Can't get dead fish out! Will it be ok?

[brandon429]

Here’s thirty reefs dosing liquid ammonia into the tank, surpassing the ammonia levels a small fish will lend

Does anyone dose ammonia and/or how would one try?

So, after an interesting discussion on nitrate dosing and looking at my Walt Disney coral and seeing it slightly less colorful than I have seen it in others tanks, I have decided I want to learn about and then try dosing ammonia instead of buying 20 damsels. Nitrate additives I see abound and...

www.reef2reef.com

how long does a reef tank take to rectify ammonia? 10 mins. This panic window is long since gone. Any fear training of ammonia here to the op is days late, and even if on time, still just panic training with old cycling science. Oliver, post a pic of your tank it’ll be looking just fine bc it is just fine.

it is now time to rid your display of the disease imported by skipping preps: enact fallow phase now on the tank + for all future additions. Trusting your cycle and refocusing on disease prevention is new cycling science

there are no two month old reef tanks any less able to control ammonia than there are cycling charts with a two month ammonia line. Ammonia drops by day ten, and stays there, because ammonia control is the first endowment a reef gets and the last endowment to go as long as water is in the tank. All ammonia fear training is old cycling science.

heres a pic of the tank from weeks ago, see this surface area? got it covered

we can now take an updated tank shot and look for proof markers (corals open, fish acting normal) that no ammonia distress is happening. That window of time has already passed

 

[twentyleagues]

If you have pods and bristle worms they will (if they haven't already) eat it. Anything that has ever died in one of my tanks was gone in a little over a day just from cuc which imo includes pods, bristle worms, and micro brittlestars.

 

[Goaway]

If you have pods and bristle worms they will (if they haven't already) eat it. Anything that has ever died in one of my tanks was gone in a little over a day just from cuc which imo includes pods, bristle worms, and micro brittlestars.

but now he hasn't come out for days and there's a smell

I pretty sure it's not getting cleaned up.

Water changes needed, or take out rock, remove corpse.

 

[twentyleagues]

I pretty sure it's not getting cleaned up.

Water changes needed, or take out rock, remove corpse.

Im old school and believe in ammonia spikes being detrimental. This "new cycling" make sense but Id still err on the side of caution especially if cuc is inefficient.

 

[Goaway]

Im old school and believe in ammonia spikes being detrimental. This "new cycling" make sense but Id still err on the side of caution especially if cuc is inefficient.

Coral can handle ammonia spikes better than fish, because the lack of blood. But, foul water will still kill them.

There's a lot of bacteria, rot taking place. In some cases or a lot, other life suffers for it.

If the op can smell the water fouling,
Think of it this way. Go lock yourself in a room with lots of smoke and see how fast you run for the window.

These animals are trapped.

 

[BZOFIQ]

I wouldn't sweat it. It's been eaten by the time you read this.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I wouldn't sweat it. It's been eaten by the time you read this.

Yeah, and that's why, less than 24 hours ago, the tank stank...?
I agree that most mature systems can handle a dead fish, but this is not the case...

 

[brandon429]

Watch what happens when we get update pics: nothing happens.

Nobody posting here can link a time a cycled reef tank was crashed from one fish. It's all a fear relay they heard from someone else but have never actually seen/ awaiting one example linked from a prior thread they were posting in

They're awaiting that failed api test to win the day .25= the tank will die!

 

[BZOFIQ]

Yeah, and that's why, less than 24 hours ago, the tank stank...?
I agree that most mature systems can handle a dead fish, but this is not the case...

a) its a little gobby
b) it didn't rot - hermits ate it as a meal before the end of that day.

 

[Aquariumaddictuk]

Doubtful you will have an issue.the good guys will cope with processing the ammonia.i would change carbon & socks out every day or so & change some water daily if I were in that situation.a small fish won't crash your tank

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

a) its a little gobby
b) it didn't rot - hermits ate it as a meal before the end of that day.

My pwg was 6 inches... Not "a little gobby [sic]"
If it isn't rotting, what's the smell?

 

[brandon429]

Oliver: you're being misdirected away from disease preps and into false ammonia control fears with no actual examples

Skipping disease preps is why we're here, not ammonia

I predict prime is about to be added + disease preps not applied. Prime takes no work to click, buy, add

Old cycling science is the majority voice it'll win, but not with one single example just by majority take

Post the failed nh4 ammonia api test for the win and your worst cycling fears will be confirmed, but still not real. The tank will look great in total opposition to this fear

This contrast between non digital test kits and the health of the tank is a major topic of study in updated cycling science threads

Need updated tank pic

Links you have been shown: all post cycle reef tanks control ammonia just fine, even when 4x the amount from this fish are added to thirty reefs then tested on seneye.

 

[exnisstech]

My fish don't die they just disappear.

 

[j.falk]

If you have an established tank with robust micro fauna, they will devour the dead fish before it starts to rot.

I wouldn't sweat it at all.

The fact that OP can already smell it means it already is rotting in the tank.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

The fact that OP can already smell it means it already is rotting in the tank.

Meh, I still say, no big deal.

 

[Aquariumaddictuk]

A humourous tale from a freshwater equivalent situation.
When I first started out with discus I was so panicked about the myths & fear mongering peddled on certain sites regarding their delicate nature that when a bronze corydora disappeared I panicked & spent two whole days performing full RODI water changes on the 300 litre tank.logic & experience now tells me that the 25 litres of fluidised k1 in sump would, of course, easily process the ammonia spike if there was one.

3 days later I found a mummified corydora behind the tank on the floor.

Don't panic.

Take the prudent path e.g some big water changes & you will be fine
I'd focus on why the fish died & look at QT procedures for the future.

 

[brandon429]

Also to add from Dr Tim, how bacteria handle ammonia spikes when they happen faster than bacterial numbers can increase: the cells simply step up work

A paid brick stacker can easily stack 20 bricks per minute

But that's not his maximum

Properly incented, he can stack 100 bricks per minute, that's how reef bacteria work on ammonia

Source... yet another ammonia control study link, read pages 5 and beyond for Dr Tims take:

Bacteria in a bottle, Myth or Fact

Call me old school, back in the day we placed a deli shrimp in a tank to kick start the cycle. When tank reached 1.5-2 ppm ammonia we pulled it out and waited sometimes weeks to months for bacteria to colonize and drop ammonia and nitrites down to 0 to make tank safe for livestock. With recent...

www.reef2reef.com

Does it really seem after seeing these links that a tiny goby will crash ur tank?

 

[Dburr1014]

2 month tank, 30 gallons, small dead fish.
A smell, how is your skimmer cup?
Empty it and see if the smell goes away.

Funny thing is, when something does die in my tank, I never get to see a body. Gone in hours.
How is your cleanup crew OP?

 

[Dom]

As has already been mentioned, let it be. In an established reef tank, your nitrifying bacteria colony will easily handle the increased bio load from the decaying fish.

Decay isn't instant; it happens over a period of months. I would think that as the fish gradually decays, the release of ammonia will be gradual.

 

[j.falk]

Meh, I still say, no big deal.

I agree with you. I would just do some water changes, add some extra bottled bacteria and let my clean up crew have their feast.