Clownfish keep dying! Help!

[miloreif]

Hi everyone. I’m new to the reef hobby, I’ve had saltwater fish for years but never kept coral. I recently set up a 50 gallon tank and it just finished cycling. I’ll list all my parameters and equipment below. My corals (GSP and Xenia) are doing great. I also have a blue tang and six line wrasse that are doing great. However I bought a pair of percula clownfish yesterday. I drip acclimated them and they seemed find for the first 24 hours. Then the first one started erratically swimming, as if it was being pushed around the by the current with no swim bladder. It died this morning. The second one seemed fine all day but now is doing the same behavior - I’m sure it will be gone by the morning. It breaks my heart. All my parameters are fine! The only two things I can think of, disease/parasites or low oxygen. But they showed no symptoms and I have a skimmer oxygenating the water. What do you think? Are my tang and wrasse next?

I use Biocube salt with all the trace minerals with RO DI water. I have a good quality NICREW LED Coral light. I have two power heads positioned on opposite ends of the tank, facing in such a way that there are no dead zones. I always make sure my hands and clean and free of any traces or soap before doing any maintenance.

Parameters:
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 10 ppm
pH: 8.2
Salinity: 1.024
Calcium: 420 ppm
Alkalinity: 9.4 dKH
Magnesium: 1300 ppm
Phosphate: 0 ppm

Equipment:
HOB filter with charcoal, sponge, and biomedia
Protein Skimmer
Heater at 80F
2 power heads
NICREW LED reef light
Plenty of live rock and sand

I also dose with Microbacter7 weekly and just started using Genesis by Polyp Lab.

 

[Lavey29]

Clowns are known for disease. Did you properly QT them with medication?

 

[miloreif]

Clowns are known for disease. Did you properly QT them with medication?

I dont have a QT tank set up. I know I should but I'm trying to do this on a budget in a one bedroom apartment as a college student.

 

[Lavey29]

I dont have a QT tank set up. I know I should but I'm trying to do this on a budget in a one bedroom apartment as a college student.

I would wait a month or two before adding any more fish. See how your remaining fish do first.

 

[miloreif]

I would wait a month or two before adding any more fish. See how your remaining fish do firs

okay good idea

 

[miloreif]

I would wait a month or two before adding any more fish. See how your remaining fish do first.

do you have any idea of what could be causing their death?

 

[LaloJ]

How long ago did you install your tank? Drip acclimation probably has something to do with it if your fish were shipped, if you buy them from a lfs the probability decreases and it may have something to do directly with the clownnfishes. Watch the other fish closely, plus I know you are on a budget but a 10 gallon tank with HOB filtration is not expensive and doesn't take up much space, it's a good QT size for small fish. With a limited budget, you could have possibly made a simple sump of the same size (10 gal) for a little more than the HOB filter cost, think about it, just my opinion, good luck.

 

[miloreif]

How long ago did you install your tank? Drip acclimation probably has something to do with it if your fish were shipped, if you buy them from a lfs the probability decreases and it may have something to do directly with the clownnfishes. Watch the other fish closely, plus I know you are on a budget but a 10 gallon tank with HOB filtration is not expensive and doesn't take up much space, it's a good QT size for small fish. With a limited budget, you could have possibly made a simple sump of the same size (10 gal) for a little more than the HOB filter cost, think about it, just my opinion, good luck.

I installed my tank two months ago. I bought these from my LFS. I'll consider QT tank...

 

[Lavey29]

do you have any idea of what could be causing their death?

Other then erratic swimming no other noticeable symptoms? Hard to say. Make sure your powerheads are a few inches under the surface so you have sufficient surface ripple for gas exchange. I wonder how effective an HOB filter really is on a medium size 50g tank?

 

[miloreif]

UPDATE: The second clownfish and my wrasse just died. I've tested everything... I cant find whats wrong. Help!

 

[miloreif]

Other then erratic swimming no other noticeable symptoms? Hard to say. Make sure your powerheads are a few inches under the surface so you have sufficient surface ripple for gas exchange. I wonder how effective an HOB filter really is on a medium size 50g tank?

It's a really big HOB filter. Made for 75 gallon tank. and if there was a filter problem, I feel like the ammonia or nitrite wouldn't be zero.

No other symptoms other than erratic swimming. Nothing. It would just dart around and float in the current all sorts of ways before lying on the ground and dying.

 

[miloreif]

These fish have only been in my tank for 48 hours. If it was ich or velvet, do they kill that fast?

 

[slingfox]

If you don't quarantine you should at least consider using something like Safety Stop (be sure to wear gloves and take other safety precautions since Part 1 is formalin). That seems better than the lottery of just throwing fish into the tank with no precautions whatsoever.

 

[miloreif]

If you don't quarantine you should at least consider using something like Safety Stop (be sure to wear gloves and take other safety precautions since Part 1 is formalin). That seems better than the lottery of just throwing fish into the tank with no precautions whatsoever.

Okay. I’ll look into that. All that’s left in my tank is my blue tang. If he dies, then I’m planning on letting my tank fallow for 76 days for ich, brook, and velvet

 

[Debramb]

Okay. I’ll look into that. All that’s left in my tank is my blue tang. If he dies, then I’m planning on letting my tank fallow for 76 days for ich, brook, and velvet

Good Luck, I’m sorry for your loss.
Will your LFS keep your new fish separate for you? Might help

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

show a tank pic if you can, a pic tells a thousand words

 

[Lavey29]

These fish have only been in my tank for 48 hours. If it was ich or velvet, do they kill that fast?

Ich no but brook or velvet yes that fast.

 

[wlmalek]

These fish have only been in my tank for 48 hours. If it was ich or velvet, do they kill that fast?

Velvel will do. if you can post a picture of your setup. Maybe someone can see if something wrong.

they could died from disease or suffocated from lack of oxygen or ammonia spikes burning their gills.

 

[miloreif]

Velvel will do. if you can post a picture of your setup. Maybe someone can see if something wrong.

they could died from disease or suffocated from lack of oxygen or ammonia spikes burning their gills.

I’ll post a picture when I get home from school. They weren’t gasping for air which makes me think the oxygen was fine. And ammonia tested zero. I’m considering doing a fallow period because velvet seems to be the only option.