Help Requested: Need Advice

[ReefOC]

I have a 3 month old tank with a couple of tangs, a couple of trigger, a couple fire fish, a royal gramma, a six line wrasse and 3 clown fish. I now have a clam and some coral in the tank, which seem to all be doing well.

I have been trying to keep a powder blue and naso tang as well as an angel fish in my tank, but they keep dying when all the others survive. I must be doing something wrong, and I don't know what it is. My parameters are all in the optimal range. My lights are on 10 hours each day. I feed in the am and evening and provide nori for the tangs daily. I have filter media, chaeto refugium, rock rubble and a protein skimmer all working at the same time.

I know the ask is somewhat vague, but what am I looking for that would be the source of these fish simply falling to their death? I need help as I don't want to keep purchasing and watching my fish perish. Help

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Tank size?

 

[ReefOC]

Tank size?

160 display, 40 sump..

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

160 display, 40 sump..

The new tank you Just set up?

160 is barely large enough for all the fish you have... I wouldn't add any more, especially tangs.

Sorry, i know that's not much help or what you want to hear, but you can't cram so many critters that don't co-exist in their natural habitats together and expect a good quality of life for them.

 

[ReefOC]

The new tank you Just set up?

160 isn't barely large enough for all the fish you have... I wouldn't add any more, especially tangs.

Sorry, i know that's not much help or what you want to hear, but you can't cram so many critters that don't co-exist in their natural habitats together and expect a good quality of life for them.

You understand this is a 160 gallon display tank correct? All the fish are juveniles.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have a 3 month old tank with a couple of tangs, a couple of trigger, a couple fire fish, a royal gramma, a six line wrasse and 3 clown fish. I now have a clam and some coral in the tank, which seem to all be doing well.

I have been trying to keep a powder blue and naso tang as well as an angel fish in my tank, but they keep dying when all the others survive. I must be doing something wrong, and I don't know what it is. My parameters are all in the optimal range. My lights are on 10 hours each day. I feed in the am and evening and provide nori for the tangs daily. I have filter media, chaeto refugium, rock rubble and a protein skimmer all working at the same time.

I know the ask is somewhat vague, but what am I looking for that would be the source of these fish simply falling to their death? I need help as I don't want to keep purchasing and watching my fish perish. Help

Powder blue susceptible to a couple of issues and naso tangs are hit and miss over the last year -plus. Is is blonde naso or regular?
What type of angel?
How are you acclimating and for how long when you acquire them?

 

[MnFish1]

I have a 3 month old tank with a couple of tangs, a couple of trigger, a couple fire fish, a royal gramma, a six line wrasse and 3 clown fish. I now have a clam and some coral in the tank, which seem to all be doing well.

I have been trying to keep a powder blue and naso tang as well as an angel fish in my tank, but they keep dying when all the others survive. I must be doing something wrong, and I don't know what it is. My parameters are all in the optimal range. My lights are on 10 hours each day. I feed in the am and evening and provide nori for the tangs daily. I have filter media, chaeto refugium, rock rubble and a protein skimmer all working at the same time.

I know the ask is somewhat vague, but what am I looking for that would be the source of these fish simply falling to their death? I need help as I don't want to keep purchasing and watching my fish perish. Help

This is a lot of fish for a tank (new) - though - it depends. You should have ammonia levels, etc and other parameters. Without this - it's impossible to know - it could be disease due to lack of quarantine. Your post is a little unclear - how many tangs and angels have you tried to keep alive??? do they have symptoms? Where did you get them from.

 

[ReefOC]

Powder blue susceptible to a couple of issues and naso tangs are hit and miss over the last year -plus. Is is blonde naso or regular?
What type of angel?
How are you acclimating and for how long when you acquire them?

Blue was in the tank for well over 2 weeks with no problem. The blonde naso tang was only 1 week in. Angel was Imperator (emporer). Didn't last a week.

 

[ReefOC]

This is a lot of fish for a tank (new) - though - it depends. You should have ammonia levels, etc and other parameters. Without this - it's impossible to know - it could be disease due to lack of quarantine. Your post is a little unclear - how many tangs and angels have you tried to keep alive??? do they have symptoms? Where did you get them from.

I QT'd all of them for 14 days.

 

[MnFish1]

In any case - you should likely have QT'd - prophylacticely treated all of your fish - unless you putchased them from a source that known safe (there are very few of these).

This is a lot of fish for a tank (new) - though - it depends. You should have ammonia levels, etc and other parameters. Without this - it's impossible to know - it could be disease due to lack of quarantine. Your post is a little unclear - how many tangs and angels have you tried to keep alive??? do they have symptoms? Where did you get them from.

PS - tangs dying suggest disease - or poor quality tangs.

 

[MnFish1]

I QT'd all of them for 14 days.

That is not the protocol we (nor anyone else that I know of) - recommends

 

[vetteguy53081]

Blue was in the tank for well over 2 weeks with no problem. The blonde naso tang was only 1 week in. Angel was Imperator (emporer). Didn't last a week.

Not sure quarantine would have impacted a couple of these as Emperor susceptible to velvet and flukes and if thin have a challenge with stability and as suspected- Blonde nasos have been an ongoing issue especially ones from Sri Lanka in which they appear stable and may eat then stop eating, get thin and even arrive thin and never build strength but rather weaken and then found with rapid breathing or unstable with swim pattern and get stuck in powerhead or found behind rocks.
While quarantine recommended, some fish will perish right after qt period due to these field issues

 

[MnFish1]

Not sure quarantine would have impacted a couple of these as Emperor susceptible to velvet and flukes and if thin have a challenge with stability and as suspected- Blonde nasos have been an ongoing issue especially ones from Sri Lanka in which they appear stable and may eat then stop eating, get thin and even arrive thin and never build strength but rather weaken and then found with rapid breathing or unstable with swim pattern and get stuck in powerhead or found behind rocks.
While quarantine recommended, some fish will perish right after qt period due to these field issues

By quarantine - I mean prophylactic quarantine. This should take care of (most) velvet, etc. i.e. the use of copper. a 14 day protocol is not one which I would recommend - nor have I seen one that makes sense

 

[ReefOC]

By quarantine - I mean prophylactic quarantine. This should take care of (most) velvet, etc. i.e. the use of copper. a 14 day protocol is not one which I would recommend - nor have I seen one that makes sense

Sorry my response wasn't very good. I use Copperpower for tangs at 2.5 ppm (Hanna Checker verified) and Nitrofurazone per instructions for 14 days. For angels I used Chloroquine Phosphate per instructions per Humble.fish for 14 days. They all survived QT, but died after move to display tank.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Sorry my response wasn't very good. I use Copperpower for tangs at 2.5 ppm (Hanna Checker verified) and Nitrofurazone per instructions for 14 days. For angels I used Chloroquine Phosphate per instructions per Humble.fish for 14 days. They all survived QT, but died after move to display tank.

It is probable that your fish were lost due to different issues.

Blonde nasos are showing up with really high mortality rates over the first 40 days. I advise people to avoid them.

Here is a more comprehensive quarantine protocol:

Current Quarantine Protocol

2024 Quarantine Procedures Jay Hemdal David Scarborough Protozoans (Cryptocaryon/ich, Amyloodinium/velvet) and Metazoan trematodes/flukes are by far the most common parasites found on newly acquired fish. A carefully managed, proactive quarantine process can effectively eliminate these...

www.reef2reef.com

It takes longer, but works well.

Here is an article I wrote on chloroquine. It can be subbed in for the 30 day copper, but in the end, I find coppersafe to be much safer.

Jay

 

[ReefOC]

It is probable that your fish were lost due to different issues.

Blonde nasos are showing up with really high mortality rates over the first 40 days. I advise people to avoid them.

Here is a more comprehensive quarantine protocol:

Current Quarantine Protocol

2024 Quarantine Procedures Jay Hemdal David Scarborough Protozoans (Cryptocaryon/ich, Amyloodinium/velvet) and Metazoan trematodes/flukes are by far the most common parasites found on newly acquired fish. A carefully managed, proactive quarantine process can effectively eliminate these...

www.reef2reef.com

It takes longer, but works well.

Here is an article I wrote on chloroquine. It can be subbed in for the 30 day copper, but in the end, I find coppersafe to be much safer.

Jay

Jay, So you are thinking Coppersafe vs. Copper Power?

 

[MnFish1]

Jay, So you are thinking Coppersafe vs. Copper Power?

I think he is saying any chelated copper product is safer and better than chloroquine

 

[ReefOC]

I think he is saying any chelated copper product is safer and better than chloroquine

What is the theraputic level for Copperpower that work where angelfish won't die? I have heard they are intolerant of Copper.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Jay, So you are thinking Coppersafe vs. Copper Power?

I use coppersafe because it’s available in large quantities, but the products are essentially identical.