Help!!!

[chall802]

I have ha my tank for a few months with little problems. I do a water change weekly, I dose only what I can test or and I have kept the same livestock after the cycle.

Yesterday I noticed the fish weren't eating like normal. When I woke up this morning 5 of my six fish were dead.

I immediately tested the water, fished out the bodies and did a water change. My nitrites were 1ppm, ammonia was 0ppm and my nitrates shot to 20ppm. Keep in mind I did a 25% change 2 weeks ago and my weekly 10 2 days ago.

Any help is greatly appreciated as to what happened and how to save my last fish.

Thanks

 

[chall802]

Currently I use a hagan aquaclear filter, aquac remora skimmer and I placed a seachem purgen pad in the filter to aid in ammonia, nitrate and nitrite. I guess it doesn't work

 

[Eienna]

The stuff works. Something is seriously wrong. I would do a very large water change and look for anything that might be dead.

 

[Zero Nitrates]

Sorry!

 

[chall802]

Are 25% changes daily for a week ok an I still can't find 2 gobys. I'm keeping an extra set of eyes out for them and plan on moving the live rock to find them and snails on my day off.

What a headache.

 

[fishroomlady]

so sorry something is up - not sure what with the info. you've given.

 

[chall802]

What more info should I provide?

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

When was the last time you introduced livestock and the first death?

 

[reefer54]

it sounds like you had a tank crash. one fish dies, the ammonia goes up followed by nitrites and so on... what you need to do is slow down on the water changes , let the nitrogen cycle reestablish itself. maybe put some mb7 or seachem stability in to help the bacteria. I know its hard but, I would not replace the fish right away. slow and steady. now is the time, you might want to rethink your filtration methods

 

[chall802]

I don't plan on replacing fish until I feel confident in the cycle. You said to rethink the filter. Do you have any recommendations?

Note: just lost my last fish. I still have a few inverts that are alive and an urchin. The corals look ok.

 

[Scythanith]

I was thinking the same on slowing down the water changes. If you've lost the last of the fish I'd concentrate on re-establishing the nitrogen cycle is that indeed is the problem. Small frequent changes, nothing too drastic.

 

[sbazain]

What percentage of water were you doing?

 

[chall802]

I did a 25% today and the LFS said to do that for a week every day.

 

[sbazain]

And before what happened to the fish hiw many did you do cause am not an expert but if all your para. Are ok maybe it had to do with beneficial bac. I know it happened to me new water and no bacteria all tha fish died.

 

[dangerbird123]

since the fish stopped eating the day after your last water change I think that's what did it - something toxic in the replacement water, or introduced during the water change.

 

[sbazain]

+1 That sounds right didnt think about that.

 

[dangerbird123]

Sounds to me like you have the tank is reasonably well cycled already. if not you wouldn't have elevated nitrates. You would have high ammonia and nitrites.

 

[3dees]

you said your dosing. what are you dosing and why?

 

[chall802]

I'm dosing calcium, trace elements and tech1 for corals and inverts. I have had the same livestock for the last 3 months. It did seem like something toxic. The water didn't smell as fresh as it once was.

 

[fishroomlady]

have you done anything differently? added something? stirred up your sand bed during your last change? something definitely happened. Do you have any ideas on what could have been toxic?