Two fishes just died

[naybedg]

I'm happy to answer any questions I can. This is not one of the things I know the most about, but below I've linked to a post with lots of good info:

Cycling an Aquarium

Cycling a new aquarium. One of the earliest topics a new aquarium hobbyist needs to learn is how to properly cycle their aquarium. There is a ton of information on this process and many different methods on how to accomplish it. There are many different chemical and biological cycles our tank...

www.reef2reef.com

A piece of live rock or 2 from an established tank will also massively speed up the process, but be sure to trust the rocks to be free of unwanted pests.

The gist is take your time, make sure no ammonia, and read about stuff as much as you can. Learning is part of the process and can be as fun and gratifying as the hobby itself.

A lot of people here (myself included and I'm sure you too) really care about fish and have strong reactions when we see something we find distressing. People want to make sure they get you the right info and prepare you to take proper care of the animals because we see a lot of posts where people jump in too quickly or aren't patient enough. That's why you get a deluge of responses. Keep your chin up and keep trying, just slow down.

Yes I will slow down and keep testing and hopefully everything goes to normal and ok.

 

[sean151]

Ammonia is 8?
To say that’s at toxic levels would be an understatement. It would be a miracle if anything survived at far lower concentrations.
80 ppm nitrate is also way higher than it should be. Even in saltwater, you don’t really want that above 20 ppm.
How long has it been set up and what did you do to cycle?
Do you have any pictures of the setup?

Just FYI, nitrate tests generally convert nitrate to nitrite and then using a conversion number to get the nitrate value. When nitrite is present the nitrate tested value can be heavily inflated due to this.

 

[naybedg]

Making mistake, learnt from it, and stress are part of this hobby. 15 years ago, while changing water, I didn't realize my most expensive and favorite wrasse jumped out while I removed the lid. Found his body behind the tank a week later. I still losing a coral now and then today.

Oh wow!! This is what I need to hear because I wanted to get another tank for the other room. But not anymore

 

[naybedg]

I'm happy to answer any questions I can. This is not one of the things I know the most about, but below I've linked to a post with lots of good info:

Cycling an Aquarium

Cycling a new aquarium. One of the earliest topics a new aquarium hobbyist needs to learn is how to properly cycle their aquarium. There is a ton of information on this process and many different methods on how to accomplish it. There are many different chemical and biological cycles our tank...

www.reef2reef.com

A piece of live rock or 2 from an established tank will also massively speed up the process, but be sure to trust the rocks to be free of unwanted pests.

The gist is take your time, make sure no ammonia, and read about stuff as much as you can. Learning is part of the process and can be as fun and gratifying as the hobby itself.

A lot of people here (myself included and I'm sure you too) really care about fish and have strong reactions when we see something we find distressing. People want to make sure they get you the right info and prepare you to take proper care of the animals because we see a lot of posts where people jump in too quickly or aren't patient enough. That's why you get a deluge of responses. Keep your chin up and keep trying, just slow down.

I have one more question. Before all the fishes had died, I bought a wave maker pump sow-4 since the tank is a nano of 8-10 gallons. Can I still put it in the tank since I already made a water change to help bring it down to normal and to help out the torch coral more. Of course I will not be adding any fishes at all.

 

[Cthulukelele]

I have one more question. Before all the fishes had died, I bought a wave maker pump sow-4 since the tank is a nano of 8-10 gallons. Can I still put it in the tank since I already made a water change to help bring it down to normal and to help out the torch coral more. Of course I will not be adding any fishes at all.

Yeah you can go ahead an put in whatever you're using for flow.

 

[naybedg]

Yeah you can go ahead a put in whatever you're using for flow.

Even after I made the water change??

 

[SudzFD]

These are the parameters in the tank rn

7.5 ph low

5ppm nitrite

80 ppm nitrate

2 -3 ppm phosphate

Ammonia 8ppm

I’m sad all the fishes are dead

This is why. Your tank was not even close to ready. Ammonia that high! PH so low.

You will need to dial in your parameters before getting more fish.

Ammonia 0
PH 8.0-8.4
Nitrite 0
Nitrates present

 

[Bruttall]

These are the parameters in the tank rn

7.5 ph low

5ppm nitrite

80 ppm nitrate

2 -3 ppm phosphate

Ammonia 8ppm

I’m sad all the fishes are dead

This reminds me of my first tank.
Tuff Lesson you learned here, but you got the attention of some knowledgeable people here. Not me so much, but them folks with Orange Names.

Something I did a lot of when I was getting started and discovered these forums was click on the build thread badges under peoples names. Check out what they did, and how they did it. Plus ya get to see some beautiful tanks.

One person in particular I think you should read is Paul B. I think most can agree Paul B. has a lot of insight into Reef Keeping. You'll see his thread, tank birthday 47 years.

Ask lots of questions. The only dumb question is the one ya didn't ask.

Bulkreefsupply has a Intro to reefing video series, 52 weeks I think, that is a good source of tons of information, as long as you keep in mind they are also Infomercials to sell products.

Good things happen slow in this hobby, bad things develop quickly. For every chemical solution there is almost always an all natural solution. Before you start dumping chemical fixes into your system research them very well. I have not found an over-night quick fix to anything yet. I am starting to think they do not exist.

Test your water regularly, especially early in your tanks life until you get a fell for how saturated your water gets with nutrients in a given time period. Once your Nitrifying bacteria cycle is established you can leave off ammonia testing. I feel keeping an eye on Temp, Salinity, Nitrates, Phos, and DKH is vital to tank health testing for these every 3 days myself on a 1 yr old system. If you are changing water I see no need to test for Calcium, you're constantly adding fresh levels to your system.

I strive for
81.5 degree F
1.025 to 1.026 salinity (I get a slight fluctuation between 1.024 and 1.026)
40 Nitrate (this number seems to range between 20 and 50)
.08 phos (this is my struggle, it ranges from .04 to .18)
10.5 DKH (This will drop over a weeks time to 8.5, I usually add a little baking soda to the system then, bringing it back up to about 11 or 12.)

I run a bit of a dirty tank, I love Zoanthids a lot and they like water a little nutrient heavy so this keeps them happy. Hope you find your balance, there is nothing that compares to getting lost watching the life in a marine tank.

good luck to you.