I'm losing my Reef fish. Help!!

[Cdelgado58]

Well as it says most of the fish that i buy end up dead by like a week. The tank is about 3 months old. And My Parameters are always good. I currently have left a Yellow watchmen gobey and a pistol shrimp that arent getting along right now, a Tomini Tang, a Cleaner shrimp and also a arrow crab. Along with several CUC members. The tank is a 55 gallonn tank with live sand and rock. Any advice would be great. Thanks in advance.

Current list of lost Soles:

Bicolor Angel
2 Royal Gramma
Percula
Powder brown Tang
Blue Tang
Twin spot gobey
Fire fish

 

[hey_frag]

That's a lot of fish to add to a new tank, let alone a 55. Slow down, don't add anything else, let the gram positive bacteria build.

 

[aandfsoccr04]

Since you have that many fish, let alone some that are way too big for the tank, I assume that you didn't QT all if any of the fish. A fish probably introduced disease into your tank and is killing off the fish. There are also too many fish in there so they could be dying from stress/aggression issues.

 

[softieatheart]

You added those all at once?

Your tank may be cycled, but is very immature adding just one fish can cause a big shift in the tank. Adding that many at once is practically a guarantee of mass casualty.

One fish at a time.......

 

[Cdelgado58]

Alright maybe I explained wrong. I have added all those fish that have died at different times. I would never add that many fish at once. The max amount of fish that I have had At one time is 4. I'm just trying to figure out why they are dyeing. Some just disappear. And I don't have a quarantine tank. Lol talk about a miscommunication.

 

[FishBo]

Shakes head.. You basically answered your own question.

 

[Cdelgado58]

Shakes head.. You basically answered your own question.

How did I answer my own question?

 

[FTDelta]

You didn't quarantine your fish. Always, ALWAYS quarantine your fish before adding them to your DT.

 

[Dapg8gt]

Prob would get some better responses by posting your parameters and filtration also.

JMO but adding Just the amount of fish you have Tried already to a 3 month old tank that is already too small for the tangs alone is asking for trouble and no QT is not helping. Good luck and take it slow. While a 55 may look big it's basically nothing compared to the natural habitat of your livestock.

 

[Cdelgado58]

Alright thanks guys. My Tomini is holding up good so far. That fish is the only free swimmer. And my YWG has been in the tank for like two months. So I am going to stick with those two guys for a while and see how it goes. Thanks again guys.

 

[CAPSLOK]

I'm taking from your answer that you have only added 1-2 fish at once, and have added those that haven't made it over the course of many weeks with just the 2 current fish and inverts surviving.

I agree to just let everything settle for a little, and once the tank has had a chance to stabilize start again with just one hardy fish first.

Are they just dieing (are you finding untouched bodies)? Do they look healthy until they die or are they showing any symptoms / behaviors out of the ordinary?

I have heard that arrow crabs can kill/eat fish. Maybe he is the culprit?

What is your salinity and the salinity of the store they come from? Are you acclimating in a way that lets them adjust to a change in salinity?

Is it a good source (ie, are the fish healthy in the store?)? Do they swim around in your tank for a while acting in a normal fashion before they die? Do they have nice full looking bodies at the store? Do they eat?

 

[Cdelgado58]

Well CapsLok you are understanding correctly. Some fish have just disappeared some have gotten ich. And one of my Royal Grammas disappeared and then Reappeared missing all his fins. The fish do come healthy to me. They are eating before we leave the store I always check that. I am going to hold off for a while and then maybe try another store. See if its maybe LFS I am going to. I think it has to be something in my tank. And my Arrow crab has only been in the tank for about a week. I got him do he could regulate some of my problems with Bristle worms.

 

[reeferstace]

Your fish are not "coming in healthy from the store" if they are getting ick. You need to initiate a proper quarantine procedure for all newcomers and treat the fish you have left. Otherwise you are going to keep killing fish. Also please read the thread regarding recommended tank sizes for tangs.

 

[Curious George]

Just a thought. Even if you give it a couple months, the current fish in the tank can still host a parasite even if they don't succumb to it and die.

You may still have problems down the line when adding new fish. I hate to tell you, but unless you QT the remaining fish and leave the tank fallow for a few months, you will keep regenerating the problem if it is a parasite.

I know it sucks but it's the truth. That is why people QT fish before adding to the display tank for a good 8 weeks. They can monitor the fish and look for an outbreak. Some people treat a new fish with a medication like copper or prazi just to be on the safe side. After the fish is strong, healthy and completely disease free, it is at that time they transfer into their display tank.

Picking out colorful fish is fun, but right now you have to consider that you've spent $250 and have only 2 fish to show for it. That is an expensive Tomini and Goby in there.

 

[Cdelgado58]

Your right. So I just might have to set up a small QT tank in order to fix the problem. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Cdelgado58]

I have an update on the Tank. I have found a Juvenile Mantis Shrimp and i have reason to believe that i may have another Mantis in another rock. Do you guys think that this could be affecting my fish stock?