A couple general questions after the death of a fish....

[SuperNarwhal46]

So.... I had a clownfish die about a month ago now. That was my first time keeping a fish, ever. I am fairly new to the hobby, and I am wondering my next steps are regarding a couple things in my 10g tank.

1. I hadn't had the chance to test my water up until recently, and my nitrite and ammonia are 0, my pH is about 8.1, but my nitrate is at 40 ppm. Does this mean that the tank is still cycled? I haven't added anything since my fish died because I think he died due to disease, (but it could have been a number of things, he died within 3 days of getting him) and I wanted the parasites to die down before I do anything else. If it is cycled, I think I might establish it with a damsel and trade it in for another fish later, since my last clownfish didn't do so well.

2. I have some caribsea live sand in my tank, and whenever I use my siphon lots of fine sand particles get stirred up in the water column. Any tips on how to fix it?

3. I am trying to figure out how to properly aquascape my tank. I have a single live rock in the middle of the tank and it looks pretty boring and there is no hiding spots. Any good and cheap dry rock I can get to help this? And what configuration should I put it in for my small tank?

I kind of have a lot of questions, but I would appreciate it greatly if you could help me out! Thanks in advance.

 

[atul176]

So.... I had a clownfish die about a month ago now. That was my first time keeping a fish, ever. I am fairly new to the hobby, and I am wondering my next steps are regarding a couple things in my 10g tank.

1. I hadn't had the chance to test my water up until recently, and my nitrite and ammonia are 0, my pH is about 8.1, but my nitrate is at 40 ppm. Does this mean that the tank is still cycled? I haven't added anything since my fish died because I think he died due to disease, (but it could have been a number of things, he died within 3 days of getting him) and I wanted the parasites to die down before I do anything else. If it is cycled, I think I might establish it with a damsel and trade it in for another fish later, since my last clownfish didn't do so well.

2. I have some caribsea live sand in my tank, and whenever I use my siphon lots of fine sand particles get stirred up in the water column. Any tips on how to fix it?

3. I am trying to figure out how to properly aquascape my tank. I have a single live rock in the middle of the tank and it looks pretty boring and there is no hiding spots. Any good and cheap dry rock I can get to help this? And what configuration should I put it in for my small tank?

I kind of have a lot of questions, but I would appreciate it greatly if you could help me out! Thanks in advance.

Nitrates at 40 ppm is a bit high, but a hardy clown could endure it. Your tank is definitely cycled based on your info provided. What about your temp and salinity? Those are very important params. Also what was the fish acting like when it was close to death. Any odd behavior? I’m not a disease expert but that could definitely clarify some things. For your siphoning sand problem, you could probably use a magnetizer to help it settle faster, or just let it reside on its own. As for the aquascape, you just need to search online for discounts. You can get some dry rock for 40 bucks. I found them on Amazon. You are gonna want to do a water change soon as the nitrates are a bit high. If your fish died of a disease, and if you can identify what it was, wait 6 weeks before adding another fish at the minimum. I’m fairly new to the hobby as well and my clowns died of internal parasites, so make sure you buy from a reputable vendor. I hope this helps.

 

[SuperNarwhal46]

Nitrates at 40 ppm is a bit high, but a hardy clown could endure it. Your tank is definitely cycled based on your info provided. What about your temp and salinity? Those are very important params. Also what was the fish acting like when it was close to death. Any odd behavior? I’m not a disease expert but that could definitely clarify some things. For your siphoning sand problem, you could probably use a magnetizer to help it settle faster, or just let it reside on its own. As for the aquascape, you just need to search online for discounts. You can get some dry rock for 40 bucks. I found them on Amazon. You are gonna want to do a water change soon as the nitrates are a bit high. If your fish died of a disease, and if you can identify what it was, wait 6 weeks before adding another fish at the minimum. I’m fairly new to the hobby as well and my clowns died of internal parasites, so make sure you buy from a reputable vendor. I hope this helps.

Temp is at 80 degree Fahrenheit, salinity is at 1.026 (a bit high, but I need to top off ). When my fish was close to death, it had some discoloration, it was not eating, it was hiding constantly. It would try to get into my overflow, and it would get stuck in the vent cover I have.

What do you mean by magnetizer exactly?

I will certainly look for some dry rock, and I will get some more R/O and salt water from my LFS so I can top off and change the water.

 

[atul176]

Temp is at 80 degree Fahrenheit, salinity is at 1.026 (a bit high, but I need to top off ). When my fish was close to death, it had some discoloration, it was not eating, it was hiding constantly. It would try to get into my overflow, and it would get stuck in the vent cover I have.

What do you mean by magnetizer exactly?

I will certainly look for some dry rock, and I will get some more R/O and salt water from my LFS so I can top off and change the water.

1.026 and 80 is a pretty good level for most marine organisms. However if you acclimated them from a lower salinity to a higher one too fast that could cause a lot of problems. Your fish lived for three days, meaning it not eating is normal. However there could have been a chance of internal parasites, but it’s too early to tell. Did you see it poop? If so what color was it? In the sand that you bought, there was likely a small packet of liquid. That makes sand settle faster due to magnetization I believe. Just search something along those lines. Was the fish behaving like that when you bought it?

 

[SuperNarwhal46]

When I bought it, it was swimming with all the other small clownfish in the tank, and I couldn't see it that well. I picked him out because of his deeper colors. Its poop was white and stringy.
As for the sand, I think I know what you are talking about now. I will look it up.

 

[slojim]

1. I hadn't had the chance to test my water up until recently, and my nitrite and ammonia are 0, my pH is about 8.1, but my nitrate is at 40 ppm. Does this mean that the tank is still cycled? I haven't added anything since my fish died because I think he died due to disease, (but it could have been a number of things, he died within 3 days of getting him) and I wanted the parasites to die down before I do anything else. If it is cycled, I think I might establish it with a damsel and trade it in for another fish later, since my last clownfish didn't do so well.
your tank has cycled, but maybe isn't ready any longer. an established aquarium can react quickly, but a cycle is just that, a variable phase, not an on/off. Your tank will support the bacteria it has food for. I personally would plan to re-run it. I long believed bottled bacteria was a waste and used other methods, but I've come around. I'd add some a week or so before adding a fish, OR be prepared to do 3-4 2-gallon water changes in the fist 2 weeks.
you don't say what you use for filtration. A 10g probably isn't going to work without active filtration. A simple sponge filter or HOB filter would be enough. You may have lost your clown to an ammonia spike. I find the seachem ammonia badges handy for new small aquariums. Seachem prime is also good to have around in the beginning.
If it wasn't ammonia, then maybe aeration - again, I don't know what you are using for circulation. An HOB as above would be adequate, or a small powerhead to create surface agitation.
but if you suspect disease, then for a 10g, personally, I'd tear it down and bleach/sterilize it then restart. parasites might last a few months.
You miiiiiight get away with dosing peroxide like 2ml 2x daily. Cheaper and easier, but not proven.
clownfish are pretty dang hardy, and inexpensive - a damsel could work - they are hardy and inexpensive also. Heck, you might be able to make a molly or guppy work.
2. I have some caribsea live sand in my tank, and whenever I use my siphon lots of fine sand particles get stirred up in the water column. Any tips on how to fix it?
remove it, put it in a bucket, and rinse the cra...heck out of it and let the fines float away down the drain, then return the coarser sand. Or get a crab and stop siphoning your sand once you have a cycled tank.
3. I am trying to figure out how to properly aquascape my tank. I have a single live rock in the middle of the tank and it looks pretty boring and there is no hiding spots. Any good and cheap dry rock I can get to help this? And what configuration should I put it in for my small tank?
I don't know what you have access to - you can build the rock you want - lots of recipes here on the site. Or go to some LFS and be picky. Or put something under the rock so there are hiding spots underneath. Or get a half-inch (+/-) drill bit and drill some holes in the rock you have. Or whack it with a hammer and epoxy it back together in a shape you like. It's a rock. It will be ok. And its a hobby - so have some fun with it.

 

[SuperNarwhal46]

1. I hadn't had the chance to test my water up until recently, and my nitrite and ammonia are 0, my pH is about 8.1, but my nitrate is at 40 ppm. Does this mean that the tank is still cycled? I haven't added anything since my fish died because I think he died due to disease, (but it could have been a number of things, he died within 3 days of getting him) and I wanted the parasites to die down before I do anything else. If it is cycled, I think I might establish it with a damsel and trade it in for another fish later, since my last clownfish didn't do so well.
your tank has cycled, but maybe isn't ready any longer. an established aquarium can react quickly, but a cycle is just that, a variable phase, not an on/off. Your tank will support the bacteria it has food for. I personally would plan to re-run it. I long believed bottled bacteria was a waste and used other methods, but I've come around. I'd add some a week or so before adding a fish, OR be prepared to do 3-4 2-gallon water changes in the fist 2 weeks.
you don't say what you use for filtration. A 10g probably isn't going to work without active filtration. A simple sponge filter or HOB filter would be enough. You may have lost your clown to an ammonia spike. I find the seachem ammonia badges handy for new small aquariums. Seachem prime is also good to have around in the beginning.
If it wasn't ammonia, then maybe aeration - again, I don't know what you are using for circulation. An HOB as above would be adequate, or a small powerhead to create surface agitation.
but if you suspect disease, then for a 10g, personally, I'd tear it down and bleach/sterilize it then restart. parasites might last a few months.
You miiiiiight get away with dosing peroxide like 2ml 2x daily. Cheaper and easier, but not proven.
clownfish are pretty dang hardy, and inexpensive - a damsel could work - they are hardy and inexpensive also. Heck, you might be able to make a molly or guppy work.
2. I have some caribsea live sand in my tank, and whenever I use my siphon lots of fine sand particles get stirred up in the water column. Any tips on how to fix it?
remove it, put it in a bucket, and rinse the cra...heck out of it and let the fines float away down the drain, then return the coarser sand. Or get a crab and stop siphoning your sand once you have a cycled tank.
3. I am trying to figure out how to properly aquascape my tank. I have a single live rock in the middle of the tank and it looks pretty boring and there is no hiding spots. Any good and cheap dry rock I can get to help this? And what configuration should I put it in for my small tank?
I don't know what you have access to - you can build the rock you want - lots of recipes here on the site. Or go to some LFS and be picky. Or put something under the rock so there are hiding spots underneath. Or get a half-inch (+/-) drill bit and drill some holes in the rock you have. Or whack it with a hammer and epoxy it back together in a shape you like. It's a rock. It will be ok. And its a hobby - so have some fun with it.

So I do have a sponge filter as well as some bio-balls (just some ceramic pieces for bacteria to grow). I am also planning to get some sort of small protein skimmer (or is that overkill??) in the near future, and maybe a powerhead, as you mentioned. I will definitely get some bacteria in a bottle to help it start up again. I will looks into that seachem stuff you mentioned. As far as the parasites go, I think I am going to wait a few weeks to make it 6 weeks and then just try some more bacteria then add another fish. Depending on how that goes, I may have to bleach it, but I want to try it out first. With the sand, I don't know how I am going to get the sand out of the tank without just dumping the fines back into the water, so I think I might go the other route and just get a crab down the road. And thanks for the advice on the rocks!

 

[atul176]

So I do have a sponge filter as well as some bio-balls (just some ceramic pieces for bacteria to grow). I am also planning to get some sort of small protein skimmer (or is that overkill??) in the near future, and maybe a powerhead, as you mentioned. I will definitely get some bacteria in a bottle to help it start up again. I will looks into that seachem stuff you mentioned. As far as the parasites go, I think I am going to wait a few weeks to make it 6 weeks and then just try some more bacteria then add another fish. Depending on how that goes, I may have to bleach it, but I want to try it out first. With the sand, I don't know how I am going to get the sand out of the tank without just dumping the fines back into the water, so I think I might go the other route and just get a crab down the road. And thanks for the advice on the rocks!

So my advice is to not get a protein skimmer, because for a 10 gallon the quality kind of sucks. Get a good 10-20 gallon hang on the back filter. I have a ten gallon too and I just use an aqueon 10.

 

[atul176]

When I bought it, it was swimming with all the other small clownfish in the tank, and I couldn't see it that well. I picked him out because of his deeper colors. Its poop was white and stringy.
As for the sand, I think I know what you are talking about now. I will look it up.

Stringy white poop could indicate worms or internal parasites. This isn’t always the case, but it’s a major sign. The next time you buy a fish that has stringy poop, buy some seachem focus and general cure. Soak the food in that at proper values and try to feed the clown. If it eats, keep doing it until the stringy poop goes away. If it doesn’t, and you don’t have corals or anything, dose it into the water.

 

[brandon429]

Fish Disease Treatment and Diagnosis

A forum for discussing treatment and diagnosing saltwater reef fish.

www.reef2reef.com

your fish died due to not prepping the tank with fallow and qt actions per above, future fish bought will die too. It’s not a parameter issue youre having


no cycle can starve. Ever, it’s not possible in an open topped aquarium so rule out any cycle issues. Don’t worry about feeding bacteria, re dosing them, rule out cycle issues as you will never need to test for ammonia and nitrite here again as long as water stays in the tank. Wet equals permanently cycled. The notion that a cycle can be starved is purely a made up forum notion, no formal papers exist to show it occurring because it can’t.

two months ago we cycled an entire system by only adding water and waiting sixty days, thats why cycles can’t starve / the world feeds them even if we don’t.


even after being directly shown what works in the disease forum, most will ignore fallow and quarantine preps and opt for replacement fish. Long about the tenth re purchase, where they’re now convinced they won’t keep fish without considering the rules above, they hesitantly begin the preps. Try and break that cycle

 

[slojim]

can be confusing if you are new and get different advice - so to make sure we're consistent and helpful...I'll make sure you understand I agree with what's been posted, even if it looks like it disagrees with my post - TLDR to follow

I agree with atul - stringy white poo might be a sign of parasites. My approach would be the same. You could also put GC right in the water before you get fish. I also agree that a protein skimmer is primarily a gadget on a 10g aquarium. Protein skimmers can be considered as water quality devices - meaning they extend the time between water changes - and on a 10g tank, water changes are much less expensive than a protein skimmer. That said, if you like things like protein skimmers or algae scrubbers as part of your experience, have at it.
Regarding Brandon's cycle advice - well, I've been keeping fish for decades. Some might say that means I know a lot, but I can admit that it might mean my habits were established long ago and haven't all adapted. Brandon does go out of his way to collect current information and you should weigh his advice more. I also have treatment pond experience. That's an open-topped system with similar biological mechanisms - and I am certain those can get underpopulated or overwhelmed with a change in food density - BUT - there are other single cell consumers, not just bacteria, and the "food" is at a much higher density than we'd want in a fish tank, so environmental sources are not nearly enough - and it isn't apples to apples. I'm keeping my habits for simplicity of my mental filing system, but I won't tell you Brandon is wrong on a cycle.
And I definitely agree you need a fallow period or a breakdown and sterilization. Either works. Sterilization is more work and means a new cycle will be needed, but overall should be faster.
QT can be expensive and overwhelming for a new hobbyist with a small tank, which is why a lot don't do it. Some LFS will QT for you. It might cost extra, and you might balk, but for a couple of fish, you can't do it on your own for less than the LFS will charge.

 

[SuperNarwhal46]

I am getting a bunch of different notions here. What I think I can take away is that:
1. My fish that I put in the tank had a parasite/disease.
2. My cycle is complete, but I might need a little bit of a booster in case the bioload is not ready for another fish.
3. A protein skimmer is not needed, and there are more practical options for me and my tank.

But the sterilization.... I am confused on it. What do I have to do if I want to sterilize and start over? How long do I have to wait if I want to just let the parasites die? And finally... do I need to do any of it? Could it have just been the fish's problem? Could I just wait the 6 weeks? I am already 4 weeks fishless, and I dont have any other fish/inverts.

 

[SuperNarwhal46]

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/fallow-periods-going-fishless.190324/post-2495321

Would waiting this 76 days work?