Dead fish

[kcole]

I have a 38 gal saltwater FOWLR tank with 1 fire fish goby,1 ocellaris clown fish,4 peppermint shrimp,5 astrea snails,2 nassarius snais,2 Hawaiian feather dusters, and maybe 17lbs of live rock in my tank.Its been established for a month and I've already lost 1 maroon clown from mouth fungus,1 ocellaris clown,and just recently 2 bangaii cardinals.Can anyone help me figure out what im doing wrong,im tired of losing money from my fish dying.

 

[ReefFreak1]

What water are you using or where are you getting it from?

 

[kcole]

I am using r.o water from a local store and mixing it with salt the salinity is currently at 1.022

 

[STORM]

you might want to post your water parameters to give members and idea of what you are working with and also you stated the tank has been established for a month did the tank go thru the complete cycle b4 you added any live stock?

 

[kcole]

I get my salt from petco its the instant ocean brand

 

[kcole]

yes I take it to petco once a week I check my salinity 2 times daily and im sorry but I haven't had a chance to buy my own water testing kits so I don't know too much about my water quality,petco says my water is great but it cant be if my fish keep dying.Right?

 

[Tonyscoots84]

Most will suggest 1.024-6 for salinity. Where are you gettig your fish from?

 

[kcole]

petco.i work there and I always put my fish on hold in their tanks for at least a week before I buy from them

 

[Nottick]

Fowlr tanks can be run at a low 1.019 sustained sg with no ill effects. Would check ammonia lvls, fish can tolerate high levels of phos and nit without harm.

 

[kcole]

I've done my first water change 3 days ago and my salinity went down to from 1.023 to 1.022 and I feed them flaked food 2 times daily.i offered my cardinals shrimp yesterday and 1 died last night,and the other cardinal 1 hr ago.

 

[Adamc1303]

Are you drip acclimating the fish?

 

[kcole]

yep 15 mins they seem to do good in tank for first day but after that they seem to slowly slip away.they are all hardy fish so even with aa good drip acclimation they should be good right?

 

[Reef Art]

How did you setup your tank? Give detailed info on a timeline please.

 

[drej424]

So, at this point, you have two fish left in the tank? If your tank's been cycled for a month and you added 5 fish, IMO that's too many, too fast. Especially for a 38 gallon tank. Wait a few weeks before you add anything else.

If you can, get a basic saltwater test kit. When you do buy fish, make sure they're eating in the store. You could be bringing home fish that are already dying. Eating is one sign of health.

Keep reading through the forums and asking questions. Try not to get discouraged. It takes some time to get a tank going in the beginning, but it's so worth it.

Denise

 

[kcole]

so I bought a 38 gal tank with a 2 tube 39 watt t5 fixture,i bought 2 aqua clear filters,a marine land 400 circulation pump and 40 lbs of crushed coral. I washed out the coral and sat it in the tank then I mixed r.o water with salt by myself at home and put it In the tank.i then waited 4 days later and checked my salinity it was 1.024 which is a pretty decent level for a FOWLR aquarium.I then went to petco on day 4 and bought about 10 lbs of live fock for my tank.i then waited 2 more days and added 5 astrea snails to my tank.
5 days later I decided to buy a fire fish goby and put it in my tank.i waited 1 week and then I added another 7 lbs of live rock for my tank.after that I then made a terrible mistake and bought a pair of maroon clownfish.after 3 days of them being in my tank one died from a mouth fungus.so I got rid of the extra one in my tank and then bought a pair of the ocellaris clown fish on the 18th.after 2 days of them being added to my tank the smaller clown died.so then I decided to make another water change and let my tank cycle for another week,i then added a small leather coral to my tank .then on 5/31 I bought 2 lbs of live rock a curlyque anemone ,2 bangaii cardinals and 2 Hawaiian featherdusters. yesterday 1 cardinal died and then like 2 hrs ago the other died.

 

[drej424]

They died within a few days of buying them, so they could have been unhealthy to start. I know the fish store tested your water, but maybe their test kits are off. Do you monitor the water temp?

No matter what the cause, at this point I wouldn't add anything for at least a month. See if the two remaining fish make it.

 

[kcole]

okay hey thanks for the advice guys it really made me feel like im not the cause of these mysterious deaths

 

[Jim]

okay hey thanks for the advice guys it really made me feel like im not the cause of these mysterious deaths

Actually there is good chance that you are the cause of the deaths. It sound like you rushed things. Patience is key in this hobby. You really didn't let the tank cycle before adding livestock. You should definitely get your own test kit and check for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. Do some more research and learn about the nitrogen cycle before adding anymore livestock to your tank.

 

[fishman1069]

Actually there is good chance that you are the cause of the deaths. It sound like you rushed things. Patience is key in this hobby. You really didn't let the tank cycle before adding livestock. You should definitely get your own test kit and check for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. Do some more research and learn about the nitrogen cycle before adding anymore livestock to your tank.

+1 you need to build up bacteria to take care of the fish waste. You didn't give the tank enough time to do so. I wouldn't add anything for a month or so and definitely get some test kits. Good luck

 

[Reef Art]

Looks like you didn't cycle your tank properly and your tank wasn't ready for livestock yet. Google "how to cycle a saltwater aquarium" and follow the guides via the live rock method. It takes a good month, with daily testing for the "spikes" before you can start adding living creatures.