Help!! all my fish are dying!

[amazongb]

Do you have an auto-top off system? If not, how often do you add water? I have a 24 gal, and before I added an auto top off unit (ATO), I had crazy swings in salinity, ph, etc etc.. I'm no pro, but water stability is harder in these small tanks. Sorry for your loss btw

 

[JaimeAdams]

I'm mostly with everyone else on this one. I think the maroon may have simply beaten the others to death. Really in a tank that small I certainly see aggression being a strong possibility.

It's hard to say if there was disease or not. If the maroon doesn't die or show symptoms it may not be. With that many fish in the size tank they were certainly stressed out big time which would have lowered their immune system.

Pods are good and they came in on your live rock and can breed fast with nothing eating.

I would watch the fish or take another tank video of the clown so we can see if we see any signs of disease. Other than that I would do anything other than have some real testing done on your water.

 

[Sistawolf]

The clown is at the top, right now near the heater and the return pump, he has done that since I got him, is this not normal? he only does it when the lights are out! He hasnt been as playful the last few days, I am really worried.. I dont want to lose all my fish, I feel like an awful fish mother

This is normal.. and like others have said.. the maroon clownfish is def the most aggressive and probably took out the others.. You may have mentioned it previously but if you added the clown first.. I would put money on the clown being your murderer.. sorry for your loss and welcome to R2R.. the best forum/family you will find on the internet..

 

[Justiena]

This is normal.. and like others have said.. the maroon clownfish is def the most aggressive and probably took out the others.. You may have mentioned it previously but if you added the clown first.. I would put money on the clown being your murderer.. sorry for your loss and welcome to R2R.. the best forum/family you will find on the internet..

I added him third, first gramma then fire fish.
he was still a baby and i didnt see much signs of aggression from him yet again i work all day so im out and the lights go off around 8 and on at 6.. they would usually just go into there favorite spots. I feel bad for over stoking and stressing my fish out I didnt realize the impact it would have [emoji21] I think it was adding the angel that may have did it unfortunately, it all happened shortly after (around 2 weeks).
also I am very glad I joined R2R everyone has been awesome with helping me figure it out and learn what to do/not!![emoji4] [emoji4]

 

[Justiena]

Hi, Justiena . . .

I'm sorry to read about all those fish passing!

I do suspect that so many fish being confined in such a small tank - particularly with a maroon clownfish - probably had a lot to do with it. The angel's "jagged" fins could be due to aggression, or could have been damaged post-mortem. (As mentioned above, that variety of clownfish will get rather too large for a 14 gallon tank all by itself, and it might be a better choice to rehome that one and choose fish - less of them - that will stay smaller. Maybe something like a smaller shrimp-goby, a tailspot blenny and a possum wrasse - that'd be about as much as I'd dare try in a 14, and each of those fish will utilize your tank's landscape in a different way.)

Your "bugs" look like munnid isopods, a cousin of amphipods - and of the roly-polies in your garden. They're harmless scavengers, and an awful lot of fish regard them as tasty snacks. They probably came in on your liverock, and they've got no guilt in the loss of your fish.

You mentioned that your clownfish was less playful today - does he seem actually ill, or is it perhaps because he doesn't have other fish around him? Is he showing any symptoms like swimming into the flow of a powerhead? Hiding from the lights? Head-shaking? "Flashing", scraping some part of his body against rock or sand? Small white specks on his fins or skin?

Hovering near the heater seems pretty normal for clowns - my ocellaris pair sleep next to mine every night, and the way they wiggle around it, I expect them to start laying eggs on it almost any day now.

I'd like to see if we can get some more helpful eyes on your situation, so ... #reefsquad . . .

~Bruce

Hi bruce! im not quite sure what head twitching would be, I will take a video for you if that would help! He hasnt been in the open area of the tank like he normally would be, so he may be hiding from the light.. what does that mean? hes a really awesome fish I dont want to lose him, even if hes all i can have, Iv grown attached [emoji39]

 

[Maritimer]

Head shaking / head twitching is pretty obvious when you see it - they literally shake their heads, as though they were trying to dislodge something.

Hiding from the light _may_ indicate the presence of a disease called "velvet" - which is one of the worst out there. @Humblefish has a very helpful outline of the subject here:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/velvet-amyloodinium-ocellatum.217570/

I've tagged him, as he's one of our top disease experts. Another is @melypr1985. (Just as a bonus, they're also terrific people, who seem to enjoy helping others succeed in this sometimes challenging hobby!)

If you do have velvet, you'll want to move quickly - as outlined in the link, the disease works unpleasantly fast - and you'll want to set up a quarantine tank, as well. The things that kill velvet will also do in your invertebrates and corals.

~Bruce

 

[alex.mccann99]

Others have already commented, but definitely too small a tank for the fish you have, not surprising the Maroon Clown is still alive, likely killed the others. Flame Angel and Maroon Clown are aggressive and territorial fish. Not sure what type of testing your doing, but I would recommend taking your Water to a reputable LFS (fish store) and have it tested. Also, I would take out your Maroon Clown as he is already too big for a 14 gallon BioCube. If your water looks okay, go with a nicer Clownfish, maybe even a pair of them. Go slow....How you got to 4 fish in just 2 months is part of the problem.

 

[Sistawolf]

I added him third, first gramma then fire fish.
he was still a baby and i didnt see much signs of aggression from him yet again i work all day so im out and the lights go off around 8 and on at 6.. they would usually just go into there favorite spots. I feel bad for over stoking and stressing my fish out I didnt realize the impact it would have [emoji21] I think it was adding the angel that may have did it unfortunately, it all happened shortly after (around 2 weeks).
also I am very glad I joined R2R everyone has been awesome with helping me figure it out and learn what to do/not!![emoji4] [emoji4]

That's nice to hear I honestly wouldn't have a tank.. or at least one successfully if it were not for this forum.. hold your head up.. we all make mistakes and this will not be your last.. even the veterans make mistakes sometimes.. that's the beauty of it.. your mistake and sharing it on here may have prevented someone else from doing g this.. so you have helped out many many others by sharing your mistake I added a fish without qt when I started and almost wiped my entire tank out with ick and velvet.. that's how I found the forum and everyone was so nice and helpful.. I can't nor do I want to go a day without jumping on here and reading everyone's post.. it's almost as addictive as the hobby lol.. all we can do is learn from our mistakes and move on.. it sucks for our babies in the marine life.. and makes you feel terrible but in the hobby patience is key and I had to learn that the very hard way