Everything is dead

[Ashish Patel]

So sorry man! It was surely a bad move and a lot of die off from the rock, stir sand causing a bomb of nutrient to be released back in the water column. This stuff becomes toxic in high doses. I moved my system 2 years ago and planned it with military precision and did not lose anything besides one anthias.

Did the rock in the system stay out of water before adding?

Remember that unlike freshwater every single variable in saltwater matters. I've learned this the hard way for 25 years. The smallest decisions can mean disaster so make sure you keep it simple,

 

[MnFish1]

I seriously thought I was doing okay. I checked the water parameters daily and the fish seemed happy. Then yesterday I came home from work to find my two clownfish on the tank floor dead. My angelfish behind a rock, dead. My blue tang struggling near the surface, to later die in a separate hospital tank, and my yellow who was swimming around died a few hours later. I am devastated. I guess I could have posted my water parameters and asked the community what the problem was, but I was too ashamed to admit my failures. I've had freshwater fish for years, but these saltwater fish I've only had for 2 weeks. I just unplugged everything from my newly purchased 300 gallon tank and sunk my head down in my lap.

I seriously can't see how you reefers manage this kind of devastation. The concept of things dying due to your stupidity and negligence is disheartening to say the least.

Luckily my wife is very supportive and she's urging me to remember and learn from these failures, but I don't know if I can continue with saltwater.

First - sorry about your fish losses. I would plug it back in - second of of all - and just let the tank 'sit there'. I think it's important (assuming you're going to continue) - to try to figure out the problem. Yes - it is certainly a stress when a die-off occurs. But - I think I agree with your wife - you're being a little too hard on yourself - You dont know if it was your 'stupidity and negligence'. It could have been an equipment failure, a disease, etc etc etc. BTW - it sometimes occurs that when one fish dies (especially in a smaller tank) - that enough ammonia accumulates such that a cascade occurs - that seems 'unlikely' - due to the tanks size.

PS. - it would seem to me that a toxin from a move - would occur much faster than 2 weeks - BUT the size of the tank may have been protective for a bit @Lasse?

 

[Lasse]

PS. - it would seem to me that a toxin from a move - would occur much faster than 2 weeks - BUT the size of the tank may have been protective for a bit

No - I do not think that size has any importance in this case - because its more sand, more rocks and more water in a large tank compared with a small. If you move whole content of a 40 G tank to a 300 G tank - yes maybe the size matter - but now it was a complete content in a 300 G that was transferred to new place

But as I state in my first post - I have not a single idea what was the cause of the event. And I can´t have i either.

However - i did not list nutrients as a possible cause to fish dead - because it is not the case. High nutrient concentrations do not kill fish - at least not in a acute way as happens here. NH3 is a gas - not a nutrient

Only the original poster can figure out what´s happens - he/she knows the whole story - if the sand was cleaned - if the rocks was cleaned and so on. I prefer not to - as we say in Sweden - killgissa or play a blame game here

The only suggestion I have is to send in an ICP test in order to know if there is high concentrations of heavy metals or not in the water.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Rmckoy]

To start ..
so sorry to hear about your loss with such a. New system . What was a new and excited new aquarist is now realizing it’s not as easy as it sounds .

but moving forward . Take this as a lesson and learn from it .
You can’t beat your self up wondering what happened but can only try not to repeat the same thing again .

research 1) sand rinse
Any time as old tank is moved what ever settled into the sand is toxic If disturbed .
that sand can be rinsed talk to @brandon429

 

[Rmckoy]

If this helps you at all .
I upgraded from a 90 gal to the current 230
Under the old school ways where sand held biological bacteria to help instant cycle .
that was wrong .
I crashed a almost 5 year old established reef killing everything .
Restocking was a expensive depressing adventure .
but moving forward . It needed to be done .
admitting I messed up and this is why I need to buy all these corals and fish again .

 

[HuduVudu]

Everything indicate an poisoning because it was a fast happening, all the fish were affected and so on. The million dollar question then becomes - of what?

My money is on an anaerobic zone that got disturbed. Nothing will kill a tank faster than aerobic decomposition in a previously anaerobic area.

My 2 cents

 

[Sebastiancrab]

So sorry this happened. We all make mistakes, some large and some small. Check out the Bulk Reef Supply videos on Youtube on all things reefing. Another suggestion is to invest in Hanna or Salifert test kits. Ask questions here when you aren't sure of the next step to take in taking care of your tank and the animals. Your reefer friends are glad to help!

 

[Lasse]

Its not bad tests that have killed your fish and I doubt that any hobby test have seen the danger in this case. Maybe a good free ammonia test (if ammonia spike was the reason) could have helped - but not the others IMO.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[MnFish1]

Its not bad tests that have killed your fish and I doubt that any hobby test have seen the danger in this case. Maybe a good free ammonia test (if ammonia spike was the reason) could have helped - but not the others IMO.

Sincerely Lasse

Thanks @Lasse - I guess my question (and experience) - is that moving rock/sand can definitely cause the various problems you mention - IME - its usually much more quickly toxic than 2 weeks. i.e. move the tank and overnight everything is dead.

 

[ClownSchool]

The tank was already established by the previous owner. I had to empty a lot of it in order to move it because it was so heavy. I kept all the water, live rock, and live sand, but I had to separate them into from the tank so it could be moved. 300 gallons plus a heavy oak stand is no joke.

Did you let the sand and rock dry out?

 

[ClownSchool]

I seriously thought I was doing okay. I checked the water parameters daily and the fish seemed happy. Then yesterday I came home from work to find my two clownfish on the tank floor dead. My angelfish behind a rock, dead. My blue tang struggling near the surface, to later die in a separate hospital tank, and my yellow who was swimming around died a few hours later. I am devastated. I guess I could have posted my water parameters and asked the community what the problem was, but I was too ashamed to admit my failures. I've had freshwater fish for years, but these saltwater fish I've only had for 2 weeks. I just unplugged everything from my newly purchased 300 gallon tank and sunk my head down in my lap.

I seriously can't see how you reefers manage this kind of devastation. The concept of things dying due to your stupidity and negligence is disheartening to say the least.

Luckily my wife is very supportive and she's urging me to remember and learn from these failures, but I don't know if I can continue with saltwater.

I followed a thread here of a very experienced reef keeper than was moving his stock into a new tank. Had all the equipment, no travel, and really seemed to know what he was doing.
About the 7th update was a post of THOUSANDS of dollars worth of dead coral. Then, a few updates later, stress killed some very expensive, mature fish.
Between the money and loss of life, it was devastating to watch.
It happens to the best of us. Keep your chin up. Your biggest mistakes will inevitably become your best teachers. Embrace it, and just keep swimming.

 

[ClownSchool]

No - I do not think that size has any importance in this case - because its more sand, more rocks and more water in a large tank compared with a small. If you move whole content of a 40 G tank to a 300 G tank - yes maybe the size matter - but now it was a complete content in a 300 G that was transferred to new place

But as I state in my first post - I have not a single idea what was the cause of the event. And I can´t have i either.

However - i did not list nutrients as a possible cause to fish dead - because it is not the case. High nutrient concentrations do not kill fish - at least not in a acute way as happens here. NH3 is a gas - not a nutrient

Only the original poster can figure out what´s happens - he/she knows the whole story - if the sand was cleaned - if the rocks was cleaned and so on. I prefer not to - as we say in Sweden - killgissa or play a blame game here

The only suggestion I have is to send in an ICP test in order to know if there is high concentrations of heavy metals or not in the water.

Sincerely Lasse

I don’t suppose any aerosols were used or scented candles lit in the room?

 

[Wasabiroot]

I'd be more concerned with myself if I didn't care about what happened to my animals.
Your wife is right. It's OK to beat yourself up, but it's also OK to use this experience to make you a better, more diligent reefer. If I could suggest anything it's to slow down and tackle one problem at a time here.

I once left my return pump off overnight accidentally and cooked a blenny alive since my heaters were in my refugium. It still bothers me to this day. But, I keep his little face in mind as a reminder to double check anything. Don't let this situation ruin your reefing experience for good- just pick yourself up and do your best to make future livestock happy and safe. That's all you can really do. Yes, they passed and yes it may (or even likely) have been your fault. But one thing I've noticed about reefing in particular is it seems to punish mistakes much more severely sometimes. And as long as you prioritize your livestocks' well being as often as possible in the future, you're on the right track.

Live and learn, but don't hate yourself. The unfortunate side effect of mistakes in this hobby is livestock can pass away. It blows when it happens and the guilt can be terrible, but that just means you are a conscientious human.

 

[Yeee]

Thanks for all the replies. The reefing community is very strong with support and that's definitely one silver lining I found in all of this; realizing that I am not alone when making knee-jerk decisions in the future. There's many people here who have years of experience and they can see past the singularity I cannot grasp yet.

You all have given me a wealth of information to help me cope and continue with this. I've decided to take things much much slower now. When I first got the tank I felt that I needed to rush because if I didn't get the tank stabilized quickly the fish would die. Ironically in my urgency to hurry things up I caused my fish to die. Each action has an equal and opposite reaction, and even good intentions can yield bad results. I have decided to move forward more methodically. Before the tank sees fish again, the sand will be properly rinsed, the liverocks will be cycled, and the water will be tested with accurate equipment.

 

[jonleeroyix]

The tank was purchased used and those fish came with it.

Same thing happened to me with my tank, all but one huge puffer didn’t make it, sold the puffer though to start fresh, just gotta let the tank cycle up for a while and start a new

 

[davidcalgary29]

Thanks for all the replies. The reefing community is very strong with support and that's definitely one silver lining I found in all of this; realizing that I am not alone when making knee-jerk decisions in the future. There's many people here who have years of experience and they can see past the singularity I cannot grasp yet.

You all have given me a wealth of information to help me cope and continue with this. I've decided to take things much much slower now. When I first got the tank I felt that I needed to rush because if I didn't get the tank stabilized quickly the fish would die. Ironically in my urgency to hurry things up I caused my fish to die. Each action has an equal and opposite reaction, and even good intentions can yield bad results. I have decided to move forward more methodically. Before the tank sees fish again, the sand will be properly rinsed, the liverocks will be cycled, and the water will be tested with accurate equipment.

How about (re)starting things off with macroalgae and some interesting inverts? Most species of aquarium macro (and do NOT put caulerpa in your display, unless you are looking for a single-species tank) are both pretty and hardy, and your success in cultivating it will certainly give you a confidence boost. They also tend to add life and dimension to a tank, and are a nice substitute for the harder-to-keep corals in new tanks.

Inverts are almost always relegated to custodial status and most of them are certainly undervalued for their contribution to overall tank interest. Hardy urchins like tuxedos are fascinating animals, and they're as much fun to watch as any fish. And conchs, cowries, and limpets (ie. keyhole limpets) are beautiful as well as functional, tend to be quite dynamic, and give lie to the belief that algae-eating molluscs are passive and boring.

 

[Andresnyc93]

I’m so sorry that this happened, it’s never easy and it’s always heartbreaking. We go through a lot of trial and error in this hobby given that most people don’t take the time to learn the hobby but I promise you it’s all worth it. The biggest thing I would say is just be patient with this hobby and learn from mistakes. It happens to all of us even us that have been doing this for quite sometime. Hope to see a build thread from your tank soon!

 

[Dave1993]

if you used old sand thats probs the cause