Need help! Failing tank!

[anratliff]

We have a 120 gallon cleair tank. It has been setup for a little over a year. Over that year we have lost quite a few fish despite our best efforts. We recently battled red cyanobacteria. We added an additional powerhead and chemiclean per our fish store. We lost our tang. We did a 25% water change and lots a whole host of fish including our clown and a cardinal. The ph, ammonia, nitrates, and nitrates are all find per our testing kit.

We are considering investing in a 40 or 80 gallon shallow reef tank because even though it would require more frequent water changes, it would allow us to maintain it easier as he's in a wheelchair and I'm only 5'4". We currently have left the following fish - would a 40 or 80 be big enough for them?

Solar fairy wrasse
5 pajama cardinals
2 cardinals
A handful of emerald crabs
4 cleaner shrimp
3 cherry shrimp
A trigger - not sure of kind
1 tail splot blenny - pretty sure it's dying
Geometric Pygmy hawkfish
2 green chromis
Pistol shrimp
Watchman gobi


The pistol shrimp, gobi, and blenny if it lives are the only fish we are truly attached to if we can't take everything to the new tank. I'm just tired of killing fish.

 

[Mr.Rocc]

Before everyone else says it. We will need to see the actually numerical value of your tests to see what might be wrong.

 

[anratliff]

Ok. I will test them again tomorrow. Headed to the city for dinner.

 

[Mr.Rocc]

Just going off what you've said. I would do a huge water change over the course of maybe 2 weeks with a total volume of maybe 50%. Run gfo to reduce the algea.

 

[anratliff]

Gfo?

 

[Mr.Rocc]

It's used to reduce phosphates. Also what are you running for a filter

 

[anratliff]

Good question. I think it's gravity fed? And then a 3 compartment chamber in the bottom.

 

[anratliff]

We have filter balls and socks.

 

[randy4083]

Those emerald crabs could be killing your fish because I've heard of them going after fish

 

[anratliff]

Maybe but they're very small and slow compared to our fish. Pretty sure the blenny is dead as I can't find her this morning and our wrasse is definitely on his last leg. My fiancé is heading into the city now to get four jugs of salt water our fish store makes and sales so we can do another water change. We are not adding anymore live beings to our tank until we figure out what's going on. Could is be a parasite? Fish look healthy until they die.

 

[jsker]

Welcome to R2R
Right now it look as though you are running a fish only live rock, correct? allot of questions will be based on what type of tank you are running.

That is great that you are hanging in there and coming here to ask questions.

Ok, my suggestions and questions to help out:

• Feed the fish vitimarn m and C to keep there immune system strong in the frozen food, I would also keep some metroplex and focus on hand to treat the tank when you add a new fish. You fish sound like they are dying because they are stressed for many reason. The water could be dirty, high amonouna, disease or combinations of these factors.
• 
  
• Are you Quarantine fish before you put them in? I would head over to the fish disease forum link and do reading for the reason that the disease my becoming from new additions

• Get a glass cleaner, a clean tank is a happy tank
• 
  
• I would run another round of chem clean, it still looks like you have the cyano. Red Cyano is a bacteria and it can be also caused by environmental conditions. Check you PH, Low PH means to much Co2 and a ph higher than 8.0 would be fine
• 
  
• Tooth brush off the rock to knock off all the lose stuff, and I would also suggest getting a vacuum and vacuum the sand to get all of the junk that is knocked off the glass and rocks out of the tank.
• 
  
• Take you the plastic bio balls out, all they are doing is producing high nutrients
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• What test kits are you using? Test Ca, Alk, Mg. High phosphates will cause problems with algae and high nitrates will feed the algae.
• 
  
• How often do you change the socks

I know this a bunch of questions, but we can help you have a really cool tank for the future