Help! my fish are dying

[jg5ect]

i have had my 110 litre tank for 2 and a half years.
its quite well established now but yesterday i added 5 kilos of live rock and a button polyp.

when i came home from work about 9 hours later all my fish were lying on the bottom of the tank and the looked like they had lost their balance. i moved them into my other tank away from the live rock and the button polyp but unfortunatly i lost 2 domino damsels, a yellow tail damsel, and a valentini puffer. my clownfish seems ok as does the algae blenny, i also have a small yellow tail left but it doesn't look too good at the moment.

does anyone know what this could be and what is the best way for me to treat this?

any help would be greatly appreciated

thanks

[Zeus]

Hi,

What type of rock? Was it fully cured? Reef bones?

Sounds to me suspiciously like a mini-cycle and subsequent ammonia/nitrite poisoning as a result of the rock being added.

Test the water and get some results. Keep the fish in the oither tank and get some water changes ready.

How is the breathing of the surviving Damsel?

Campbell

[MrK]

i have had my 110 litre tank for 2 and a half years.
its quite well established now but yesterday i added 5 kilos of live rock and a button polyp.

when i came home from work about 9 hours later all my fish were lying on the bottom of the tank and the looked like they had lost their balance. i moved them into my other tank away from the live rock and the button polyp but unfortunatly i lost 2 domino damsels, a yellow tail damsel, and a valentini puffer. my clownfish seems ok as does the algae blenny, i also have a small yellow tail left but it doesn't look too good at the moment.

does anyone know what this could be and what is the best way for me to treat this?

any help would be greatly appreciated

thanks

Before doing anything you need to check your water perameters ASAP, then a water change might be advisable. Also you could put some polyfilter in to try and remove some of the badness out:eek:

Mark

[Tetley]

Hi,

Did you distrurb any sand - you may have had sulphide -

Get some water chages done -

ATB

Tets.

[mad pierre]

Where did you get the LR from?
It sounds to me like it was loaded with toxins, either from not being cured properly or possibly from chemical treatments.
If this is the case then keep the surviving fish in another tank and I would test your water from the other tank to see what caused the problem.

Peter

[jg5ect]

i did water tests last night my ammonia was 0.3, nitrate was 0.1. my salt level had dropped from 1.022 down to 1.019 during the daytime aswell.

this morning i did another test and the salt was back up to 1.022(i added the salt last night) and the ammonia and nitrate was the same as last night.

i have took half the water out of the tank and i am in the middle of getting the water change ready.

the rock was fully cured live rock, bought from aquaticlifedirect.co.uk.

because the clownfish and the blenny seem ok i have left them in the tank, they wont eat anything at the moment. i have got the damsel in a hospital tank, the damsels breathing is pretty rapid, and it alternates between siting at the sand and then going to the up to the surface and staying up there for a while. it doesn't seem to be eating anything to.

[Tetley]

i did water tests last night my ammonia was 0.3, nitrate was 0.1. my salt level had dropped from 1.022 down to 1.019 during the daytime aswell.

this morning i did another test and the salt was back up to 1.022(i added the salt last night) and the ammonia and nitrate was the same as last night.

i have took half the water out of the tank and i am in the middle of getting the water change ready.

the rock was fully cured live rock, bought from aquaticlifedirect.co.uk.

because the clownfish and the blenny seem ok i have left them in the tank, they wont eat anything at the moment. i have got the damsel in a hospital tank, the damsels breathing is pretty rapid, and it alternates between siting at the sand and then going to the up to the surface and staying up there for a while. it doesn't seem to be eating anything to.

OK, slow down.

Now how did you add salt ? - straight in to tank (not mixed with RO water?)

How did you get such a swing in SG reading? - did you add RO water?

Tellus EXACTLY what you have done - dont panic, as this will lead to more problems,

ATB

Tets

[jg5ect]

when i put the polyp in to the tank i used the water that came with it.

i took the fish out when i realised there was a problem with them and put them in my other tank.

then i did all the tests on the tank. which is when i found that the salt level was at 1.019, then i did a slight water changeof about 10% which got it up to 1.020 then i just put the salt into the tank to get it up to 1.022 (this a bad idea?).

since then i have done the water test and they are all the same as last night.

[moorish]

it sounds like the high ammonia and nitrite have effected the fish,if the rock was fully cured must have come from somewhere else.the drop in sg would not have effected the fish that much,derek

[Tetley]

when i put the polyp in to the tank i used the water that came with it.

i took the fish out when i realised there was a problem with them and put them in my other tank.

then i did all the tests on the tank. which is when i found that the salt level was at 1.019, then i did a slight water changeof about 10% which got it up to 1.020 then i just put the salt into the tank to get it up to 1.022 (this a bad idea?).

since then i have done the water test and they are all the same as last night.

OK,

Adding salt directly to a tank is not a good idea, salt is very caustic when not mixed.

But to move forward, in your main tank you Sg should be 1.025 (dont worry just now if its slightly lower), temp 25c.

You now have done a largish water change in main tank - yes?

If so, and temp is OK, you need to ensure good water movement around tank and at surface, angle a powerhead to bounce of glass then up to surface.

Then all you can do is keep close eye on fish.

Lets us know how you get on. ;)

ATB

Tets.

[jg5ect]

ok im going to do a 50% water change when i get back in later tonight.

i have just done some more water tests, and the nitrate appears to be gone but the ammonia is up to 0.6 now, everuthing else seems to be ok. water temp is at 26oC and salt will be increased to 1.025 when i do the water change later.

the damsel seems to be a bit better but i have noticed the fins look to have rotted a bit, since i last checked it.

the button polyp hasn't opened up yet either, and it looks like hair or string coming off it. is this the same thing that has happened to the fish?

[Dal]

if ammonia is at 0.6 surly its going to cycle again:confused:
what filtration have you got skimmer etc???

[Chris C]

If your amonia has gone up to 0.6 I would take all the live stock out and re-home them until you have sorted the problem out.
Remember water cycle goes Amonian to Nitrite, then Nitrite to Nitrate, from this is does sound like your tank has just started to cycle, when you bought your rock and polyps did you but the water that was in the bags straight into your Tank ????

Chris

[piglet]

when i put the polyp in to the tank i used the water that came with it.


I would assume he put it in :(

Piglet

[mad pierre]

If your amonia has gone up to 0.6 I would take all the live stock out and re-home them until you have sorted the problem out.
Remember water cycle goes Amonian to Nitrite, then Nitrite to Nitrate, from this is does sound like your tank has just started to cycle, when you bought your rock and polyps did you but the water that was in the bags straight into your Tank ????

Chris
I agree that it sounds like it is starting to cycle again and as the ammonia level is increasing I think the cause of the problem is still in the tank.
Whatever ammonia was in the bag water would be spead out in the tank and cause a spike, but that should be at its highest when the water was added. As no more bad water was added after that then where is the extra ammonia coming from?
I would test the rock by putting it into a bucket of fresh salt mix and testing the water after 24hrs and 48hrs. If the ammonia has gone up I would be having words with whoever sold you the rock!

Peter

[Macca]

I agree that it sounds like it is starting to cycle again and as the ammonia level is increasing I think the cause of the problem is still in the tank.
Whatever ammonia was in the bag water would be spead out in the tank and cause a spike, but that should be at its highest when the water was added. As no more bad water was added after that then where is the extra ammonia coming from?
I would test the rock by putting it into a bucket of fresh salt mix and testing the water after 24hrs and 48hrs. If the ammonia has gone up I would be having words with whoever sold you the rock!

Peter


smell the rock - if there is a bad odour then there is your answer.

James

[jg5ect]

yep i put the water straight in to the tank that came with the rock and the polyp.

im getting a bit confused with what i need to do.

im going to do a 50% water change in the tank that has the problem, should i take the polyp and live rock out and put them in a seperate tank with a fresh mix of salt water?

also do i need to do anything with my external filter?

[Macca]

take rock out and smell it, if it smells fresh like the ocean wind then fine, if it smells a foul odour or even a slight foul odour then the rock has not cured and needs curing.

James

[Dal]

I think we also need to home in on the fact youve used tap water this needs to be got rid of and replaced with completely salted good RO water aswell as looking at what filtration you have???

[jg5ect]

the rock doesn't smell of anything, so im guessing thats ok?

im going to keep the fish in the other tank, and keep the LR and polyp in the tank they are in for now.

im going to start again from scratch with all the right equipment because i think i have had some bad information from my LFS, i did try to buy a skimmer but they said i wouldn't need one, and i dont think my lighting s that brilliant either.

what would you guys recommend for a 110l tank. im planning on having about 10k of live rock, a button polyp, a clown fish, a blenny and maybe get a valetini puffer.

any advice would be great.

[Tetley]

the rock doesn't smell of anything, so im guessing thats ok?

im going to keep the fish in the other tank, and keep the LR and polyp in the tank they are in for now.

im going to start again from scratch with all the right equipment because i think i have had some bad information from my LFS, i did try to buy a skimmer but they said i wouldn't need one, and i dont think my lighting s that brilliant either.

what would you guys recommend for a 110l tank. im planning on having about 10k of live rock, a button polyp, a clown fish, a blenny and maybe get a valetini puffer.

any advice would be great.

Hi,

You could do with a bit more rock, about another 5-10kgs.

Forget the puffer fish, the other fish you mention will be fine. :)

ATB

Tets.

[jg5ect]

ok cheers for the advice guys.

unfortunatly the yellow tail was dead when i went to check on him this morning.

my clown and the blenny seem fine now in the other tank.

the tank that had the problem, the ammonia levels seem to be on the way back down.

i really want to set up a reef tank using this tank now, (am i rushing this). could someone tell me what equipment i need. All i have at the moment is an external filter, a power head and a heater. I was told this is all i needed for a fish only tank.

[Dal]

OK if you have any LR in a tank I recommend using a skimmer its a must really for a 210ltr tank your going to need something like a prism as a cheap option but arnt that great in my experience, Id go for a turbo floater 1000 possible I used one on my old system around your size does job perfect and they arnt mega money and are readily available.
Get new media for external filter and restart the tank clean it out add salted RO water get it up to temp with said heater, add small layer of new sand live sand is a good option, let that settle over night with a small power head in there for a bit of movement, then add another couple of power heads so there is a good flow without kicking the sand up too much.
Id then test salinity if ok add the LR, turn skimmer on and just wait for a good week then test it, then go from there no light NO stock anything just let nature take its course,
also adding some live sand from someones established reef helps no ends kicks it into gear can be got from net also,
I hope this helps mate
good luck
Dal