I messed up, dead clown:(

[SouthWestSalt]

Well I learned my first lesson the hard way. I believe being open with our failures is one of the best things for others to avoid the same mistakes. So here it goes, On my previous post I mentioned I cycled my tank and had purchased two clowns and a small cuc. I was not precise on the ammonia added. I did get an ammonia reading of about 3-3.5 which went down, nitrite of 1.6 which also went down and finally a high nitrate. I did a water change thinking my cycle was done and was told by the local lfs to add both clowns together to reduce aggression. I ended up having a huge ammonia spike the following day, went to petco and bought a 10 gal all in one and transferred both clowns and the cuc. I thought I saved everyone but I ended up loosing all three bumble bee snails, one hermit, and my black ice clown. My standard clown is doing fine now thankfully and is breathing normally. But I monitor him and the water constantly. My excitement to stock a tank and get started overshadowed my doubts about new tanks ability to handle that many new inhabitants. I had read specifically not to do this, and proceeded regardless. Please take your time, understand the cycling method you are choosing to use, and be fully prepared with quality testing equipment. I truly feel awful for the deaths I caused in the tank and I hope someone can learn from my mistakes and prevent needless loss in their reefing experience.
Thank you for reading
-SouthWestSalty

 

[Soilworker]

Oof I'm sorry, losing a fish always sucks...especially if it was a mistake on our part. But the best thing you can do now is learn from it and move forward.

 

[heathermoor]

Speaking as a newbie, I am so sorry for what happened, but grateful to you for sharing your experience so people like me can learn.

We all make mistakes. There is no way really anyone can go from not knowing to knowing about something that has breadth and depth of knowledge involved in it without mistakes. We try to keep our mistakes to a minimum when they involve living things but it is inevitable that we will make some.

The only way to avoid mistakes totally is to let someone else who is an expert oversee everything you do and walk you every tiny step of the way. Maybe even then they, being human, might make a mistake or two! But you won't really have learned anything until you try to do it yourself, when the responsibility will be all on you.

You've learned a big lesson and shared it, which is generous and brave.

I'm a newbie to saltwater fish keeping but I'm by no means a newbie to livestock - I've kept livestock on my land for 35 years or more. I keep a lot of livestock here in Yorkshire - sheep, poultry, horses and bees, as well as freshwater tropical fish and my first, very new tank of saltwater. I've got two hermit crabs in it and I've just bought a fish and put it in. Like you, I hope I've done everything right - but I'm learning and I'm about to find out, aren't I?

We have a saying in Yorkshire amongst us people who keep sheep - 'where you have livestock, you are going to have deadstock'. It doesn't mean people dont care - it just recognises a reality. 'The sheep haven't read the books', is another one - you can read as much as you like and do everything just as the experts say, but living things are very complex - the truth is you do not and can't have all the variables under your control. 'Livestock' is actually about individuals, and the truth is no two are exactly alike - some are stronger, some are weaker, their genetics differ, their previous care differs, they have things some are prone to and others are not, just like us. And sometimes even if you do do everything 'right' - it sometimes dies.

Don't beat yourself up too much - it sounds like you are starting to do that. It sounds like you went to a lot of trouble to try to get it right and correct your mistake as best as anyone could. You made a wrong conclusion - welcome to the club. Its a very big club! I'll be testing my tank a lot with the new fish in it like you - fingers crossed for both of us from now on!

 

[SouthWestSalt]

Oof I'm sorry, losing a fish always sucks...especially if it was a mistake on our part. But the best thing you can do now is learn from it and move forward.

Thank you for the kind words! I will be taking it slow from now on that’s for sure.

 

[Mark Goode]

I think we've all killed a fish or two through our own ineptitude at some point in our time reefing. I know I have. Some of us learn the lessons, learn patience and do thorough research, others just leave the hobby. Don't be one of the latter.

 

[SouthWestSalt]

Speaking as a newbie, I am so sorry for what happened, but grateful to you for sharing your experience so people like me can learn.

We all make mistakes. There is no way really anyone can go from not knowing to knowing about something that has breadth and depth of knowledge involved in it without mistakes. We try to keep our mistakes to a minimum when they involve living things but it is inevitable that we will make some.

The only way to avoid mistakes totally is to let someone else who is an expert oversee everything you do and walk you every tiny step of the way. Maybe even then they, being human, might make a mistake or two! But you won't really have learned anything until you try to do it yourself, when the responsibility will be all on you.

You've learned a big lesson and shared it, which is generous and brave.

I'm a newbie to saltwater fish keeping but I'm by no means a newbie to livestock - I've kept livestock on my land for 35 years or more. I keep a lot of livestock here in Yorkshire - sheep, poultry, horses and bees, as well as freshwater tropical fish and my first, very new tank of saltwater. I've got two hermit crabs in it and I've just bought a fish and put it in. Like you, I hope I've done everything right - but I'm learning and I'm about to find out, aren't I?

We have a saying in Yorkshire amongst us people who keep sheep - 'where you have livestock, you are going to have deadstock'. It doesn't mean people dont care - it just recognises a reality. 'The sheep haven't read the books', is another one - you can read as much as you like and do everything just as the experts say, but living things are very complex - the truth is you do not and can't have all the variables under your control. 'Livestock' is actually about individuals, and the truth is no two are exactly alike - some are stronger, some are weaker, their genetics differ, their previous care differs, they have things some are prone to and others are not, just like us. And sometimes even if you do do everything 'right' - it sometimes dies.

Don't beat yourself up too much - it sounds like you are starting to do that. It sounds like you went to a lot of trouble to try to get it right and correct your mistake as best as anyone could. You made a wrong conclusion - welcome to the club. Its a very big club! I'll be testing my tank a lot with the new fish in it like you - fingers crossed for both of us from now on!

Thank you for the response and best of luck on your tank and livestock this year! That is awesome you raise livestock I have worked on my friends ranch helping out since I was really young with gathering, branding, processing etc. Some of the best work ethic and life lessons are learned on a farm/ranch I know mistakes will come and some amount of loss is inevitable. I just wish I would have listened to my gut and taken it slowly, but we live and learn! Thank you for the wise words of Yorkshire lol and cheers from a Yank!

 

[SouthWestSalt]

I think we've all killed a fish or two through our own ineptitude at some point in our time reefing. I know I have. Some of us learn the lessons, learn patience and do thorough research, others just leave the hobby. Don't be one of the latter.

Thank you for your advice! I will be doing a lot more research and I have some better drip acclimation equipment coming as well as another 10 gal so I can start TTM down the road. I would be a lot less confident in continuing the hobby without the support and advice of this awesome community, thank you again and best of luck on your tank/tanks!

 

[Clanger]

Well I learned my first lesson the hard way. I believe being open with our failures is one of the best things for others to avoid the same mistakes. So here it goes, On my previous post I mentioned I cycled my tank and had purchased two clowns and a small cuc. I was not precise on the ammonia added. I did get an ammonia reading of about 3-3.5 which went down, nitrite of 1.6 which also went down and finally a high nitrate. I did a water change thinking my cycle was done and was told by the local lfs to add both clowns together to reduce aggression. I ended up having a huge ammonia spike the following day, went to petco and bought a 10 gal all in one and transferred both clowns and the cuc. I thought I saved everyone but I ended up loosing all three bumble bee snails, one hermit, and my black ice clown. My standard clown is doing fine now thankfully and is breathing normally. But I monitor him and the water constantly. My excitement to stock a tank and get started overshadowed my doubts about new tanks ability to handle that many new inhabitants. I had read specifically not to do this, and proceeded regardless. Please take your time, understand the cycling method you are choosing to use, and be fully prepared with quality testing equipment. I truly feel awful for the deaths I caused in the tank and I hope someone can learn from my mistakes and prevent needless loss in their reefing experience.
Thank you for reading
-SouthWestSalty

It is a cruel learning circle ,I killed my sailfin ,and engineer goby I think by deep siphoning the sand bed ,it was the only change I had done , maybe I hit a **** pocket in the sand ..never again but too late for my guys