Help Please Losing Fish Daily!

[mschum]

I have lurked the boards for a while, first time post, baffling problem. Please help.


I've had three fish disappear over a three day period, one fish per day. The first fish to go was a citron goby. The goby had started to look weaker over the past few months, and wasn't eating ferociously but I couldn't find anything really wrong with him other than being skinny. So I wasn't terribly surprised when he went missing. The next day my female black false clown of the pair disappeared. This fish was healthy, good eater, and quite a bit larger than her mate. The following day my male orange false clown in the pair was gone. Again, he was healthy and a good eater. Now I am starting to suspect that there is something else going on in my tank when the lights are off. I just installed a trap to see if I can catch anything overnight. Here's the rundown"¦..

History:
90 gallon tank (and 30 gallon sump) has been up and running since March 2010.

After going on vacation in September I had a recent green hair algae outbreak, and I was out of GFO so I had to order more. The green algae is starting to die off and the phosphates are coming down. Fish have been on reduced feedings since algae outbreak. I've also been leaving the lights off during the day to help with the algae, and the fish seem to be disappearing during these dark periods. My wife works from home and watches the tank during the day and she hasn't been able to find any bodies (or parts).

I also have been fighting a small aiptasia infestation for awhile. The only thing that really kept them in check was peppermint shrimp, but I kept having those disappear on me too (about a dozen). I then noticed that my blue-eyed cardinal fish had a shrimp hanging out of his mouth one day so I banished him to the sump. I bought six more peppermints after that and they didn't last very long and it didn't look like they ever touched the aiptasia.

I have also had a couple mechanical problems in the past few weeks. My skimmer has been acting funny and keeps overflowing (coral life super skimmer). I suspect the skimmer problems could be do to the algea. Yesterday I lost one (of my two) Koralea powerheads(cracked the magnet and stopped working) but I will be replacing that tomorrow morning.

Current levels show:
Salinity - 36
Total Ammonia - 0 (Salifert test kit)
Nitrites - .05 (Salifert test kit)
Nitrates - .10 (Salifert test kit)
Phosphates - .07 (Hannah checker)
Calcium - 400 (Salifert test kit)
Alkalinity - 10.5 dkh (Elos test kit)

Currently has the following inhabitants:
80 lbs of live rock
1 inch layer of aragonite sand
1 Yellow Tang
3 Green Chromis
2 Threadfin Cardinalfish
1 Blue - Eyed Cardinal fish (in sump - not main tank)
1 Queen Conch
3 Small Hermit Crabs
10 Astrea Snails
Stunner Chalice
Green Favia
Red Favia
Fiji Yellow Toadstool
Trumpet/Candy Coral
Green Palys
Hammer Coral
White Toadstool
3 Zoa Colonies
Green star polyps
Carnation star polyps
2 birds nest

Other:
3% Water changes daily
Running ¾ GFO in a filter sock
1 functioning Koralea powerheads
Small amount of slime algae (not taking over)
Small amount of red hair algae

Any help"¦ideas"¦or advice would be greatly appreciated. Please let me know if you would like anymore information.


Thanks,

Mark

 

[SecretiveFish]

I assume that before you clowns died they looked healthy and acted completely normal (i.e. in not hanging around the rocks gasping). Nothing in your water parameters jump out as fish killing, and we are currently having similar problems to you and have not lost any fish (including a heater failing and getting stuck on!!!).

If so, I would be inclined to think like you that you may have some type of hitch hiker that finally is big to take down your fish. Maybe you have a mantis shrimp in there? Maybe a green brittle star? A really big crab?

 

[snorvich]

If so, I would be inclined to think like you that you may have some type of hitch hiker that finally is big to take down your fish. Maybe you have a mantis shrimp in there? Maybe a green brittle star? A really big crab?

That would also be my first guess. I am a bit concerned about nitrite greater than zero, however.

 

[Dragon moray ki]

I would also be concerned about the nitrite where did you get your rock?

 

[myram]

If you are not finding any remains or bodies anywhere, then there is something in your tank big enough to take them down and eat them but at the same time small enough to disappear and not be seen. And to take down 3 fish in 3 days, it has quite an appetite.

Steve