dieselndixie Posted February 14, 2007 Share Posted February 14, 2007 Well, havent posted in a while, but I downsized my 55g reef tank to a 24g Nano, and I have been very pleased with the results. My maintence time is less, and the cost is less....but I recently had an issue. I bought a yellow wtachman goby (pair) and here is what happened afterwards. next morning after adding yellow watchman - 1 of them dead 12 days later - flame angle dead (had him for 1yr) next day - royal gramma dead (had him for 1yr 2mths) next day - clown dead (first fish I ever got - pretty old) I tested the water....perfect parameters (btw did a 20% water change after the first watchman died) took my water to the fish store...they tested the water and said perfect (calcium was low=300 but no issue) anyway...only explanation they gave was that I got a fish based parasite from the last fish I added - which I got from them! no snails dead, no hermits dead, and both cleanershrimp and fireshrimp are doing fine.....corals look best they have looked and are multiplying anyone ever had this happen? I am upset and confused..... my next question is coming, but I wanted to get some responses first thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GKarshens Posted February 14, 2007 Share Posted February 14, 2007 Sorry for your losses. I have never had it happen personally but I did read a thread on RC that had a similar situation. You can't really blame the store. They had no way of knowing just like you didn't. I don't usually QT either but that would have prevented it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedude Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 What is your temperature doing? Sounds like a pH or temperature swing to me. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Headless_donkey Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 I am sorry to hear about your losses. I have had the exact same thing happen. I still to this day don't know what happened. The LFS were surprised when my water was perfect and things were dying. They said to look for external environmental pollutants. The only thing I can possible trace it to in our case was having the exterminator over. I ended up doing a 100% water change, replacing the sand, and taking it VERY slow restocking. The tank and the fish (except for the one that is living in the back I can't get out) Are doing great. Man it sucked and I need to buy stock in roach traps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieselndixie Posted February 15, 2007 Author Share Posted February 15, 2007 i think it would sound like a ph or temp swing also if all the other inhabitants werent doing just fine. Ph was tested along with all the other parameters - this was done every single day that a fish showed up dead - in addition to my regularly scheduled testing. temp is monitored everytime I look at the tank (digital temp gauge on the front glass) The tank had been running for quite some time now, and all rock and inhabitants were from a long time established 55g tank. I dont blame the LFS for the problem, but they did sell me a fish right out of their shipment....when they usually do their own small quarentine. Its like getting food poisening from taco bell...taco bell didnt make the meat or do something wrong....but you got it from them and would never eat there again.... anyway...here is my next question. After talking with other reefers and fish gurus...parasites have a short life span when they dont have a body(fish) to host. so I am going to let the tank run for 6 weeks as is (again coral, shrimp, crabs, snails...all still thriving) after 6 weeks I am going to start over. I was curious as to what people thought about going more aggressive...like a fuzzy dwarf and snowflake eel... I have a home for my shrimp (other tank) but what would happen to all my hermits and snails. I have heard the lionfish would eat them, and leave me with no cleaner crew. any experience on this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crab Rangoon Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 I was curious as to what people thought about going more aggressive...like a fuzzy dwarf and snowflake eel...I have a home for my shrimp (other tank) but what would happen to all my hermits and snails. I have heard the lionfish would eat them, and leave me with no cleaner crew. any experience on this? I would personally advise against keeping these in your nano if you're keeping it stocked with corals. I've never had any of the eels or lions we've kept at home do ANY harm to snails or hermit crabs (non-shell-dwelling inverts are another story confused2.gif ). Also, neither will do any damage or bothering to corals in the tank. The only catch is that the bio load of predators are much heavier on a tank than those of smaller community type reef fish. Predators are relatively easy to keep in their own right, as they aren't easily bothered by the nitrates that fish of their size and diets place on a tank. Corals, however, don't care for nitrates. So, if you were working towards making both your corals and your predators happy in the same tank, you'd have to get into changing the water more frequently and/or in larger amounts. Best medium I've found to predators in coral tanks are the leaf fish. Just ask Lee, or check out some of his pics (I haven't seen him post much in the way of pics yet, though?). He's got a modest collection of things along the lines of smaller predators (in that they generally stay below 5-6") and need infrequent feedings, and dont put a large bio-load on the tank. Also, if the budget permits, the Golden Dwarf Moray Eel is probably one of my favorite marine critters ever! Just for kicks, you should check out some pics of them. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barderer Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 I have a snowflake eel in my 29g nano. He has eaten fish. He ate a huge watchmen goby as soon as I dropped it in the tank. He does not bother my clown or my six line wrasse. He will eat all crabs and shrimp. Only hermits can make it against him. In other words. Don't get it unless you really want it to be the feature animal because it will limit what you can put in your tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieselndixie Posted February 18, 2007 Author Share Posted February 18, 2007 thanks..thats the kind of things I was questioning. what other ideas could I do? I am just asking because now is the time to try something new....unfortunatly. im not against going with reef friendly fish, I just feel weird about buying the same fish again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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