Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[michelle.harris]

Had a tank coming onto 4 months.

35 gallon approx

Filled with water from garden centre (ready salted), there is lots of live rock. Cycled the tank as advised by the garden centre.

Added a puffer, then a few weeks later a tasselfire. These got on fine. 1 month later added a blue powdered tang, lion fish and a sailfin over the space of a few months.

One morning woke up and the tassel fire died. The garden centre said it could have been due to it being timid - we accepted this reason.

However 1 week later the blue tang and the sailfin were both dead. Took water to be tested as we always do (weekly) and they said that the nitrates were sky high - they said over feeding or not enough water changes. But we were only feeding them 1 - 2 cockles and a minute piece of shrimp. Over the week did 3 water changes - this did bring the nitrates down. We decided to buy a nitrate and nitrite testing kit. Have done this every few days and the nitrate is variable but was around 20. The nitrate was low.

With only two fish left and feeding 1 cockle and a small piece of shrimp and changing water every 3 days (10 percent) - we believed the tank was stabilising. However came home today - lion fish is dead , and nitrates have shot up again?

Any suggestions of what this could be as we have now lost 150 pounds in fish and feel the advice the garden centre offer is not valid.

Any advice would be appreciated as new to keeping marine tanks.

NB noticed very small white worm like objects on the side and back of glass. Quite alot of green algae bloom and slight brown algae

Many thanks

Michelle

 

[DonW]

Something is causing the nitrates to go up. How much LR do you have? Do you use a skimmer or any other filters. The fish you chose are way to big and to many for that small of a tank.

Don

 

[Herefishyfishy]

What are you using for filtration?

That was too many fish - added too soon - to too small of a tank. That garden center is clueless...

Once the die off started, the nitrates spiked even higher.
Feeding a clam plus shrimp to only two fish in a high nutrient tank will not help.

Cut way back on feeding and lrt things settle back.

 

[moortim]

Get as much information about your setup on here as possible so your problem can be found, in the mean time keep up the water changes you are doing. As an example of adding fish, I have a 55 gallon that has been setup since September and I am just now adding one fish at a time once a month after being quarantined for a month.
I would highly recommend ordering this book:
http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~idProduct~BKNMA.html

Good Luck!
Tim

 

[michelle.harris]

i have 10 pieces of live rock - good sizes and a protein skimmer and external pump. Have added denitrate to the filter pump. we are getting the general feeling that the garden centre are useless too!!!! Can not find anyone with good knowledge in our area.

 

[michelle.harris]

what would you suggest to feeding the lone porcupine puffer fish??

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Fish in the wild often go days - weeks, between decent meals. It sounds like it is very well fed and could go fine with tiny snacks.

What brand of skimmer? How many pounds rock?

 

[DonW]

I wouldnt keep a carnivore in such a small tank. They need meaty type foods. Meaty foods create lots of funk. I'd at least hold off until you learn to keep nitrates under control.

Don

 

[michelle.harris]

sorry don't know weight - good size pieces - fills the back of the tank - the skimmer is v2 protein skimmer has a bubble stop too.

 

[michelle.harris]

apart from water changes and less feeding what else can i do ???

 

[Herefishyfishy]

You could add some plants if you liked them and were handy. Keep the feeding to a minimum and make sure there is good water flow around the rock. Now that most of the fish are dead, it should start to settle out and improve...

 

[michelle.harris]

ok thanks how do you know when your alright to put another fish into your tank?

 

[dnjan]

Any suggestions of what this could be as we have now lost 150 pounds in fish and feel the advice the garden centre offer is not valid.

Really hope you are British, and the 150 pounds mentioned above is the monetary value and not the weight.

As mentioned already, too many big fish for that size a tank. Go for either a larger tank, or fewer, smaller fish. That is a lot of waste that has to be processed (even assuming you are feeding exactly the correct amount).

 

[michelle.harris]

is there nothink you can buy to break there waste down i have been putting in stability aswell

 

[Herefishyfishy]

ok thanks how do you know when your alright to put another fish into your tank?

It is a very slow process:
1. Tank cycles to build an equilibrium of bacteria colonies
2. Add a small fish
3. Tank again cycles further to build an equilibrium of bacteria colonies and algaes such as Coraline growth
4. Add another fish
5. repeat #1

Could take months between each step, and no way less than weeks.

"Nothing GOOD ever happens FAST in a reef tank"

is there nothink you can buy to break there waste down i have been putting in stability aswell

A large packed refugium and/or a denitritification system. Each requires maintanence and capital.

Patience is not only a virtue, it is a prerequisite (unless you want to spend thousands of Pounds on equipment, and even then need to take it one step at a time.

Don't add any fish until the tank looks and tests quite stable and mature.

Good luck mate

Mike

 

[james734]

"Nothing GOOD ever happens FAST in a reef tank"

Where have I have I heard that one before?

 

[ronj]

First of all welcome to Reef Frontiers!!! as far as your tank goes, stop adding more chemicals to try to break down waste...extra chemicals don't help...water changes should be performed weekly or biweekly if the tank is relatively new.. this will help with the waste problem.. especially if the tank is not finished cycling, you should be doing several water changes per week...if the tank is cycled properly before adding fish, you don't have to do tons of water changes.. because you already have a fish in it, you will have to perform the water changes to keep it alive....once the tank is cycled, i would try to stick with a 20-30% water change every 2 weeks... unfortunately the shrimp you are feeding can pollute the water very badly, but you have a fish that has to eat meaty foods, so there is not much you can do except cut back on feedings...the fish you had are big water polluters, need alot of swimming room, and should only be kept in very large tank..the place you are buying from should have told you that, but they are probably just worried about making a sale... i hope you can get the tank stabilized..good luck!!

 

[britany_shelton]

I couldnt agree with herefishyfishy more. I cant tell you how many times I have done the same thing due to being too impatient. However over the years I have found that you are trying to simulate an ocean in a box and unfortunately with such a small box(35) gallons, any spike in water quality is most likely going to be fatal. Where are you at you mentioned there didn't seem to be any one around with good help or information. The other piece of info I want to give you is. Talk to the guys and gals on this site. Most know their stuff, look at their tanks if you are questioning their skills or knowledge. We all start somewhere and we have all lost fish and most of us I'm sure have gotten impatient during some point in our reef building hobby. I wish you luck and strongly strongly recommend a good sump and a good couple of months of damsels in your tank with the sump running to get some bacteria going.

 

[britany_shelton]

oops I think I posted that on the wrong thread. LOL Disregard that

 

[britany_shelton]

never mind man I must be tired. Sorry