confused

[briann]

How nice are the tanks at your LFS? Do all the tanks and the fish look healthy? Depending on them for your livestock and your water might be part of your problem if they are not up to par Do you ever check the values of the water in the bags when you buy your fish to compare it to your own?

The tanks look fine, fish are pretty healthy. And no i never check the value. How would i be able to do that?

 

[mayday610]

The trigger could be part of the problem, but i'm still not convinced that its the whole problem. I could see if you added one fish at a time and he chased it constantly around your tank until it stressed out. Does he go at them the whole time, or just when they get close to his area? 90g should be enough space for them to get away and get a break from him. If you really think its the trigger, before you add your fish, change your rocks around and mess his area up. Also add them with the lights out. It will put your trigger into night mode, and he will also be looking to claim a new area to call home, which should help take his attention away from your new livestock. Do what you can to give the new fish a chance to settle in before they have to deal with it.

 

[mayday610]

just take some of the water from the bag the fish come in when you buy them. Mainly just check salinity and ph.... If your tank values are much different from the store values, then you will want to take more time acclimating, and then i would suggest drip acclimation. If your values are much different, you can still shock your fish doing the traditional 30 minute float and a cup of water every 15 minutes...

 

[Singlefin]

What test kits are you using? Are you doing water changes?

 

[always reefin]

im not to sure if its RO or RODI. temperature is between 78-80 and ive seen him attack most of the fish but i didnt think he would have killed them especially that many. unless he just stress them out that much.

I could be wrong but I think you may have just answered your own question

 

[mayday610]

I know you said earlier that your fish eat at first, and then over time they sit on the bottom breathing heavily,,, what timeline are we looking at here? A few hours? A day? A couple days?

 

[briann]

I know you said earlier that your fish eat at first, and then over time they sit on the bottom breathing heavily,,, what timeline are we looking at here? A few hours? A day? A couple days?

Well im not sure if i answered my own question yet lol. Im still not sure if its him killing them. And they all have different life spans anywhere from 1 week to 2 and a half weeks. Its weird. Im not testing my water cause i havnt really tried to learn. But i take it to my lfs and watch them test it.

 

[Mike&Terry]

From the sound of it, you have multiple issues. Your system is very new and you have added quite a number of fish in a very short time. My bet would be on ammonia/nitrite spikes and parasitic disease as the two main culprits.

Here are some suggestions:

• Buy your own test kits and at the very least test for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Ammonia and nitrite are toxic to fish. Here's a link to a thread on the nitrogen cycle: https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/ne...rum/57629-lets-talk-about-nitrogen-cycle.html
• Do some research on the fish you want before purchasing to make sure they are a good choice for you and your tank. Clown Tangs are difficult fish and are not suitable for the beginner hobbyist: Saltwater Aquarium Fish for Marine Aquariums: Clown Tang.
• Add fish (and other livestock) slowly. This will give the good (nitrifying) bacteria time to adjust to the new bio load.
• Think about setting up a proper fish quarantine tank.
• Arm yourself with knowledge. Here is a good place to start.
• Two books that we would recommend are:
  
  • The New Marine Aquarium by Mike Paletta (A bit dated, but loaded with fundamental basics that are still valid today)
  • The Conscientious Marine Aquarist (2005 Edition) by Robert Fenner

 

[briann]

From the sound of it, you have multiple issues. Your system is very new and you have added quite a number of fish in a very short time. My bet would be on ammonia/nitrite spikes and parasitic disease as the two main culprits.

Here are some suggestions:

• Buy your own test kits and at the very least test for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Ammonia and nitrite are toxic to fish. Here's a link to a thread on the nitrogen cycle: https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/ne...rum/57629-lets-talk-about-nitrogen-cycle.html
• Do some research on the fish you want before purchasing to make sure they are a good choice for you and your tank. Clown Tangs are difficult fish and are not suitable for the beginner hobbyist: Saltwater Aquarium Fish for Marine Aquariums: Clown Tang.
• Add fish (and other livestock) slowly. This will give the good (nitrifying) bacteria time to adjust to the new bio load.
• Think about setting up a proper fish quarantine tank.
• Arm yourself with knowledge. Here is a good place to start.
• Two books that we would recommend are:
  
  • The New Marine Aquarium by Mike Paletta (A bit dated, but loaded with fundamental basics that are still valid today)
  • The Conscientious Marine Aquarist (2005 Edition) by Robert Fenner

So how often would be good to add fish? And a quarantine tank i dont know bout that. And ill definitely be looking into those books. And what should happen with the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate? Mine are all at 0

 

[Squishie89]

So how often would be good to add fish? And a quarantine tank i dont know bout that. And ill definitely be looking into those books. And what should happen with the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate? Mine are all at 0

I think it really depends on how your tank handles the fish, but it essentially comes down to how often the fish is fed/eats. As Mike&Terry said, your tank needs time to get used to the bioload. I want to tell you a number for how long to wait, but I really don't know that and don't want to miss-inform you. But take things slow. There is no reason to rush. Enjoy your critters and get to know them while you wait for the time to be right for the next one.

 

[larangcon]

Briann,
Sorry for your loss. Read up and learn as much as you can here in R2R, there's alot of knowledgeable reefers in here.

 

[Zack]

How did you cycle the tank? It does sound like too many fish too fast though.

 

[briann]

Well i was moving fast. But as of right now everything seems fine. And yes im getting to know my fish better. And doing research on my next fish. (Lawnmower blenny)

 

[reefaddictionrx]

Brian - It sounds like you are going about things better this time around. Good to hear you are researching your fish first...rather than what looks good that day at the fish store! I still try to talk myself into giving in some times. i.e. my wife saw a catalina goby one time that she had to have, I had never seen one before, and the local lfs store guy assured her it would do just fine in our tank...and of course it didn't do well in our 78 degree reef tank.

Did you ever find out about the water from the store? (Is it RO/DI water or just RO? Have you asked the shop what the TDS is of the water?) I would make sure you aren't using tap water/well water at home for top off. I would make sure that is all ok, as with time, that will be an issue with algae growth, etc in the near future.

 

[briann]

Im using RO/DI. And everything is doing better. Drip acclimation into bag while sitting in sump. I think my tank just needed some more time, i was moving fast.


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