All my fish died over night

[emilystelck]

All my fish died overnight. Everyone looked great last night. I added a couple new fish yesterday, did not change water. Did not quarantine these fish because I’ve had such good luck and everyone has always been fine after temperature acclimation. Most of these fish have been in the tank already for 2-3 weeks.

ph about 8
Nitrate 0
Nitrate 0
Ammonia 0
Alkalinity 200
Hardness 300
Temperature 78

Deceased fish:
sailfin blenny x2
Royal dotty back
Clown fish x 2
Arrow crab
Snowflake eel
Blue Koran angel
Blonde naso tang
Hawkfish
green long tentacle anemone

Alive still:
Pink spotted watchman goby x 2
Emerald crab x 2
Hermit crabs
Chocolate Chip Star Fish
Two different types of coral (I think they’re alive?)

Not seen yet and assuming deceased in caves:
Caribbean Octopus
Black and white Heniochus
Striped Blenny
Pajama Cardinal

I’m also relatively new to salt water tanks. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Very upset over the situation. Also to add, none of the fish have any visible spots, wounds, discoloration, slime or anything on them. They’re just dead.

 

[emilystelck]

Okay, so I think we've gotten to the bottom of the issue. The tank simply wasn't ready for that much livestock.

Don't feel defeated. It's just part of the learning curve sometimes. An expensive part, to be sure, but no need to feel like giving up. You just got mountains of bad advice.

Yes. It was a very expensive dose of misinformation. Luckily, a couple of the companies I worked with did offer to give me gift cards because they feel bad so I appreciate them for that!

 

[emilystelck]

Hi there,
Have you checked the oxygen level in your aquarium? Don't confuse oxygen with normal air. Normal air is what is delivered by your air pump and oxygen level within the normal air should be checked if you are using Co2 for the reef growth. Low carbon is a good thing whereas high carbon level is deadly for fish. Also take into consideration low oxygen level as well as high oxygen level is very bad for your fish.

Secondly a sudden temperature change can kill your fish. Marine fish are very fragile.

Do a recheck of the ppm parameters of the water 2 to 3 weeks is the ideal death time is water parameters aren't correct. Check the required parameters for each dead fish separately. If still not sure I am available on [email protected]. Hope you already found the causes and the remedies.

Appreciate the info! Thanks so much!

 

[Hyde2406]

Appreciate the info! Thanks so much!

I wouldn't drain and start over just use prime and wait a while maybe a month (I usually don't add fish for 3 months (unless I'm moving everything from my larger tank into a new one) for everything to cycle and be sure it is cycled. Use microbacter 7 turbo start or some other bacteria to start and research research research

 

[Lavey29]

I would still suggest you post pics and details of your complete set up so you can get feedback on your system before you try again. That was a lot of unnecessary aquatic death in a time where efforts by government fascists are trying to end our hobb6 all together.

 

[Lionfish hunter]

Now that you have learned what happens without a cycled tank, I will give you some advice that I promise you is just as important.

When you buy fish in the future, they are going to have parasites. Ich and velvet are so insanely common, there is no way around it. They will kill your fish in most circumstances if you're not prepared. It will be an insanely huge headache. They won't look sick in most cases, all the fish stores run small amounts of copper to mask all disease. A few days to a week later, disaster. Have a small tank to treat your fish before the main display. 20 years ago I was against doing this because I didn't have the money and it does suck. Looking back I couldn't afford not to do it. I made so many fish suffer because I refused to quarantine them, don't follow in my footsteps. Once a parasite is in your main display tank, it is such a pain to cure the tank, and you will need to put then in a quarantine tank anyway. And many fish will likely parish. It's a sad reality, but it is reality.

There are websites that sell fully quarantined fish to save you from having to do that.

Also please be aware. Anything wet that goes in your tank can have parasites in them. Coral, crabs, rock, water, etc.

 

[Lionfish hunter]

I wouldn't drain and start over just use prime and wait a while maybe a month (I usually don't add fish for 3 months (unless I'm moving everything from my larger tank into a new one) for everything to cycle and be sure it is cycled. Use microbacter 7 turbo start or some other bacteria to start and research research research

No need to drain, the ammonia in the water will Kickstart the cycling of your tank. Get a bottle of turbo start, it will cycle your tank in a few weeks. Then start with a small fish or 2 when the ammonia reads 0 with a working test kit. Never use strips, they are garbage, throw them away seriously.

And plan for those parasites, remember i said that! they will come on your fish unless you buy from a place like Dr reefs quarantined fish or captive bred fish from a place like biota.

 

[Hyde2406]

Now that you have learned what happens without a cycled tank, I will give you some advice that I promise you is just as important.

When you buy fish in the future, they are going to have parasites. Ich and velvet are so insanely common, there is no way around it. They will kill your fish in most circumstances if you're not prepared. It will be an insanely huge headache. They won't look sick in most cases, all the fish stores run small amounts of copper to mask all disease. A few days to a week later, disaster. Have a small tank to treat your fish before the main display. 20 years ago I was against doing this because I didn't have the money and it does suck. Looking back I couldn't afford not to do it. I made so many fish suffer because I refused to quarantine them, don't follow in my footsteps. Once a parasite is in your main display tank, it is such a pain to cure the tank, and you will need to put then in a quarantine tank anyway. And many fish will likely parish. It's a sad reality, but it is reality.

There are websites that sell fully quarantined fish to save you from having to do that.

Also please be aware. Anything wet that goes in your tank can have parasites in them. Coral, crabs, rock, water, etc.

I agree on many levels but I buy quarantined fish bc my house is small and I can't have 2 tanks. I have tried to quarantine in the past and lost more fish then what made it in my tank so now I pay a bit more. also I have a 15 watt uv sterilizer on a 34 gallon tank (a bit over kill but..... I'm OK with that) I was also trying to quarantine in a 10 gallon in my room but then everything just got super stressed out, jumpers coal died bc the lights weren't good enough etc. Trying to quarantine everything is super hard. Buy from reputable sources and enjoy your tank slowly as things getting started your bacteria have to build up to new fish so slowly once a month add maybe 1 fish otherwise you send the tank into a new cycle.

 

[Lionfish hunter]

I agree on many levels but I buy quarantined fish bc my house is small and I can't have 2 tanks. I have tried to quarantine in the past and lost more fish then what made it in my tank so now I pay a bit more. also I have a 15 watt uv sterilizer on a 34 gallon tank (a bit over kill but..... I'm OK with that) I was also trying to quarantine in a 10 gallon in my room but then everything just got super stressed out, jumpers coal died bc the lights weren't good enough etc. Trying to quarantine everything is super hard. Buy from reputable sources and enjoy your tank slowly as things getting started your bacteria have to build up to new fish so slowly once a month add maybe 1 fish otherwise you send the tank into a new cycle.

I suggested this in my next post lol. Yes quarantining is such a pain in the as.

 

[emilystelck]

I didn’t mean to be irresponsible. I had misinformation. I apologize for making the mistake. I thought I knew what I was doing.

 

[Wasabiroot]

I haven't seen anyone ask about salinity - often missed. Fish can tolerate hyposalinity just fine but would you happen to know what it was at?

 

[ZoWhat]

I didn’t mean to be irresponsible. I had misinformation. I apologize for making the mistake. I thought I knew what I was doing.

I mean... I do give you Grace. It's a learning curve that we have all been on bc we all have thus fantasy of fish swimming everywhere and the whole tank is a Wonderland.

My point is nobody would be allowed to walked in a Petco or PetSmart and buy 5 different breeds of puppies as family pets without Mgmt denying the sale bc of inhumanity at the cash registrar

Yet LFSs are so desperate fir cash that they let you walk knowing there's a 90% chance you coming back in fir more fish when those die. The great excuse is your "water quality" killed them...here buy more fish, feed the monster

It's a cash windfall

I guess ppl just don't care about fish rights.

Glad you know better now

 

[62518161]

Wondering if ppl actually and go buy live 7 cats or 4 dogs with little knowledge on how to care for them.

Just buy 5 different breeds of puppies and just 'wing-it'. Throw em in the basement

Just bc fish are.... well.... fish and not dogs or cats doesn't mean it's a license to go out and buy a bunch if them without having the skill set.

Just amazing... no wonder our hobby has the social label of being a bunch of consumers burning thru live animals.

No wonder Conservationists are shutting us down Worldwide bc no other type of pet is being irresponsibly killed off from fish ppl hobbyists like us.


.

 

[Jimmyneptune]

Maybe its the dissolved oxygen? I would think with

I didn’t mean to be irresponsible. I had misinformation. I apologize for making the mistake. I thought I knew what I was doing.

i don’t think you were being irresponsible.
Things happen.
Thanks for sharing our mistakes add to our knowledge base and when we share them it makes us all better reefers.

 

[Lavey29]

I haven't seen anyone ask about salinity - often missed. Fish can tolerate hyposalinity just fine but would you happen to know what it was at?

I asked this 3 pages ago. I don't think she knows how to check this.

 

[Johnny Turvin]

Guess I need to use more reputable sources when making purchases and asking questions. I think I got a lot of false information. Do you have any recommendations of good websites to use to do my own research before trusting salesmen?

Books. Read books. Start here - The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Bob Fenner. Then maybe The New Encyclopedia of the Saltwater Aquarium by Greg Jennings. There are lots of others ...

Guess I need to use more reputable sources when making purchases and asking questions. I think I got a lot of false information. Do you have any recommendations of good websites to use to do my own research before trusting salesmen?

 

[Wasabiroot]

I asked this 3 pages ago. I don't think she knows how to check this.

Ah OK, I missed that. Hopefully we can help if so.

 

[neo1738]

Here is a primer guide for how some of this stuff works. Was written by a friend of mine.

 

[Wasabiroot]

Books. Read books. Start here - The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Bob Fenner. Then maybe The New Encyclopedia of the Saltwater Aquarium by Greg Jennings. There are lots of others ...

Based ReefLord Fenner, gone too soon, great suggestion. Hard to find new though

 

[MaxTremors]

Hi there,
Have you checked the oxygen level in your aquarium? Don't confuse oxygen with normal air. Normal air is what is delivered by your air pump and oxygen level within the normal air should be checked if you are using Co2 for the reef growth. Low carbon is a good thing whereas high carbon level is deadly for fish. Also take into consideration low oxygen level as well as high oxygen level is very bad for your fish.

Secondly a sudden temperature change can kill your fish. Marine fish are very fragile.

Do a recheck of the ppm parameters of the water 2 to 3 weeks is the ideal death time is water parameters aren't correct. Check the required parameters for each dead fish separately. If still not sure I am available on [email protected]. Hope you already found the causes and the remedies.

What are you even talking about? No one uses CO2 for ‘reef growth’ and people dose carbon in their tanks. It’s almost impossible to have too high an oxygen concentration in saltwater. It sounds to me like you’re maybe applying planted freshwater tank rules to saltwater, I don’t know, but a lot of what you said either doesn’t make sense or is just wrong.

 

[Lyss]

I’m late to this but can we back up a sec… Was this tank cycled? Did you cycle it prior to adding livestock, and how did you cycle?