please help i keep losing fish

M

mikmac

New member
OK so i started my tank about 8 months ago. i have a rsm250 (65gal) My plans are to make it a mixed reef. I have about 60 lbs of live rock and about 4 coral so far. I am not the best at water changes but I probably do one once a month. My perameters are all in good shape.

Now for the hard part!!!! About 5 months ago i put 2 percula clowns, 1 desjardini tang, 1 bicolor blenny, and 1 clown goby. so i let them have the tank for about a month. Then what ever else i put in would die within 4-5 days some within 24 hours. All while non of the original 5 fish i put in have perished. I put in and orange spot goby died in about 5 days. 6 Blue gren chromis all died with in 4-5 days one at a time. 2 flame angels all died with 2 days. 3 lyrtail anthis all died within 3 days. ALL WHILE THE ORIGANAL 5 are still alive. I think its the Tang.

If it was the water quality i would think one of the original five would die. I think the Tang is causing all the havoc.

What do i do????:deadhorse1::fun2:
 
Lots of people lose anthias and chromis for no good reason. The biggest thing is who/where your lfs is getting either from. Wouldnt be surprised if the bicolor blenny killed the OS goby, heard lots of first hand accounts of them being mean to similar fish. I suspect the tang as far as the angelfish deaths go since they are so similar in every way, diet, behavior, ect. Dont know how big your percula clowns are but they can get mean as they grow large and mature. I wouldnt even consider adding a new fish to my reef tank, my ~3" female occelaris rules with an iron fist. Anything that would survive the initial beat down would be too aggressive to fit in. And im sure if i sumped the female clown long enough for a new fish to settle in the male would be female by the time i reintroduced the other one.
Just realised you said you have a red sea max, disregard the sumping fish part which could have worked for the clowns and/or tang as a precaution when adding new fish.
 
How big are the perculas? If they aren't that big I would say just get rid of the desjardini. By far the most aggressive fish in there and its going to be the size of a dinner plate sooner than you think, restlessly pacing that tank which isnt even 4 feet long. Might I suggest a hardier fish than the fish youve trie. Especially the flame angels and anthias. A royal gramma comes to mind, completely different in niche than any of your fish. Only thing is if you get a really big royal gramma and you have a tiny clown goby (seen them 1/2" at lfs) the gramma may eat it. I could rattle off more suggestions if you like.
 
I'd get rid of the tang anyways, if it is the aggressor problem solved. It's going to get way too big quick in your tank anyways, so not the biggest loss. Also as for the chromis and anthias, they need multiple feedings per day or they will likely perish. Also chromis in smaller tanks tend to kill each other off one by one if they are underfed especially.
 
When you put new fish in the tank, do you see any aggression? It should be immediate and obvious.

If so, then there are ways to deal with that.

1. Rearrange rockwork. This resets any territories in the fishes minds, and stops aggression.
2. Add a mirror on one side of the tank. The aggressor will be so busy fighting his reflection that they will pay the newcomer no attention.
3. Use an acclimation box. This is a clear box with holes in it where the new fish can be added and be seen but remain separated from current residents until they get used to each other.

If you are not seeing the aggression, chances are something else is causing your fish deaths. Quarantining is a great idea, please look up how to do it - there is information all over this site on quarantining. Water quality may be an issue; the current residents may just be used to it.

Like others have said, 65 gallon tank is probably too small for the tang, and will add to its aggressive tendencies.
 
You may want to check the salinity of the LFS vs Your water. For being a 65, that tang of yours is probably aggressive. As said, Chromis need a lot of room to swim. For some reason, if they are in a small tank, they will kill each other off until one is left. You may want to check out your tank after hours (the dark) and see whats goin on. Try not to spook the fish and check their behaviors. Perhaps one of your fish is bullying? My maroon clown was the first to go in and shes a BIG bully.
 
Thanks all.... Do i have the option to remove the tang and the 2 percs and restock? Are there any benefits/ Downfalls?
 
You haven't said anything to indicate any observed aggression from your mates when adding a new fish. Are you sure of your water. For a long time I neglected my tank and I still had 3 damsels from the get go. Never did much of anything other than kitchen sink top offs and scrape the salt back in :confused: Any time I ever tried to add a fish it would die within 24 hrs. I started internet learning then. My nitrates were off the chart. My fish were saturated and happy. A sort of developed immunity from the slow but gradual nitrate increase. Any "normal" fish added die quickly. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying your nitrates are high rather it might be something in your water chemistry. Up to this point no one has mentioned that but tank aggression and as I stated earlier you didn't mention in your posts. Just sayen... reminded me of me.
 
pinnatus said:
When you put new fish in the tank, do you see any aggression? It should be immediate and obvious.

If so, then there are ways to deal with that.

1. Rearrange rockwork. This resets any territories in the fishes minds, and stops aggression.
2. Add a mirror on one side of the tank. The aggressor will be so busy fighting his reflection that they will pay the newcomer no attention.
3. Use an acclimation box. This is a clear box with holes in it where the new fish can be added and be seen but remain separated from current residents until they get used to each other.

If you are not seeing the aggression, chances are something else is causing your fish deaths. Quarantining is a great idea, please look up how to do it - there is information all over this site on quarantining. Water quality may be an issue; the current residents may just be used to it.

Like others have said, 65 gallon tank is probably too small for the tang, and will add to its aggressive tendencies.
Click to expand...

Sorry Pinnatus you already said this I missed it... My bad.
 
mikmac said:
Thanks all.... Do i have the option to remove the tang and the 2 percs and restock? Are there any benefits/ Downfalls?
Click to expand...

That is always an option. However, established fish are almost always aggressive to newcomers to the tank, so it is a good idea to learn how to deal with it. The methods I have outlined above will work, unless the fish are just incompatible, which is not the case with what you have. As already mentioned, getting rid of the tang is a good idea; your tank is just too small for that fish. In the wild I have seen them at >1 foot long.
 
Last edited:
First of all, as most people have said it, the tank is way too small for the salfin tang, as it will grow to over a foot long and need a minimum of 8-foot, 240g tank. Unless it's a baby, the salfin tang will for sure be very aggressive to newcomers in such a small tank.

You did not mention any initial aggressions observed when adding new fish. Did you see any, and from whom?

Please post your water parameters: ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, and alkalinity. This way we will know if your parameters are in good shape.

Third, if you are not quarantining new fish, it's time to start doing that to prevent deadly diseases (velvet, brooklynella, etc.). It WILL bite you sooner or later. Go to the fish disease forum and read through millions of threads of something like "HELP! My fish are dying because I didn't quarantine."
 
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