55 Reef Trouble

[TTTBuster]

I have had a 55 gal reef set-up since Dec 2001. I took my time and waited 30+ days before I put any livestock in it. Up until a month ago every thing was fine, now however it seem I can not keep a fish a live in it for anything longer then 7 days. All my corals and invert are doing great, water test are fine, and water changes do not help. I lost 4 fish inside a 2 day peroid anout a month ago, fish that had been it the tank since late Jan. I waited 2 week after this die off and place two new fish in now they are both dead. Any body got any ideas what might cause this??!

 

[Anonymous]

What types of fish were they? Where they eating well? Any symptoms/signs that something was wrong before they turned up dead? Any inverts in your tank that could possibly be murderers (carpets, mantis shrimp)???

 

[Russ1]

We need a little more info... What tests are fine? Where is your top-off water coming from? Are you adding any supplements? Is your tank overstocked? How did the fish die? Did they start to swim erratically or disappear? My suggestions are: make sure your water top-off is RODI, verify that all of your tests are correct, salinity, ammonia, nitrite, temp, pH(I would be most interested in your ammonia levels), do not clean the glass outside the tank with any chemicals, stop all supplement additions. Give us some more info, maybe we can help. Good luck! Russ

 

[TTTBuster]

Fish showed no sign of ditress until the time I found the DOA. pH=8.3 Amn=0 No2=0 No3=3 Sal=1.021 I have 2 anomenes, Bubble tip and flower both in good shape. cabage leather, button coral, Lot's of mushrooms, cup coral. Fish I've lost to date 3 hippo tangs, 2 damino damsels, Tamato clown, Sm Snowflake moray, at the present time I have one fish in the tank a Zebra moray that has been in there 8 days he was eatting the first couple of days but now will not eat. At the most there as be 4-5 fish max at any given time. I use R/O water to top off and do water change with. I've never seen any sign of other peditor in that tank I have a 70 reef that use the same water with no problems. I am to the point of getting the moray move to the 70 so I do do loss him that will be alot of work but I really like him. Thank for any help. Tom

 

[esmithiii]

Tom,

Your salinity is way low (NSW is at 1.0265). This should not have caused the deaths unless you did not acclimate them properly.

Perhapse there is some toxin in the water. Have you run carbon?

Also, IMO, 4 to 5 fish in a 55 reef is too much, especially if one is an eel, even a small one.

Also, where are you getting your fish? Is it the same source?

What temp is the tank at? Does the temp fluctuate?

Ernie