Tank Crash need help

Get through this first, but before re-stocking down the road read all the stickies on quarantine and disease treatment. Not to single him out, but anything by Snorvich is always full of details yet easy to read and follow. No way a fish store can quarantine. At best it's an observation period and you'll at least know they are eating, no visible disease, and over the stress of shipping. Their copper use though may have only stressed them more and I'd be surprised if a store had the time and ability to maintain copper at any effective level continuously while never crossing into the lethal range. Just read all you can here first. Again, just like for your fish right now, some rubbermaid totes would even work. If like many others you may have a few stuffed with belongings you haven't used in 20 years in the bottom of a closet :)

Otherwise, nobody can say how long it will take. Just have to keep testing and doing water changes until your arms fall off and you see ammonia and nitrites actually falling between changes instead of continuing to rise. You mentioned not seeing any change. While I'd test before each change to see the direction it's going do a test once both before, and after a change. If you change 30% you should see a 30% drop even if it rises back up of course.
 
Get through this first, but before re-stocking down the road read all the stickies on quarantine and disease treatment. Not to single him out, but anything by Snorvich is always full of details yet easy to read and follow. No way a fish store can quarantine. At best it's an observation period and you'll at least know they are eating, no visible disease, and over the stress of shipping. Their copper use though may have only stressed them more and I'd be surprised if a store had the time and ability to maintain copper at any effective level continuously while never crossing into the lethal range. Just read all you can here first. Again, just like for your fish right now, some rubbermaid totes would even work. If like many others you may have a few stuffed with belongings you haven't used in 20 years in the bottom of a closet :)

Otherwise, nobody can say how long it will take. Just have to keep testing and doing water changes until your arms fall off and you see ammonia and nitrites actually falling between changes instead of continuing to rise. You mentioned not seeing any change. While I'd test before each change to see the direction it's going do a test once both before, and after a change. If you change 30% you should see a 30% drop even if it rises back up of course.
Not restocking any time soon at all, probably two months before I even have enough spare money to buy anything.

I didn't buy it from an LFS, I bought it from a fellow reefer who does this service as kind of like a give back to his community. He charges a small fee for quarantining fish but his fish are always top notch quality and disease free.
 
I'd buy a Rubbermaid tub and keep your fish in that for a few days with new salt water. Take out all the rocks so you can find the dead fish. Then put the rocks back in and you should be good within a week.
 
I recommend getting the fish out of the display tank asap. Totes or even a garbage can from a hardware store with a power head and heater will work.

Once the fish are out I'd start doing 50 percent water changes daily. Test as often as possible and keep a log so you know the progress you are making. Hopefully you will be able to stabilize the tank within a week.

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Hi Peeta!
Mind if I chime in?
If you STILL have your quarantine setup I would put the fish in there and put in some bacteria to jump start it! And keep your remaining fish there until your ammonia and nitrate levels are at zero!
Also, I think that right now, I'd be JUST AS CONCERNED about potential hitch hikers that came in from your uncured live rock and infecting your fish. I would avoid taking ANY chances, I would quarantine your fish RIGHT NOW and let your DT run fallow for two months!!!
Quarantine in eIther copper or hypo, btw.
I'm very sorry for the losses of your poor little guys.
 
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suggest printing out the stickies atop this forum and yellow-marking the bits that you need to remember re chemistry and such. This will save you grief and money.
 
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