Everything died!

jvolkel

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 22, 2021
Messages
15
Reaction score
33
Location
Florida, USA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I am just now so depressed. Had my new 36 gal aquarium for about 3 months now and it looked like it was coming along OK. Added a Green Star Polyp about 2 months ago and a Zoa about 1 month ago. Also had a Clown, 2 Pajama Cardinals, 2 Bangaii (?) Cardinals and a firefish - all doing seemingly well. I did lose 2 small clowns bought on-line about 3 weeks ago, but others looked good. Had a run of brown algae which went away, then started getting green algae. Did a few partial water changes along the way, cut back on light duration and intensity, and the chemistry numbers have been constantly good. Yesterday, I topped off with 2 gals of RODI water and then put in 3 capfuls of API Marine Stress Coat and today everything was dead - fish and soft corals. Chemistry and temp (I live in Florida) all look fine. Any guess as to what happened?
 

MaxTremors

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 20, 2021
Messages
3,625
Reaction score
6,213
Location
Boise
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
What are your exact parameters (saying that it’s good doesn’t tell us anything). Why were you adding stress coat? Have you noticed any signs of disease? Is your water cloudy? 6-8 fish in the first three months in a 36 gallon is a lot. Also, if you’re topping off manually you shouldn’t be letting it get more than a half gallon low for a tank that size (I have a 28 gallon that I top-off manually and I top-off as soon as it’s around an 1/8 or a gallon low - which is every 2-3 days- I have a glass lid so evap is minimal). Would just need a lot of more info to be able to point you in the right direction.
 

CrimsonTide

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 22, 2020
Messages
1,658
Reaction score
1,698
Location
Birmingham
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Also check your salinity. You should top off everyday or every other day dont top that much at once.

Did you spray anything in the air in the room or a room adjacent to it? Airisol chemicals will mess up a tank very quickly.
 

Harold999

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 22, 2020
Messages
739
Reaction score
530
Location
The Hague NL
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
2 gallons of rodi at once on 30 gallons of tankwater (36 minus rock/sand etcetera), who told you this is a good idea?
That's a 6% salinity change at once. I won't say that's lethal persé but it's a big uppercut to all life in the tank and could be the cause of all the deaths.

Good auto top offs dose each hour a couple of mills.
 
OP
OP
jvolkel

jvolkel

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 22, 2021
Messages
15
Reaction score
33
Location
Florida, USA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
What do you mean you topped off with 2 gallons of RODI? Fresh RODI directly into the tank?
Yes, Salinity was up at about 1.027 and the 2 gals brought it back to 1.025. did not think that would be too great a change. Am I wrong thinking that??
That’s potentially a fair bit of salinity Change. But in a tank that small it takes one death to turn a cascade of reactions that follow. Sorry about your loss
Thanks. I see some life coming back so it may not be a total loss. Zoa is reopening, star polyp is still very weak looking and one Pajama Cardinal has survived. Did a partial water change today ( about 20% with salinity at 1.025) and am trying a couple of new clowns and a Damselfish.
 
OP
OP
jvolkel

jvolkel

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 22, 2021
Messages
15
Reaction score
33
Location
Florida, USA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
What are your exact parameters (saying that it’s good doesn’t tell us anything). Why were you adding stress coat? Have you noticed any signs of disease? Is your water cloudy? 6-8 fish in the first three months in a 36 gallon is a lot. Also, if you’re topping off manually you shouldn’t be letting it get more than a half gallon low for a tank that size (I have a 28 gallon that I top-off manually and I top-off as soon as it’s around an 1/8 or a gallon low - which is every 2-3 days- I have a glass lid so evap is minimal). Would just need a lot of more info to be able to point you in the right direction.
Everything was within the safe parameters from the specs in the test kits. I guess I did let it go a little too long before topping off. I had a brown algae bloom about 2 weeks ago which disappeared and green algae started growing on glass and gravel. I cut light intensity down to 50 % and shortened on period to about 9 hours. I added stress coat just because I was told it wouldn't hurt, but nothing seemed wrong with the fish before.
 

MaxTremors

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 20, 2021
Messages
3,625
Reaction score
6,213
Location
Boise
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Everything was within the safe parameters from the specs in the test kits. I guess I did let it go a little too long before topping off. I had a brown algae bloom about 2 weeks ago which disappeared and green algae started growing on glass and gravel. I cut light intensity down to 50 % and shortened on period to about 9 hours. I added stress coat just because I was told it wouldn't hurt, but nothing seemed wrong with the fish before.
Again, ‘everything was within the safe parameters’ is meaningless. We need to know specific numbers, and ideally what those numbers have been over the last two months (ie stability). You should be keeping a log of all your test results so that you can track them over time (I keep a spreadsheet on my phone). You can be within safe ranges but still have massive fluctuations that are more dangerous that being even fairly significantly out of range.
 

A;exr54

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 28, 2021
Messages
463
Reaction score
644
Location
Palm Coast
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Sounds to me like your in a rush. I’m sorry to say but it never ends well when things are rushed.
Also try to lay off adding chemicals. Stress coat included.
look into possibly getting an automatic top off. If you can afford the fish and corals an auto top off should be doable.
 
OP
OP
jvolkel

jvolkel

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 22, 2021
Messages
15
Reaction score
33
Location
Florida, USA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Again, ‘everything was within the safe parameters’ is meaningless. We need to know specific numbers, and ideally what those numbers have been over the last two months (ie stability). You should be keeping a log of all your test results so that you can track them over time (I keep a spreadsheet on my phone). You can be within safe ranges but still have massive fluctuations that are more dangerous that being even fairly significantly out of range.
Thanks - will try to keep better track of conditions.
 

Lavey29

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 29, 2021
Messages
10,838
Reaction score
11,294
Location
United States
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Yes, Salinity was up at about 1.027 and the 2 gals brought it back to 1.025. did not think that would be too great a change. Am I wrong thinking that??

Thanks. I see some life coming back so it may not be a total loss. Zoa is reopening, star polyp is still very weak looking and one Pajama Cardinal has survived. Did a partial water change today ( about 20% with salinity at 1.025) and am trying a couple of new clowns and a Damselfish.
You haven't determined the cause of your tanks inhabitants demise but have already added more fish? This is a situation that will most likely not end well for you or your fish.
 
OP
OP
jvolkel

jvolkel

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 22, 2021
Messages
15
Reaction score
33
Location
Florida, USA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Sounds to me like your in a rush. I’m sorry to say but it never ends well when things are rushed.
Also try to lay off adding chemicals. Stress coat included.
look into possibly getting an automatic top off. If you can afford the fish and corals an auto top off should be doable.
Thanks, I will look into that.
 
Back
Top