confused

[hunkpapaed]

In January 2024 I bought 2 Reeer max 250 G+ tanks and had my local reef shop set them up for me and all has gone well for tank 1 no problems butnot so with tank 2 it went through the nitrogen cycle and the brown crud phase got 2 clown fish all was going good, after about 4 weeks put in some coral and more fish after about 6 weeks put in some hermit crabs and about a week later I start losing my fishall 7 lost tried again with 2 clown and a week later both lost. My local reef shop owner is doing my maintenance on the tanks the 10% water change twice a month all of it. after the loss of second set of fish we changed 90% of the water and did a restart waited about 2 1/2 weeks added one more peach colored skunk clown fish, a week later added 1 more skunk clown fish all looked good, until today Saturday the 11th both fish swimming around just fine when I feed them in the morning but when I went to feed them in the evening 1 fish lost, the thing is through out all this all my coral is thriving my hermit crabs thriving the snails are thriving everything is thriving but the fish. Can any one please help me even my shop owner with 30 years exp. is stumped

 

[griss]

We’re going to need more information. Did the fis ever exhibit any symptoms? White spots, scraping against rocks, etc? I’m suspecting a pathogen but, without more information, pictures or (better) video of the fish before they died we won’t be able to help much.

I’d say let the tank run without fish for 90 days and try again.

 

[hunkpapaed]

Thank you George, no symptoms or scrapping on rocks no sluggish movements what appears to be normal eating feeding both tanks the same frozen food treating both tanks the same but one healthy one not. water test was all great I will get vid. and post it

 

[Misled]

At some point, loosing all those fish most likely created an amonia problem. What's left in the tank? It would be good to see your numbers. Maybe a few pics of the tank.

 

[hunkpapaed]

my thought as well but test showed no ammonia. well lost my last clown so I am sending water sample to a lab for complete analysis not just salt water tank tests then strip the tank down and completely clean and sanitize the tank and everything and do a complete restart

 

[leebca]

my thought as well but test showed no ammonia. well lost my last clown so I am sending water sample to a lab for complete analysis not just salt water tank tests then strip the tank down and completely clean and sanitize the tank and everything and do a complete restart

At what point(s) was the ammonia test performed? All other tests that were done, and when? I'd also like to know what method(s) were used to test the water quality. Was a dip stick used? A test kit? How is salinity measured? Etc.

A quick start up and a significant increase in bioload may have been the issue, too. Initially throwing the water chemistry off for a short/long time.

On the surface, it sounds like a water quality issue. On the other hand, there are diseases that kill quickly and hard to diagnose. The other marine lifeforms that continued to live would seem to indicate that if it was a water quality issue, it would have been short-lived, and I'd lean more towards a disease/parasite issue.

 

[Timfish]

If "everything is thriving but the fish" I'd put my money on a parasite. Do what @griss suggested and leave the tank fishless for awhile. But be sure to keep feeding the hermits and corals. While you're waiting you can set up a QT system and start quarentining more fish.