Gregsf66 Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 I had 2 fish die last night... A saddle back clown fish and a bi colored angel fish. What am I doing wrong? Nitrates are 20 to 30. Ammonia is 0. KH is 13 Calcium is 380. My tank is running fine...It has been running for 2 plus years. Im doing 15g water changes every week on my 75 gallon RR Tank. Im dosing w/ Reef Fushing part 1 and 2 everyother day. Im also Dosing Lugals solution (Iodine). Please help me. What am I doing wrong. It is very frustrating when I bought these fish and they are fine for 2 weeks and then just kiel over.... Please advise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooks Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Nitrates are somewhat high. Not high enough to kill anything in my opinion, though. Your KH is also a little high. Why are you dosing Iodine? It can be beneficial to your corals (blues, I believe) but it can easily be overdosed. I don't find it necessary. If you don't test for it, don't dose it. One thing you must consider is the fact that these fish will sometimes have parasites, such as flukes. While I'm not an expert and certainly cannot provide much factual information on them, I highly recommend you quarantine your new additions. Not everybody does it, heck, I don't. However, it really can be a giant help in the long run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offroadodge Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 NO3 is high what about your PO4(phosphate). Agreed with Brooks, iodine needs to be used sparingly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 What's your sg and ph? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wa1tx Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 What else is in the tank? What test kits are you using? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 What's your sg and ph? These are just as important as the other tests you are running. What else is in the tank? What test kits are you using? Other inhabitants could be "picking" on the new guys causing stress. And some tests are more accurate than others. Also, did you see them eating when you feed the tank? Finally, remember that not all fish harvesters are ethical. Some use cyanaide or other chemicals to capture fish which later appear to die for not reason at all. Dave- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregsf66 Posted March 16, 2011 Author Share Posted March 16, 2011 Po is 0. I'm using red sea test kits. I will back off on the lugouls solution. I have candy cane corals, frogspawn, and other softies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robb in Austin Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Sounds like new fish syndrome(NFS. tm) to me. As Dave mentioned, did you see them eat? We're they being bullied? What other fish do you have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Most local fish stores maintain their sg around .022 and ph anywhere from 7.7 to 8 from what Ive observed. If your set up for LPS and SPS growth then your probably close to .026 and 8.4. Thats a pretty big swing for an already stressed out fish. drip acclimation should help your new critters tremendously. It never hurts to ask the fish store questions about their water params, especially sg and ph, how long they have had the fish and if they have observed he/she eating, what he/she was eating....... I recently picked up a midas bleeny who was eating mysis at the fish store. However he wouldnt touch it in my tank. For over 3 weeks I tried different types of food, mysis, pellets, crushed pellets, flakes, coarse flakes, etc. Finally I tried cyclopeze and after a few days he was eating fine. I guess my point is I dont think he would have lasted that long had I not acclimated him properly and make it a priority to see your new fish eating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Hydro Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Most local fish stores maintain their sg around .022 and ph anywhere from 7.7 to 8 from what Ive observed. If your set up for LPS and SPS growth then your probably close to .026 and 8.4. Thats a pretty big swing for an already stressed out fish. drip acclimation should help your new critters tremendously. It never hurts to ask the fish store questions about their water params, especially sg and ph, how long they have had the fish and if they have observed he/she eating, what he/she was eating....... I recently picked up a midas bleeny who was eating mysis at the fish store. However he wouldnt touch it in my tank. For over 3 weeks I tried different types of food, mysis, pellets, crushed pellets, flakes, coarse flakes, etc. Finally I tried cyclopeze and after a few days he was eating fine. I guess my point is I dont think he would have lasted that long had I not acclimated him properly and make it a priority to see your new fish eating. +1 on the sg in the stores THEY SHOULD HAVE A SIGN ON THE TANKS LETTING PEOPLE KNOW THEIR SALINITY! I always test salinity whenever I buy something new so that I can see how long that I need to acclimate it for. If its from 1.022 to 1.027 that's going to take a little time. The last time I bought something from fishy business the salinity was 1.018!!!! My tank is at 1.027 and that's a huge difference. They run such low salinity to save on salt for water changes would be my guess. I really wish they would post that for people, most never even consider it. Also +`1 on the unethical harvesting. Overall I've never had much luck buying fish locally, I've had much better luck buying online. If you use a place like petco.com (my favorite) they have a 2 week guarantee and they are shipped straight from the wholesaler in CA, not to the store first, acclimated again, then looked at by a hundered people, then bagged again, then accimated to your tank. Getting fish from a wholesaler elimates many stresses for fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wa1tx Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 I learned my lesson the hard and expensive way on salinity. I check the LFS water and my water before I put anything in my tank now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Po is 0. I'm using red sea test kits. I will back off on the lugouls solution. I have candy cane corals, frogspawn, and other softies. No other fish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregsf66 Posted March 16, 2011 Author Share Posted March 16, 2011 That's the thing. They were eating just fine. There is a pigmy angel in the tank that has been there for 2 years... He was grumpy to all that I added. But was just picking on the bi colored angel not the clown Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike M. Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Buying fish for a reef tank is like buying a lotto ticket or playing bingo...not every ticket or card is a winner. I find fish to be more frustrating than SPS as far as new additions are concerned. Just thought I would take an opportunity to vent my frustration with the same thing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 A lot of good suggestions and points above but you're gonna get my 2 cents also . This may just be a need on my part to identify a pattern but I seem to see deaths at 2 days, 2 weeks and 2 months. It can sometimes take a while for stress to make itself known or a pathogen to develop which leaves us aquarists pretty frustrated without an adequate answer. The things I'd ask myself are: Are the established fish in the tank doing good? Did it happen to all the new fish or just some or one of them? How are the invertebrates in the tank doing? What do the water tests read? From what you've done it's seems pretty obvious to me there's not a water quality issue and that you've pretty much ruled out a behavioral issue which either leaves us with a stress problem or a pathogen. If it was stress from shipping and handling there's not much you could have done about that eccept maybe do a slower acclimation next time. I'd be inclined to think if there was a big difference in the water parameters between your tank and the tank at the LFS it would have caused problems with in a day or two (that the fish were eating "suggests" they acclimated fine) but that is by no means a given. If it is a pathogen and only the new fish died it may have been something they had already (and they could very likely have had it before the LFS got them {and now you have to worry about your established fish getting it}). It could also be something in your tank that your existing fish have a resistance or immunity to but not having any external signs of infection or parasites we're pretty much shooting in the dark now. Did you happen to notice if the new fish were breathing hard? This is where I get up on my soap box and your hear a sermon about quarantine tanks and UV sterilizers. At this point I'd be watching my established fish and inverts real close. I would also strongly urge you to not to add anything fish to your tank for at least a month but longer is much better. And finally I'm going to relate an experience I had about 8 years ago. I ordered from my supplier 10 Med. Naso Tangs (~ 5"). They went into a 100 gal QT, looked good and were eating. Between weeks 3 and 5 (they looked good so I didn't feel the need to go the full 4 week QT) I distributed them to nine different tanks, one tank got 2. Then between weeks six and eight 9 of them died with no external signs and no loss of appetite (#10 died in an AC failure later ). The only common point was the supply chain, it could not have been any of my clients tanks. That I moved fish through that QT before and after without problems suggests it wasn't my QT but I can't rule out it being a genus or species specific pathogen. Over the years I have had similar experiences but that one was the most dramatic. This is something most hobbyists would not see, they would only see the one or two deaths and wonder "why me". So take heart, it may not be anything you're doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregsf66 Posted March 17, 2011 Author Share Posted March 17, 2011 All other fish are doing fine. I have had a pigmy angel for 2 plus years. Guess in the end I'm doing all that I can do.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Don't forget my sermon on quarantine tanks and sterilizers . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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