Stable Tank, New fish keep dying

[chyotrix]

I've had Coral Beauties before and they were fine.
My parameters are all normal range.
As is temp and salinity.
2 powerheads, 1 protein skimmer and a dual bio wheel filter.
About 50 lbs live rock and about an inch of live sand.
What confuses me is how my Clown and Chromis are fine and have been and so far the Yellow Tang is good if my parameters and equipement aren't correct.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chyotrix http:///t/387701/stable-tank-new-fish-keep-dying/20#post_3413697
I've had Coral Beauties before and they were fine.
My parameters are all normal range.
As is temp and salinity.
2 powerheads, 1 protein skimmer and a dual bio wheel filter.
About 50 lbs live rock and about an inch of live sand.
What confuses me is how my Clown and Chromis are fine and have been and so far the Yellow Tang is good if my parameters and equipement aren't correct.
One possibility.....the changes may have been slow and over time they adjusted, but a new fish can't take it.
What are the numbers of your test results?

 

[chyotrix]

Nitrate between 0 and 5.0
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Ph 8.0
Salt 1.021
Got the Yellow Tang with the Strawberry pseuo.
Tang is fine so far.

 

[jeffro63]

Boy does this sound familiar..... Not long ago I went through something a lot like this. I lost all my critters except 2 clowns a lawnmower blenny and 1 hermet crab. Water tests all come out great all the time. After working with my lfs for about a month and losing fish every time I got a new one, Jane ( the lady at the lfs ) had a brain storm. Get yourself a multimeter and check for electricty in the water. Mine was high so I started unplugging things untill the meter showed 0 electricity. Come to find out my heater was shot. I put in a new heater and havn't lost a fish since.
Give it a try, Ya never know Good Luck, Jeff

 

[cuccaro]

Have u checked for stray voltage comming from any equipment. Had a heater shock my tank and killhalf of live stock some fish can take bigger shock than others

 

[jeffro63]

I thought thats what I just said. Maybe the way I said it was diffrent............

 

[chyotrix]

Wow didn't even consider that.
My LFS and I thought because I am on a well that there were metals or minerals getting into the tank..
So I have placed a filter on my water source and have been doing water changes every week.
Was going to do this for a couple of months and try again.
And also we did find out that one of our heaters had crapped out and did replace it.
Didn't discover this until I was unable to get the water temp much above 72.
So maybe that was the issue all along.
Thanks Jeff.
Will look into that meter or ask my Husband if we have one and check it out.
Chris

 

[jeffro63]

Don't feel bad.... cause I went through about 2 months of new filters, buying 5 or 6 kinds of meds, using QT tanks,water changes 2 or 3 times a week, and all kinds of goofy stuff. I even tried praying to the ocean gods. Till the sweetheart at my lfs thought of testing for electricity. All I needed to do was change out a heater..... go figure. All my critters are doing great now, yellow tang and coral beauty both are perfect and the clowns are laying eggs again...... WOOOO HOOOO
hope thats all your problem is too
Jeff

 

[chyotrix]

Your tank sounds awesome.
Amazing what we go through to keep our little critters happy and healthy.

 

[chyotrix]

Does live rock go bad?
I woke up this morning to my Clown dead and 2 of the 3 snails dead.
Using filtered water, all params fine, no electricity, salinity good and temp fine.
Only thing left in the tank is 1 snail and the Yellow Tang.
The live rock is old.

 

[reeferchief]

Is it possible you have a predator in there like a bristle worm? If that things touches any fish..bye bye.. And it appears your fish are dying at night, which is when the bristle worms like to come out. there are ways to catch them...

 

[chyotrix]

I will look into that and get more information.

 

[reeferchief]

I'm not by any means an expert but my LFS had dead fish 3 days in a row in the same tank and they suspected bristle worms..I came in there one of the days and she took the 2 pieces of live rock out and bristle worms came crawling out after they started drying.
Another way to catch them, from what they told me is, take some pellet food and a small bottle like a 12oz water bottle and cut the bottle after the neck, take the neck and invert it so the neck is pointed toward the bottom of the bottle. Basically only one way in and no way out, then fill with some pellets and place in the tank over night.... If they are in there they will go into the bottle and won't get out.. She showed me several pics of where she did this in customers tanks that had fish dying and almost everytime they were in the bottle within a night or 2. I wouldn't let the bottle sit in there all day either, just at nights..

 

[1guydude]

I would say get a TDS meter and test ur well water and ur filtered water! You want zero...the meter is relatively cheap!
Dont test salt water with it though.

also might wanna check ur tank for phosphates...

 

[chyotrix]

I haven't added any new live rock or sand to the tank since I first set it up over 3 years ago.
So I don't believe I have Bristle Worms.
Everything I've read states that they hitchhike on live rock.
I just don't get how a perfectly stable tank with no issues for 3 years all of a sudden goes bad.
But I truely appreciate all the suggestions.

 

[siptang]

sorry to go off topic.
Flower - does your royal gamma hide all the time? One that I had did and now that I'm about to stock up my tank again I'm wondering if I should snag one up. (in about a month that is)

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Siptang http:///t/387701/stable-tank-new-fish-keep-dying/20#post_3425995
sorry to go off topic.
Flower - does your royal gamma hide all the time? One that I had did and now that I'm about to stock up my tank again I'm wondering if I should snag one up. (in about a month that is)
I can't remember when I had the Gramma...I have an Orchid dottyback now. I don't remember what happened to her. She was so bright in color, and for the life of me I don't remember what happened to her.
Anyway she never hid. Is there something in the tank that is really active or bothering her? My Orchid was always hiding, then I got rid of the golden headed sleeper goby (sandsifter) to salvage my sand fauna, and now he is out all the time,

 

[siptang]

Well... I do have.. well had 2 trigger and a wrasse. :/
Such a pretty fish with very nice price tag.. sigh...

 

[chyotrix]

Hello All,
Still no idea what went on with my tank but all seems to be fine at the moment.
Went to a different LFS and picked the SW gurus brain there. Nothing new in terms of what the issue could have been.
Purchased 3 Yellow Tail Damsels there. He had no Coral Beauties.
Went to my fav LFS and purchased a good size Coral Beauty. Also talked at length to the owner some suggestions but again nothing new.
Came home, acclimated the fish, put them in the tank and was soooooo happy to see all 4 new fish swimming around this morning!!!
What a relief. If I had lost my Yellow Tang I was going to convert the tank into freshwater.

 

[jeffro63]

Ya know at one time I too was about to give up and tear down my tank and just sell the darn thing. But all of a sudden everything started going good again. Now my tank is healthy and happy and looking the best it ever has. Boy am I glad I didn't sell it. The moral of the story is ..... Don't get discouraged, I know it can get frustrating sometimes but in the end it will all work out and your going to have a happy healthy tank to enjoy.
Best of luck.......
Jeff