Sick to my stomach :(

[mamacta]

Well, Welcome to the wonderful world of salt water !

That said you've started learning the painful wisdom that experience yields and books & the internet often gloss over.

My son went through much the same with his first tank, luckily it was less expensive fresh water. However, the conclusions were the same :

A. The first fish in often establish territory and "bully" latter occupants into lesser desired territory.
B. Characteristics of a species or a class of fish are not reflected in all. Sometimes there is a anti-social psychopath among the "community fish."
C. As for humans, "Time Outs" are not always effective.
D. Tantrums happen. A for legged pet may destroy the couch when left at home, and a unhappy child may throw some toys. Fish find ways to express their displeasure too.

Much like the rest of our lives, one must take a moment to decompress, develop a plan, and then return with steely resolve.

You may feel defeated now; however, I assure you that years down the road you will see this as a decisive moment. Just keep moving ahead.

Best wishes in the fishes,
Jim, who has committed every possible error at least once

Thank you

 

[NowGlazeIT]

We tried to lure it into an acclimation box but that didn’t work. My husband is calling LFS this morning to get their take on the situation. We shall see.

Can you pull out the rocks and place them in a bucket while you catch the king of the hill?

 

[ProxyAquarist]

Thank you

I am glad the post was helpful.

My son had Neolamprologus multifasciatus, aka “Multies.” An African community cichlid from one of the few "salt water" lakes. They rearrange the sand every night. He researched the for years while working on his Earth & Environmental Science degree. Even with that and asking experts, chaos set in.

It started with Multies using the "cleaning crew" snails as soccer balls. The chaos continued until the Multies were in a dedicated tank.

The moral of the story is that even the most detailed and extensive planning can fail. Much akin to the engineering method , one must plan, test, reevaluate, and start the process again until one reaches a desired goal.

Best wishes,
jim

 

[mamacta]

Can you pull out the rocks and place them in a bucket while you catch the king of the hill?

I could. I was really hoping to avoid that though. I really liked how it looked (took me days to get it how I liked) and I was sick over knocking off a couple of the top rocks But if it comes to that I will

 

[mamacta]

I am glad the post was helpful.

My son had Neolamprologus multifasciatus, aka “Multies.” An African community cichlid from one of the few "salt water" lakes. They rearrange the sand every night. He researched the for years while working on his Earth & Environmental Science degree. Even with that and asking experts, chaos set in.

It started with Multies using the "cleaning crew" snails as soccer balls. The chaos continued until the Multies were in a dedicated tank.

The moral of the story is that even the most detailed and extensive planning can fail. Much akin to the engineering method , one must plan, test, reevaluate, and start the process again until one reaches a desired goal.

Best wishes,
jim

Looks like I better toughen up a bit haha

 

[Uncle99]

You should just let them work it out unless it’s a physical attack, resulting in damage, then I might separate.

 

[Sharkbait19]

You should just let them work it out unless it’s a physical attack, resulting in damage, then I might separate.

I agree
Fish naturally will get into fights over food, territory, etc.
Unless one is being injured or overly stressed, it’s best to ride it out.

 

[Mushroomsyo]

I could. I was really hoping to avoid that though. I really liked how it looked (took me days to get it how I liked) and I was sick over knocking off a couple of the top rocks But if it comes to that I will

This is probably the easiest method. Since he is the aggressive fish he should be the first one to check out the trap.

 

[mamacta]

This is probably the easiest method. Since he is the aggressive fish he should be the first one to check out the trap.

This is probably the easiest method. Since he is the aggressive fish he should be the first one to check out the trap.

This is probably the easiest method. Since he is the aggressive fish he should be the first one to check out the trap.

Very innovative!

 

[melonheadorion]

They definately like to assert dominance when it comes to their "bubble". ive had a tail spot blenny swim too close once, and the RG had his whole head in her mouth. she later calmed down though.

 

[mamacta]

They definately like to assert dominance when it comes to their "bubble". ive had a tail spot blenny swim too close once, and the RG had his whole head in her mouth. she later calmed down though.

Good to know!

 

[smacbride]

My Royal is a peacful fish. He is one of my new additions so that probably helped. Over the years I've realized that you can only have one of those "type" of fish, ie: a rock dweller. If you have more than one rock dweller then they will fight for the territory. So either a goby, wrasse, dottyback, or royal but not more than one of those types.

In my tank my bangai cardinal is actually the big bully in the tank.

 

[mamacta]

Update: Sorry in advance for the length. Much has happened. Ended up rearranging rock scape. This helped for about 3 or 4 days and the Royal left the Goby alone. The Goby still never left his little cave but at least he wasn’t getting picked on. Then everything went back to before. Royal was terrorizing the Goby and still bugging the shrimp. Shrimp wound up dead (murdered?) one morning. Decided we needed to get another fish in there to see if it would stop the targeted bullying. After talking with peeps at LFS we went with a pair of clowns. Wanted something that wasn’t aggressive, yet able to hold their own. It was an awesome choice and I had my dream tank for about 3 or 4 days. Panicked when I saw hundreds of little white creatures crawling around on the inside of the glass. After researching I found out that was a good thing?? My water parameters were near perfect. I was a little obsessive compulsive about that. A couple days after that I noticed white spots on the Royal and she was flashing. It progressed rapidly. By the time I got to LFS and they recommended Metroplex and Focus she was no longer eating. She died this morning. The 2 clowns had been eating when I started treating but they aren’t anymore and they look dreadful. The only one who is actually still looking great and eating is the poor picked on Goby. Guess who’s having the last laugh? I am beyond devastated to say the least. I’m not sure I can continue with this. It’s only been 3 months but absolutely everything has gone wrong. I have spent so much time on this tank that the rest of the stuff in my life is getting neglected. I’m talking hours a day. I’m defeated

 

[Lavey29]

Update: Sorry in advance for the length. Much has happened. Ended up rearranging rock scape. This helped for about 3 or 4 days and the Royal left the Goby alone. The Goby still never left his little cave but at least he wasn’t getting picked on. Then everything went back to before. Royal was terrorizing the Goby and still bugging the shrimp. Shrimp wound up dead (murdered?) one morning. Decided we needed to get another fish in there to see if it would stop the targeted bullying. After talking with peeps at LFS we went with a pair of clowns. Wanted something that wasn’t aggressive, yet able to hold their own. It was an awesome choice and I had my dream tank for about 3 or 4 days. Panicked when I saw hundreds of little white creatures crawling around on the inside of the glass. After researching I found out that was a good thing?? My water parameters were near perfect. I was a little obsessive compulsive about that. A couple days after that I noticed white spots on the Royal and she was flashing. It progressed rapidly. By the time I got to LFS and they recommended Metroplex and Focus she was no longer eating. She died this morning. The 2 clowns had been eating when I started treating but they aren’t anymore and they look dreadful. The only one who is actually still looking great and eating is the poor picked on Goby. Guess who’s having the last laugh? I am beyond devastated to say the least. I’m not sure I can continue with this. It’s only been 3 months but absolutely everything has gone wrong. I have spent so much time on this tank that the rest of the stuff in my life is getting neglected. I’m talking hours a day. I’m defeated

Honestly, we all have had setbacks, lost fish and corals, etc... it is a very challenging hobby which makes the success all that more fulfilling. If you aren't doing QT with fish especially clowns that is just asking for big problems the majority of the time. Take a breather and reassess where you are with your tank. Patience is key in this hobby and going slow only helps you improve your skills.

 

[mamacta]

Honestly, we all have had setbacks, lost fish and corals, etc... it is a very challenging hobby which makes the success all that more fulfilling. If you aren't doing QT with fish especially clowns that is just asking for big problems the majority of the time. Take a breather and reassess where you are with your tank. Patience is key in this hobby and going slow only helps you improve your skills.

Could it have been from the clowns even though they didn’t show any symptoms until a day or two after the Royal? A QT tank has been a bit of a problem since we live in a 700 sq ft in-law apartment. May have to rethink this and make some adjustments. Had a freshwater tank for years and years and never had a single issue. I guess I was going into this expecting the same ‍

 

[jabberwock]

I am new to saltwater. I have a Coralife 32 Biocube that has been up and running for 2 months. Got my first fish (Royal Gramma) a little over 2 weeks ago along with some hermit crabs and astrea snails. Water was looking and testing great. Inhabitants looked healthy and happy. Then 4 days ago I added another fish (yellow goby), a skunk shrimp and some Nassarius snails. The Royal immediately began terrorizing all of them. The goby went into a hole and only peaks his head out once in a while. The Royal sticks his head in the hole with his mouth open wide on a regular basis. The shrimp was cornered in the back where the Royal just hovered over him. He is even nipping at the new snails. I decided to try and give the royal a "time out" and my husband and I tried for 2 hours last night to catch him (we couldn't). My Biocube looks destroyed now. Rocks knocked over, water all cloudy (still after 12 hours) and this morning the royal is nowhere in sight. Did not come out when I fed which is very abnormal. He is a very eager feeder. The shrimp however is very freely roaming about. I am literally sick to my stomach right now. I had to go to work and won't be back home for another 9 hours. I got the biocube to have a relaxing hobby and now I'm just devastated and feeling sick to my stomach If anyone has any words of encouragement I would love to hear them.

I have read the entire thread before replying here to your original post. I am sorry for your situation and stress. It could be worse, my biocube sprung a leak after 10 months and about $1000. The sound of water hitting your floor is definitely worse... Don't beat yourself up, this is a complicated hobby.

Lot's of great advice on here from the R2R family. Here are some additional thoughts.

My Royal Gramma must have been related to yours. His name was David Bowie, and he was a complete jerk. They seem to be a roll of the dice for temperament. The shrimp probably died of stress. RGs can bully but rarely inflict injury.

Typically LFS solution is to sell you more fish. Clowns are evil, I will never own another (not a RG either). I would take the clowns back to the LFS and take the loss. Do not add anything else to the tank until you can get things stable. You have got to go slow.

I had a biocube 32 and I noticed that aggression was exasperated because of the vertical nature of the habitat. The fish are all stacked up on each other and the "dive bombing" becomes a regular occurrence.

You definitely need to spot feed the YWG. Don't add anything else to the tank and he may get his confidence back. Don't throw a bunch of meds in the tank at the recommendation of the LFS. Come here for help and advice.

The following is true of almost all pets, we generally outlive them. Tortoises and parrots may be the exception to that rule. Deep breath, what you are experiencing is a rather common result in my opinion. You can learn and grow your skills from it.

I wish you all the best.

 

[Lavey29]

Could it have been from the clowns even though they didn’t show any symptoms until a day or two after the Royal? A QT tank has been a bit of a problem since we live in a 700 sq ft in-law apartment. May have to rethink this and make some adjustments. Had a freshwater tank for years and years and never had a single issue. I guess I was going into this expecting the same ‍

Clowns are notorious for disease like brook. When i first started my tank they wiped me out. White spots on your fish could be ick. If it looked like they had cloudy dust on them with spots that could be brook. You would have to show pics and full description for possible diagnosis. Once disease gets into a tank it does not go away unless the tank sits fallow for some months. If you try to add fish to a tank with disease then those fish will become infected. If you had fish show symptoms and die rapidly within 48 hours that is typically brook or maybe velvet but we need more details to determine.

 

[mamacta]

I have read the entire thread before replying here to your original post. I am sorry for your situation and stress. It could be worse, my biocube sprung a leak after 10 months and about $1000. The sound of water hitting your floor is definitely worse... Don't beat yourself up, this is a complicated hobby.

Lot's of great advice on here from the R2R family. Here are some additional thoughts.

My Royal Gramma must have been related to yours. His name was David Bowie, and he was a complete jerk. They seem to be a roll of the dice for temperament. The shrimp probably died of stress. RGs can bully but rarely inflict injury.

Typically LFS solution is to sell you more fish. Clowns are evil, I will never own another (not a RG either). I would take the clowns back to the LFS and take the loss. Do not add anything else to the tank until you can get things stable. You have got to go slow.

I had a biocube 32 and I noticed that aggression was exasperated because of the vertical nature of the habitat. The fish are all stacked up on each other and the "dive bombing" becomes a regular occurrence.

You definitely need to spot feed the YWG. Don't add anything else to the tank and he may get his confidence back. Don't throw a bunch of meds in the tank at the recommendation of the LFS. Come here for help and advice.

The following is true of almost all pets, we generally outlive them. Tortoises and parrots may be the exception to that rule. Deep breath, what you are experiencing is a rather common result in my opinion. You can learn and grow your skills from it.

I wish you all the best.

Thank you. I already told my husband that nothing is going in that tank for at least several months now. He feels awful as he was the one who pushed me to do this thinking it would be a relaxing hobby! I love the ocean. I love to snorkel. It seemed obvious but so far not relaxing at all!

 

[Lavey29]

And just to let you know you are not alone, I came home late last night and discovered my favorite fish stuck in my return line struggling for his life too

 

[mamacta]

Clowns are notorious for disease like brook. When i first started my tank they wiped me out. White spots on your fish could be ick. If it looked like they had cloudy dust on them with spots that could be brook. You would have to show pics and full description for possible diagnosis. Once disease gets into a tank it does not go away unless the tank sits fallow for some months. If you try to add fish to a tank with disease then those fish will become infected. If you had fish show symptoms and die rapidly within 48 hours that is typically brook or maybe velvet but we need more details to determine.

It looked like she was sprinkled with salt. There is nothing going in that tank for a while

And just to let you know you are not alone, I came home late last night and discovered my favorite fish stuck in my return line struggling for his life too

I’m so sorry Please tell me the good eventually outweighs the bad