HeadstrongRSS
New member
Hey everyone, sooo I need some help. Bear with me, it's somewhat long. I'm somewhat new to this hobby, but really do a bunch of research. Wifey thinks I'm obsessed. I have a 36g bowfront, hob Aquaclear 70, 800 GPH cheapo circulation pump, jager 150w heater setup that I've been trying to get going and am having some bad luck.
I started with green spotted puffers...a fresh-to-then-brackish fish. Just one, with lots of decoration, crushed coral, etc. I had done a fishless cycle, using pure (nothing-added) ammonia and keeping it at 4ppm until finally nitrites dropped to 0 and nitrate appeared. 90% water change, then did another 4ppm ammonia, waited 24 hours, retest to see if there is 0 ammonia or nitrite. If good, stocking time. This is the process I go each time cycling. I use the saltwater API liquid tests btw.
I picked one out, So he had lots to do, I fed a variety of foods, gut loaded live ghost or brine shrimp, etc. Super social, greeted me, etc. I checked water daily, no levels until end of week a tiny bit of nitrate. I did a 33% water change each week, as told by thepufferforum peeps. Everything good for about 3 weeks...then one day, he doesn't come out. I look deeper, he's dead. No warning. No other inhabitants. Discouranged, I doubled down on research, looking for IPs, etc.
I get another...same process. But this one, dead, 1 week. LFS is confused, says they're touchy, tests my water. All good levels. Meh. This got me down, I took a month off, ended up having to re-cycle. But I got another...he's looking healthy for about 6 weeks...then one day, he doesn't eat. Next day, dead. WTH!
I give up, convinced the GSP is too touchy. Scaleless, no gill covers, stress-able, prone to IPs. Fast forward to now, 2 months ago. I restart, wanting a FOLWR. I purchased 8lb of live rock from LFS, seeded it, let it sit with some lava rock and rainbow rock pieces and no fish, and cycled the aquarium using the same process. All saltwater is mixed in a 20g trash can (w/ no other use) using instant ocean salt, a bit of PRIME, overnight with 2 heaters and 2 circulation pumps. All clear, refractometer reads 1.023. Right on! I use buckets to transfer water. I buy 2 captive bread ocellaris clownfish and a bicolor blenny. Wifey ended up loving these 2 chromis, and it was all they had, so we took them.
Introduced them all to the aquarium, blenny 1st, chromis next, clowns last. They all take to it right away, all are swimming amongst themselves, all eat. Day 2, 2 chromis dead. My bro thinks he saw the clownfish attack them, but I don't see marks. Just dead in the aragonite/crushed coral. I learned about clownfish aggression, assumed it was that because the chromis really need 6 or more - I chalk it up to a bad choice. 2 days pass, all fish cruse around, eat, have fun. I wake up, blenny is under the heater, grey, striped, stressed. I panick, fish him out, put him in the cycled 3g hospital w/ air stone, fresh tank water, some algae-tabs, small heater. Come home, dead. Both clownfish are merry. Right now, I watch them have fun flying down the circulation pump current, over and over. They're eating. Greeting me. Excited for food. They seem to cuddle sometimes, and now they're the last ones standing.
What IN THE WORLD can be going on here? I cant figure out if I'm the unluckiest guy in the world, or if there is something else dangerous in my tap water, or what. Got Culligan coming out to test, just checked dissolved solids and it's 432. Could that be it? I recently found out that the water softener had been operating at like 15% efficiency...over hard water? Doesn't that just apply to corals and invertebrates? I fear my clowns are doomed...this setup has an evil reputation, despite my best efforts. Each AM is a 'let's see who's dead now' ritual. I hate it. I'm now looking at RODI systems...bah. I'm losing my resolve here. Can anyone shed any light to what even COULD be happening? LFS is stumped. HELP! For the sake of the clowns!
I started with green spotted puffers...a fresh-to-then-brackish fish. Just one, with lots of decoration, crushed coral, etc. I had done a fishless cycle, using pure (nothing-added) ammonia and keeping it at 4ppm until finally nitrites dropped to 0 and nitrate appeared. 90% water change, then did another 4ppm ammonia, waited 24 hours, retest to see if there is 0 ammonia or nitrite. If good, stocking time. This is the process I go each time cycling. I use the saltwater API liquid tests btw.
I picked one out, So he had lots to do, I fed a variety of foods, gut loaded live ghost or brine shrimp, etc. Super social, greeted me, etc. I checked water daily, no levels until end of week a tiny bit of nitrate. I did a 33% water change each week, as told by thepufferforum peeps. Everything good for about 3 weeks...then one day, he doesn't come out. I look deeper, he's dead. No warning. No other inhabitants. Discouranged, I doubled down on research, looking for IPs, etc.
I get another...same process. But this one, dead, 1 week. LFS is confused, says they're touchy, tests my water. All good levels. Meh. This got me down, I took a month off, ended up having to re-cycle. But I got another...he's looking healthy for about 6 weeks...then one day, he doesn't eat. Next day, dead. WTH!
I give up, convinced the GSP is too touchy. Scaleless, no gill covers, stress-able, prone to IPs. Fast forward to now, 2 months ago. I restart, wanting a FOLWR. I purchased 8lb of live rock from LFS, seeded it, let it sit with some lava rock and rainbow rock pieces and no fish, and cycled the aquarium using the same process. All saltwater is mixed in a 20g trash can (w/ no other use) using instant ocean salt, a bit of PRIME, overnight with 2 heaters and 2 circulation pumps. All clear, refractometer reads 1.023. Right on! I use buckets to transfer water. I buy 2 captive bread ocellaris clownfish and a bicolor blenny. Wifey ended up loving these 2 chromis, and it was all they had, so we took them.
Introduced them all to the aquarium, blenny 1st, chromis next, clowns last. They all take to it right away, all are swimming amongst themselves, all eat. Day 2, 2 chromis dead. My bro thinks he saw the clownfish attack them, but I don't see marks. Just dead in the aragonite/crushed coral. I learned about clownfish aggression, assumed it was that because the chromis really need 6 or more - I chalk it up to a bad choice. 2 days pass, all fish cruse around, eat, have fun. I wake up, blenny is under the heater, grey, striped, stressed. I panick, fish him out, put him in the cycled 3g hospital w/ air stone, fresh tank water, some algae-tabs, small heater. Come home, dead. Both clownfish are merry. Right now, I watch them have fun flying down the circulation pump current, over and over. They're eating. Greeting me. Excited for food. They seem to cuddle sometimes, and now they're the last ones standing.
What IN THE WORLD can be going on here? I cant figure out if I'm the unluckiest guy in the world, or if there is something else dangerous in my tap water, or what. Got Culligan coming out to test, just checked dissolved solids and it's 432. Could that be it? I recently found out that the water softener had been operating at like 15% efficiency...over hard water? Doesn't that just apply to corals and invertebrates? I fear my clowns are doomed...this setup has an evil reputation, despite my best efforts. Each AM is a 'let's see who's dead now' ritual. I hate it. I'm now looking at RODI systems...bah. I'm losing my resolve here. Can anyone shed any light to what even COULD be happening? LFS is stumped. HELP! For the sake of the clowns!
