Hi,
I'm new to the hobby. Last week I got 2 banggai cardinalfish and a diamond goby along with macroalgae for display, purple gorgonian, and snails online. The two cardinalfish died on me this morning practically in front of my eyes. I wish I had gotten a video or photos but didn't think about it and had to run off to work. Wanted to get some advice or maybe more to just vent as reading some similar posts on fish death I get some sense of some of the possibilities and limits without video or photos.
As background. I have a 30 gallon tank. 2 months old. Recent parameters show Ammonia -0, Nitrite -0. Nitrate 20 -40 "okay" on test strip guide. Salinity 35. This was from 2 days ago. Has been this way for the last 2 months essentially. Didn't get chance to test this morning but will do so when I get back home. Preexisting are 2 small clownfish, 2 green chromis, purple firefish, and cleaner shrimp. Was adding 1-2 fish every 2 weeks or so. The last addition prior was the firefish about 3-4 weeks ago. No corals.
Maybe I bought too much at once but was trying to get the best value out of the online purchase and shipping coast. They actually gave me two cardinalfish instead of one that I ordered actually. The online company notes the fish are aquaculture, treated, fed mix of pellets and mysis shrimp. I know, I'll get criticism for not doing QT despite the online companies reputation and protocols.
The cardinalfish looked healthy but did not eat the entire time except one time I saw take a single mysis shrimp and that's it. I usually feed pellets. Sometimes about once or twice a week or so will give flakes and frozen mysis shrimp. They would sometimes take a pellet but spit it right back out. During feeding they would initially seem interested and then just go to a corner or bottom portion of the tank.
The not eating was bothering me. Usually I give half a cube of frozen mysis shrimp. Last night I feed a whole cube of mysis shrimp thinking maybe they just need better opportunity to get the food since the other fish are pretty aggressive at getting the food.
This morning I saw one of the fish half laying on sand but would still move a little, but seemed to mostly be getting pushed by the current. The other fish was moving, seemed ok, but then seemed kind of sluggish moving. I feed pellets and the one fish did actually go towards water surface which was atypical but did not seem to be swimming smoothly. The one laying on sand, I took out and placed in separate small fish bowl. Had to get ready for work and 5 minutes later, the other one was laying on the sand as well. They didn't seem to be breathing very hard, mouth wasn't open. The other fish are moving well. The new sand goby looks skinny, but came that way and was moving around during feeding.
I think the concerns would be disease when there are sudden multiple deaths. I not sure but could they have "starved" not eating for a week. Maybe combination of stress and not eating. Maybe overfeeding, changed water parameters overnights. Something about both dying at the same times leaves me bad feeling about my tank.
I'm new to the hobby. Last week I got 2 banggai cardinalfish and a diamond goby along with macroalgae for display, purple gorgonian, and snails online. The two cardinalfish died on me this morning practically in front of my eyes. I wish I had gotten a video or photos but didn't think about it and had to run off to work. Wanted to get some advice or maybe more to just vent as reading some similar posts on fish death I get some sense of some of the possibilities and limits without video or photos.
As background. I have a 30 gallon tank. 2 months old. Recent parameters show Ammonia -0, Nitrite -0. Nitrate 20 -40 "okay" on test strip guide. Salinity 35. This was from 2 days ago. Has been this way for the last 2 months essentially. Didn't get chance to test this morning but will do so when I get back home. Preexisting are 2 small clownfish, 2 green chromis, purple firefish, and cleaner shrimp. Was adding 1-2 fish every 2 weeks or so. The last addition prior was the firefish about 3-4 weeks ago. No corals.
Maybe I bought too much at once but was trying to get the best value out of the online purchase and shipping coast. They actually gave me two cardinalfish instead of one that I ordered actually. The online company notes the fish are aquaculture, treated, fed mix of pellets and mysis shrimp. I know, I'll get criticism for not doing QT despite the online companies reputation and protocols.
The cardinalfish looked healthy but did not eat the entire time except one time I saw take a single mysis shrimp and that's it. I usually feed pellets. Sometimes about once or twice a week or so will give flakes and frozen mysis shrimp. They would sometimes take a pellet but spit it right back out. During feeding they would initially seem interested and then just go to a corner or bottom portion of the tank.
The not eating was bothering me. Usually I give half a cube of frozen mysis shrimp. Last night I feed a whole cube of mysis shrimp thinking maybe they just need better opportunity to get the food since the other fish are pretty aggressive at getting the food.
This morning I saw one of the fish half laying on sand but would still move a little, but seemed to mostly be getting pushed by the current. The other fish was moving, seemed ok, but then seemed kind of sluggish moving. I feed pellets and the one fish did actually go towards water surface which was atypical but did not seem to be swimming smoothly. The one laying on sand, I took out and placed in separate small fish bowl. Had to get ready for work and 5 minutes later, the other one was laying on the sand as well. They didn't seem to be breathing very hard, mouth wasn't open. The other fish are moving well. The new sand goby looks skinny, but came that way and was moving around during feeding.
I think the concerns would be disease when there are sudden multiple deaths. I not sure but could they have "starved" not eating for a week. Maybe combination of stress and not eating. Maybe overfeeding, changed water parameters overnights. Something about both dying at the same times leaves me bad feeling about my tank.