Help!!! Lost a clownfish, 3 snails, and 3 frags

[bccp07]

I have a question... I have a 50 gallon cube tank and its been up for 4 weeks. I have 50 lbs. of live rock in tank. I have lost a clownfish, 3 large snails, and 3 coral frags. The clownfish died within 36 hours of buying, and the snails died within 12 hours of buying. I have tested my water and also taken it into my local pet store for testing and it tests fine. Do you think its because it is a new tank? I'm getting frustrated and don't know what to do. I also bought another clownfish last night and it seems to be doing great so far. So in my tank now is a total of 2 clownfish, 10 hermit crabs, 1 sandy crab, and 1 cleaner shrimp. I also have a frogspawn and one frag. Anyone have any advice???

 

[goodtimes]

Could you post your nitrate, nitrite, ph, ammonia and salinity test results.

How long after you setup the tank were the fish added?

How are you measuring salinity?

Where are you getting your water?

 

[bccp07]

ph 8.0
Ammonia 0-.25
Nitrate 0
Nitrite 0
kh 179ppm
Salinity 1.025

I added 2 clownfsh and a cleaner shrimp 1 week after set up and lost the one clownfish within 36 hours. I added 10 hermit crabs and 3 large snails 3 weeks after setup and lost all 3 snails by morning the next day. I buy all my water from local pet store. I even buy my ro water there too. I also add alpha for reefs anytime I add water or new fish.

 

[JLight]

[/QUOTE] added 2 clownfsh and a cleaner shrimp 1 week after set up and lost the one clownfish within 36 hours.[/QUOTE]
There's your first problem. There was probably an ammonia spike which killed your clown. Need to let the tank cycle

 

[a49panhead]

slow down. u have to build your live stock slowly so bio filter can grow.

 

[ReeferBob]

You are going way too fast. I suspect you will lose more before it is over. You should have had no fish at all until around 30 days. And really no coral for 6 months or so.

 

[WhoKnew]

This hobby can make us so excited and want everything right now. However, let your tank mature, start off slow. Research what you want your tank to be, and have fun.

 

[SudzFD]

Your tank has not cycled. You want 0 ammonia and a small rise in nitrates that you will end up controlling with protein skimmer and water changes.


I'm sure it was an ammonia spike.


Slow down


No more fish and if the ones you have die , wait at least two weeks until you add more, you should be testing daily and seeing zero ammonia and a slight rise in nitrates.

Your corals WILL die.

Start with fish, go slow, when you successfully keep fish, slowly branch into coral, after researching and reading all you can on it.

 

[NanaReefer]

You are going way too fast. I suspect you will lose more before it is over. You should have had no fish at all until around 30 days. And really no coral for 6 months or so.

No fish for 30 days agreed. But no corals for 6 months?! Totally disagree!

 

[DSP]

No fish for 30 days agreed. But no corals for 6 months?! Totally disagree!

+1 totally agree, Don't need to wait that long to add a coral.

 

[SudzFD]

I agree with the waiting 6 months in coral. This individual needs to figure out how to stabilize and maintain his water parameters.

 

[DSP]

I agree with the waiting 6 months in coral. This individual needs to figure out how to stabilize and maintain his water parameters.

Let the tank cycle and keep up with waterchanges, That does not take 6 months... How many people do u know that waited 6 months to add a coral? I don't know of any and I know quite a few reefers around the world.

 

[SudzFD]

I did

And this is a brand new saltwater aquarium hobbiest. I have never heard someone recommend that someone jump right in to keeping corals.

This hobby has a lot to learn and we don't need to do it on the backs of creatures as much as we can avoid it.

Slowly building some fish and inverts and then some hearty corals makes sense to me.

And I don't lose livestock to often.

 

[DSP]

I did

And this is a brand new saltwater aquarium hobbiest. I have never heard someone recommend that someone jump right in to keeping corals.

This hobby has a lot to learn and we don't need to do it on the backs of creatures as much as we can avoid it.

Slowly building some fish and inverts and then some hearty corals makes sense to me.

And I don't lose livestock to often.

Yes I totally agree but we're talking about 6 months lol adding some zoas, GSP, shrooms and stuff like that is fine to add a couple weeks after the tank has finished it's cycle, Now if you were talking about stocking the tank with some high end acros then ya I agree 6 months isn't a bad waiting time

 

[Pete polyp]

Different tanks will cycle at different rates. 6 months for corals? Are you talking about hard to keep corals that need a well established tank? In 6 months a tank should be ready for clams! Personally, I added my first fish on day 7, first coral on day 10. This isn't my first rodeo though, it was done correctly. I still have the fish and lost the coral when I moved the tank. It didn't die, literally lost it and couldn't find it. I will agree your tank is not established enough to keep fish with any sign of ammonia. Keep checking and let it do its thing.