confused

[briann]

so i recently started a 90 gallon reef tank, and its been running for about a month and a half. but yet most of my fish seem to die. my water param. are good, my zoas seem good opening up just as they should. i started off with a few chromis a clown tang and 2 diamond watchmen gobies. the clown tang wasn't eating and it gained ich ended up dying 2 days later then i added a couple seabaes a percula and a odonus trigger and all of a sudden every fish that was put in was dying. the only fish that are healthy and doing good still, is 1 diamond watchmen (the other one jumped out) the chromis i started off with and the trigger. everything still test perfect, and cant seem to figure out the problem. if anyone can help me it would be greatly appreciated. im starting to think the trigger is territorial and any fish that goes near his area he tries to get at.

 

[Squishie89]

Did the tank cycle? As in, did you see ammonia spike, then nitrate spike? Or did you use any sort of bacteria additive for the cycle? Do you have live rock or live sand in the tank? What kind of filtration are you running?

 

[briann]

Did the tank cycle? As in, did you see ammonia spike, then nitrate spike? Or did you use any sort of bacteria additive for the cycle? Do you have live rock or live sand in the tank? What kind of filtration are you running?

yea i think it did, ammonia and nitrate are at 0, and yes i added bacteria to it, i have 50 pounds of live rock and i have live sand also. im using a refugium

 

[always reefin]

post water parameters please along with temp and salinity, good doesn't tell us much

 

[briann]

also have a protein skimmer running on it.

 

[briann]

post water parameters please along with temp and salinity, good doesn't tell us much

ph 8.0
calcium was 420 today but i added some to it (before this it was at 480)
alkalinity 8
nitrates 0
nitrite 0
phosphates 0
salinity 1.026
ammonia 0

 

[Squishie89]

How are you acclimating the fish? And where are you purchasing from? Are the fish eating up until death? Are you quarantining at all?

 

[briann]

How are you acclimating the fish? And where are you purchasing from? Are the fish eating up until death? Are you quarantining at all?

place in water for 30 minutes every 10 minutes add half a cup of water to bag. from my LFS, well they always eat then eventually start acting up and they will sit at the bottom of the tank breathing heavily and wont eat at all. and no, all i do is add garlic to the food and vita chem and i used to dose a bit of metronidazole but i stopped thinking it may have caused a problem with the fish.

 

[mayday610]

Are you using RO/DI water?

 

[briann]

Are you using RO/DI water?

what is "RO/DI"?

 

[mayday610]

Reverse osmosis/Distilled What are you using for a water source to mix your salt with? Or are you buying premixed water?

 

[Squishie89]

Well, Triggers are not known to be very friendly fish. Triggerfish It is possible he is killing them. Drip acclimation would be best for the fish. Otherwise I am not sure =/ Hopefully someone else can help.

 

[briann]

Reverse osmosis/Distilled What are you using for a water source to mix your salt with? Or are you buying premixed water?

i just go to my lfs and they fill up my buckets with either salt or what they consider "fresh water"

 

[always reefin]

temp?

 

[wrasseluver]

what is "RO/DI"?

That are you using for top off water? RO or RODI? RODI is purified water and is what should be used to top off the tank when water evaporates.

 

[briann]

That are you using for top off water? RO or RODI? RODI is purified water and is what should be used to top off the tank when water evaporates.

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.

 

[briann]

Well, Triggers are not known to be very friendly fish. Triggerfish It is possible he is killing them. Drip acclimation would be best for the fish. Otherwise I am not sure =/ Hopefully someone else can help.

when doing drip acclimation, how long should that be done for?

 

[mayday610]

Not drip acclimating is not your problem i'm sure. If you do want to do it, you would still float the bag and then just let it drip in at a rate of a couple drops or so a second for about a half hour to an hour, depending. I never drip acclimate fish and have never had a problem. There must be another reason you are having issues

 

[briann]

Not drip acclimating is not your problem i'm sure. If you do want to do it, you would still float the bag and then just let it drip in at a rate of a couple drops or so a second for about a half hour to an hour, depending. I never drip acclimate fish and have never had a problem. There must be another reason you are having issues

I doubt its the acclimation, but i cant seem to figure it out. Im just gonna take it slow and keep watching the fish activity. If anybody else has opinions feel free to put them out there. Right now i think its the trigger attacking but im not too sure. Thanks alot guys !

 

[mayday610]

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?