ALL FISH DYING

[YandyRiv]

hello i am nee to saltwater tanks in Nov i purchased a 32 gallon biocube. After 2 weeks i added some chromis to cycle the tank. I was taking water samples once a week to lfs and they encouraged me to start adding fish on the 3rd week. I asked them how many fish can i put and they told me i can add 10-14 small fish. I added 6 clowns, a blenny , And sand sifting goby 3 emerald crabs 2 shrimps and 3 nassarious snails. I asked if they traded fish back and said yes so i also put a small blue tang and small yellow tang.

2 weeks ago my nitrate levels went up to 80 i went back to the lfs and they told me to add chemi pure blue to lower the nitrateS. Amonia level was at .25 as well as phosphates. Within the last four days 4 clowns died but i learned they fight while pairing so i suspect 2 died because of the fighting but the last 2 that died didnt seem beat up the sand sifting goby also died and now today the blue tang died. I onow alot of you are going to get on me but i am new and i everything i did i was being told at the lfs that was fine and that my tank was good for it. I have been doing regular 20% percent water changes.

current stock in the tank
2 clown fish
1 blenny
2 chromis
1 firefish
1 small yellow tang
3 small emrald crabs
1 fire shrimp
cleaner shrimp
3 nassarius snail

my perameters today were

amonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Phosphates - .25
nitrate - 20
Salinity - 1.025

any advice or constructive critism is highly welcomed and appreciated

 

[60CubeReefer]

Your tank was probably waaaaay overstocked for the size. You're probably okay with the fish you have left--don't add any more.

Typically you're not going to have much success keeping more than 2 clowns in a tank. They will fight and kill each other.

Keep watching your ammonia, it should stay close to 0.

 

[Gareth elliott]

Welcome to reef2reef!

First, i would ask your lfs to buy back some of the fish they sold you. 10-14 fish is WAY to many for a 32 gallon tank. If will take all back that would allow more time for the next steps.

Get a bottle of bacteria and make as much salt water as you can. You will want to get the tank back to nsw values and keep the tank safe for any lifeforms inside.

To that end i would suggest doing (3) 7 gallon water changes one day apart From each other. dosing bacteria per bottle instructions. A bottle of prime will also help with ammonia. Dose per the reduce ammonia instructions.

Get the tank stable with ammonia, salinity, and temp. Over the next month or 2. Then pick a new lfs to get any livestock. As this ine gave terrible advice.

 

[PSU4ME]

Wow what terrible advice from LFS. Bottle bacteria will buy you some time but you gotta thin out the fish, especially this early

 

[wallyg]

After 6 months I only have 3 fish in my biocube. I would probably find a new LFS. No one would recommend that many fish for a new or even an established biocube.

 

[YandyRiv]

Thank you all for the advice. I am planning on staying with the benny and the 2 clowns which look like they have paired one kept doing a shaking move to the other one and the seem to spend alot of time swimming around with out the chassing and aggressive behavior as before.

 

[Daddy-o]

Do you have a skimmer in the back chamber? We also only keep 3 fish in our Bio-Cube 32. Your LFS is worse than mine!!

 

[JoshO]

Definitely lose some of the fish! Your filtration won't be able to cope with that bioload so soon, and probably ever! Stocking slowly over time is the way to make sure the parameters can stay in check and adjust. Very sad to see an lfs give this advice

 

[Euphyllia97]

Probably lost your fish due to ammonia spikes. Every death triggered another one. I would suggest you to bring back the yellow tang as it does not belong in a 32 gallon tank.

Try to read about ANY fish or invert you buy in the future and take it slow. In reefing, 1 month is nothing...

For now get some healthy water and stick to the livestock you have (-Yellow tang).

Sorry for your losses

 

[YandyRiv]

Do you have a skimmer in the back chamber? We also only keep 3 fish in our Bio-Cube 32. Your LFS is worse than mine!!

Hello thank you for the input. Yes i have the protein skimmer in the back.

 

[Silverfish]

Research! Research! Research! ...........and then more. Your inhabitants lives r in your hands so it is important to learn as much as you can before you make any decisions.
R2R is definitely a great place to start!

 

[Reaper603]

I would do a water change 20 ppm for nitrates is a little high you want to keep nitrates below 10ppm and if you have corals under 5 ppm. Definitely bad advice from Lfs. When I go to lfs it's sad that I know more sometimes than the employees do. I always research anything before I put it in my tank to make sure it will thrive and usually I go to the Lfs and see if they have what I want in stock if not I ask when their next shipment comes in and I dont buy anything.

 

[YandyRiv]

I would do a water change 20 ppm for nitrates is a little high you want to keep nitrates below 10ppm and if you have corals under 5 ppm. Definitely bad advice from Lfs. When I go to lfs it's sad that I know more sometimes than the employees do. I always research anything before I put it in my tank to make sure it will thrive and usually I go to the Lfs and see if they have what I want in stock if not I ask when their next shipment comes in and I dont buy anything.

I will be doing the same from now on.

 

[artieg1]

10-14 fish is really and eye-popping number. I am not sure you should add that many fish at once to *any* size tank, much less a 32 gallon. I would say your tank is already overstocked, even with those deaths, so carefully consider whether you remove some. Follow bio filter advice above regarding bacteria supplements. But really, time is what creates a bio filter and addresses ammonia issues.