All my fish keep dying

Vapour1ze

Vapour1ze

I'm an Addict.
So tanks been up for say 2 -3 months now, and currently for a month now I've had False Percula, Snails, Crabs, GSPs, Condy Anemone, Zoanthids, 35lbs LR, all doing FINE

However I added a FoxFace Rabbit about a month back, and he died within a week, looked horrible ever since I put him in, just stayed in the back until one day dead, Now today I come home from work to find my Lawnmower Blenny DEAD, my peppermint was feasting on him, he did awesome the first day I put him in he munched down algae but after that, he just kinda stood in the back breathing heavily, my Clown is doing Excellent, very friendly, comes to greet me everytime I go to the tank, GSPs are amazing, zoanthids are growing like crazy, everything fine I don't get it,

all of my levels are good as well all where they should be temps about 76-81 average, Water changes are frequent once every 2 weeks, 5 gallons, (its a 29)

I even have a 10g sump, with a good skimmer, (aqua medic t1000) I just dont get it... Bad luck? or is something wrong?
 
well the foxface was prolly stressed from being into small of a tank but maybe you have a predator in the tank. Clown fish usually stay out in front away from danger.
 
I don't think I have a predator, my Blenny was looking kind of bad, although the LFS I bought him from he was in a 5g tank, no algae no anything, I thought I would try to make his life better but I guess not,
 
can you re-test your water and show us all the readings, double check the ammonia, and im interested in what phs you have in that 29
 
Any sign of Ich parasites? White spots?, fast breathing? flicking off of rocks? etc.?

If all of your inverts are doing well, but the fish are not (except for the clown) you probably introduced Ich into the tank.

Post back if you want advice on how to proceed.
 
The blenny could have run out of of food in such a small tank, and starved to death. It probably did well when you first put him in because he had lots of food, then over the months he ran out.
 
he was in the tank for 1 week, and theres a bunch of hair algae etc, why i bought him, and he was breathing very fast, however i heard thats normal for them , and the clown is normal. im not ereally sure how i introduced ich into the tank as there is no white spots on anything at all in the whole tank, however if i need to get rtid of it im not really sure how as i heard its a pain,,, my rock and corals are all good, and my levels are all good, except i haven't tested pH please dont flame me, but several LFS's ive been to have told me its un necessary? im guessing no....... anyway ill have to order one of those up and test for it, ....... also, what are some other signs of ich because my clown has no white spots at all and all of my other small inverts are doing fine in the tank. please let me know i will be going to a LFS tomorrow at 11am, so fast response would be awesome if I had to purchase anything...

also, would it be wise of me to setup a small 10g QT tank to observe before adding fish to the main display? obviously yes but I was considering doing it as i have more sand and a 10g brand new at home... anyway thanks!
 
It could be as something as simple as your source of fish. While I am a big fan of LFS you might want to switch for one order and do a known quality merchant like LiveAquaria or the like from the sponsors. You know you will get a great fish/fishes and if they do die you have recourse to get your money back.
 
I'm amazed no body mentioned a Q tank. I think you should have one and make sue any fish you get is helathy for weeks before putting it in the tank. this wy if it dies at lest it will not put the healthy livestock you have at risk of catching disease. In case yuor supplier has bad fish (catching methods, shipping, acclimating, keeping...) then at least a few will mae it and be transported to your display the others will just die without causing further risk. Eventually you will have yuor livestock complete afer a while but at higher expense. I would try fish from other vendors if any of them are close to you to see if the same happens.
 
Lawnmowers eat much, much more than algae alone. I've heard stories of other ones just "not making it" so it may not be your tank's fault. you just gotta do all the tests

and FWIW, I do water changes at least once a week
what is your SG?
 
Any fish you plan to stock in a 29gal, should be able to live comfortably, alone, in a 10gal QT for a few weeks. If this is not the case, then I'd suggest re-thinking your fish choice.

As for what could already be awry in you display....it is hard to say from what you have described. I don't think it is ich, because you should have noticed the spots. There could be a predator in your live rock, which is close to catching fish (like the lawnmower) but is not actually killing them, just stressing them to the point of not eating.

Stress alone will kill fish, but it also has long term negative effects on the immune system as well osmoregulation. When fish are chronically stressed they release Cortisol, which helps them avoid or deal with the stress. Unfortunately, cortisol also denatures proteins, and proteins are a major part of the immune response (i.e. - antibodies, macrophages, complement, lysozyme, etc. are all specialized protein molecules). The prolonged stress, will thus degrade or limit the effectiveness of the fish's immunity and ability to fight off pathogens.

I would do as others suggested, get fish from another source (a reputable one). Then quarantine them for a few weeks in lower salinity water (~22 ppt or 1.016 SG)....this will also help to relieve stress and aid in osmoregulation, as the fish will not have to fight so hard to remove excess ions from its system.
 
29 gallon tank the water should be changed atleast 5 gallons a week, the foxface was def. stressed from the small tank i would plan an upgrade if you are going to have fish like that as far as a fish doing fine for awhile in a small tank, yes thats true but there already very stressed in moving to the new tank
 
Also make sure the fish are eating at the store. It's tough sometimes when you see a fish that you've been looking for or "really want", But most times when they are eating at the store you have a MUCH better chance of keeping them healthly once in your QT and then in your display. Make sure they are brghtly colored , attentive. If you are getting any angels a good sign is if they are picking at the glass. rocks. Soemtimes you just get unlucky and may get a fish with internal parasites and/or bad collection methods, as listed above
 
Also, 2-3 months is way too early to add an anemone. I'll bet your numbers are screwed up--either you have an ammonia problem or a nitrite problem. Take your water to the LFS and get it checked to make sure your test kits are accurate.

You ask how you could introduce ich? By adding livestock to your display without quarantining it for 4 weeks first. Sounds like you're on the road to learning the hard way that you need a QT.
 
Are you using any moonlighting? Sometimes if moonlights are too bright they can stress newly added fish.
 
yes i have moonlights not very bright, just 2 leds, and as far as the QT tank, I got it setup today going to let it run and cycle. and as far as my levels go, got them checked today from my LFS and they are near PERFECT they say, just my Alkalinity is a little low, thats it.... So,,,
 
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