Losing new fish but old fish live

[Reefdreamer1126]

I have been reefing for about 2 years now. I have a 60 gallon tank that has corals and fish. Recently I have had issues with adding new fish. Every time I add a new fish it dies within two days. Currently I have a Picasso clown and a small purple tang (I understand that the purple tang will not be suitable in the tank for long. I am currently buying a 220 gallon tank). I also have a fire shrimp. All of my perameters check out and are where they should be.
Fish that I have lost- dimond goby, Christmas wrasse, radiant wrasse, 6 green cromis, 1 Picasso clown, 1 very small blue tang, 6 line wrasse, dragon goby
All of these fish were acclimated for 1 hr and added at separate times across a time of 6 months.

 

[scooter31707]

First, let me say, you should be quarantining your new fish. do you see any aggression from the Purple Tang when you introduce a new fish. When purchase the fish, are they coming from the same vendor? Do you see them eat, if not purchase online?

 

[Reefdreamer1126]

I would love to quarantine but I currently live in a one bedroom apartment and do not have the extra room for the tank. When the new fish are introduced the purple tang does show signs of dominance but is not attacking. The two most recent fish that I have added are a diamond goby and a kamohara blend. The blend is still alive but the goby died after 24 hrs. The tang would swim around the new fish but not attack or even touch. Could it be something with my sand? The three last fish have either burrowed in the sand or eaten and they all have died within 24hrs.

 

[Tastee]

What are the parameters of your tank?
Is it possible that your issue is osmotic shock by introducing fish from the LFR at 1.020 salinity to your reef tank at 1.024 or so?

I did that with my first fish (Yellow Tang) I introduced to my reef tank after the initial setup and stocking with Clowns (they came from 1.024 salinity as they were with an Anemone). The Tang came from 1.020. I gave him 2 1/2 hours drip acclimate and he died 2 days later. No sickness and I put it down to osmotic shock.

All my fish now go into my QT at 1.020, stay there for a 5 days or so and are then gradually raised to 1.024 over another 5 days. After a couple more days to settle I transfer them to the DT. All transfer perfectly healthy and are active imediately.

 

[Reefdreamer1126]

I don't believe that is the issue because I got my clowns from this store and they made it but my most recent fish did not. I am not at home which is where my record of parameters is but they are at the level that it needs to be. Could there be a high amount of ammonia or something that is stored in the sand and is causing any sand sifting fish to become ill? I have a 0 ammonia reading but I can't figure out why fish are dying after seeming healthy and not skinny.

 

[McPuff]

You can QT with a 10 gallon tank. Just make something temporary. I'm sure you can find a little space to do this. Be creative. :0)

 

[Reefdreamer1126]

What all would I need to set up a 10 gallon QT? Also how long can you keep active fish in a 10 gallon without stressing them more?

 

[scooter31707]

What all would I need to set up a 10 gallon QT? Also how long can you keep active fish in a 10 gallon without stressing them more?

You can get a small power filter or sponge filter, small heater, and air pump w/ airstone to provide extra oxygen if you have to medicate. Also get some PVC to use as hiding spots. BTW you can also use a 5 gallon bucket. I still do use these sometimes.

 

[Mishri]

a single fish under 5" will be fine in a 10 gallon for a couple of months.. (aside from some active swimmers and delicate species).

What you'll want to do is measure the sg in the bag of water you are getting your fish from. and compare to your tank's water... use a refractometer..

this is where your QT comes into play.. if the tanks you are getting your fish from have lower salinity, you'll want to match that salinity in your QT and then slowly raise over the course of days.

I also don't acclimate my fish for more than 20 minutes... I match SG, then add small scoops of water to the bag that is floating in the QT over 20 minutes... never had an issue with this acclimation method that i've been using since the early 90s... (although I didn't start matching SG until about 10 years ago).

You'll want to check all of your water parameters, it's possible your fish have acclimated to your tank conditions, and the new fish are being shocked.. Make sure you calibrate your refractometer... it's possible your have much higher SG than you think.. causing the issue.

 

[Reefdreamer1126]

Thank you for all the information! I will recalibrate my refractometer and start to gather equipment for my qt tank.

 

[crawlerman]

Like said above, LFS keep salinity low. I am wondering if your refractometer is off and your tank is a higher salinity than you think. You need to calibrate with calibration fluid. Calibrating with RODI only proves its accurate at zero. Your existing fish would be used to the high salinity and new ones wouldn't be able to adjust to the large swing.

 

[ca1ore]

There are a few reasons that this could be happening. There may be aggression problems from the purple tang (it is one of the more aggressive tangs) that is exacerbated by it feeling cramped. There also could be some kind of disease problem in your tank already that the residents have become mostly immune to but which attacks an inherently stressed newcomer.

Did the fish that died show any kinds of disease symptoms (I don't think you said)? Also, keep in mind that an underappreciated benefit of QT is to allow a new fish to become acclimated to your system, recover from the stress of shipping, and learn to eat the foods you offer.

 

[Reefdreamer1126]

Only one of the fish showed any sign when it died. This was the Christmas wrasse but when I got him he had a split tail so I am not sure if these signs were from something in my tank or preexsiting condition. No other fish shows anything when it dies. Would the salinity change cause the fish to struggle breathing?