VictoriaWood
New member
Long story. We took over a 125gallon from a friend about a year ago. It came with 100lb of live rock, 2" sand, 2 powerheads, a nice big LED bar, a pump, a heater and a Red Sea Prizm filter. So we didnt have to add much. He also had 2 clownfish that were 6 years old, a sand sifting goby, 2 tangs, a hermit crab and a fish about 5" long that I was never able to identify. This is our 2nd saltwater tank and we keep a close eye on the water quality.
They all settled in nicely and despite being wary we added a little tiny BTA a couple months ago. Not knowing anything about them, we expected it to be a short-lived learning experience. He IS incredibly sensitive and rolls up into a ball if you even look at the tank funny but he seems to be OK, getting a little greener, and enjoys eating bits of shrimp every few days.
So impressed were we with our ability to keep an anemone alive, Thursday we introduced a 3" chocolate chip starfish. Within 24 hours both 6 year old clowns swam wildly, erratically for an hour and died. Terrified, we found the tank at a pH of nearly NINE (could 2 dead fish cause such a huge jump from 8?) and nitrates too high to measure accurately with our little test kit. Terrified we did a ~20% water change with a waste removal treatment. Late Friday both tangs were dead and I have not seen my goby since. Did another 10% change. Cleaned the filter system, pumped a ton of air into the tank. pH and nitrates are somewhat lower. Today our big fish is barely moving, I'm afraid he'll go today.
The part that doesn't make sense? The sensitive anenome looks fluffy and happy as usual despite the horrific tank conditions. The starfish is roaming around normally.
The starfish were alone in their tanks at the store WITHOUT fish. Could it have been carrying a disease that hurts fish but has no impact on inverts? How can I ever clean this tank properly to reintroduce fish, not knowing what killed them all? Any ideas appreciated. :uhoh2:
They all settled in nicely and despite being wary we added a little tiny BTA a couple months ago. Not knowing anything about them, we expected it to be a short-lived learning experience. He IS incredibly sensitive and rolls up into a ball if you even look at the tank funny but he seems to be OK, getting a little greener, and enjoys eating bits of shrimp every few days.
So impressed were we with our ability to keep an anemone alive, Thursday we introduced a 3" chocolate chip starfish. Within 24 hours both 6 year old clowns swam wildly, erratically for an hour and died. Terrified, we found the tank at a pH of nearly NINE (could 2 dead fish cause such a huge jump from 8?) and nitrates too high to measure accurately with our little test kit. Terrified we did a ~20% water change with a waste removal treatment. Late Friday both tangs were dead and I have not seen my goby since. Did another 10% change. Cleaned the filter system, pumped a ton of air into the tank. pH and nitrates are somewhat lower. Today our big fish is barely moving, I'm afraid he'll go today.
The part that doesn't make sense? The sensitive anenome looks fluffy and happy as usual despite the horrific tank conditions. The starfish is roaming around normally.
The starfish were alone in their tanks at the store WITHOUT fish. Could it have been carrying a disease that hurts fish but has no impact on inverts? How can I ever clean this tank properly to reintroduce fish, not knowing what killed them all? Any ideas appreciated. :uhoh2:
