All new fish are dying! Need suggestions

[Mavric]

Also try to bump your salinity up a bit as well. 1.020-1.021 isn't dramatically bad but you will find that a lot of LFS, online livestock sellers, and local reef frag dealers will run between 1.024-1.026. Even this difference in salinity can shock a fish and kill it pretty quickly.

 

[Tig1199]

It’s def a 90. It is just wide. 18” instead of my 55 that’s 13”. Same length and about the same height tho..

 

[Tig1199]

Snails are stars dead and only one hermit crab is still alive.. those are things I added after the ICH treat and copper removal.

“Can you list your results for. No3 po4 ammonia , no2 ??” Ammonia is at 0. The other stuff I have no idea what or how to test it. I did post the other numbers tho.. nitrites, nitrates, ph, etc

When you added copper too the dt ... was all your rocks still in there .. if they were then that will certainly be one issue I think.. I would do a triton or Api test see what’s in my water ..
how are your inverts shrimp and crabs ,, or is it only fish dying ..?
What test kits are you using ?redsea saliferts? Other
Can you list your results for. No3 po4 ammonia , no2 ??
The more info incl pics will be beter,
A good start is always water change ... maybe 20-30% if you can as well

 

[408Dartfish]

PO4 is your phosphates level. No2 nitrites and NO3 nitrates. Dustin

 

[Tig1199]

Acclimation process- open bag and slow drip with medical tubing for 30 min to and 1 hr and 1/2. Temp was at 78. Now it is 80.2 since I have placed glass lids on it.

Woah, you put copper directly into your DT? Even if you run carbon, you will still have copper in your rock/sand/filtration. If someone told you to put copper directly into your DT, do not listen to their advice ever again.

If every fish is dying within 24 hours, it may have to do with acclimation. Can you explain your acclimation process? Also, what temp/salinity do you run your tank?

 

[Tig1199]

PO4 is your phosphates level. No2 nitrites and NO3 nitrates. Dustin

Sorry.. didn’t know the abbreviation’s for them.

 

[408Dartfish]

Sorry.. didn’t know the abbreviation’s for them.

No worries. You will see quite a few abbreviations around here. Hope your tank gets better soon.

 

[Jason mack]

Sorry.. didn’t know the abbreviation’s for them.

The key too this hobby is Patients and research ... and then more patience and research ... this is not an easy or cheap hobby , but your at the right place now ..
here’s some reading stuff to start you off
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-supreme-guide-to-setting-up-a-saltwater-reef-aquarium.138750/

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/cycling-an-aquarium.306554/
Ask questions on here for anything you don’t understand ..
Lots of people with good advice to help you

 

[Jason mack]

No worries. You will see quite a few abbreviations around here. Hope your tank gets better soon.

There’s a thread on here for all the abbreviations.. I’ll try and find it for you

 

[Jason mack]

Sorry.. didn’t know the abbreviation’s for them.

Try this !

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/lingo-commonly-used-acronyms-0.57652/

 

[beaslbob]

It’s def a 90. It is just wide. 18” instead of my 55 that’s 13”. Same length and about the same height tho..

55g is a foot thick and about 21" tall.

FWIW if you take 3/4's of the cubic feet and move the decimal to the right you get the gallons.

For instance 4 foot by 1.5 footb by 2 foot tank:

(4* (3/4)=3)x1.5*2=6*1.5=9. move decimal 90.

(magic hu? LOL)

(secret each cubic foot is ~7.5 gallons.)

 

[Halal Hotdog]

If new additions are dying within 2 days then there is definitely a major factor that is off. Within that short of a time I would imagine it would be something like ammonia or salinity being significantly higher than what they were living in at the LFS. Could also be copper levels are high.
New additions should not be going straight into your display tank. They should be quarantined first which IMO should have medication. Velvet can kill as fast as you are describing but typically you would see signs on some of them, like white sandy covering over their body. Before buying fish always verify they are eating well and nothing looks 'weird' about them. Copper in your DT is not the end of the world, but definitely not ideal. It will take a while for all your rock and substrate to leach out all the copper that it absorbed. You will have to continuously run carbon and do water changes. Other option is to replace all the rock and sand.

 

[Tig1199]

I have recently set up a QT tank just for that reason. All fish will go in this tank for a minimum of a month once I get my DT built back up. Move my Chromis and Blenny to that tank so I can start the DT over.. AKA clean it and let it sit empty for several months. Think I’m gonna run a bottomless tank and buy new live rock. . Not sure what the heck I’m gonna do with this rock tho.

Here I was so happy with the way my construction came out and the tank looked in it.. I could strangle the LFS owner.. He def took advantage of a person who had no idea.

If new additions are dying within 2 days then there is definitely a major factor that is off. Within that short of a time I would imagine it would be something like ammonia or salinity being significantly higher than what they were living in at the LFS. Could also be copper levels are high.
New additions should not be going straight into your display tank. They should be quarantined first which IMO should have medication. Velvet can kill as fast as you are describing but typically you would see signs on some of them, like white sandy covering over their body. Before buying fish always verify they are eating well and nothing looks 'weird' about them. Copper in your DT is not the end of the world, but definitely not ideal. It will take a while for all your rock and substrate to leach out all the copper that it absorbed. You will have to continuously run carbon and do water changes. Other option is to replace all the rock and sand.

 

[mcarroll]

(I think there's still something wrong with the "NOW" pictures.)

Nitrates- 10PPM

Copper- +/- .25
Specific gravity- 1.020-1.021

Water changes are religiously done every 2-3 weeks with RO and is approx 25%

attempted to remove the copper which I have found impossible and now have to remove the rock I have and start over.

If you intend on corals (I think I see corals, right?), it's highly advised to raise your specific gravity to around 1.025.

Just to be clear, do you test for copper currently and find positive levels (e.g. .25 ppm) even after water changes and activated carbon treatment? (what is a carbon sheet? Activated carbon should have a sandy, gravely or pellet form.)

What copper product did you dose and what test kit are you using?

Just as a sanity check, if you test your fresh new water change water for copper, do you get a zero?

Have you tested for phosphates? If PO4 is zero-ish then your nitrates may be "high" because of that. If that's the case, then water changes may actually be hurting things rather than helping. Let us know if you can test for phosphates.

I suspect your existing fish may be immune from something they are still carriers for, such as ich.

Not a big deal, but you may have to wait for their immunity to fade (which means they finally kicked the parasite out completely) before adding new fish to the tank. This is reported to take up to six months, at least for ich.

If you're still running sub-therapeutic levels of copper (as suspected) that will be a contributing factor to the fish remaining unable to completely kick the parasite.

 

[beaslbob]

55g is a foot thick and about 21" tall.

FWIW if you take 3/4's of the cubic feet and move the decimal to the right you get the gallons.

For instance 4 foot by 1.5 footb by 2 foot tank:

(4* (3/4)=3)*2=6*1.5=9. move decimal 90.

(magic hu? LOL)

(secret each cubic foot is ~7.5 gallons.)

Corrected the calculations above. Sorry and I'm duly embarrassed.

 

[Tig1199]

Gonna try to hit all your questions.

Yes I will be having corals in the tank.. all mine died when I moved them during the ICH episode.


To remove copper.
Right after water change it was .25
Now it’s .25
Just checked new water (not yet added to tank) and it’s .25

Copper used was: cupramine

Phosphates- I don’t have a test kit for it.

I haven’t seen any spots at all on any of the three fish that seem to be fine in the tank.

I think I answered everything

(I think there's still something wrong with the "NOW" pictures.)

If you intend on corals (I think I see corals, right?), it's highly advised to raise your specific gravity to around 1.025.

Just to be clear, do you test for copper currently and find positive levels (e.g. .25 ppm) even after water changes and activated carbon treatment? (what is a carbon sheet? Activated carbon should have a sandy, gravely or pellet form.)

What copper product did you dose and what test kit are you using?

Just as a sanity check, if you test your fresh new water change water for copper, do you get a zero?

Have you tested for phosphates? If PO4 is zero-ish then your nitrates may be "high" because of that. If that's the case, then water changes may actually be hurting things rather than helping. Let us know if you can test for phosphates.

I suspect your existing fish may be immune from something they are still carriers for, such as ich.

Not a big deal, but you may have to wait for their immunity to fade (which means they finally kicked the parasite out completely) before adding new fish to the tank. This is reported to take up to six months, at least for ich.

If you're still running sub-therapeutic levels of copper (as suspected) that will be a contributing factor to the fish remaining unable to completely kick the parasite.

 

[Tig1199]

Corrected the calculations above. Sorry and I'm duly embarrassed.

24.5x48x18

 

[hdsoftail1065]

Bump

 

[hdsoftail1065]

I know your getting hit with all kinds of information coming at you at once and I really hate that you and your wife are going through all of this. We have had our challenges as well as everyone else when they start out. Don't let it get you two down, it's a learning experience.

To level set and make sure your tracking with the information you have received so far. Do you mind laying out your go forward plan so these fine folks can see if your tracking their suggestions or can give you more suggestions? The last thing anyone on here wants to see is you taking the wrong approach and ending up with another crash.

 

[Tig1199]

It seems like I need to do the following:
Remove my fish and put them in my QT.. Remove all from tank.. Clean tank.. Let sit for several months.. When starting over... New live rock.. higher salinity 1.025. One fish at a time (1 every 2 weeks to month) and QT first. Find a way to test phosphates.
AND NEVER TREAT IN DT.
Patients, research, reading, patients, patients and did I mention patients.. lol