Feedofflight
New member
Came home a/c on 65.....fish tank at 69....1 pacific blue tang...1long tentacle anemones & clarkii host ...1demsel
Heater fails!!!...fish die
- Thread starter Feedofflight
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velvetelvis
Active member
Looking at your profile, I think the heater might not have been entirely to blame. It looks like your tank has only been set up a few weeks, in which case it's much too new for any of your livestock (particularly the tang and the anemone). Please do a lot of research and slow down before restocking...patience may be the hardest part of this hobby to learn, but it's one of the most important elements of success.
Feedofflight
New member
That's exactly what my Lps said ....but all was fine until heater the room has a window unit directly on the tank normally I turn it off Before leaving
Feedofflight
New member
The room has a window unit directl on the tank normally I turn it off when I leave ..I was gone for mere hours .temp change had to happen at a rate greater than 3 degrees per hour...the one fish didn't die caught Ich & die from related disease....VERY NEW TO THIS WORLD
velvetelvis
Active member
Well, think about this. Your LFS *wants* to sell you fish and corals and inverts, because that's how they make their money. If even they are advising you to slow down, you're going too fast.
According to your profile, you set your tank up three or four weeks ago. Your system isn't ready for any livestock, let alone demanding animals like tangs and anemones.
If you're determined to believe that the heater failure is the problem, so be it, but the fact remains that you were headed for trouble in the first place.
I realize that you're new. We've all made mistakes (and continue to make them). That's OK. But at least be willing to learn from them. I'm not trying to put you down--I consider myself a semi-advanced newb--but you're too new to this hobby to be able to diagnose what went wrong with your system. Slow down, read up, and be willing to take advice. This forum is here to help, but you'll find that people will grow exasperated if the experienced advice they offer is continually disregarded just because it conflicts with what you want to believe/do.
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Feedofflight
New member
The only reason I'm hear is to get advice only thing i believe is facts and all is taken into consideration....only reason I have fish is because the LPS said "oh, all you need to switch ur fresh 2 salt today is salt/saltwater and live sand"...just what I needed to hear$$$300$$ fish/misc ..it been about 1month ...water test every 5days.....I do tend to jump the gun
..how much longer should wait????...WHY if LPS say everything's fine..are they keeping me on a hook...??????????
jjk_reef00
New member
First off LPS (Large Polyp Stony) is a coral, so people use LFS (local fish shop).
Second do you test for nitrate, nitrite and ammonia?
It is very likely you had a spike, along with the temp swings, that caused severe stress.
The fact that they all had ich doomed your tank from the start.
New to the Hobby forum:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=104
Then check out the disease treatment forum.
Another thing to consider is your source for fish. Certain LFS have much higher mortality rate than others. And if you bought all of your fish from Petco then you can read this:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2042637
If it were me I'd treat the tank for ich before adding new fish.
Second do you test for nitrate, nitrite and ammonia?
It is very likely you had a spike, along with the temp swings, that caused severe stress.
The fact that they all had ich doomed your tank from the start.
New to the Hobby forum:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=104
Then check out the disease treatment forum.
Another thing to consider is your source for fish. Certain LFS have much higher mortality rate than others. And if you bought all of your fish from Petco then you can read this:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2042637
If it were me I'd treat the tank for ich before adding new fish.
velvetelvis
Active member
Your LFS might have said that all you needed to switch from fresh to salt is live rock and sand, but that's not the same as saying that you could instantly stock your tank, which seems to have been how you understood them. If they're still telling you that everything's fine in your tank, after being told about your stocklist and the problems you're having, you need to find another LFS.
However...you yourself stated in an earlier post that your LFS told you it was too early to add fish, so you seem to be contradicting yourself, unless I'm misunderstanding you (and in which case I apologize). I understand your eagerness to get your tank stocked, and your LFS should have explained the nitrogen cycle to you in detail, even had a handout or pamphlet that explained it for you. Unfortunately, you'll learn that it's often "caveat emptor" in the world of aquarium-keeping. You won't always get the information you need from your LFS--which is why it's good you're here, and asking questions.
You can't completely blame your LFS for all of your problems. By your own admission, you've chosen to ignore their warning once, so you can't blame them for your lost livestock. The fact is that even without the heater failure, you had an excellent chance of ending up with ich in your tank; tangs are notoriously susceptible to ich, especially in unstable water parameters. New tanks have very unstable water parameters, and those parameters don't magically stabilize after a few weeks or even a couple of months. Think of your tank as almost a living organism that needs time to grow up until it can support a variety of life.
The instability of new tanks also makes them unsuitable for heavy stocking. Kudos to you for testing your water regularly--that's the first step. But even after the initial cycle, at most you would want to add one or two hardy fish, such as a couple of clownfish. Tangs are, as noted, vulnerable to ich and many species (likely including your blue tang) are difficult to acclimate. They also need much larger aquariums than many people realize. And anemones are the most delicate of all...most experienced keepers recommend waiting at least six months, and preferably more, before adding an anemone.
Take it as a painful learning experience (we've all had them, more than once!). Do some research. Visit the forum links that jjk_reef00 provided you, and read the "sticky" threads. Get Michael Paletta's book on setting up SW aquariums. Read, read, read! Remember, when you buy fish, inverts, and corals, you're responsible for their well-being. Their very lives depend on your ability to make the right choices for them; and they suffer if you don't. None of us want our animals to suffer, so we owe it to them to make well-informed, responsible decisions.
Educate yourself, don't depend on just one source of information, proceed slowly, and don't make decisions without being well-informed beforehand. Look at this misfortune as an opportunity to start over and do things the right way. You've had a rough start, but you can recover from it. Good luck!
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