I just lost $5,000 in aquatic life because I did something stupid

[Dark_Knightt]

So sorry to hear this happened to you, absolutely devastating. Hope everything works itself out... Sorry for all of your losses, losing one fish is hard but many must be catastrophical. Sorry again.

 

[Skynyrd Fish]

So sorry to here this.

 

[BBoley24]

Good news is that you still own one of the most rare fish in the world.

 

[Lady of Babylon]

Please describe “important pillars” in your build. Consider starting a tank thread on that forum. How big is your tank?

In the last two years, I have incorporated sponges as the third leg of biofiltration in my 25 year old tank.

Build Thread - 25 year old 75G Jaubert Plenum on top with 30G EcoSystem Mud/Macro

The tank has seen little change in 25 years. Jaubert Plenum was designed to use facultative bacteria in a low oxygen environment to perform denitrification biochemistry. Substrate was 6” deep with false bottom making a Plenum under substrate. Plenum performed well until the introduction of...

www.reef2reef.com

Will do. But it might be a while before I am able to post that novel. I have been working on it for so long that explaining what and why is like trying to describe how to breathe starting with the air sacks in your lungs the short and skinny of it is: pick an ecosystem, get everything (and I do mean EVERYTHING) that lives in that ecosystem in your tank. It’s naturally there, so it is a part of what is needed. Everything has a purpose. The San Diego wild animal park figured that out, and that’s why they have the highest captive breeding success rate for what they do.

 

[Auburn866]

If it were me, I’d also grab several HOB filters as I could fit and run carbon through those as well. I’m currently dealing a much more minor toxin from an irritated leather, my LFS suggested Chemi Pure Elite carbon. It seems to be working well and seems to have a good reputation.

 

[RobertTheNurse]

What is this “give-up” you speak of, it’s not in my vocabulary. some of the inverts/ microbes / macro algae in my system is really not easy to obtain. And it just got a whole lot more difficult. If they don’t pull through I’ll have important pillars in my ecosystem gone that the system was reliant on.

Just really liked when you mentioned this..."I want to breed a variety of specific hard to get species so that the aquarium trade doesn’t continue to have such devastating effects on the oceanic ecosystems. I also want to share and teach my appreciation of the ocean and it’s ecosystems with others. It’s one of my longest and biggest dreams"

Take care

 

[Guy714]

So sorry to hear about your loss. There is always something new to learn every day.

 

[xxkenny90xx]

Yup, and learn I did. No cucumbers. Especially with nippy fish. I am not one to give up on the hobby, even though my husband really doesn’t like fish tanks.

What kind of cucumber did you have?Got a picture?

 

[xxkenny90xx]

Also puffers do not puff and release toxins. I wonder if you might have just added way too many critters into a tank that wasn't ready for them and everything went downhill from there...

 

[king aiptasia]

I'd give you a hug if we were in person, I'm very sorry for your loss. You probably bring one of the more catastrophic tank crashes I've seen. For now just let the tank heal, and in the process let yourself heal.

 

[S.Pepper]

I'm always suspect of a first post with so much drama. hmmm

 

[king aiptasia]

I would recommend adding nothing new living to the tank for at a minimum of a month

 

[JAIME_MTY]

Sorry to hear that, something similar happened to me with sea apple. Lost over 30 fish.

 

[king aiptasia]

Also puffers do not puff and release toxins. I wonder if you might have just added way too many critters into a tank that wasn't ready for them and everything went downhill from there...

I'm always suspect of a first post with so much drama. hmmm

It's not an inconceivable source of tanks crashing, many people have had catastrophic crashes from sea cucumbers and cowfish. I doubt the puffers were major contributors to toxin release, one good size cucumber in a crowded environment is plenty enough. This one was stocked to the point that when something like this happens it can't be stopped as easily.

 

[Macbalacano]

Really sorry to hear about your losses. Hang in there!

 

[carmodpg]

Sorry to hear about the tank. I hate to say this, but that is a lot of live stock for that size of a tank... I don’t want to be the bad guy here, but I had to look at your pictures and your livestock list like 4 times to ensure I was reading it correctly. Not a lot of room for error there. Keep your head up. This hobby is challenging.

 

[xxkenny90xx]

It's not an inconceivable source of tanks crashing, many people have had catastrophic crashes from sea cucumbers and cowfish. I doubt the puffers were major contributors to toxin release, one good size cucumber in a crowded environment is plenty enough. This one was stocked to the point that when something like this happens it can't be stopped as easily.

I didn't say it was inconceivable, I just saw some inconsistencies and wanted to ask more questions. Most sea cucumbers get a bad rap when most of them do not poison tanks. So I asked what kind it was.

Another possibility that's isn't inconceivable is that a ton of fish were added at once and the water chemistry tanked.

I don't know, just wanted to get to the bottom of it so the op doesn't go ordering a bunch more fish all at once, minus one cucumber, and having this happen again

 

[Jadakiss168]

Wow.. I'm sorry you had to go through this.

 

[Lady of Babylon]

What kind of cucumber did you have?Got a picture?

It’s collection point was the indo-pacific: Holothuria sp.

 

[Lady of Babylon]

It's not an inconceivable source of tanks crashing, many people have had catastrophic crashes from sea cucumbers and cowfish. I doubt the puffers were major contributors to toxin release, one good size cucumber in a crowded environment is plenty enough. This one was stocked to the point that when something like this happens it can't be stopped as easily.

Yes, you are correct. I have had quite a few Valentini puffers in previous tanks. I have seen what puffer toxins do to a tank. And what the behavior of the fish that happens to get a blast of it. So I do know that that is what happened.