Stop Dying Damsels

[hjg135]

I have a 10 gallon tank with no LR, no LS, a mini power filter made for a 20 gal tank, and a little non-living coral my friend gave me. All the tests say the water is fine, but all of my damsels I have put in to cycle the tank (had it for 3-4 weeks) are dying. I've had 5 damsels die in the tank, the longest living about two weeks. Before they die, they all stay in the corners of the tank and then go under the coral rock. They lose their color and die in the night. Before they die, they all swim abnormally (shake, dip into sand, sometimes flip upside down). The temp is stable at 78, the spec. grav. is about 1.021 and the pH, ammonium, etc. all seem normal...Help?

 

[mr . salty]

Are you testing your own water,or is a LFS telling you the water "seems normal"???
At any rate,there is something seriously wrong with that tank,,,Or the fish you are buying..
What kind of salt did you use????

 

[col]

If you put the damsels in to cycle the tank then this could be why they are dying or dead.
Have you put any fish in the tank since the cycle finished?

 

[ntvflgirl]

It might help us more if you post actual readings of Ammonia, nitrites, and maybe nitrates and ph. What kind of filter are you using, and how many fish do you have in at one time. These things will give us a better idea of how to help you.

 

[shoer]

How often have you been testing? if you had a big ammonia spike and did not test for it it could damage your fish and you not even know it then they could die days or weeks later......

 

[kpogue]

Aside from all of the above. 5 damsels in a 10 gal tank is sorta pushing it. If any of the dead fish were in the tank for a period of time it would spike the ammo quite quickly. Small changes in small tanks = big problems.

 

[jake22]

He said has had had 5 damsels in total but not that he had 5 damsels in the tank at the same time. But if you did have 5 damsels at the same time in the 10 gallon then that would be your problem. How are you acclimating the fish to your tank?

 

[legion]

You might have copper if you are using tap water adn make sure your cycle is done and don't put any fish into that stressful of an environment after being in a healthy store tank.

 

[demosthenes]

It seems to me that your problem stems strictly from a stressful environment. Using Damsels to cycle your tank is always a very stressful event for said Damsels, and the layout/setup of your tank doesn't seem to help, IMHO. During the cycling process, the fish prefer to hide and in your tank don't seem to have that option. You need to make their home more like that in nature. By that, I mean add some CC, LS, or some other SW substrate. Also, you should probably add more in the area of decorations. Add some LR, more fake-coral, or even some of the fake SW plants. Also, if this stress is not to blame, maybe your filtration is. By not having any sort of substrate or LR, you are making your filter the sole form of filtration, and when you have a filter made only for a 20G, this most likely will not work. If I were you, I would add some LS, LR, and more in the way of filtration. GL

 

[hjg135]

I had one coral rock that the fish used to hide under all the time. I added 5 pounds of LR to help in the cycling process. I remember the fish "scratching" themselves on the sand. Now I am noticing tiny white dots on them. I'm pretty sure this is ich and it sucks. I'm probably going to buy something to buy some malachite green, I hope it's not too late. Thanks.

 

[hjg135]

Whatever it is thats wrong with my tank (ich?), its killing another of my fish. It's taking its last breaths right now. Its friend is trying to comfort it by swimming near it and staying by it. I'm sorry fish.

 

[croptop]

thats the sadest thing i have ever heard...Im sorry fishies too!!

 

[col]

You know what I would do?
Lose the damsels and start again, this time doing a fishless cycle.
Ich will not be the root problem, but brought on by the stress.

 

[jake22]

The damsels you are buying from your lfs might also already have ich. I would wait then try buying from a different lfs.

 

[cells]

10 gallon tank with no LS or LR, that can be very stressful for the damsels. I suggest restart everything again, with a bigger tank, recommanded 55 gallon at least. and enough LS and LR to support the 55 gallon tank. not to forget the protein skimmer too.
whole setup cost about $800-1k! this hobby is expensive! so don't start until u are prepared to spend that much of money.

 

[jedininja]

Dont know if this is it, but is the piece of coral you have bleached? I have heard storeis where stony corals have been bleached to give it the nice white color and then cleaned off. But sometimes not all the bleach comes out and slowly seeps into the water. Dont know, but maybe a possiblilty. Cux I used damsels to cycle my tank and not a single one died. Hell, those things are so tough i dont know if i could kill them if I tried.
Is this your first SW tank? If so, I would definalty go bigger. 55 would be perfect. But if you cant afford it, go for a 30 gallon. My LFS actually has a tank with a prebuilt hood that has a powerhead, filter, and compact florescents built into it. And all of that is only $35. I think if you could find something like that, it might be a much better start.

 

[angus]

Get a larger tank. Starting out in this hobby with a 10 gallon nano tank is not the easiest way to go. Basic rule of thumb is that the larger the tank, the more forgiving. In such a small tank as a 10 gallon, any slight change in water chemistry could start a chain reaction that could wipe out your tank in a very short time.
As someone else suggested, try to go with at least a 30 gallon, 40 would be better. Cycle the tank with live rock only or a couple of cocktail shrimp. Skip the damsels, you don't need them to cycle a tank. Watching fish slowly die isn't the way to get into this hobby, has ruined many peoples enjoyment of it. Also do some research, there's plenty of time while your tank cycles, as this will take about a month.