Having trouble keeping fish alive

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DalPal25

DalPal25

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I'm not sure what the issue is. I have a couple of theories but I'm still new to this so I'm not sure.

So I got my tank a little over 2 months ago. First pair of fish I got were two phantom clowns from my LFS. They're still alive. My second fish I got was a six line wrasse. Also was a great fish. I had him for about two weeks and he died. I attributed this to the tube anemone I got because I found him dead right next to it the morning after I got the nem. I started a thread about it on here. Anyway, that was my first fish lost. All my water parameters were fine.
Then, I had a little bit of aiptasia found in my tank so my LFS sent me home with some aiptasia X and an aiptasia eating filefish. Really cool fish, it was a tank favorite for everyone who saw it. Well the same day I got the filefish the LFS told me they'd be getting a shipment of flame angels! So I waited until they came in and went and bought one.
Everything was doing fine until Monday came (the day I test my water) and traced a little bit of ammonia in my tank. I thought it might come from one of my snails dying and burrowing in my sandbed but I couldn't find it. So I did a water change to be safe. A little over 10%. Well the next day I was watching my filefish swimming and he just turned pale white and stopped swimming. Died right in front of me. Again, I was sad but I just removed him as I was getting ready to go to the fish store to get more water. Didn't think to test again. Now, 6 days later, I woke up to my flame angel dead. No idea why or how but this one really bothers me. It was my favorite fish of the tank and now its 75 dollars down the drain.

Theories:
1. I don't have an auto top off and the salinity gets a little bit high when water evaporates but every time I think of it I top off with RODI water. Probably about every 2 days.
2. The ammonia. Again, its not a lot. Just barely the first color on the API test kits (sorry for not using actual numbers, not near my tank, I think its 0.25ppm).

Sorry for typing a novel but I wanted all the information to be out there for everyone here at R2R to be able to give the great support they've always given.
 
Okay I'm not able to get all down and specific with the reasons and parameters. But you should post all the things you test for to help everyone here.
But I will tell you that I had this same issue. First I will tell you that 5 fish in 2 months is to many especially for a new tank if it is.
You need to give your tank time to mature and level out and at least wait 3 or 4 weeks between new fish. After I had the problem you're having,
I actually let my tank sit empty for 2 months months and over fed all my corals to help keep the bacteria ready for fish . I haven't lost one fish since.
 
Your tank has only been up for 2 months and you have already put 4 fish in? Any ammonia appearing is bad. My two theories; the first is that your tank isn't fully cycled. Typically takes a few months for the bacteria to populate enough to support fish. Second theory is also part of the first. You are adding new and large fish too quickly. The cycle may have produced enough bacteria to support one or maybe 2 stalls clowns but you must wait at minimum a week for the bacteria to grow to support the new bioload. Then after adding another fish the bacteria population will have to grow larger to support the new bioload and so on. Adding 4 fish that quickly means the bacteria can't keep up and the ammonia begins to build up and kills off the fish. The clowns haven't died because they tend to be hardier, but you are causing long term damage to them with the ammonia. I'd recommend not adding any more fish for at least a few weeks. Let the tank catch up and then add one small fish at a time. A bottle of bacteria might not be a bad idea just to give a boost and make sure to do water changes every few days until the ammonia is non existent. Hope this helps
 
WWC
I agree that stocking too quickly and too heavily in an immature tank will lead to great loss fast. @NewbieSeth makes a great suggestion of adding bottled bacteria to give an immediate boost to help your situation. Let the tank's biology catch up to your current stock and in the meantime focus on stabilizing your parameters, including salinity. I would invest in an ATO system but until you get one, think about topping off smaller amounts of RODI water perhaps every time you feed your tank. Patience is the best thing for your tank right now. Best of luck!
 
I don't know the size of your tank but I wouldn't think your salinity would change that drastically in a few days. I have a 35g and once I forgot to top off for about 3 days. Noticed the water level had dropped almost 2 inches. Out of curiosity I checked the salinity and it went from 1.026 to just over 1.027. I like the idea of topping off every time you feed but if you miss a day or two it shouldn't be that drastic of a change to kill fish.
 
Top Shelf Aquatics
NewbieSeth said:
Your tank has only been up for 2 months and you have already put 4 fish in? Any ammonia appearing is bad. My two theories; the first is that your tank isn't fully cycled. Typically takes a few months for the bacteria to populate enough to support fish. Second theory is also part of the first. You are adding new and large fish too quickly. The cycle may have produced enough bacteria to support one or maybe 2 stalls clowns but you must wait at minimum a week for the bacteria to grow to support the new bioload. Then after adding another fish the bacteria population will have to grow larger to support the new bioload and so on. Adding 4 fish that quickly means the bacteria can't keep up and the ammonia begins to build up and kills off the fish. The clowns haven't died because they tend to be hardier, but you are causing long term damage to them with the ammonia. I'd recommend not adding any more fish for at least a few weeks. Let the tank catch up and then add one small fish at a time. A bottle of bacteria might not be a bad idea just to give a boost and make sure to do water changes every few days until the ammonia is non existent. Hope this helps
Click to expand...
Sorry, I wasn't clear. I've only had fish in it for two months. I let it fully cycle before putting any fish in at all. In hindsight now I realize I did add too many fish in such a short period of time without even realizing it.
 
Called my LFS and they said getting a protein skimmer would help. I did have plans to add one of course but I'm about to be in college so I took some time off working so I can manage my school/homework schedule so I can't afford one at the moment. Does everyone else agree that a protein skimmer would potentially fix the problem along with adding fish slower?

Also, he told me that small traces of ammonia like I've found in my tank are normal and will usually go away within a few days. Agree or disagree? Just trying to get a second opinion.
 
You can recover this, add more porous rock, and increase flow to and through it. And pick up some bacteria.
 
Tidal Gardens
I have a bottle of AquaVitro seed that was recommended to me to speed up my nitrogen cycle when I first got the tank. Could dosing that in my tank help this process?
 
Avast
After a tank is cycled you should NEVER see ammonia. If you see any trace something is wrong. Either you have overstocked, added too quickly or something major has died and is rotting. I've had hermits kill large snails and never saw a trace of ammonia. I'd recommend a good cleanup crew to eat some of the fish poop and missed food to help keep things clean. I do agree however that a skimmer is an excellent idea. It will help remove some of the problems before it can break down. I bought an inexpensive one off Amazon. I'd check there
 
Deltec
You guys are awesome. I gotta say when I posted this I had lost a lot of hope and was becoming discouraged. May have been a little dramatic but I had grown a bit of an emotional attachment to my flame angel haha. I wish my learning curve hadn't come at the expense of his life. I feel bad about it now.

But now, thanks to R2R I have some answers and can do something about it. Thanks everyone.
 
Top Shelf Aquatics
Keep on rolling! Having remorse for losing a friend is quite normal and means you continue to have empathy. Like I said, you can recover this.
 
Anytime you care about losing a fish I see an awesome future reefer! Those that just kill a fish and move on to another are in it for the wrong reasons. I got ich a few months back and lost 3 of my favorite fish. I was devastated! And out a bunch of money. But through help on here I was able to treat and reintroduce my fish and now everyone is super happy and healthy. Read a ton before adding anything. I read for days before even adding a new type of snail. It will go a long way and you'll end up with a healthy tank and actually be able to enjoy it without being constantly stressed.
 
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