Damsels in distress! Help!

[Stevodod]

Ok, here's the scoop. I set up a 45 gallon tank with live sand and water directly from the ocean (I know, I know, but everyone in my area does this and it's never been a problem). I got a Blue Spotted Toby Puffer, three domino damsels, three big pieces of live rock, a cleaner shrimp, a sand star to clean the sand, and a brittle star. First night, the puffer eats all the arms off the brittle star....ugh, live and learn. Fish, though, are DANG healthy and just the thrill of my girl's life, and she wants more! We go back to the SAME location where we got the creatures, and get 4 more damsels and a coral beauty. The coral beauty had adapted so well and loves the tank. The other 4 domino's? One down and three fading fast. They turn a lighter color, have white dots, breathe rapidly, and have not 'fallen in with the group'. The first three are the healthiest, happiest fish I've ever seen. So, what gives? Did the 3-4 days extra time in the wholesaler's tank cause them to get sick? Why would just the new four get sick? And are my other fish in danger?

Help!

Thanks,

Stevo

 

[Stevodod]

One died last night, 2 more this morning, the last will probably be gone later today....rest look great. Wondering if it's my supplier's tanks?

 

[fnicklaus]

The reason that they got infected....you added too many fish too fast. The beneficial bacteria in your tank need a chance to populate. If the nutrients, such as fish waste accumulate faster than they can keep up, you will have ammonia and nitrite spikes. This will cause stress in the fish and give pathogens a chance to attach to the host. What to do? Remove the infected fish into another well oxygenated tank and treat them with a therapeutic dose of copper. Follow the instructions. Copper can cause stress to fish. The treated fish may or may not live, but at least you can save the unaffected fish from being infected. Do frequent water changes on quarantine and main system during this unstable period.

 

[MrTuskfish]

There is no reason to know ( with the info available) if fish were infected with parasites or if the bio-filter was impacted. If this is a case of parasites (ich, velvet, brooklynella, etc.) then ALL fish have them now. It is a tank problem, not confined to individual fish. Any fish can, and will, become infested with the parasites, stressed by an ammonia spike or not.

You are moving much too fast, a new tank should just be stocked 1-2 fish at a time and a couple weeks before each stocking.You are also putting wat too many fish in a small tank. Dominos are also very nasty little fish ad usually make life miserable for other. I can't tell what killed your fish without a pic or a good description. Have you done any reading or research at all? You can't just jump into this hobby so fast without some basic knowledge of the nitrogen cycle, parasites/diseases/ fish comparability, etc. Fnicklauss above, is referring to a hospital/quarantine tank. New fish need to be quarantined for about 6 weeks to keep parasites and disease out of your main tank. I'd read the stickies at the top of the new hobbyist section of the forum. Read a good book or two, and slow down. Patience is vital for success in this hobby. If you want to save the fish you have, start with a big water change and test for ammonia. Pics of diseased fish may allow someone to help.

 

[MrTuskfish]

DP--sorry..

 

[Stevodod]

Lost all the damsels. OK, I'm going to mentally 'start over'. Right now we have a beautiful blue spotted toby puffer (4 inches), a 4 inch gorgeous coral beauty, a cleaner shrimp, 3 domino damsels, a sandsifting starfish, and three big pieces of live rock. I also put in a puffer I caught in a cast net (I know, I know!) that is about as big as half a Tylenol. They all appear to be doing AMAZING! At this point, I'm not going to get any other fish. I'm going to get a bunch of test equipment, a Q/T tank, and whatever I need to keep the tank healthy.

Do I need more of a 'cleanup crew' for the tank? It's 45 gallons, has live sand and water direct from the ocean. I'll take my lumps for the decisions I made- I used to have tanks 17 years ago, but haven't had one since and thought I'd jump right in with the seawater.

Thoughts from now on?

Thanks in advance....

Stevo

 

[Stevodod]

Lost all the damsels. OK, I'm going to mentally 'start over'. Right now we have a beautiful blue spotted toby puffer (4 inches), a 4 inch gorgeous coral beauty, a cleaner shrimp, 3 domino damsels, a sandsifting starfish, and three big pieces of live rock. I also put in a puffer I caught in a cast net (I know, I know!) that is about as big as half a Tylenol. They all appear to be doing AMAZING! At this point, I'm not going to get any other fish. I'm going to get a bunch of test equipment, a Q/T tank, and whatever I need to keep the tank healthy.

Do I need more of a 'cleanup crew' for the tank? It's 45 gallons, has live sand and water direct from the ocean. I'll take my lumps for the decisions I made- I used to have tanks 17 years ago, but haven't had one since and thought I'd jump right in with the seawater.

Thoughts from now on?

Thanks in advance....

Stevo

 

[SushiGirl]

6 fish in a 45 is a lot. The puffer will probably get too large too fast. The sandsifting star isn't going to make it in that size tank. The domino damsels will get aggressive in that small of a tank & kill each other/other fish off.

How much rock do you have (pounds)?
How much sand (pounds/inches)?
What else are you using for filtration (mechanical filtration, skimmer)?

You really need to slow down and read the stickies on proper setup of a tank or you're going to be miserable with your tank & the loss of its inhabitants.

 

[Stevodod]

SushiGirl, thanks- I was wondering if the starfish was going to have enough to eat. The damsels will stay until they get too big, but they are small and do not bother the coral beauty or the puffer. The wild puffer will be released when he gets bigger. The blue spot is full-sized now. I have about 30lbs of live rock, two inches of sand, and the filter is a Penguin 350 hang on filter. I won't do wet/dry, way too many problems in previous tanks.....

I've read through many of the stickies, but most have hundreds of pages and would take more hours than I have free to get through, though I read a few each day.

 

[SushiGirl]

Not sure where you're located, but in most places it is illegal to release fish that have been kept in an aquarium.