Half of my fish suddenly died.

[vetteguy53081]

I think ammonia poisoning is also possible but the api test kits are often said to give false positives when ammonia is 0. Get yourself a Red Sea or salifert ammonia kit and a seachem ammonia badge for now.

That's why I suggested a water sample to get a second opinion. API not very reliable although very user friendly

 

[Paul B]

You don't need to test the water. The ammonia will be gone now.

 

[Pbh-reef]

A seachem badge can help because it takes awhile to go back down to 0 after the ammonia has been processed so you have a chance to see that ammonia was there even if it’s already been processed.

 

[Darrell Brady]

I agree with what Paul B said.

 

[ZaneTer]

I suspect cyanide poisoning considering the water parameters were fine. Symptoms exhibited are the same.

 

[Paul B]

I agree with what Paul B said.

So do I.

 

[Dlewis0714]

What filters are these? Do you have a model name? I'd love a filter/skimmer combo unit for my quarantine tank, but never saw one before.

 

[Dlewis0714]

I say, Nope, Nope and Nope. This is a very easy diagnosis and I hate to diagnose from afar where I can't see how the fish died.
This is the problem and it is a problem many people don't think of.
When you "cycle" a tank, that just means the tank has enough bacteria in it to oxidize a frozen shrimp. goldfish, T Bone steak or whatever you used to cycle it with. There isn't any more bacteria left to handle a 3" fish along with all those other fish, especially all almost at the same time.

After you "cycle" a tank with whatever you used you need to add "one" fish. In time, the bacteria will multiply to handle the waste from that one fish, then add another fish and wait.

You overloaded your very new system and the fish died from ammonia poisoning which also would make them gasp from the surface and maybe die with their mouths wide open.

You did nothing else wrong. Your ammonia reading of .025 is unacceptable which indicates that your level of bacteria isn't sufficient to handle the wastes. The reading was probably higher just before the fish died but the bacteria you now have is processing it, just not fast enough.

A tank continues to "cycle" for the life of the system. The more livestock we add, the more bacteria needs to multiply but it takes time. When we remove fish, there will be less bacteria as they grow according to conditions.
Keep what you have alive and don't add anything for aa few weeks, all will be fine.
Good luck.

The ammonia is 0 though it was very little trace but that was after the fish died. Wouldn't the other fish die if it was ammonia poisoning? Before I put fish in the tank was able to process 1-2ppm ammonia in 24 hours. I don't think these fish would be able to create that much ammonia on their own in that short of period of time.

 

[Paul B]

Wouldn't the other fish die if it was ammonia poisoning?

Yes, eventually, but when the fish died, they stopped putting ammonia in the water and it started to ebb. Bacteria process ammonia right away, you just don't have enough bacteria yet. Fish excrete ammonia through their gills as well as other places.
Different fish can stand different levels of ammonia and oxygen levels just like different people can stand different levels of RAP music. I can't stand any of it.

A goldfish alone in a clean bowl would generate that very quickly which is why bacteria constantly process it.

You had a 3" fish in there.

Remember, this is not an exact science and we are trying to diagnose fish death without seeing them or the tank.

 

[BestMomEver]

Welcome to the reef! I’m sorry you’re having problems. Rest assured that everyone here has lost some livestock for one reason or another so you’re not alone! They’re are folks here that know a LOT about marine tanks and you can call on them anytime. @Paul B is one of those people.

After all this is done, I would send off for an ICP test. https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/icp-water-analysis-coralvue.html

That will give you a great baseline. As for gas exchange/water movement, I’m one of those folks that believes in tons of water flow. In my mind you can never have too much. You might go to your LFS and find out if they have a power head you can purchase. It doesn’t have to be expensive. I have some very good pumps that were cheap and have lasted forever. Having a power head will keep your water moving which will help keep detritus in the water column so it can be filtered. It also helps with gas exchange. Your fish will love you for it!

You’ve gotten lots of good advice here. The only other thing I can suggest is to go s-l-o-w. One fish at a time. Wait a month in between. Do tons of research before any purchase. Enjoy your tank. An, again, welcome!

 

[W1ngz]

Thanks. Coralife explains why I couldn't find it when hunting around the Marineland products

 

[stacksoner]

Hello all this is my first post, and any light you can shed on this would be much appreciated. I setup a 36 gallon bowfront tank with live sand an about 40-45 pounds cured live rock. As soon as my tank was fully cycled I bought a Coral Beauty and a Carpenter Wrasse from my LFS. I also added 2 small baby clowns from a previous small tank that I had running. The carpenter wrasse was about 3" long very active when it was time to eat but mostly stayed under a rock where he made his home. The coral beauty was very active eating and picking at rocks throughout the day. This past Friday we woke up and the wrasse was on the bottom dead. The day before he was eating and swimming fine. I did a water test and everything looked good nitrate was around 20ppm ammonia 0-.025 nitrite 0 and ph 8.2. I checked the fish and didn't see any wounds or gouges. Left me scratching my head as the other 3 fish seemed perfect and water quality looked good. On Saturday I did a 30% water change. I used half RO water and half distilled water from the store with instant ocean. I retested the water everything still good the nitrate was down to about 10-15 or so and everything else the same the 3 fish are all happy and eating. Tuesday morning I wake up and the coral beauty is at the top of the water swimming vertically gasping for air. He died about 4 hours later. I took the fish along with my water to the LFS I bought them from to see if I could get an explanation. He did all the tests on the water and inspected the fish. The fish didn't look like it was sick at all and he said people would kill for the water in my tank. He said it was perfect. So I'm left scratching my head. My clowns are still thriving and happy and water still testing good. I would love to add some more fish to my tank but I'm a little scared right now because of this. I attached a picture of the tank with the wrasse the day before he died and my water test results.

Double check your RO setup to make sure that you're wired up correctly and/or not accidentally using the rejection water.

 

[Dlewis0714]

That would be crazy! I own a water treatment company and I've never heard of anyone doing that before. I'm positive I'm getting permeate. TDS is 0 and 1.

 

[Dlewis0714]

What is the water temp, I didn’t see a heater in the picture. Maybe it’s hidden. I guess I see the cord to it maybe.

I do not have a heater but live in Florida and the house stays between 75-78 all the time. The tank is at 74 right now but by the end of the day it will 76

 

[stacksoner]

Compare the two photos of aquarium water below...

Highly Oxygenated

Dangerously Low Levels of O2

If you look really closely you can see that there's no visible difference between water that will allow your animals thrive and that which will suffocate them. I'm 99% sure that this is what's killing your fish.

 

[Dlewis0714]

Compare the two photos of aquarium water below...

Highly Oxygenated

Dangerously Low Levels of O2

If you look really closely you can see that there's no visible difference between water that will allow your animals thrive and that which will suffocate them. I'm 99% sure that this is what's killing your fish.

Going to get a powerhead and heater this a.m.

 

[ThunderGoose]

Here's one thing I noticed that hasn't been mentioned. You mentioned that your water level changed when you did a water change. Are you compensating for evaporation? You should be keeping the water level consistent by adding RO water. If you let it drop you are concentrating everything (including salinity). If you then do water changes without monitoring salinity you can get a significant change in the salinity over time. Stability is critical with saltwater.

I'm not sure if this is the cause of your fish deaths (I doubt it) but it is something to pay attention to.

 

[stacksoner]

Going to get a powerhead and heater this a.m.

How's the tank doing? Did the gas exchange help?

 

[laverda]

I say, Nope, Nope and Nope. This is a very easy diagnosis and I hate to diagnose from afar where I can't see how the fish died.
This is the problem and it is a problem many people don't think of.
When you "cycle" a tank, that just means the tank has enough bacteria in it to oxidize a frozen shrimp. goldfish, T Bone steak or whatever you used to cycle it with. There isn't any more bacteria left to handle a 3" fish along with all those other fish, especially all almost at the same time.

After you "cycle" a tank with whatever you used you need to add "one" fish. In time, the bacteria will multiply to handle the waste from that one fish, then add another fish and wait.

You overloaded your very new system and the fish died from ammonia poisoning which also would make them gasp from the surface and maybe die with their mouths wide open.

You did nothing else wrong. Your ammonia reading of .025 is unacceptable which indicates that your level of bacteria isn't sufficient to handle the wastes. The reading was probably higher just before the fish died but the bacteria you now have is processing it, just not fast enough.

A tank continues to "cycle" for the life of the system. The more livestock we add, the more bacteria needs to multiply but it takes time. When we remove fish, there will be less bacteria as they grow according to conditions.
Keep what you have alive and don't add anything for aa few weeks, all will be fine.
Good luck.

I agree with Paul 100%. You should take it slow with a new tank and should have zero ammonia. Ammonia in detectable levels with hobby test kits is toxic to fish. While nitrates of 120 will not kill fish the fact your are so high in a new tank indicates to me it is not ready for that many fish.

 

[dsh92056]

+1 with Paul B. Also you could always place an ammonia badge in your tank which will give you your ammonia reading at a quick glance, and can always seed your tank with beneficial bacteria as beneficial bacteria is a very slow grower.