HELP- Major problems!

[ab130570]

I have just lost four fish in one day! One clown, one yellow peel angel, one chromis and a gramma. Shrimps fine, snails fine, crabs not lasting long! Have checked nitrite, nitrate, ammonia levels and ph, all seems ok. Have done water change, but am worried missing something. Can anyone tell me what else could cause such a problem?
Tank: 120litre, running skimmer and biological filter. Have live sand and rock.

 

[Avi]

You say that all the water indicators you tested for "seem" okay. What was the ammonia and nitrate readings? Other than some kind of disease, those are the first things I'd suspect, though, it is strange that the inverts are all fine. What about pH and temperature? There has to be a single explanation for four fish dying at the same time. Also, how long have the four fish that died been in the tank? Were they all from the same vendor?

 

[christianbak]

when did you establish this tank and when were the fish introduced? i second the question above - did you get the fish from the same vendor ? what is the Temperature of your tank? Do you have more fish still left in the tank?

 

[christianbak]

when did you establish this tank and when were the fish introduced? i second the question above - did you get the fish from the same vendor ? what is the Temperature of your tank?

 

[supertech3]

What about your salinity level?The temp of the water change?How long have you had the fish?Take a water sample to have the LFS check for you.

 

[mg426]

Do all of the above. Also keeping a running log can be helpfull.

 

[woofyitalian]

120 liters, is that about 32 gallons? Seems like a lot of fish for a not so huge tank... How long have they been in there?

 

[Hop]

Possible outside toxins? Did someone get something too close to the tank?

 

[ab130570]

nitrite reading was 0, nitrate reading was 0.25, ammonia was 0, ph was 8.4, salinity was 1.024, temp was 24.8C.
Fish were from two different vendors, and had been in tank for around 1 month.

 

[AllenFord_SC]

Where all four fish added at the same time? If so you caused an ammonia spike. Ammonia is lethal to fish and is probably the cause of their death. Add one at a time and spread it out over time.

 

[ab130570]

no, fish were added seperately over a two/three month period.

 

[Sm0kin]

so the last of the four was added a month ago? the first 4months ago?
Have you done a search of the tank at night for any predators?

 

[weaver5]

Also have you checked to make sure nothing is shorting out. I lost a few fish at once and had no idea why or how until one time I had my hand in the tank at the same time the heater was on and found out I had a short in the heater.It did not kill any of the corals for some reason bt it did wipe out the fish. Not saying that is your problem but might be worth a check good luck scott

 

[Agu]

Were there any physical marks on the fish ?

Did they die during the day or overnight ?

Any other fish in the tank that survived ?

What kind of crabs ? Small or large ?

 

[ab130570]

small crabs. other fish seem fine at moment. Nothing shorting as far as i can tell/feel. Only predator i have is regal tang, but she seems quite placid.

 

[mikenpam]

I wonder if with that many fish that you may have had a low oxygen level in your tank. Just a thought. What type of circulation do you have? Also any possibility that there was a power outage for a few hours on the day they dies?

 

[dchao]

Re: HELP- Major problems!

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6723960#post6723960 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ab130570
Have done water change, but am worried missing something.

Did you de-chlorinate the water? Chlorine is very bad for the fish too.

 

[ab130570]

this is terrible! I woke up this morning to find two more dead! my last clown, and another chromis!
I am at a total loss to understand this. Tank uses to powerheads to circulate water and flows in from biofilter. An air stone provides good oxygenation!

 

[dchao]

Must be detergent or Windex or something that got into the newly mixed water. Did you use de-chlorinator?

 

[ab130570]

the water was RO water bought from an aquatic supplier. I have been using this water for ages so it is unlikely to be the problem.