somone PLEASE tell me why my fish keep dying?!?

[phyber]

Seems like my tank is death row for fish...

6 month old tank, getting good coraline growth.
25 gallon
30# live rock (arranged by stacked on back glass, with deep caves)
20# sand
AquaC Remora skimmer
Aqueon HOB 20 filter
Hydor evo nano 425gph circ pump
Current Nova Extreme t5's 24" ran 10 hours a day
Temp set at 78*
CUC: 10+ Nessarius snails, 4 Astrea snails, 1 pencil urchin (all in GREAT condition)

Just ran water tests last night after my latest damsel death:
ph: 8.2
Nitrate: 0
Nitrite: 0
ammonia: 0ppm
SG: 1.023, using Instant Ocean salt

I use a 4stage BRS RODI unit, with 0 TDS output, and fresh filters.

Fish that I put into the tank never act right. Never swim with a flow or forage for food. I feed twice a day, 1 pinch of flake food.

They cower under cover day and night and only burst into open for food. This fright has led to an ich outbreak that killed 2 clowns and a dwarf angel. Following a 6 week fallow, a coral beauty was introduced, and 48 hours later it died of what some labeled 'sudden heart attack'. I turned on the overhead light of the room and the fish seized up and fell to the sand on the spot.

I then added 2 yellow tail damsels and 1 3 stripe damsel. One yellow tail had one popeye, then a day later was dead, no other apparent wounds or illness. The second yellowtail ate as normal and swam normal...found him on the sand last night with no wounds or ich.

My 3 stripe is still in the tank but, like others, stays hidden in rock caves.

I did not have a QT tank until i got my latest Damsels (2 yellows, 1 3 stripe). the QT is cycled and in good health (i have a bluefin damsel keeping that going). All damsels stayed in that 10g QT for 2 weeks until my fallow was up/fish looked active enough to go into tank.

I'm gathering equipment to begin keeping corals...but i just want a fish or two for movement...what the heck is going on? Am i just getting low quality fish? :headwalls:

 

[namxas]

First of all, the fallow period for Crypto isn't two weeks...it's more like 6-8 weeks.

Did the fish all come from the same source?

Have you had any cleaning/painting/extermination going on near the tank or where the air could have picked fumes up from another source (window/AC unit)?

It might even be electrical leakage from a faulty piece of equipment (maybe the "fright" thing is the fish getting zapped).

Just a few thoughts...

 

[phyber]

I kept the DT fallow for 4 weeks, purchased damsels and put them in qt for 2 weeks. After 6 weeks fallow in the DT, damsels were added in. Had to hurry moving the fish over as the bluefin was getting aggressive.

No changes to environment, tank stays in a basement room supplied with ac set to 72* from central air.

Not sure on electrical, I know I've never felt anything and my inverts are still good, no deaths. My snails have began laying eggs and a stomatella snail spawns every so often.

 

[phyber]

All fish except flame angel and coral beauty were from petco, which themselves had just gotten them.

The angels were from a lfs who had both fish for 1 month+ in their tanks.

 

[phyber]

No additives are used in the water, sans for my first dosage of Kent coral vite and strontium last week.

 

[SecretiveFish]

In my experience, just about every fish/invertebrate/plant I have gotten from Petco has some terrible illness/parasite/nasty hitchhiker. There is a good chance that the fish you got from there just succumbed to stress/illness. I would not buy livestock from Petco.
I have had extremely poor luck with Flame angels and am loath to try another one. I have had mixed luck with Coral Beauties, have had 2 die but the third attempt is still doing well (finally!!).

Like you, I had a run where I could not seem to get anything to live! What was I doing wrong? Well I started buying the fish at the LFS that had been there awhile (like 3+ months). You know what? I have had all of those fish for nearly 2 years. About 50% of the time I buy a fish that has only been at the LFS for <2 weeks, I lose it.

 

[Kappapibeta]

Don't buy saltwater stock from Petco.

 

[flameangel88]

I agree that most of times I go into petco and their saltwater fish section doesn't look healthy but that can be said the same with some of the lfs even I see as highly recommended on the local forum.

I think first thing is to figure out whether the problem is in your system or not. Lets take a step back further...how are you introducing the new fish to your tank? Meaning you've the fish in the bag at home now. How do you go about acclimating it into the tank? Hopefully someone can see something others missed as we take it one step at a time.

 

[namxas]

What filter media are you running?

What method did you use to cycle your tank? Did you see it spike?

Is the LR "natural" or is it "aragocrete" or other DIY material?

 

[phyber]

I always do a 1 hour drip into a new tank, be it the qt or DT.

I run standard carbon/floss in my aqueon hob filter and change it once a month.

My live rock was actually rock that already had algae growth on it to start. When I first cycled my DT I added sand, then rock, then water, then waited. Tested for 2 weeks and saw no spike in either direction. Added CUC and I have every single one and they came from petco. Then after another 2 weeks added the clowns.

 

[phyber]

My qt is a barebottom tank, with fake plastic plants for hiding, and a aqueon 30 hob filter, 50w heater, and is 10g.

Only has the one bluefin in it now. Tank has cycled.

 

[phyber]

I can accept your stray voltage reason, but I dont understand it. Wouldn't the inverts die from electrocution as well, they are all doing fine and even reproducing, so I assume in their opinion I'm providing a suitable environment for them.

 

[LargeAngels]

If inverts are fine most likely your water is OK. Based on where you get your fish I think your fish problem is the source. Change source, QT everything and leave tank fishless for 6 weeks before adding fish.

 

[namxas]

It's not so much electrocution as stress when stray current is an issue, but IME, that's rare.

Do the fish act the same way in QT or only when you put them in the DT?

I would, however, change sources, as mentioned.

Be sure you "ghost feed" the tank to keep the cycle up during the fallow period.

 

[phyber]

Being that my qt is super basic, hard to say. Fish ate well and swam moderately, but aggression was starting to set in while inside the tight quarters.

I made sure to feed the snails and ghost feed while fallow.

 

[phyber]

UPDATE: came home today to a living 3 stripe damsel lol

did a 25% water change, and removed my HOB filter. maybe my test strips are inaccurate and the hob may be holding nitrites/nitrates. we'll see.

 

[Zacktosterone]

This may have been said already, but did you check if your refractometer was calibrated properly by using rodi water?

 

[ca1ore]

I can accept your stray voltage reason, but I dont understand it. Wouldn't the inverts die from electrocution as well, they are all doing fine and even reproducing, so I assume in their opinion I'm providing a suitable environment for them.

Stray voltage is a big red herring IMO. If you have it you will feel it because you are grounded, fish and corals are not. It may simply be bad luck. May want to run a poly filter just in case there is something in your water.

 

[Deinonych]

don't buy saltwater stock from petco.

+1

 

[Deinonych]

If inverts are fine most likely your water is OK. Based on where you get your fish I think your fish problem is the source. Change source, QT everything and leave tank fishless for 6 weeks before adding fish.

Fallow period is 8 weeks minimum for crypt. Many aquarists go 10-12 weeks to make sure the parasite is eradicated.