Monthly tank crash

[Ocellarious]

Not sure why but every month I'll lose a pair of clowns I've been through 3 pairs thus far since February I test my water 2 times a week and before I buy livestock or coral i get my water tested by my lfs each time all parameters are within spec (API test kit) filter media is changed biweekly I feed pellet food during the week and frozen food on the weekends
Clownfish symptoms:
Heavy breathing
They stop eating
They stay in one place
By day 3 they seem to loose mobility of their bodies
day 4 they die
only the clowns are affected

Tank info:
20 gallon long
Salinity 1.023
Ammonia 0ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Nitrate <5ppm
Water temp 78-80°f
Inhabitants:
GBTA
3 peppermint shrimp
2 emerald crabs
Frag of zoa's
Frag of gsp


If anyone can help give me some insight to what's going on it would greatly appreciated

 

[Crustaceon]

How are you acclimating?

 

[SR Reefing]

Are they wild clownfish?

 

[brandon429]

Skipping fallow and qt/ tank is reinfecting, not a parameter issue. For sure not a cycle issue

 

[Shufflepig]

Not sure why but every month I'll lose a pair of clowns I've been through 3 pairs thus far since February I test my water 2 times a week and before I buy livestock or coral i get my water tested by my lfs each time all parameters are within spec (API test kit) filter media is changed biweekly I feed pellet food during the week and frozen food on the weekends
Clownfish symptoms:
Heavy breathing
They stop eating
They stay in one place
By day 3 they seem to loose mobility of their bodies
day 4 they die
only the clowns are affected

Tank info:
20 gallon long
Salinity 1.023
Ammonia 0ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Nitrate <5ppm
Water temp 78-80°f
Inhabitants:
GBTA
3 peppermint shrimp
2 emerald crabs
Frag of zoa's
Frag of gsp


If anyone can help give me some insight to what's going on it would greatly appreciated

I would be concerned that you have velvet or brook in the tank from the first pair of clowns you lost. When you add the new fish they get infected. Both those diseases can kill rather quickly.

 

[Shufflepig]

Should leave the tank fishless for 6-8 weeks before adding more fish. This would eradicate velvet or brook. Need longer fallow period for ich but this is unlikely ich with how fast it has killed the fish.

 

[sarcophytonIndy]

Not sure why but every month I'll lose a pair of clowns I've been through 3 pairs thus far since February I test my water 2 times a week and before I buy livestock or coral i get my water tested by my lfs each time all parameters are within spec (API test kit) filter media is changed biweekly I feed pellet food during the week and frozen food on the weekends
Clownfish symptoms:
Heavy breathing
They stop eating
They stay in one place
By day 3 they seem to loose mobility of their bodies
day 4 they die
only the clowns are affected

Tank info:
20 gallon long
Salinity 1.023
Ammonia 0ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Nitrate <5ppm
Water temp 78-80°f
Inhabitants:
GBTA
3 peppermint shrimp
2 emerald crabs
Frag of zoa's
Frag of gsp


If anyone can help give me some insight to what's going on it would greatly appreciated

How many days before the heavy breathing starts ?

 

[esther]

Not sure why but every month I'll lose a pair of clowns I've been through 3 pairs thus far since February I test my water 2 times a week and before I buy livestock or coral i get my water tested by my lfs each time all parameters are within spec (API test kit) filter media is changed biweekly I feed pellet food during the week and frozen food on the weekends
Clownfish symptoms:
Heavy breathing
They stop eating
They stay in one place
By day 3 they seem to loose mobility of their bodies
day 4 they die
only the clowns are affected

Tank info:
20 gallon long
Salinity 1.023
Ammonia 0ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Nitrate <5ppm
Water temp 78-80°f
Inhabitants:
GBTA
3 peppermint shrimp
2 emerald crabs
Frag of zoa's
Frag of gsp


If anyone can help give me some insight to what's going on it would greatly appreciated

Salinity seems a little low. Try raising it a little. Do you get the clownfish from the same place? Maybe they're the issue? Do you QT or acclimate the fish?

 

[Camaro Show Corals]

Api test kits are horrible as well

 

[Ocellarious]

Are they wild clownfish?

No they are captive bread from where my LFS gets their live stock from

 

[Ocellarious]

How many days before the heavy breathing starts ?

It takes about 3 weeks my last pair were a black snow flake and a regular snowflake

 

[Ocellarious]

Should leave the tank fishless for 6-8 weeks before adding more fish. This would eradicate velvet or brook. Need longer fallow period for ich but this is unlikely ich with how fast it has killed the fish.

My LFS recommend 1 week but I'm okay with 6-8 as long as I can keep my clowns alive for longer

 

[Ocellarious]

Api test kits are horrible as well

What do you recommend

 

[Sump Crab]

How old is your aquarium? Do you test water at time of death? Do the fish show any physical signs of disease?

 

[NS Mike D]

What do you recommend

you are OK for what you are testing for now with API. When you need to be precise with NO3 and PO4, don't use API. Siefert, Red Sea, Hanna, NYOS are all used here. Also ALk, CA, & Mg test kits will be needed when you add corals

For salinity a refractometer is recommended but read up on calibrating it with saltwater calibration fluid. The directions for calibrating with distilled or RODI water can lead to incorrect readings with salt water.


Don't panic over you SG yet. It's not low enough to cause your issue.

one last question, how are you sourcing your salt water?

 

[Sump Crab]

api are accurate enough for your purpose imo

 

[Sump Crab]

Do the fish die within the same time frame? If disease was the culprit I do not thin they would all die so close in time together. Disease affects different specimens at different rates. Water quality issues can cause death to multiple fish fairly simultaneously ime.

 

[mtdaly85]

Clownfish should literally be able to live in paint thinner. It sounds to me like you have a parasite. Ich, velvet, brooklynella, and other parasites can live in a fallow tank for up to 3 months (although highly, highly unlikely). As others have suggested, you should go fallow for at least 30 days (as close to 90 days as you can stand) and let the parasites die out.

Good luck, man!

 

[Ocellarious]

you are OK for what you are testing for now with API. When you need to be precise with NO3 and PO4, don't use API. Siefert, Red Sea, Hanna, NYOS are all used here. Also ALk, CA, & Mg test kits will be needed when you add corals

For salinity a refractometer is recommended but read up on calibrating it with saltwater calibration fluid. The directions for calibrating with distilled or RODI water can lead to incorrect readings with salt water.


Don't panic over you SG yet. It's not low enough to cause your issue.

one last question, how are you sourcing your salt water?

I buy my salt water from my LFS

 

[gideon2086]

Grab a cheap UV unit off amazon - green killing machine. Run that during your fallow period.