Loss of Livestock

[Rockadile]

your tank has been setup a bit over a month. sounds to me multiple things happend here. along side with all of the above things mentioned, your tank was probably not mature enough to support fish like a tang.
do not get discouraged though, most of us have done it and we learn from it.

Also regardless of the size of the tangs were, a 30gal tank is not big enough IMO. These are high energy fish and thought needs to be put towards when they grow. but thats a completely other discussion

 

[Reef Breeders Verified Sponsor]

How long was this tank set up? Nitrates at 1 ppm in a fish only tank is not a problem that can be fixed like that IMO. Was the dechlorinator API with aloe vera?

 

[WesMeeks]

a little over a month before they went in and about 2 months total. yes it was API with aloe i believe. I have a 55 gallon at the ready for when the fish grew, but was waiting till i had the cash flow to set it up properly.

 

[bct15]

I have a couple questions and comments...

How long had it been since you put your last piece of liverock (or deadrock) in? What were the parameters the fishstore measured to recommend such a large water change (actual numbers)?

It seems to me that your ammonia went to heck and back killing your stuff. Not only was the tank to small for two tangs I'm guessing the tank was not done cycling (definitely not a good environment for a tang), since your LFS reccomended such a large water change, old schoolers recommend that large of a water change every week to two while the tank is cycling.

What sort of filtration/reactors/skimmer are you running, and how much flow do you have in your tank? Do you have any surface agitation? How did you mix your salt water before adding it, (by hand or powerhead)? What were your params before the massive water change? What kind of tangs were they? How long does your salt mix?

Brandon

 

[WesMeeks]

Last piece was base rock and went in about week and a half ago. params for water change were 0 ammonia, 8.0 pH, alk was in the normal range- around 9, and the nitrites were testing in the red, over 1 ppm. I need a new test kit for them b/c mine only reads up to >1ppm. Tnak was done cycling btw. Let it sit for about 5 weeks to cylce and all params were good before adding livestock. Running a eheim canister filter with a biocube skimmer. also have a 250gph wavemaker going. Not much surface aggitation other than return from canister filter that i have shooting up so it falls back into water. Salt is mixed with a 300gph powerhead. Tangs were a scopas tang and regal tang. Salt mixed for around 30 min to an hour. params were same in tank and new salt. Also the params were the same when i checked the tank 24 hours later.

 

[gar732]

Tangs can be tough to keep and even experienced reefers lose them. Don't get discouraged and give it another go with hardier fish that can you can keep long term in that sized tank. Even the 55gal would be too small for those fish. They are big eaters and polute the water more making it harder to keep things in check. Take it slow as nothing good happens fast in this hobby and by all means utilize the fourms there are some good LFSs but there are also quite a few bad ones. I would trust the advice on here before that of the LFS. Ask a lot of questions first, no one will falt you for that and everyone will be more than happy to help.

 

[Reef Breeders Verified Sponsor]

a little over a month before they went in and about 2 months total. yes it was API with aloe i believe. I have a 55 gallon at the ready for when the fish grew, but was waiting till i had the cash flow to set it up properly.

Do not use that again, aloe vera is not reef safe, and it will kill ALL livestock really quick.

 

[Demonic]

Could also be lack of oxygen since there is no surface agitation. You need to read a little more and take your time before doing anything drastic like a 50% WC. Just take your time, and most of all listen to the advice when the majority of the people are saying the same thing. Experience goes a long way...usually.

 

[bct15]

Last piece was base rock and went in about week and a half ago. params for water change were 0 ammonia, 8.0 pH, alk was in the normal range- around 9, and the nitrites were testing in the red, over 1 ppm. I need a new test kit for them b/c mine only reads up to >1ppm. Tnak was done cycling btw. Let it sit for about 5 weeks to cylce and all params were good before adding livestock. Running a eheim canister filter with a biocube skimmer. also have a 250gph wavemaker going. Not much surface aggitation other than return from canister filter that i have shooting up so it falls back into water. Salt is mixed with a 300gph powerhead. Tangs were a scopas tang and regal tang. Salt mixed for around 30 min to an hour. params were same in tank and new salt. Also the params were the same when i checked the tank 24 hours later.

Where did you get the base rock from? Did you cure it before adding to the tank? How long and how did you cure the new base rock?

Adding a new piece if live rock to an established system without curing the new rock first can lead to disaster. You might screw up the bacteria balance in the tank and the tank will go through another cycle, severely stressing and often killing all but the hardiest of inhabitants. IMO the new rock addition coupled with the two tangs in the 29 gallon is what killed your livestock. It takes a pretty good swing in parameters to actually kill the fish.

Also, surface agitation is an important factor that many people seem to ignore, it helps with oxygen transfer into the water and nasties out of the water in a very big way.

Also, were your fish showing any signs if distress before they died?

 

[bct15]

Another thing, nitrites that high are usually indicative of the tank still going through the nitrogen cycle. To get them that high from overfeeding you need to be dumping A LOT of food in the tank.