I have a 55 gal set up that I have had for years. Very well established with live sand and about 60 lbs of live rock. Light fish load, and a few trumpet corals. Just added a long tentacle anemone and maroon clown about a month ago. All appeared to be well other than a terrible hair algae bloom that was being controlled by a tang. Everything was thriving until about a week ago when my tang started looking stressed. (fading colors and drooping fins). It was dead two days later. Water tests all look normal. Since than I have lost every fish in the tank except a blue damsel. The look stressed and just die. I have been keeping aquariums for about 15 years and have never had this kind of problem. Any ideas?
Help! My fish are all dying!
- Thread starter smp
- Start date
Do you have a skimmer on there? I had the same thing happen without a skimmer and my tank basically up and crashed one day without warning.
I now have a skimmer and I haven't lost a fish in at least three years.
I now have a skimmer and I haven't lost a fish in at least three years.
I have one built in to my wet/ dry filter. I don't run it all the time, probably not as much as I should. Wouldn't any problems from that show up in water tests?
Can you give us some more info as in actuall water parameters, temp, flow, WC schedual and tap water or RO/DI. What have you chaged if anything and is there any chance something could have gotten in your tank and have you done any major cleaning.
55 gal w/ Proclear Pro 75 wet/dry w 850 gph pump pushing to about 5 ft. Several internal pumps for water movement in the tank. Temp range between 73-76 (no chiller). Treated tap water, water changes done rarely, about every 4 months. SG is on the low end, about 1.020. Ph tested at about 8.3 with no registering ammonia, nitrates, or nitrites. Essential Elements, iodine, calcium, and stront/moly added at about half the recommended due to my low load. Current T-5 4x54 (less than 6 mo old) Daylights on 9 hrs with the actinincs +1 hr on each end.
Tank has been set up in place for about two years. Moved at that time and changed as little as possible in the move. Have had some ? trumpet corals? (hard branches with soft tan/pink polyps at end) for at least 5 years. They are thriving and multiplying. Had at the time of my move 1 yellow tang, 1 blue damsel, 1 yellowtail damsel, 1 royal gramma, 1 goby. Lost the yellow tang and the goby about a year after the move and I think that was age (have had them for 5 years +). Started having hair algae problems after the tang died and replaced him with a scopas tang from my LFS that lasted about two weeks. Tried again about two months ago with a Kole Tang and it was doing great. really tearing up the algae and looked real healthy. Added a 6 in long tent anemone and small maroon clown about 1 month ago. Both were doing great. Anemone had booted into the rocks well and they had paired beautifully. I feed frozen foods slowly to reduce waste in the water column and spot feed my corals and the anemone. About a week and a half ago I noticed my Kole tang looked a little pale. Still ate well and seemed to improve after a day or two. Then he disappeared. Found his half eaten carcass on the bottom the next day. Then another, and another. Down to just my Blue left. Watched my Clown die in its anemone yesterday. No visible injuries, fungus, or parasites.
Tank has been set up in place for about two years. Moved at that time and changed as little as possible in the move. Have had some ? trumpet corals? (hard branches with soft tan/pink polyps at end) for at least 5 years. They are thriving and multiplying. Had at the time of my move 1 yellow tang, 1 blue damsel, 1 yellowtail damsel, 1 royal gramma, 1 goby. Lost the yellow tang and the goby about a year after the move and I think that was age (have had them for 5 years +). Started having hair algae problems after the tang died and replaced him with a scopas tang from my LFS that lasted about two weeks. Tried again about two months ago with a Kole Tang and it was doing great. really tearing up the algae and looked real healthy. Added a 6 in long tent anemone and small maroon clown about 1 month ago. Both were doing great. Anemone had booted into the rocks well and they had paired beautifully. I feed frozen foods slowly to reduce waste in the water column and spot feed my corals and the anemone. About a week and a half ago I noticed my Kole tang looked a little pale. Still ate well and seemed to improve after a day or two. Then he disappeared. Found his half eaten carcass on the bottom the next day. Then another, and another. Down to just my Blue left. Watched my Clown die in its anemone yesterday. No visible injuries, fungus, or parasites.
If you're lax on your WC, I think it would really help to have that skimmer going. I lag on my WC as well, but my skimmer pulls out a bunch of gunk.
When my tank crashed, ammonia suddenly shot through the roof. No problems with ammonia? I know you said you're taking a sample to LFS, but how old is your test kit? They could be reading fine but that could be because your tests are no longer working properly.
When my tank crashed, ammonia suddenly shot through the roof. No problems with ammonia? I know you said you're taking a sample to LFS, but how old is your test kit? They could be reading fine but that could be because your tests are no longer working properly.
OK, back from my LFS. Very helpful and knowledgeable. Tested for more stuff than I knew you could test for and all is within normals. Said I had a very slight ammonia spike but it just wasn't registering on my cheap test kit. (probably due to all the deaths as I haven't found all the bodies yet).
FinFanatic, He also educated me in the importance of my skimmer, and how its not really working if I keep turning it off and on.
Ace25...Huh??? ORP? Does that answer your question...
LFS Guy had two ideas, 1. I just remodeled a bathroom at my house and the fumes may have gotten in the tank. The timing would be about right but the bathroom is at the other end of the house and I was careful about the fumes as I have a 2 yr old daughter. 2. There is no grounding probe on my tank and I may have some current bleeding in. Since I have lost 3 tangs now it might make sense...
FinFanatic, He also educated me in the importance of my skimmer, and how its not really working if I keep turning it off and on.
Ace25...Huh??? ORP? Does that answer your question...
LFS Guy had two ideas, 1. I just remodeled a bathroom at my house and the fumes may have gotten in the tank. The timing would be about right but the bathroom is at the other end of the house and I was careful about the fumes as I have a 2 yr old daughter. 2. There is no grounding probe on my tank and I may have some current bleeding in. Since I have lost 3 tangs now it might make sense...
Hmm. Try adding some carbon to start with. Have you considered using RO/DI or purified water? That would cut out a good handful of potential variables. It also wouldn't hurt to raise your salinity a bit, assuming you have an accurate means of measuring it, like a calibrated refractometer or floating hydrometer. Check for any static voltage with a voltmeter--see if you can borrow one. If you notice any significant amount (above 5V or so) you need to investigate into what is leaking it. I don't recommend a grounding probe at all for various reasons, so the best plan is to find what would be causing the voltage, if you have it. Be aware that your lighting and lamps will induce a voltage in seawater. My 6 lamp fixture induces around 2V without even contacting the water, due to electric fields. Seawater itself will also induce a small voltage because of the movement of ions, so some voltage is pretty normal. If you set that potential in motion, you create current, which is what kills things and is more dangerous to you. That is what a grounding probe can create.
In any case, just start narrowing down variables. Switch water sources to purified water, add activated carbon, ventilate the tank more, add more circulation, check for voltage, etc. That's about all you can do at the moment.
In any case, just start narrowing down variables. Switch water sources to purified water, add activated carbon, ventilate the tank more, add more circulation, check for voltage, etc. That's about all you can do at the moment.