HELP! All my tangs are DEAD!

ok great, it doesnt have a ton of algae in there but its enough between the phosphate reactor and that to keep my phosophates at zero.
 
This is what happend, when you removed the water with dissolved oxygen and replaced it with your RO water, this removed oxygen that may have kept your fish alive when your algae was consuming it at night. Your fish suffocated. Once your lights came back on your algae started converting all the co2 back into oxygen and luckily your trigger was able to hang on. I would not stock the tank so heavy next time, just to be on the safe side and I would run the refugium lights 24/7.
 
Also, what macro is in your fuge? I have read that some algaes require a dark time. I think chaeto was one. I think running the lights on the opposite cycle from the tank lights is also a solution. Many people do this and it is easier on your electric bill
 
I have Chaetomorpha and believe I read a recommendation to not run the lights 24/7 with this macro algae. I run the refugium lights on a reverse cycle to the main tank. I think some folks w/ Caulerpa run the lights 24/7 in hopes of keeping the macro algae from going sexual.
 
The membrane will not allow all oxygen molecules to pass through it. Running a refugium 24/7 will not amount to much on your electric bill. Itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s only usually three or four florescent lights or a power compact. When you are running a large reef tank whatââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s a couple more dollars on an electric bill, The meterââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s spinning off the wall anyway. :crazy1:

I also read that about Chaetomorpha, Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m using caulerpa.
 
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Definitely an interesting problem -- I didn't notice -- do you aerate the RO water prior to doing the water change?

I have found that if I aerate the RO water prior doing the water change I don't have a drop in DO.
 
Could you add an oxygen tank to supply pure oxygen and have a heavier bioload? Ever been to an oxygen bar your fish would love you.
 
Your skimmer should have provided enough oxygen for most fish. Thats why the tangs died,low oxygen. They are larger fish and have larger oxygen intakes. They are also shallow water fish where the oxyegn content is saturated almost 100% of the time. Your other fish most likely have higher tolerances and adapted over time to lower oxygen. They probably have better adapted gills.

Doing a large water change would lead O2 loss also. Turning out the refugium light is the worst thing to do at night, the plants suck in oxygen and release Co2 at night.

I dont see how oxygen could have caused this, especially with a powerfull skimmer.

Wich is why i need to know: what brand is your skimmer?
 
BTW I have seen many tangs reach over 5 inches in a tank . Hell my clownfish is 5 inches and my 3 tangs in different tanks are close if not more and I have them all longer than you have had yours . Your fish would have grown past 5" no matter what.


Also I am stick9ing to my guns on the o2 depletion period . I experience 7 fish dieing in a qt tank over night . Prior everything was fine . Just so happened that night co2 levels were higher than normal . What caused it 7 fish in a 30gallon tank while I was still a newbie.

The o2 therory followed right along wiith the demise of my fish. SO in the end I sucked it up realized I made the mistake of having too many fish in a qt at one time which was cause by my other mistake of not qting incoming fish so they got ick and I was trying to treat them all.

Anyways take responibility and realize it was you that made a mistake . Wheather that was too many fish and o2 depletion or your waterchange took your o2 depletion to even further levels as it may have not been properly areated.

Also the simple co2 test was posted on the last page.

Take a cup of water outside with an airpump and airstone . Aerate the cup for 20 mins or so then test the ph . If it has risen from what the tank is at the same time it is excess co2 which will leed to o2 depletion .

Heck maybe yesterday was on of those days that you didn't go in and out as much or maybe had a window closed that gets opened usally at some point durning a normal day .
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6681152#post6681152 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tkeracer619
Could you add an oxygen tank to supply pure oxygen and have a heavier bioload? Ever been to an oxygen bar your fish would love you.
Click to expand...

Yes you could but you can also kill a fish from too much dissolved oxygen. Best way to add oxygen is just to put a couple of drops of hydrogen peroxide in emergency situations. This will add oxygen. But its dangerous, and can burn fish skin if too much is added at one time.
 
O yea and you mentioned that you sucked out dirt spots too. If you created a cloudy water then the bacteria would also suck up a lot of oxygen, more than plants and fish would do.
 
Here's a link to an article by Eric borneman regarding o2 depletion in reef tanks. Parts 2 and 3 are in the following issues of RK.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-06/eb/index.php

If you read the articles it would appear oxygen depletion was the likely cause of the death of your fish. Even with aeration/circulation the o2 in an aquarium has a measurable drop. Death over night due to suffocation is consistent with the information in the articles. Esp with the heavy stocking level..........
 
i use a predator 2 skimmer. i have concluded it was the water change. that sthe only hting i changed that had to do with o2
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6678601#post6678601 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dj synystr
ok well i have never seen a tang go over 5 inches in a tank and i have had mine for over 2 years and they were 4" at the most.
Click to expand...
I can't believe no one mentioned a tang not growing over 4" in 2 years;) I always aerate my RO/DI water before using it. It's one of those things that I knew there was a good reason for but forgot what it was.:rolleyes: Oh and my chaeto grows fine if lit 24/7:D
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6681556#post6681556 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dbrooks1440
maybe it was a murder/suicide pact...could happen.
Click to expand...

I think the Clown did it with the pipe wrench in the Library... ;)


haha..anyway. I don't care how many fish you put in your tank personally, but I do think it helped the deaths. Alone I don't see 5 fish dieing all at one time within a 12 hr period. You should run your fuge light oposite of your main tank lights. with no light at night your PH is dropping. As far as why the fish died who knows, but don't go adding fish for at least a couple of months and see what happens.
 
Something is still stinky fishy smell around these here parts!

Really, He does a WC, and it kills tangs... Yes, I can understand this... however...

If he has done previous WC's with these fish, why did that not kill them?

and as for the fish again i say my bio load was fine
Click to expand...

... lol, trust me dude.. ITS NOT... People had a CONNIPTION FIT when I told them I put an Achilles in my 75 ... and a Powder Brown, and a Regal...

they also had a fit when I put a Moorish Idol in a 75 gallon..
(the MI wasnt in there with the other tangs at that time)

I learned from people on here... that its NOT right to do this to this species of fish...

Coral Mag cam out with a new one about 2 months or so ago with a big artical on Tangs... its GREAT, I HIGHLY reccomend you to read on it...

There is your cause of death the plants sucked up all the oxygen that was left after the water change
Click to expand...

Still, I duno, why not any other night he did a WC, and also, how long was the time after the WC and when the lights went off..???

and 4:30am and they are still fine... then 4 hours later they are suddenly dead? what about the other hours before then? why didnt they die then???

its just a bit odd.... YES, It could very well been an O2 problem.. but something else just doesnt hit me right...

anyone else have this feeling???
 
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