My fish are dieing off n idk why. HELP!!

merlberg · Sep 3, 2015

Within the last week ive had about 4 of my fish die off batfish, valentini puffer, wrasse, goby sandsifter and my horse shoe crab. But i think my batfish was dieing because my tomato clown was picking at his fins n by the time i noticed it it was way too late he was too thin. My goby sifter was looking really thin like he wasnt eating enough n when i first got him he was way thicker. My puffer was fine the night before then i woke up in the AM n seen him laying on the rock which he never does during the day so i knew something was wrong n by the evening he was gone :/.

I have a 55 gallon tank n My tank parameters are: nitrite-0 nitrate-10 ppm ammonia-0 PH-8.4 temp-82 salt- 1.021

Fish in tank are: small niger trigger, humu humu, tomato clown, green chromis, domino damsel and 2 pajama cardinals.

ImageUploadedByREEF2REEF1441284282.169966.jpg

Ive had my tank since january of this year and it is Fish Only! I have a protien skimmer and recently put in a sunsun UV sterilizer, which ive hotten mixed reviews on. And i do not have a sump. And my filter is a hang on filter. At this point idk what else to look for. Someone told me maybe it can be an oxygen problem because of tge amount of fish i have so i put an airstone in there but dnt knw if that will even help much.

Anything else i should be looking for to see what is killing them? Should i look into adding anything? I realy dnt have space for a sump to be honest... Do u guys think i realy need a sump for a 55 gallon? Thrn someone else told me look into a canister filter. Idk i need suggestions please. I dnt want to loose anymore fish :/

BTA Love · Sep 3, 2015

You might have an electric current running through your tank from the uv, if that was the most recent and fish started dying after installing. I've never had any problems with uv sterilizers. But a friend of mine had issues with a heater, killed everything in his tank til he realized it was the heater putting an electric current in the tank. They make aquarium probes for it.

merlberg · Sep 3, 2015

I was thinking maybe i should remove the UV since that was the last thing i put in there n just might have to do tht today!

Reefrookie220 · Sep 3, 2015

Also it seems your temp is a tad high and your specific gravity is a little low. Just my 2cents.

Jimbo662 · Sep 3, 2015

+1 what reefrookie said. I'd get the sg closer to 1.024 and temp around 80. Removing the UV might help the ammonia by increasing the bacteria to a healthy level to be able to handle the bio load.

FL_Reefer · Sep 3, 2015

I would say it's the uv. For fish only 1.021 is fine. That is what most LFS keep there's at for the fish. But I would bring it up. Try and get your temp down just a touch but even at 82 it shouldn't kill your fish.

merlberg · Sep 3, 2015

Ok guys thanks for your inpuy so far... I will also increase the salinity a bit more.

AlexG · Sep 3, 2015

That is a lot of fish in a 55 gallon. I agree the temp at 82 seems a bit high I would be more in the 76-78 level. Any reason the salinity is at 1.021? I would be looking to have salinity 1.022-1.026. This could be a voltage issue but if there is a disease in the tank it can run its course fast. It sounds like some of the fish were already stressed which does not help.

merlberg · Sep 3, 2015

No reason the salinity is at 1.021 i heard frm my lfs the lower the better so i always kept it low. The temp is that high because of the heat but from time to time i put ice in there to cool the water off but dnt knw any other way to keep the water cooler. How do i knw if it is some kind of disease? All the fish that died looked normal besides the goby that was really thin. Their eyes looked fine n so did thier fins

NeuroticAquatics · Sep 3, 2015

The 1.021 for FOWLR should be fine. Certainly not something that would kill fish. The 82 is a bit high, but again, not something that should kill fish. My tanks get 81-82 in the summer sometimes and I have seen no bad come from it. To cool it down, a fan running across the surface can help. Ice is a temp fix and can drop temps too fast, which is not good.

I agree that it could be the UV if the problems started after adding it. I also think that the triggers (maybe the tomato and damsels) could be a stress factor to the more docile fish (like the bat fish). Is everyone getting food at feeding time?

IMO, you can get away with just a skimmer on a 55g (especially in a FOWLR) if it is a good one rated for at least double that. I would not add a canister unless you plan to clean it all the time. What do you have?

merlberg · Sep 3, 2015

Ahh a little fan will def. help thanks ill use that for next summer! Yes i make sure everyone is fed when its feeding time, esp the humu humu i recently added him n when he does not get his fair share he bullys the others i notice n goes crazy. And i agree about the docile fish being stressed by the others. But my 2 pajama cardinals are very docile as well but seems to do great esp. During eating time even with the faster fish i have.

I added the UV about 2 weeks ago and the filter i have is an aquaclear 110.

sfg · Sep 10, 2015

Is that a real jellyfish?

Harold Green · Sep 10, 2015

You haven't mentioned anything to circulate water beyond the air stone and the filter. A good skimmer will do some oxygenating of the tank and a good power head or other water moving device to agitate the surface while circulating water from top to bottom. Temperature stability is important. You don't want the water to change suddenly by more that a degree or two. Did you do a major water change after the fish died to remove any toxics from the fish?

Humblefish · Sep 10, 2015

merlberg said:
How do i knw if it is some kind of disease? All the fish that died looked normal besides the goby that was really thin. Their eyes looked fine n so did thier fins

A thin fish can mean intestinal worms and those are transmissible. However, you should also see white stringy poop if your fish have worms.

FWIW (and I think this has already been mentioned); you are mixing fish that have no business being housed together. The triggers (and possibly even the tomato clown) may have very well killed the fish you lost (and the horseshoe crab); except for maybe the wrasse. Housing all those fish together in just a 55 gal would have just exasperated any underlying aggression issues. There also may have not been enough available oxygen for the same reason. And I'm really hoping that jellyfish is just a decoration. :mad:

clsbgirl · Sep 10, 2015

I had a similar situation. I have a 55 myself reaching about a year mark. I don't have a sump but a wet dry filter and skimmer. Around March of this year I had a die off, yellow tang, flame angel, 2 green chromis, and my cardinals disappeared. All my parameters were good, nitrate a little high, but nothing out of control. Then I realized that the pumps inside the wet dry were running crazy hot. Water temp hovering around 84-86. Once I switched the pump in my skimmer and for the return in the wet dry, the temp dropped. I'm consistently around 78-80 now and everything in the tank is thriving now. On these hot summer days I use 2 small fans running across the top, and all is well, just gotta keep alot of top off water on hand.