Massive fish die out

[vetteguy53081]

The temp has been a bit high these few days, around 26c-26.7. Now it stays around 24.2C

Higher temp will lower oxygen somewhat. If you have no other means to cool tank when it gets hot, obtain zip lock bags. You can buy a 30 pack for under $6. Place them in the sump, and use a size that will fit fine and the idea is to rotate them. fill about 5 of them with water and place in freezer. Place one frozen one in sump, allow to melt and lower temp. When it melts, pull a new frozen one from freezer and place melted one back in freezer

 

[blecki]

My fish would have increased respirations prior to death and I found the my plank automatic feeder was full of saturated rotting food. The only a few fish survived including my purple tang. I also did massive water changes but I also removed all the rock, scrubbed and rinsed it. Removed and replaced the sand and refilled the system (1500 gallons). My fish were indeed quarantined and held in observation prior to adding. I'm sorry for your losses.

This was the exact thread I was thinking of earlier but couldn't find! I don't know if fish directly ate the 'gunk' in either case, but I could see it causing a bacterial bloom that lowered oxygen or directly poisoning the water with something.

 

[jabberwock]

You may be already doing this, if not do half buckets. I have bad shoulders and did full buckets for a long time then untill I figured out doing halves is so much easier. I've also used small pumps like maxi jets to empty pails when I'm really hurting.
Not meant to be insulting at all just throwing it out there.
PS Glad the purple is doing well

Agree, I use a pump like this:

 

[KingAh123]

Higher temp will lower oxygen somewhat. If you have no other means to cool tank when it gets hot, obtain zip lock bags. You can buy a 30 pack for under $6. Place them in the sump, and use a size that will fit fine and the idea is to rotate them. fill about 5 of them with water and place in freezer. Place one frozen one in sump, allow to melt and lower temp. When it melts, pull a new frozen one from freezer and place melted one back in freezer

But what I don't understand, correct me if I'm wrong. The tank went through a summer last year that was hotter and the tank reached 28 cm and no fish died I had 13 fish in the tank, almost the same amount as I did before the die out. Good tip, I will keep it in mind, but could it be the warmth that contributed to fish getting killed?

 

[BeanAnimal]

But what I don't understand, correct me if I'm wrong. The tank went through a summer last year that was hotter and the tank reached 28 cm and no fish died I had 13 fish in the tank, almost the same amount as I did before the die out. Good tip, I will keep it in mind, but could it be the warmth that contributed to fish getting killed?

Often catastrophes like this don’t have a single cause and instead are a combination of small events that, together are disastrous.

 

[KingAh123]

Often catastrophes like this don’t have a single cause and instead are a combination of small events that, together are disastrous.

Ah, ok thank you, I understand. Don't want to be mean, I was just a little confused. But thank you for clarifying.

 

[vetteguy53081]

But what I don't understand, correct me if I'm wrong. The tank went through a summer last year that was hotter and the tank reached 28 cm and no fish died I had 13 fish in the tank, almost the same amount as I did before the die out. Good tip, I will keep it in mind, but could it be the warmth that contributed to fish getting killed?

Warmth plays a role and depending on available oxygen, ammonia and nitrate levels- would be different in result

 

[KingAh123]

Here's a long-awaited update on the sump and the tank. I have thoroughly cleaned the sump and it is now free of any contaminants. The purple tang is still alive, and in fact, I have relocated him to the sump. He had shown aggression towards every new addition I introduced, so I grew tired of his behavior and moved him into the sump, where he is doing well. The staff at my local fish store (LFS) explained that since he had been alone in the main tank for some time, he might have established himself as the dominant fish. They advised me to leave him in the sump for at least a month. I have provided him with some live rock and a powerhead for aeration.

After considering the issues and headaches associated with the sump, I have decided that it's not worth the trouble. Instead, I will run the main tank using a hang-on-back (HOB) skimmer, live rock, and perform weekly 10% water changes.

In addition, I acquired a new fish for the tank yesterday from my LFS—a Red Velvet Fairy Wrasse—and it's doing well. It has been feeding on AF protein pellets so far. As for the sump, I will repurpose it as a quarantine tank. My question is, can I rely on live rock as filtration for the quarantine tank?

 

[blecki]

Of course. The live rock is the filtration in both cases. Skimmers provide aeration and remove organics before they decompose; they don't eliminate ammonia or nitrate after the fact. The only addition you'd need to make it a viable QT is a powerhead.

But to be clear your problem was not that you have a sump.

 

[KingAh123]

Of course. The live rock is the filtration in both cases. Skimmers provide aeration and remove organics before they decompose; they don't eliminate ammonia or nitrate after the fact. The only addition you'd need to make it a viable QT is a powerhead.

But to be clear your problem was not that you have a sump.

No, the sump was not the problem, the media I put was. But still, I'm going to try and simplify it for my it for myself and get a more simple filtration. I might do a sump if I upgrade in the future.