Dead fish and inverts overnight, no explanation.
- Thread starter AndrewRyan
- Start date
- Tagged users None
+1 on what @Nano sapiens said... for now I think it's hard to pinpoint the exact cause given so many changes were made so if it was me I'd just let the tank be and keep an eye on the inhabitants. Given so many new things were added to the tank, if it was me I'd give it a month to allow the system to stabilize before adding another livestock... but then I've been accused of being too cautious when it comes to adding new livestock. Also, I too still have tendency to try and do too many things at once to solve problems. I think u'r on the right track given how detailed u've been with everything that's been happening and believe the tank is in good hands.
Think about it this way. What is the ratio of tanks crashed by being too cautious vs. being too impatient/rash?
Perhaps the first lesson learned from the start of reef keeping was 'go slow'. True then, true now and will be true in the future.
AndrewRyan
New Member
I checked the parameters again when I got home. Nothing out of order, that I have a test to detect anyway. The clowns were breathing so hard and staying close to the surface. I did a 20% water change, temp and salinity acclimated. The smaller clown darted around a bit and I thought that was a good sign, but unfortunately the movements became erratic and then he too passed. All I have left now are the bigger of the two clowns (not looking good) and all my snails and hermit crabs, though they too are not acting very active. I am very frustrated that I can’t identify what went wrong.
AndrewRyan
New Member
The light is actually one I have had for awhile and hasn’t shown any signs of issues in that time. What would I be looking for (i.e. how do I test)?
AndrewRyan
New Member
Looks like I may have learned the lesson first hand instead of from others’ experiences. Hopefully, I’ll implement it when I (likely) have to take a few steps back on this setup.Think about it this way. What is the ratio of tanks crashed by being too cautious vs. being too impatient/rash?
Perhaps the first lesson learned from the start of reef keeping was 'go slow'. True then, true now and will be true in the future.
sorry to hear about further loss... after rereading your threads, I would agree w u and suspect it was the OLD bio blocks. Especially if they were not cleaned/disinfected/rinsed using bleach prior to reuse after sitting in closet for 6 months. They prob introduced dead matter/toxins and the livestock were not yet established/strong enough to handle it... I dont think there's anything wrong w ur current setup and would just continue using activated carbon to remove toxins along w regular WC while letting the tank mature.
Also not sure if ur LFS marks the livestock arrival dates on the tank glass like all the LFS around me. I look for livestock that's been at the LFS for at least 2 weeks, which tells me the livestock has acclimated well to tank life and hardy.
GL
AndrewRyan
New Member
Thanks. All fish are now deceased along with the cleaner shrimp and emerald crab from the first night. The last two losses occurred after removing the bio blocks more than 14 hours later. I do not know what caused any of this to occur and it’s driving me a bit nuts. I am very tempted to pull everything back to square one and introduce new sand, rock, etc. after disinfecting the tank. That may seem a bit draconian but I’d rather not limp along with an issue that still plagues the tank. Btw, I tested the tank with a multimeter last night. No identified voltage issues.
AndrewRyan
New Member
The snails and hermit crabs are alive but not active an have no interest in an algae wafer dropped in last night. The corals look ticked and like they are going downhill fast. To be fair, I don’t think they ever looked happy and that’s probably more the result of putting them in faster than I should have.
This experience is my second attempt in the same system. That first experience was without a hitch moving quickly. It was only broken down due to work/travel requirements which have since settled down. I think that led to my naively thinking it would be all good this time. For peace of mind, I’m thinking I should break it all down, sanitize the system and then start from scratch going sloooooow.
I also can’t help looking at the skimmer that was added the evening this all begin with a great deal of suspicion (though I have no way to associate it other than the timing).
Looking for silver linings, I’m glad the issue forced me to post on reef2reef. I have long read the forums, but I have been grateful to have tapped into a wealth of experiences and knowledge.
Thanks to all who have helped!
why is skipping all disease preps the very last thing to ever be considered
are there forums/boards that show patterns in people having cycle issues or params they can measure causing these losses? disease preps should be #1 analysis, not the final one/if ever.
once we click on "find all posts" from any fish loss thread author, we find several vector inputs that go totally against the disease forum stickies/a recurring fact in fish loss posts. lemme see if it applies here
first post/no way to vet the build history for the tank, to see if quarantine and fallow were used, including fallow for non-fish items added wet from a pet store (basic biosecurity)
are there forums/boards that show patterns in people having cycle issues or params they can measure causing these losses? disease preps should be #1 analysis, not the final one/if ever.
once we click on "find all posts" from any fish loss thread author, we find several vector inputs that go totally against the disease forum stickies/a recurring fact in fish loss posts. lemme see if it applies here
first post/no way to vet the build history for the tank, to see if quarantine and fallow were used, including fallow for non-fish items added wet from a pet store (basic biosecurity)
AndrewRyan
New Member
I *think* you’re suggesting disease. I’m open to that. I realize diseases do happen and can come on quickly (overnight). I’ll also acknowledge that my disease prep hasn’t been very good. What I have trouble with is a fish disease that also led to a shrimp and crab death in the same night. Open to your thoughts.
I also find it reasonable that someone would make the leap to post for the first time (no build thread, etc.) when experiencing a catastrophic event. And even if that event may have been caused by deviations from accepted timelines, maybe that individual is looking for the most reasonable way forward, not a way back.
it seems like you may have questions about the setup that you feel will be helpful in your diagnoses. Please, ask away if you’d like to help diagnose.
do you use fallow and quarantine approach at least for the initial fish loading
*the tricky and further nuanced part is fallow preps for any wet items added from a fish store before going into your tank/that's rare/takes bigtime dedication but considering the loss rates in mixed fish systems its becoming more required
my question was more for the diagnostic umpires as to why they factor disease last place vs first
you are really going to like this board, in my opinion the collective responses here are the best in reefing for helps and troubleshoots.
*the tricky and further nuanced part is fallow preps for any wet items added from a fish store before going into your tank/that's rare/takes bigtime dedication but considering the loss rates in mixed fish systems its becoming more required
my question was more for the diagnostic umpires as to why they factor disease last place vs first
you are really going to like this board, in my opinion the collective responses here are the best in reefing for helps and troubleshoots.
Similar threads
