new and frustrated.

[steph46]

Hi everyone!!! I am new to saltwater fish keeping, I am extremely frustrated lately as I have lost some of my new babies. I want to do the right thing but every shop I go to I get different opinions. FIrst, I am running a 46 bowfront, with an Emperor 400 filter. I have basic lighting. I have a little over 50lbs. of live-rock too. My first fish were a regal tang, puffer (real tiny), and a naso tang. Then after a month or so I added a koran angel, coral beauty angel and a maroon clown. The first to die was the regal tang that was before i got new 3. I am sure the tang had ick. now in the past 2 weeks ive lost teh naso tang,w/ no indication it was sick, the maroon clown and this a.m. the Coral beauty angel. We are taking it to the aquarium store so the owner can look at it. We have tested the water and the parameters were all in line. What do I do??? Was it overstocked?

 

[nicetry]

Originally Posted by steph46
Hi everyone!!! I am new to saltwater fish keeping, I am extremely frustrated lately as I have lost some of my new babies. I want to do the right thing but every shop I go to I get different opinions. FIrst, I am running a 46 bowfront, with an Emperor 400 filter. I have basic lighting. I have a little over 50lbs. of live-rock too. My first fish were a regal tang, puffer (real tiny), and a naso tang. Then after a month or so I added a koran angel, coral beauty angel and a maroon clown. The first to die was the regal tang that was before i got new 3. I am sure the tang had ick. now in the past 2 weeks ive lost teh naso tang,w/ no indication it was sick, the maroon clown and this a.m. the Coral beauty angel. We are taking it to the aquarium store so the owner can look at it. We have tested the water and the parameters were all in line. What do I do??? Was it overstocked?
What has happened is not uncommon for new hobbyists. You moved ahead much too quickly and placed sensitive fish in a new tank. Start by telling how long the tank has been established.
It's not a large tank, and not suited for any species of tang, or large puffer. With new systems, it's advisable to stick with hardy species until you gain more experience; clowns, gobies, wrasses, dottybacks, basslets, etc.. No angels, tangs, butterflies. If your lfs told you it was okay to keep these fish in your tank, I'd advise you to find another place to shop. He's obviously trying to take your money, or lacks the knowledge to steer you correctly. If you think your fish may have had ich, and the tank currently has no fish, don't add ANYTHING for six weeks. This will allow any parasites to die off completely. You can then start again with hardier and smaller fish. Purchase your own test kits and regularly test your own water. Give real numbers for your parameters, including ammonai, nitrite, nitrate, pH, salinity and temp. It's important to know these when trying to diagnose a problem. Don't give up, but slow way down and research the fish you want to keep, bearing in mind the limitations of your tank.

 

[snaredrum]

Welcome to the boards Steph. We need a little more information here. Is the tank cycled? What ARE the parameters? It seems like to me that you might be adding to quick if the tank is not cycled. One thing is for sure, you will get plenty of feedback on here. Please take their advise. I'm newer also and this board has been a blessing. I had a bout with Red Slime and was able to correct the problem with this boards help. Good Luck.

 

[autofreak44]

Originally Posted by steph46
Hi everyone!!! I am new to saltwater fish keeping, I am extremely frustrated lately as I have lost some of my new babies. I want to do the right thing but every shop I go to I get different opinions. FIrst, I am running a 46 bowfront, with an Emperor 400 filter. I have basic lighting. I have a little over 50lbs. of live-rock too. My first fish were a regal tang, puffer (real tiny), and a naso tang. Then after a month or so I added a koran angel, coral beauty angel and a maroon clown. The first to die was the regal tang that was before i got new 3. I am sure the tang had ick. now in the past 2 weeks ive lost teh naso tang,w/ no indication it was sick, the maroon clown and this a.m. the Coral beauty angel. We are taking it to the aquarium store so the owner can look at it. We have tested the water and the parameters were all in line. What do I do??? Was it overstocked?
ya it was overstocked. first off, no tangs in the bowfront, srry they are swimming fish and they need at least 6 feet of swimming room (or in other words a 125 gallon tank). if i were you i would get a hob (hang-on-back) skimmer such as a bak-pak. good ammount of live rock. mostly all the fish you put in were bad chioices except the maroon and the cb angel. also angels cant be kept together as they will fight to the death. if i were you i would take back all the fish you have and then consult some people on here as to a new stock list. but before you add any more fish to your tank you are going to want to leave it fishless for about 5 weeks so theat the ich parasite can die. the next thing you want to do is get a quarantine tank so you can monitor your fish before you put them in your tank and make shure they dont have parasites like ick. there is more info about QTs in the disease and treatment section. you made the right decision by comming here. this place has a bounty of knowledge that you will find helpful when dealin with sw tanks. welcome!