My fish from my LFS keeps dying, what could be the cause, Alkalinity, Salinity or something else?

[enb141]

Hi, I've been in this hobby for about 8 years, but recently I got a really bad luck when I buy fish, last time all of them died in about 2 days, the last year I bought a few fish, most of them only died by jumping my tank, but since december, the fish that I'm getting, are dying.

My tank is about 3 years old, the only thing that I think is different than before is that I've been adding alkalinity, magnesium, but just twice in about 6 months so do you think alkalinity, salinity or something is killing my new fish?

 

[blaxsun]

Without knowing any of your tank parameters, details on how they're received/acclimated, types of fish, etc. it would be impossible to speculate.

 

[kian.aeineh]

Hello . Are fish not stressed? In my opinion, if the fish jumps out, it is because of stress

 

[LordofCinder]

how big is the tank and how many fish are in there? What kind of fish are in the tank already? How do you acclimate the fish?

 

[Shibaken3]

parameter and disease

 

[enb141]

Without knowing any of your tank parameters, details on how they're received/acclimated, types of fish, etc. it would be impossible to speculate.

Alkalinity, probably 8 or 9 dKH, maybe a little bit higher but very unlikely.

Temperature 72-76

My previous purchase were 1 wrasse, 2 anthias, 1 royal gramma loreto, 2 damsels.

My recent purchase were 1 Powder blue 1 Wrasse.

Hello . Are fish not stressed? In my opinion, if the fish jumps out, it is because of stress

That's kind of weird because one of the fishes that jumped was a dominant bullying damsel.

how big is the tank and how many fish are in there? What kind of fish are in the tank already? How do you acclimate the fish?

75 gallons (1 meter long, 60 cm height, 45 cm deep)

4 damsels (medium), 2 clowns (small), 1 yellow tang, 1 firefish, 1 mandarin.

All of them I just put the bag in the tank for about 20 minutes, then I open the bag, remove the fish from the bag and put the fish directly to my tank, as I said before, I had almost 0 casualties with that method, except for the ones that jump. The only difference between before and now is that now I have been adding alkalinity (just 2 times in the last 5 months or so)

 

[j.falk]

So you are matching the temperature but not the salinity when you acclimate them? There could be a huge difference between what the LFS is running and what you are running your tank at.

 

[Mperry622]

Anytime i rush acclimation i get bit and a fish dies. salinity + alk + temp is your main goal if you are going to just move. Nitrates and phosphates matter too but not as much.

 

[hexcolor reef]

check ammonia / nitrite levels

 

[LordofCinder]

Alkalinity, probably 8 or 9 dKH, maybe a little bit higher but very unlikely.

Temperature 72-76

My previous purchase were 1 wrasse, 2 anthias, 1 royal gramma loreto, 2 damsels.

My recent purchase were 1 Powder blue 1 Wrasse.




That's kind of weird because one of the fishes that jumped was a dominant bullying damsel.


75 gallons (1 meter long, 60 cm height, 45 cm deep)

4 damsels (medium), 2 clowns (small), 1 yellow tang, 1 firefish, 1 mandarin.

All of them I just put the bag in the tank for about 20 minutes, then I open the bag, remove the fish from the bag and put the fish directly to my tank, as I said before, I had almost 0 casualties with that method, except for the ones that jump. The only difference between before and now is that now I have been adding alkalinity (just 2 times in the last 5 months or so)

you've got some mean, territorial fish in there. I would suspect that bullying is causing the fish deaths and fish jumping.

 

[vabben]

So you are matching the temperature but not the salinity when you acclimate them? There could be a huge difference between what the LFS is running and what you are running your tank at.

This! You could be shocking your fish with significant salinity swings.

Just a thought, but maybe set up a QT and QT your new fish before adding directly to your display.

 

[resortez]

A complete rundown of numbers, system setup, even pictures will help. There’s not much information to even begin to pinpoint what the problem is. From the little I can gather, I can agree with everyone above, from bullying, salinity shock to potential presence of ammonia or other toxic substances. Difficult to tell but I’m leaning towards bullying, established damsels will most likely not accept new ones, the yellow tang will definitely not like any new tangs, damsels will definitely go after the anthias & pseudo, wrasse is a 50/50. Definitely need more background on the entire system, inhabitants & husbandry practices.

 

[Cell]

You can typically tell when a fish has been bullied to death.

 

[twentyleagues]

Hi, I've been in this hobby for about 8 years, but recently I got a really bad luck when I buy fish, last time all of them died in about 2 days, the last year I bought a few fish, most of them only died by jumping my tank, but since december, the fish that I'm getting, are dying.

My tank is about 3 years old, the only thing that I think is different than before is that I've been adding alkalinity, magnesium, but just twice in about 6 months so do you think alkalinity, salinity or something is killing my new fish?

So they are dead in the tank. How do the bodies look?

 

[sfin52]

Hello . Are fish not stressed? In my opinion, if the fish jumps out, it is because of stress

Thats not true. Small tank lower volume water than they are use too. Something bumps them or they get startled. They will jump. Doesn't mean the fish is stressed.

I scared my daughter the other day she jumped and screamed doesn't mean she's under stress.

 

[sfin52]

Hi, I've been in this hobby for about 8 years, but recently I got a really bad luck when I buy fish, last time all of them died in about 2 days, the last year I bought a few fish, most of them only died by jumping my tank, but since december, the fish that I'm getting, are dying.

My tank is about 3 years old, the only thing that I think is different than before is that I've been adding alkalinity, magnesium, but just twice in about 6 months so do you think alkalinity, salinity or something is killing my new fish?

Do you qt?

 

[twentyleagues]

Do you qt?

Alkalinity, probably 8 or 9 dKH, maybe a little bit higher but very unlikely.

Temperature 72-76

My previous purchase were 1 wrasse, 2 anthias, 1 royal gramma loreto, 2 damsels.

My recent purchase were 1 Powder blue 1 Wrasse.




That's kind of weird because one of the fishes that jumped was a dominant bullying damsel.


75 gallons (1 meter long, 60 cm height, 45 cm deep)

4 damsels (medium), 2 clowns (small), 1 yellow tang, 1 firefish, 1 mandarin.

All of them I just put the bag in the tank for about 20 minutes, then I open the bag, remove the fish from the bag and put the fish directly to my tank, as I said before, I had almost 0 casualties with that method, except for the ones that jump. The only difference between before and now is that now I have been adding alkalinity (just 2 times in the last 5 months or so)

nope.

 

[sfin52]

nope.

You may have gotten a disease from them.

 

[enb141]

This! You could be shocking your fish with significant salinity swings.

Just a thought, but maybe set up a QT and QT your new fish before adding directly to your display.

I've talk with my LFS and according to his tank parameters and mine, are pretty much the same, so basically the same alkalinity, my salinity is between 1.024 and 1.025, my LFS is 1.024.

I don't have space for a QT tank, but in the past I didn't have this issue, just recently, my only guess is that now he's using a different salt, in the past he was using coralife, now they are using fluval.

So they are dead in the tank. How do the bodies look?

They are at the bottom of the tank, pale.

Do you qt?

No, I haven't but I haven't any issues until now.

You may have gotten a disease from them.

Yes but is weird that those fish look nice on my LFS, some of them are still alive at his LFS but as soon as I got to my tank, they die in about 2 days.

 

[enb141]

You can typically tell when a fish has been bullied to death.

How do they look when they have been bullied to death?