New Fish Are Dying!

[falynharris]

We got 4 new fish in Friday from swf.com, and they are all dying. First our yellow watchman goby and now our mandiran dragonet. We followed the acclimation instructions perfectly, and they were all happy go lucky and acting just fine. All of our tests have come out normal. What's the deal?

 

[hot883]

Originally Posted by FalynHarris
We got 4 new fish in Friday from swf.com, and they are all dying. First our yellow watchman goby and now our mandiran dragonet. We followed the acclimation instructions perfectly, and they were all happy go lucky and acting just fine. All of our tests have come out normal. What's the deal?

Sorry to hear that. Send an email to swf asap and it will take several days to get a response, but they will honor the 15 day gaurantee. Barry

 

[hot883]

Originally Posted by hot883
Sorry to hear that. Send an email to swf asap and it will take several days to get a response, but they will honor the 15 day gaurantee. Barry
Also, post what your readings are. Normal to some is not to others so please post them so we can try and help.

 

[nick76]

Originally Posted by FalynHarris
We got 4 new fish in Friday from swf.com, and they are all dying. First our yellow watchman goby and now our mandiran dragonet. We followed the acclimation instructions perfectly, and they were all happy go lucky and acting just fine. All of our tests have come out normal. What's the deal?

sometimes 1 fish can die, however I find it strange that all 4 would die. Recheck all your water paramas.

 

[lion_crazz]

As Barry said, please post your water parameters and it will be easier for us to help you.

 

[katiev]

I think adding four fish at one time to a tank is too much -- no matter the size. Adding one at a time, with a few weeks in between each fish (unless adding a pair of something, obviously), and quarantining each one is more beneficial for you and for the fish. It's also not so disappointing if something happens and a single fish dies, rather than all of them. Sorry for your loss. Definitely get in touch with SWF.com for the 15-day guarantee.

 

[falynharris]

Originally Posted by hot883
Also, post what your readings are. Normal to some is not to others so please post them so we can try and help.
ph 8.4
ammonia 0
nitrate 0
nitrite 0
My husband told last night after I posted that, that both fish were acting kinda of funny when we first got them in. Not all 4 have died. Just the Yellow Watchman Goby and Stripped Mandrain. The Angel has a parasite and is quarantined. And the other is just fine.

 

[renogaw]

mandarins are notoriously hard to keep alive when you first get them because they won't eat. how old is your tank?

 

[falynharris]

We have had it since the beginning of January. However, we bought it used (the people we bought it from had it for years). It was already set up. We transported all the water, live rock and fish. And the readings have almost always been the same. The PH has occasionally gone up or down, but it has been steady for well over a month. And we already had a mandrain (female), and the spotted dragonet is doing great. I dunno.... grrrrrr.....

 

[greenwolf52]

how big is your tank? it must quite large (over 100g) to sustain 2 mandarins. you would also need a very solid population of copepods for them to eat. doesn't sound good though.
adding 4 fish at once was definitely a mistake. sorry it didn't work out for you though. live and learn, i guess.

 

[falynharris]

200 gallons.
One more question though. If your order has to be $79 of live goods? What is the best way to order, so that you don't add to many at once? Make any sense?

 

[greenwolf52]

i understand your concern. just have to try and work around that. i don't order from here so i can't tell you from experience. maybe try to order some live rock with it. i think that would be considered "live goods" and the way that stuff is price can add up quickly. agree?

 

[adroitmind]

Out of respect for the owners of SWF we do not allow posts to other forums. Please show respect for that policy. 1Journeyman

 

[browniebuck]

Originally Posted by FalynHarris
200 gallons.
One more question though. If your order has to be $79 of live goods? What is the best way to order, so that you don't add to many at once? Make any sense?
I know what you are saying about the $79 minimum order. We placed our first order a couple of weeks ago, and to reach the minimum, we added a couple of porcelain crabs and a few orders of the reef copepods (one of the fish that we ordered was a green mandarin, the other a foxface which died...it arrived REALLY skinny and tiny altogether). You can find them in the invert section under shrimp (I believe). They come @200 per pouch for like $12. This will also help to provide more food for your mandarin.

 

[texasmetal]

Originally Posted by FalynHarris
200 gallons.
One more question though. If your order has to be $79 of live goods? What is the best way to order, so that you don't add to many at once? Make any sense?
Corals, inverts... or expensive individual fish. Corals and invertebrates don't add much of a bio-load on your tank, so you could add quite a bit.
Sorry to hear it. I made an order a while back, but had different tanks to put stuff in. All the critters did well except the anemone I ordered, which decided to launch itself into the water column and ended up in the powerhead...

 

[1journeyman]

Originally Posted by FalynHarris
200 gallons.
One more question though. If your order has to be $79 of live goods? What is the best way to order, so that you don't add to many at once? Make any sense?
Adding a couple of small-medium fish to a 200 gallon isn't particularly bad. Especially if you have a good circulation, skimmer, etc.
The best way to avoid this is to QT all fish. You can monitor water in QT tank and do water changes as needed. When the fish are though with the QT process you can add them to the tank every few days.