Newbie Problem

[mark kon]

I got a 74gl tank, it all seems to be going fine, four months in. The corals are growing slowly, few snails and a starfish cleaning good, and I have peppermint shrimps that are well behaved (or how you would expect them to behave) except for one which acts a bit different from the very beginning, but it's fine. I have a problem maintaining fish. I had four clown fish which I added at different times, they all died. I got a Goby not so long ago, it died the next day. We couldn't find it, but then the current brought it out of the rocks. Is there a specific reason why fish don't live in my tank.

 

[Crabs McJones]

I got a 74gl tank, it all seems to be going fine, four months in. The corals are growing slowly, few snails and a starfish cleaning good, and I have peppermint shrimps that are well behaved (or how you would expect them to behave) except for one which acts a bit different from the very beginning, but it's fine. I have a problem maintaining fish. I had four clown fish which I added at different times, they all died. I got a Goby not so long ago, it died a few days after. is there a specific reason why fish don't live in my tank.

Welcome to R2R!!

#WelcometoR2R
Before you added your fish to your tank, did you run any kind of quarantine? Or just added them right into the tank? Do you have any fish now? It could have been a parasite or illness. Velvet takes out fish quickly, however brooklynella is common in clown fish. For future reference, you don't want more than two clowns at a time. Any more and they'll pair up and kill the odd ones out.
Also do you know your water parameters? And how old is the tank?

 

[mark kon]

I'm also great joining into the field of reefing, and am glad that people are so assisting and helpful here. The water parameters were good, and the tank was quarantined. I also thought the parasites were the main cause for the clown fish to die, but the Goby was almost a month after the clown fishes, and I added stuff to the water which cleans off parasites, whatsoever. Besides they should've died off from starvation while there were no fish. I had the tank now for maybe four and a half months, so the cycle should be over.

 

[mark kon]

Another question, is it fine to use spring water for the tank?

 

[Robink]

I would use ro/di water to top off and make salt water. What are your parameters?

 

[cracker]

You came to a good place for help ! We will need more info though. Tell us about the spring water you use & how You test the water?

 

[mark kon]

Well, I come to this place for spring water, it's actual water which comes down from a mountain. The water is clean. It comes from a private lake on top the mountain, and the owner doesn't do anything related to the lake.

 

[mark kon]

But I seem to have a bigger problem right now, the water I have, I tested it in my LFS and they said it was good, and that was like last week, and now I come home and see my starfish behaving strange. It rolled up to a ball like shape, then went to the ground which is a unusual thing for it to do, and now there are little tiny things around it. I wanna say they look like insects, but IDK, maybe parasites. Although I asked the people in my LFS if starfish could get parasites, they said no. The star-fish I have was in the tank for a while now, maybe like two/three months.

 

[cracker]

Mark it sounds like your star fish has died & the copapods & amphipods are eating it. Sorry to say ,I hope I'm wrong ! I wish I knew more. we need the reef-squad but I don't know how to call them !
@ reef squad ?
well that didn't work, I'd think there is something about the water You use regardless of what the LFS says.

 

[mark kon]

Well that sucks . Anyways thank you.

 

[cracker]

Hold on I'm working on it !

 

[Dsnakes]

I wish I knew more. we need the reef-squad but I don't know how to call them !
@ reef squad ?
well that didn't work, I'd think there is something about the water You use regardless of what the LFS says.

#reefsquad

 

[Dsnakes]

The actual parameters would be a good starting point. 'Good' doesn't help too much, as though the numbers may be within an acceptable range, there could be an imbalance. In terms of your goby dying, he could have contracted something from the clowns that were added after and succumbed after they passed.

 

[cracker]

How did You do that ? Thanks ! This guy needs some advice .
Mark, Dsnakes has done it ! He's the Man !

 

[mark kon]

How about this, I'll test the water, and have the numbers by tomorrow, cause I do have stupid school.

 

[mark kon]

So i tested the water...

Ph~ 8.2
Ammonia~ 0
Nitrate~ barely over 0
Nitrite~ 0
Salinity~ little over 1.026

I think these are good stats

So yesterday, after hearing that the star-fish died, I took it out and give it a good look. It's not dead apparently, I put it back in the tank, and it seems to behave as usual (so far), climbing the walls of the tank. Is there a reason for it to have such unusual behavior for a day?

 

[mark kon]

Is there a possibility that the little things that surrounded the star-fish were the little sticks/strings/(whatever you want to call) that are on the bottom of its legs that let the fish move, and they fell off? Because right now I noticed that the star can stick with all legs except for one which moves with the current. And those things looked like worms. So IDK whats going on with the star-fish, kinda weird.

 

[mark kon]

???