Sand Skimmers dieing

[chrisnoe]

I have had five or six sand sifter type fish die in my 90 gallon tank one at a time over the last nine months. They last about a week and then I find them on the bottom or in a hole under a live rock. I have live sand and my chemical readings are good. I do about a 20% water change every other week. The guys in my local salt water fish store have no clue as to what is going on. I have a Yellow Tang, maroon clown, and a few other fish all of which have been healthy for about 8 months.
Please help

 

[btldreef]

Welcome to the site!
Can you tell us some things:
What types of fish exactly?
What are your water parameters?
Can you list all tank inhabitants?
How old is the tank?
What type of substrate? How coarse/fine?
Is it actual live sand or was it "live sand" in a bag sitting on an LFS shelf when you bought it?
Is there sand under your rocks?
What size tank?
How are you acclimating these new fish?
Besides these losses, have you lost any other fish? Have you tried any other type of fish that has survived?
Don't fret too much. Sand sifting fish, although neat to watch, really aren't that beneficial to a tank, especially a smaller one. They can destroy (eat) all the beneficial fauna in the sand bed, leaving it no longer "live". When I keep sand sifting fish in smaller tanks, I make sure that I add about a cup of established live sand every so often to keep the sand seeded.
Sifting snails, such as Cerith Snails and Nassarius snails are better options than sifting fish.
The most common reasons that sand sifting fish perish are:
Getting crushed by rocks
Not enough critters in the send to support their diet
Substrate is too coarse and irritates, which can lead to wounds and infection
Jumping out (many sifting fish are jumpers)
The Diamond Goby is the one sifting fish that I gave up on. Every single one I've ever tried in any of my tanks dies for one reason or another. We all have that one fish that just eludes us.

 

[chrisnoe]

Thanks for your reply!
I am currently at work, but will reply with specifics this afternnon.
The "live sand" was in a bag sitting on a shelf when I bought it. I have had the tank for about one year and there is sand under my live rock. The tank is 90 gallons. I have had a few fish die off here and there, but have had the current fish (5) for about 6 months now. My largest fish is a Yellow Tang who likes to slap new tank mates with his/her tail for about half an hour on and off.
I will try adding a cup of new sand as you have mentioned and also try the snail species that you mentioned. The main reason that I tried sand sifters was to keep the sand looking clean. I have also gotten a few purple algea outbreaks in the sand and on the rocks in the past and treated these with something they told me to use at my local aquarium shop.
Thanks again!

 

[btldreef]

Ah, the dreaded evil Yellow Tang. He, alone, might be your culprit. They can get very aggressive, especially with new comers, as your witnessing. Fish stores should warn people about these little monsters!
It might just be that your sand doesn't have enough to support them. Having sand under the rock does also increase the risk of them getting crushed.
Definitely try those snails. Since your tank is large enough, you can also get one Florida fighting conch, which will also help keep the sand clean. Nassarius snails are my favorite sand cleaner. They eat left over fish food as well and really are one of the most beneficial cleaners you can add to a tank.

 

[chrisnoe]

One other thing that I thought of is that the aquarium shop guys here told me to aclimate my new fish by floating them in their bag for 30 minutes and then add a shot glass of my water to their bag every 5 minutes for another 30 minutes and then lift them from the bag with a small net and set free in the tank.

 

[btldreef]

One other thing that I thought of is that the aquarium shop guys here told me to aclimate my new fish by floating them in their bag for 30 minutes and then add a shot glass of my water to their bag every 5 minutes for another 30 minutes and then lift them from the bag with a small net and set free in the tank.
That method works, but it's not the most recommended. Research the "drip acclimation" method, it's a much better route to go.
I will warn you that the majority of local fish stores are filled with unkowledgeable salesmen. Most of them give incorrect information and just want to make a sale.

 

[slice]

There is a good acclimation procedure here:
https://www.saltwaterfish.com/Acclimation_ep_48-1.html
Just ignore the "open shipping box" steps and substitute a bucket* for the styrofoam cooler.
I actually do use the "float method" for inverts, except it is a shot glass every 15-20 mins over a 2-3 hour period.
*you should have several "For Tank Use Only" buckets.

 

[reeferchief]

+1 on the Nassarius Snail...They are super cool. They burrow under the sand and have a little snorkel that comes up which when they sense food they emerge from the sand. People are always shocked by the snails when it's feeding time. They are like mini locomotives. I have a variety of sand cleaners that all seem to be doing good for some time now. I have 2 orange spot goby's which are really neat too, 2 small sand sifting star fish and 2 nassarius snails.
I use the drip acclimate method on everything except corals, those I float. I will try the float method with shot glass of water for the inverts next time. Sounds like they would adjust to the temperature much better.