Im just about ready to throw in the towel!!

[Sugar Magnolia]

The corals are browning out because they aren't getting enough light. You need to replace those burnt out ballasts asap. Keep your water params in their optimum ranges and the corals should color back up. http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php

When you do replace the ballasts, you'll have to reacclimate them to the lighting. The best way to do this is to place several layers of window screening over the tank and remove a layer every 7 days. If you don't do this, the brightness from the bulbs can burn the corals, and they will die.

Here's more info about QT - http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1207733

 

[snorvich]

Excellent advice from Adrienne. You might consider doing a bit more reading before trying to add additional fish.

 

[boo-v]

I replaced one a while ago, I just have that one running on 1 250mh, I am running oddseyy lights, I am strongly thinking about getting away from them now

The corals are browning out because they aren't getting enough light. You need to replace those burnt out ballasts asap. Keep your water params in their optimum ranges and the corals should color back up. http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php

When you do replace the ballasts, you'll have to reacclimate them to the lighting. The best way to do this is to place several layers of window screening over the tank and remove a layer every 7 days. If you don't do this, the brightness from the bulbs can burn the corals, and they will die.

Here's more info about QT - http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1207733

 

[iamwrasseman]

personaly i would drip acclimate your nev fish in a covered bucket for 1 1/2 hours as ,most lfs owners keep their salinity very low and that is your main culpret .
2nd i would make sure the fish stress is reduced by keeping the lights out for at least 24 hrs .
if you have a ASM g2 then you have enough o2 in the tank for sure . most of your other paramiters seem correct IMO .
check your salinity against a calibrated refractometer ,also looks closly at you ph and alk if your still dosing 2 part which you said you were .
also before you purchase any more fish pay for them first and have your lfs hold them for a week and be sure they look happy and healthy before you bring them home .
it sounds like you are being very honest in your answers and this is key to us helping you which is what we want to do .your success is our fuel for happiness .
check the above mentioned and see if anything is out of wack .and remember good livestock is key when purchasing but i still think there is something that is missing here .

 

[boo-v]

Thats pretty much everything that I can think of,the only thing that I think could be a problem is that the salinty is a little over 1.026, im going to take a sample of my water to my LFS tomorrow and let him test it out

personaly i would drip acclimate your nev fish in a covered bucket for 1 1/2 hours as ,most lfs owners keep their salinity very low and that is your main culpret .
2nd i would make sure the fish stress is reduced by keeping the lights out for at least 24 hrs .
if you have a ASM g2 then you have enough o2 in the tank for sure . most of your other paramiters seem correct IMO .
check your salinity against a calibrated refractometer ,also looks closly at you ph and alk if your still dosing 2 part which you said you were .
also before you purchase any more fish pay for them first and have your lfs hold them for a week and be sure they look happy and healthy before you bring them home .
it sounds like you are being very honest in your answers and this is key to us helping you which is what we want to do .your success is our fuel for happiness .
check the above mentioned and see if anything is out of wack .and remember good livestock is key when purchasing but i still think there is something that is missing here .

 

[89Foxbody]

If it's a little over 1.026, that's not a problem at all. Many people keep theirs right around 1.030.

 

[Toddrtrex]

If it's a little over 1.026, that's not a problem at all. Many people keep theirs right around 1.030.

"Many"? I don't know anyone that keeps it that high --at least not on purpose.

 

[john rochon]

actualy, many keep it LOWER than that. like, 1.024 -1.025.
Your acclimation tec, is killing your fish. Do you test the salinity of the LFS water? always a good idea to know were the starting point is. ALOT of stores keep salinity lower.[ cost+ reduced stress on fish]

for a year old tank the rock looks very bare?? did you add more dry rock recently??

 

[michealprater]

Without a doubt incorrect acclimation is the culprit. Do some research on drip acclimation, salinity needs to be identical and PH and temp need to be very close. A proper acclimation is critical to get started on the right foot. Good luck!

 

[Beaun]

I would drop those lights and get a better brand. I have heard very few good things about odyssea lights. I also agree with acclimation, even adding water to the bag slowly would be a better option.

 

[BrianD]

I don't agree that acclimation is necessarily the culprit. I have never done much more than float the bag to equalize temperature, and haven't had the issues the OP is experiencing.

 

[michealprater]

Seriously??? Going down in salinity is not that hard on a fish, but going up can be a serious stress on the gills. A large PH swing will definately quickly kill a fish. These theories are easy to test. Just attempt to acclimate a fish with a large upswing in salinty, and if you get an overnight shipment, just throw an airline in the water and let the PH quickly jump. Then watch the fish float.

Drip acclimating, matching salinity and getting temp and PH close certainly will not harm the fish, so why not do it?

 

[LukFox]

Seriously??? Going down in salinity is not that hard on a fish, but going up can be a serious stress on the gills. A large PH swing will definately quickly kill a fish. These theories are easy to test. Just attempt to acclimate a fish with a large upswing in salinty, and if you get an overnight shipment, just throw an airline in the water and let the PH quickly jump. Then watch the fish float.

Drip acclimating, matching salinity and getting temp and PH close certainly will not harm the fish, so why not do it?

None of us would do anything to intentionally make a fish float, and drip acclimating is stressful and can be deadly if the fish has been in the bag for a while.

The worrying thing is the LFS might have a very low sg to save on salt costs, and the OP's water is pretty high (though still in a normal range). A quarantine tank matched to the LFS's sg where it can be gradually raised over a couple weeks to match the display would be very helpful. If it is a big enough difference to kill fish like this, drip acclimation is in no way gradual enough anyway.

 

[iamwrasseman]

i wish you the best my friend and hope that you get this figured out . you never know you may have nothing wrong and just have bought fish that all were doomed before you got them .sometimes this hobby gets stressful and i can see your not having fun but hopefully things will turn around . i have had some great results with our new LFS here in town as they get such good ,healthy livestock that even the delicate wrasses that i get do very well . my thumbs up the ABC for their efforts and knowledgeable personnel as they have made this areas hobby much easier for many aquariusts .

 

[snorvich]

Actually, I have learned to buy ONLY from vendors who keep their SG at 1.025. That way, temperature acclimation and into my QT tank at 1.025 is what my process entails. But big swings from low to higher SG during acclimation can be problematic; so if you have a large differential between shipping bag SG and your target SG, Adrienne has a reasonable acclimation protocol.

 

[small alien]

What do the fish look like before the croak? Are they emaciated? Do they have any physical blemishes? Is their behavior abnormal in any way?

Or is it that they're just swimming around and eating fine one day and dead the next?

 

[small alien]

I have read several accounts from very knowledgeable aquarists that they do not drip acclimate due to the stress and contamination level in the bag water. Once they've temp acclimated, it's into the tank.

I do drip acclimate.

 

[Fretfreak13]

I do agree that he should change the way he acclimates and all, but IF acclimation were the problem, wouldn't the fish have shown more signs of stress initially? I'm just throwing this out there, I could be wrong.

He said his fish had settled in and were eating nicely and then died nearly a month after introducing them to the tank. Wouldn't the shock of the new introduction do them in, if in this case it was the acclimation?

 

[boo-v]

Yea I am definitely getting rid of those lights, all the stuff that I have had to go through with them I could have just a good set off craigslist! im gonna start the drip technique from now on too

I would drop those lights and get a better brand. I have heard very few good things about odyssea lights. I also agree with acclimation, even adding water to the bag slowly would be a better option.

 

[boo-v]

well the yellow tang, blue hippo and fox face were just acting diffrent, laying on their side breathing all funny and stuff, my powder brown and watchman goby just dissappeard, I think I just found last night the rest of the gobies head, well whats left

What do the fish look like before the croak? Are they emaciated? Do they have any physical blemishes? Is their behavior abnormal in any way?

Or is it that they're just swimming around and eating fine one day and dead the next?