Ready to quit

Have about 6 of these guys growing on my live rock. Could this be a factor?
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I've always thought it off when people ask for help by begging strangers for reasons for them to keep going???? Either your heart is in it, or it's not. My advise is if you are frustrated, ask for help, and listen to the answers. If your heart isn't in it, it's okay to do your pocket book and any future purchases a favor and seriously think about another hobby. I don't want to sound rude, but we are playing with animal lives here. We all lose things, but those of us who stick it out have a fascination with keeping these creatures that compells us to keep learning how to do things better.

This is not constructive advice and very discouraging to say the least. If you'd have taken the time to read the thread, you would know that this hobbyist has taken the time to run multiple tests, and has come here looking for a solution because of caring a great deal about what's going on. Mmsetta has answered every question that we've asked and is genuinely seeking the answer to the issue. If you have nothing helpful to offer to another hobbyist who is struggling, then you should probably refrain from weighing in with such comments.
 
Im sorry i was rude. It sounds like you have had a rough start. However, Let me add, if asking strangers reasons why not to quit is from emotional reasons, everyone in this hobby encounters terrible setbacks; it will rip your heart out. Not everyone is made for keeping wet pets. Next time ask for help, not reasons not to quit. I too would be disheartened if my first tank was a tank of death; I would start over if my fascination was soo great I couldnt quit. A complete do over. Don't let me get you down, some of the best things that have been done has been deiven by the desire to prove people wrong.
 
Awesome cleveland. Yes these clowns were from that store and I did notice a slight blemish on both that I got. Also, there were two of the gobies the day before I bought him, but the day I bought there was only the one. I asked what happened to the other, and they said it sold. I wonder.
But, the first two clowns were from Columbia station.

Going to focus on getting salinity down and trying to save the existing clown. Any other info would be great. Thanks to everyone
 
I would recommend moving the Clownfish to a QT tank so you can treat & Monitor it closely. Especially in case it is Brooklynella. You would want to treat that in a separate tank. That would be my suggestion.

I really hope you get this figured out. It can be so dis-heartening to experience things like this. We all have in this hobby. It comes with the hobby. I look forward to seeing the outcome of this. I hope all is well.
 
Spsnut. Time to stop while your ahead bud. You're being offensive even when your trying not to be. I realize some people are just like that. You have my permission to move on to another thread.
 
Where in Cleveland are you bro? Im in Berea. Where'd you get the clowns from? Is the sand in your tank new sand or did you buy used Sand from someone else and reuse the sand? Also how are you topping the tank off? Are you just adding freshwater to it?
 
I wouldnt buy anything from that store. Alot of their fish look like they are near death. Did you put their water in your tank? I can see that causing alot of problems with your tank. Any store that has dead fish floating around in their tanks and posts signs that says dont worry fish arent dead they are acclimating is a joke.
 
+1 check for stray voltage or add a grounding probe just to be safe. I lost a round of fishes where they just stopped eating, then went to the bottom of the tank and just struggled breathing. I grabbed a voltmeter and discovered my heater was adding crazy voltage to the tank, I replaced the heater and added a grounding probe. For $15 or so $$ a grounding probe can save you a lot in the long run and it's worth a try IMO.
 
I've had freshwater for 30yrs and salt for 5yrs. Anytime I've seen marks like that on a fish it was always some sort of injury. It looks like an internal wound. Is there any possiility a predator is in your tank. Should be fairly easy given your amount of live rock. Just wanted to rule that one out for you. Are there any unprotected filter inlets or heaters? Your system looks fine! We also lost a few fish,so don't give up. 6 months ago we lost our breeding pair of mandarins, in a tank swarming with micro life. Had them for months,then noticed a swelling on the males side. Good luck.
 
My lfs said it keeps it's salinity at .020-.021. Mine was at .028. I did a mini water chNge and brought the level down to .024 last night. Today is was back up to .26. I just removed some water and added fresh to being it down. I will check salinity in a couple hours to see where it's at. My clown is still alive but struggling. Don't know why, but I have a hunch it's to shock of the salinity. I hope that's it. Here is the clown now:

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Hanging out at bottom of tank
 
I am so sorry you're experiencing this. I will weigh in that you should hang in there. You obviously are conscientious and really want to keep your live stock healthy - so for the first part, hang in there! I'm not sure what the dark mark is (could be an infection) but my hypothesis is that the shock in salinity definitely could be a big part of the problem and you're taking care of that. I would suggest in looking at your tank that it is closed up pretty tightly. Sometimes, that can impede oxygenation so I would try opening up the top and perhaps adding in an airstone or point your powerhead right at the top. I wouldn't feed too much in trying to get them to eat, they obviously are stressed and probably aren't hungry. Uneaten food will further fuel your nutrient issue. I would suggest doing some small water changes every other day, get the salinity stable, feed just a small amount, maybe leave the lights off too for a bit to reduce stress and monitor. Please let us know how things are going!
 
try a product called "phosphate RX" i used it recently as i have always seemed to have high phosphate levels that never seem to get in check (honestly i think the problem might be coming from inside my protien skimmer since its really the only thing i havnt painstakenly removed, cleaned, and put back in the tank). anyways the phosphate rx had my phosphates in check in less than a week (it still spikes after a few days, which is why i think im gona pull my protien skimmer out and flush it. i always notice algea at the opening where the water returns to the tank so its worth a shot). keep your head up man, i have lost more money chasing problems by replacing/upgrading equipment and stressing over things and the most important thing i learned.....patience. i would follow some of the advise on this thread though and start by quaranteen any visable problems (i.e. your clown), up you water change out frequency for the next month (start with a good 20%+ change out just to jump start getting rid of anything bad in your tank. your not gona hurt it even if you went up to a 50% water change). and dont put anything else in your tank while you get it stabalized (cept maybe mushroom, since they seem to be pretty hardy. keep in mind that even when everything in your tank is perfect....you will still lose the occasional coral and or fish, natural cycle of life. a guy at my lfs thats been in the hobby for over 30 years once told me that losing 1 in 5 frags you bring home is almost to be expected). good luck bro..
 

IF YOU HAD TO TAKE A REEFING EXAM, WOULD YOU PASS?

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