And I don't know were he is getting the water from.

 

[achilles tang]

I am indeed using a swing arm and using tap water for top offs that's what I was told to use and just to add conditiner and just add it to my tank till I got the silinity back to 1.022. So any kinds of tangs I can't keep in my 55 g?

 

[achilles tang]

Like I had said before when I started this I didn't know anything I went to ***** and the guy ther had some wut of an idea but didn't know crap he told me to buy live rock 2 month after my tank was set up. After I had set up my tank he said come back in a week so I can test your water so I did he used strips to test my water and he said ok your good. We were so happy we went fish crazy. Angels clows tang damsels shrimps it was crazy. One week later one by one started dying. So we did that for about a month then he started making Me buy nite out bacteria and a whole lot of stuff that I did not need. Then he tell me buy one rock about 5 to 10 pounds and put it in your tank that will do it. Then I took matter into my own hands and found some fish store and my wife got a book for me. It really helped me out alot. But that guy was some thing els ill tell you we went thru Hell with him me and my wife were so upset could not belive how much money he made us spend.

 

[sweatervest13]

Like I had said before when I started this I didn't know anything I went to ***** and the guy ther had some wut of an idea but didn't know crap he told me to buy live rock 2 month after my tank was set up. After I had set up my tank he said come back in a week so I can test your water so I did he used strips to test my water and he said ok your good. We were so happy we went fish crazy. Angels clows tang damsels shrimps it was crazy. One week later one by one started dying. So we did that for about a month then he started making Me buy nite out bacteria and a whole lot of stuff that I did not need. Then he tell me buy one rock about 5 to 10 pounds and put it in your tank that will do it. Then I took matter into my own hands and found some fish store and my wife got a book for me. It really helped me out alot. But that guy was some thing els ill tell you we went thru Hell with him me and my wife were so upset could not belive how much money he made us spend.
Stick around here. You will like it a lot. Everyone here is only interested in seeing you succeed. No one here will tell you to waste money on crap stuff. I suggest doing pots of reading here and post any questions. Good luck bud

 

[sweatervest13]

Like I had said before when I started this I didn't know anything I went to ***** and the guy ther had some wut of an idea but didn't know crap he told me to buy live rock 2 month after my tank was set up. After I had set up my tank he said come back in a week so I can test your water so I did he used strips to test my water and he said ok your good. We were so happy we went fish crazy. Angels clows tang damsels shrimps it was crazy. One week later one by one started dying. So we did that for about a month then he started making Me buy nite out bacteria and a whole lot of stuff that I did not need. Then he tell me buy one rock about 5 to 10 pounds and put it in your tank that will do it. Then I took matter into my own hands and found some fish store and my wife got a book for me. It really helped me out alot. But that guy was some thing els ill tell you we went thru Hell with him me and my wife were so upset could not belive how much money he made us spend.
Stick around here. You will like it a lot. Everyone here is only interested in seeing you succeed. No one here will tell you to waste money on crap stuff. I suggest doing lots of reading here and post any questions. Good luck bud

 

[achilles tang]

Thanks every one I have really learned a lot by being here. Everyone has been really helpful and I really appreciate it so much.

 

[achilles tang]

So what I was thinking after I resolve this problem keep my 55 g as a qt and starting a new tank I really like a 125g. So I have a question how come I have two power heads going and I have seen pic of other peoples tanks that only have one or none at all and in a much bigger tank. Why is that?

 

[achilles tang]

So rite now that I have no fish in my tank should I be doing anything like adding anything to it? Or do I just leave it alone untill I add a fish. When I add a fish what is a pretty tough fish?

 

[coralman05]

Damsels but wouldn't suggest it. pick at anything else you have in your tank later onn

 

[travelerjp98]

I haven't been following this to well... sorry if this was already answered... but are you cycling the tank? Has it already been cycled?

 

[achilles tang]

Already been cycled I just want to know if rite now I just let everything running and then when its time to put in a fish if I just toss him in there. Not really toss him in ther but you get the point. I really don't want to put damsels in there just cuz of what every one here has told me. I would like to try some thing els but don't know what.

 

[oceandude]

Ocean water is fine if in fact it has been refined by reputable facilities such as some we have where I live; namely places like UNCW's Marine biology department...not someone who may just go dip it from the ocean.



I asked what you were topping off with suspecting it might be tap water and you stated it is what you use. Tap water contains many of the following:

• 
  Lead

• , which enters drinking water supplies from the corrosion of pipes and plumbing fixtures.
• 
  Pathogens

• that can make people sick and fishes sick.
• 
  By-products of chlorine treatment such as trihalomethanes

• and haloacetic acids.

• 
  Arsenic, 'nuff said.
  Radon, the rocket fuel perchlorate

• and other carcinogens

• or otherwise toxic chemicals

• .

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• 
  Phosphates, nitrates and silicates are elements that naturally occur in water, and it is not unusual for some tap water sources to contain high concentrations of these chemical elements. If these are not removed from the water before using it, you are just adding more

• of the unwanted elements that give rise to all types of algae blooms in saltwater systems, and that often contribute to persistant problems with higher than normal readings of these chemicals when testing the aquarium water.
  Copper and iron are particularly detrimental to reef animals, and these or other metals can often be present in tap water as well.

These are just some of the goodies one can find in water from municipalities and some will vary.
***Any possible way to buy RODI for your top offs" If not buy DISTILLED and buffer to 8.3 pH.
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Thanks for the added info...it helped to see what IMO is a huge factor in the demise of critters you have

 

[bang guy]

I agree with everything in the above post except for buffering your topoff water. That can lead to an alkalinity imbalance in your tank.

 

[oceandude]

Totally agree Bang. The only reason I added that was because if I remember, OP stated his pH was running ~8.0 and believe the inverts would do better in ~8.1 to 8.3 and would like to see him/her bring it up and then adjust accordingly. Thanks for the comment as I forgot to elaborate on that.

 

[achilles tang]

Wow guys I had no idea but thanks for all the good info.so my next step is do a ten gallon water change I will be using rodi water. And I will be mixing my own salt. So I'm ganna see if I can get out as much water in my tank out in this whole month period that I will have noting in there

 

[bang guy]

Just to agree with Oceandude, using topoff to increase alkalinity is a very good way to do it. Just be sure you have tested and need to increase it.

 

[coralman05]

let the salt and RO water sit over night!

 

[achilles tang]

Nooooooooooooooooooo! I did my water change already but I didn't let the salt and the Ro sit! What is going to happen?:cry: