All my fish are dying!

[kablamo]

Hey all, I've got a 40 breeder set up and my fish are dying one by one! AUGH!

Casualties:
2 weeks ago - False Percula clownfish - no signs of problems, suddenly very pale, dead within an hour. No ich spots.
1 week ago - Regal tang, I found it sucked up against my propeller powerhead, pulled it off, was fine and eating. A few days later, sucked up against the powerhead, after I pulled it off and turned off the main flow it lied on the substrate and breathed heavily for about 6 hours then died. No ich spots.
Today- Haven't seen my royal gramma come out for a few days, I fed mysis shrimp and it came out to eat but was swimming eratically in short bursts then sitting in one place, dead within 15 minutes. No ich spots.

I just got over a cyano bloom but upped the flow and took care of it. All the corals are beautiful and open, even spreading.

The one remaining fish is a Banggai Cardinal and he's fine so far, along with a cleaner shrimp that are both spry. Clean up crew still just fine.

My equipment:
Aqua C Remora nano skimmer w/ maxijet900
maxijet 900 in propeller mode
maxijet 1200 in propeller mode
emperor 350 without piowheels
30w led

What gives?!? Help! My wife is ****ed at the wasted money and I hate dead fish!

temp 74.9
SG 1.024
ph 8.2
Ammo. 0
nitrate. 0

 

[kablamo]

Anybody? Please?

 

[Fish Biscuit]

You didn't list nitrates, did you test for that? What test kit are you using, strips are not accurate. How long has the tank been up, how much live rock? Are you adding anything to the tank?

Were the fish added at the same time, was anyone quaranteed? Also, tangs need way more room than a 40 breeder.

 

[NarakuAulonocar]

Hi,

What did they look like when they died? Any cloudy fins or body?

 

[snorvich]

Well, clearly no tang should be in a 40 gallon tank. However, how old is the tank, how long have the fish been in?

 

[reefergeorge]

Any new additions?

 

[JR719]

I would change 2 of your parameters. Don't know if it will help or not, but these 2 look a little off.

1st- PH, I'd get it down to at least 8 and no higher. Over 8 will make it difficult for corals to take in calcium unless your monitoring closely.

2nd- Temp, I'd bump it up to at least 76 but no more than 83.


And the big question. How long has your tank been up?

 

[kablamo]

Ok, the clown was very faded lying on the sand, 30 minutes later he was dead.
The Tang was also faded, and I don't know if the pump injured him or if he was weakened already and that's why he got stuck.
The Royal Gramma wouldn't come out of his rock for about 3 days and he came out to feed last night but died 10 minutes later. After he came out to feed he started swimming in strange bursts and resting on the floor and then died. I checked for spots and such and he was clean and his color was beautiful.

As far as the tank, I set it up as a 10 gallon and had one clownfish in January of last year, I upgraded to the 40 gallon in august.

I listed nitrates, they are 0.

 

[burbarry]

I had the same issue with an imporator angel never did figure out what went wrong. Still have him in the freezer if i can find someone to test him that would be great. All other fish were and still are fine in my tank.


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[Reverend Reefer]

i had an issue with keeping fish for awhile. did everything i could think of that people suggested here on RC. and then it came to me, oxygen. i was using an underpowered skimmer, combined with low surface agitation (no powerheads pointed at the surface), combined with no fuge (no plants), combined with living in a small condo. add all those things up and it totalled to low dissolved oxygen in my tank for my fish to breathe.

so, i added a fuge, added a stronger skimmer, pointed a powerhead up, and suddenly, i was able to keep fish. other people take their skimmer intake airline and have it go to the outside world. haven't gone that route but apparently it helps also.

you might wanna try some of those ideas? i see you have a small skimmer as well.

 

[burbarry]

I am pretty sure my issue was not with skimmer. I am running a corallife 220 on a 90 gallon. But for the guy that created this i guess it could become an issue.


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[bucksfan1976]

I had a issue like this for awhile when I only had one powerhead on my 65 tall. I now have three in there and havent lost a fish since.

 

[ghostman]

Please list your test kits you use for your tank parameters. Maybe have a local fish store test your water as well. Test strips are inaccurate, hydrometers are not well liked or trusted, and your water parameters could be off. Do you use RO/DI water? Also, I would agree that temp is too low, and tangs are too big for a 40B.

 

[BCreefmaker]

I would change 2 of your parameters. Don't know if it will help or not, but these 2 look a little off.

1st- PH, I'd get it down to at least 8 and no higher. Over 8 will make it difficult for corals to take in calcium unless your monitoring closely.

I completely disagree. If you do not know about chemistry do not give advice about it. 8.2 is the IDEAL PH for saltwater.
Reef Aquarium Water Parameters by Randy Holmes-Farley

I agree with the temperature recommendation.

 

[Motish]

i had an issue with keeping fish for awhile. did everything i could think of that people suggested here on RC. and then it came to me, oxygen. i was using an underpowered skimmer, combined with low surface agitation (no powerheads pointed at the surface), combined with no fuge (no plants), combined with living in a small condo. add all those things up and it totalled to low dissolved oxygen in my tank for my fish to breathe.

so, i added a fuge, added a stronger skimmer, pointed a powerhead up, and suddenly, i was able to keep fish. other people take their skimmer intake airline and have it go to the outside world. haven't gone that route but apparently it helps also.

you might wanna try some of those ideas? i see you have a small skimmer as well.

Don't you people think that might be the reason? Why else coals OK and fish die with no illness?

 

[TheReeferer]

If O2 was low, wouldn't the fish all congregate at the surface before dying?-- Or is this only a freshwater thing.

 

[kablamo]

Well, i've got a maxijet 1200 and a maxijet 900 in propeller mode pointed at surface plus an aqua C remora skimmer so I'm not sure it's oxygen.
I'm just not sure,
The test kits I use is by Red Sea, it's the marine lab, PH alk, nh3/nh4, no2, no3

Also I use NOTHING but distilled water for all top offs and water changes. I use reef crystals salt. the Banggai cardinal is still doin' just fine, fat and happy, as well as all my inverts!