HELP. WOKE UP TO ALL OF MY FISH DEAD

[Fishboy96]

Sorry to hear about your loss, waking up to dead fish is the worst possible scenario...


A couple of things i have noticed:
1. You joined R2R on the 5th
2. Tank was cycling on the 7th based on your posts
3. In a different post, you mentioned the tank has been cycling since Sept 7 but in this thread you mentioned the tank has been setup for 2 going on 3 months... something doesn't add up here, so which is it? When you mention setup (does this mean since starting the cycle, or since starting the tank, aka tank sitting empty being setup waiting for equipment)
4. Today is Sept 23, meaning the tank has been setup for 16 days (unless you used some substantial bacteria, this tank has not finished cycling)... without even looking at the parameters we can say this tank is new and still in the diatom stage

I'm sorry to say, but your fish died due to high levels of ammonia and possibly ich/velvet due to stress - this is due to jumping the gun and not understanding the cycling process in a sw tank... You are still in the cycle process, hence the presence of ammonia in the tank (the ammonia levels were even higher, but dropped due to water changes).

Now, you have two problems on your hands, 1st ammonia is high, which will drop with time and sadly... this doesn't mean its OK to add fish as you stressed the now dead fish which could have caused them to stress causing velvet or ich and it could now be present in the tank, this is your second and more major problem than the first as there is no way to test for the presence of a virus in the tank... you need to wait the cycle of this virus and then start slow, do lots and lots of research and when you think you got it all, i suggest reading some more...

You really need to go back to the basics and read quite a bit on starting a SW tank... each tank cycles at a different rate and to be sure the cycle is complete, always, always measure ammonia, it needs to be zero otherwise it stresses the fish which will most likely end up badly and costly. Also read on velvet and ich cycles and wait this out, if you add more fish after the ammonia cycle is complete, you will just fuel the disease cycle which will take that much longer to fully get rid of and will most likely end up in more fish losses. Also i suggest QT the fish as they will be that much easier to treat than in the main tank, but you need to read lots on how to setup a QT tank and how to QT the fish.

Also nobody mentioned this, but nothing good happens fast in his hobby, be patient and read 10 times before making any drastic changes. On top of it, start a calendar and write everything down as it is much easier to go back and check when you started/added/water change/run tests etc instead of guessing...

i have multiple tanks and two have coral and two are fish only but thank you for the contradiction.

 

[Reikigirl]

So sorry for your loss. Like everyone else has said, ammonia could very well be the cause. Take your water to be tested where they use something other than strips as those usually give a false low reading. Good luck.

 

[tj w]

i have multiple tanks and two have coral and two are fish only but thank you for the contradiction.

Can u post pics of all of the tanks so we can take a look?

 

[Bbaz123456]

Only read a few pages but saw like 5 people mentioned. The acro in the tank. I don't see an acro anywhere. Maybe a shriveled up leather??
No matter what the cause was, the tank needs to sit without any fish to get rid of the disease and allow it to cycle.
Sorry for the loss. Most of us have been through it. Take the next couple months to do some research, while your tank is fixing itself.

 

[Bruce Burnett]

Unstable tank caused stress to diseased fish. I would do the waiting game don't add anything for around 3 months and if tank is healthy and stable enough you should start to see some coralline algae growing. Most of us have had fish die with a stable tank. Fish are under stress no matter where they are purchased but I would only buy from a well known local Fish store or on line supplier not Petco. Read as much as you can on setting up and cycling a saltwater system. Go slow when adding in the beginning so the bacteria level can adjust then as you learn more you can do more additions. A stable healthy tank with lots of fish and corals can take many months sometimes up to a year. I am almost at a year and have to slap my hands so I don't make any real changes just normal maintenance. It is hard to leave well enough alone but it is true about going slow with any changes.

 

[Live Water]

Boycott petco, they are the worst! Eight out ten lfs are better and will give you better advice, some are crap but they usually don't last long.

 

[that Reef Guy]

I have one power head but what it means to me what ur saying is adding another one is a good idea. I mean it would add flow. And isn't opposite currents supposed to be good for coral

I would have at least 2 Power Heads.

But it also Depends on the Flow.

You could have 4 Power Heads and not enough Flow or have 1 Power Head with Too Much Flow.

What Power Heads are you using?

 

[stunreefer]

I don't know what the problem is. And these fish aren't exactly cheap either. If you ask me I feel that wholesalers should have holding tanks that are set up for fish so they can treat them.

The problem is hobbyists demanding cheap fishes, versus quality (read: affordable) fishes. This is not true for many hobbyists on here, but most people aware of the issues are the tip of the iceberg in the industry.

Cheap ≠ Affordable

Since most retailers demand cheap fishes wholesalers will not put time or money into treating them. This leaves the burden of quarantine and conditioning on retailers, but with their clients demanding the same cheap fishes, most retailers do not take on the burden.

Of course, this lands all aforementioned issues on hobbyists.

Find a great retailer, trust your retailer, and quarantine no matter what.

 

[stunreefer]

Ur just lucky the uv sterilizer makes water clean but it will not kill disease the only thing that could possibly rid the tank of ich or parasites is a diatom filter

A properly implemented U/V sterilizer is a phenomenal insurance for your animals (corals and fishes). They sterilize (destroy organisms ability to reproduce) most parasites and bacteria that flow past the bulb.

With that said I partially agree with your luck sentiment, U/V's cannot be relied on alone.

 

[justingraham]

A properly implemented U/V sterilizer is a phenomenal insurance for your animals (corals and fishes). They sterilize (destroy organisms ability to reproduce) most parasites and bacteria that flow past the bulb.

With that said I partially agree with your luck sentiment, U/V's cannot be relied on alone.

Just look into @Humblefish atricels or attempts to cure diseases fish with a uv sterilizer it doesn't work.
Does it help sure but it will not ellimante the parasite

 

[Ginu]

i have multiple tanks and two have coral and two are fish only but thank you for the contradiction.

Not sure where you I'm contradicting myself...



I see some contradiction over here:

So on Sept 5 you are asking information on how to care for corals for a beginner like yourself and now you have a vast array of tanks awesome, lets see the progression.

It appears within 16 days you went from a beginner to a avid reefer with multiple tanks, fish only and coral.... it takes longer for my orders with new equipment media to arrive... and it takes twice as that time to cycle my tanks

I've been reefing for about a decade with about 2 years of research prior and I still have lots to learn... I've had tanks from 10g, 34g AIO, 40g, 75g, 120g custom and now I have a 93g custom cube, 20g custom frag tank and a RSM S500 and I'm still learning



Also another point I'd like to make, its always good to start a tank thread and keep it updated as some reefers will follow and will be able to give advice before catastrophes happen

 

[justingraham]

Not sure where you I'm contradicting myself...



I see some contradiction over here:

So on Sept 5 you are asking information on how to care for corals for a beginner like yourself and now you have a vast array of tanks awesome, lets see the progression.

It appears within 16 days you went from a beginner to a avid reefer with multiple tanks, fish only and coral.... it takes longer for my orders with new equipment media to arrive... and it takes twice as that time to cycle my tanks

I've been reefing for about a decade with about 2 years of research prior and I still have lots to learn... I've had tanks from 10g, 34g AIO, 40g, 75g, 120g custom and now I have a 93g custom cube, 20g custom frag tank and a RSM S500 and I'm still learning



Also another point I'd like to make, its always good to start a tank thread and keep it updated as some reefers will follow and will be able to give advice before catastrophes happen

Detective of the year goes to u

 

[Ginu]

Detective of the year goes to u

Just stating how it appears... on a different side-note do I get a special "detective title" ?

 

[Live Water]

Not sure where you I'm contradicting myself...



I see some contradiction over here:
Boom lol

So on Sept 5 you are asking information on how to care for corals for a beginner like yourself and now you have a vast array of tanks awesome, lets see the progression.

It appears within 16 days you went from a beginner to a avid reefer with multiple tanks, fish only and coral.... it takes longer for my orders with new equipment media to arrive... and it takes twice as that time to cycle my tanks

I've been reefing for about a decade with about 2 years of research prior and I still have lots to learn... I've had tanks from 10g, 34g AIO, 40g, 75g, 120g custom and now I have a 93g custom cube, 20g custom frag tank and a RSM S500 and I'm still learning



Also another point I'd like to make, its always good to start a tank thread and keep it updated as some reefers will follow and will be able to give advice before catastrophes happen

 

[Scarybo]

Not sure where you I'm contradicting myself...



I see some contradiction over here:

So on Sept 5 you are asking information on how to care for corals for a beginner like yourself and now you have a vast array of tanks awesome, lets see the progression.

It appears within 16 days you went from a beginner to a avid reefer with multiple tanks, fish only and coral.... it takes longer for my orders with new equipment media to arrive... and it takes twice as that time to cycle my tanks

I've been reefing for about a decade with about 2 years of research prior and I still have lots to learn... I've had tanks from 10g, 34g AIO, 40g, 75g, 120g custom and now I have a 93g custom cube, 20g custom frag tank and a RSM S500 and I'm still learning



Also another point I'd like to make, its always good to start a tank thread and keep it updated as some reefers will follow and will be able to give advice before catastrophes happen

Okay... I'm not crazy. I thought I was the only one with problems regarding the contradictory information.

 

[Humblefish]

OK, I'm not taking sides on who is right or wrong here. I honestly don't know what to think at this point. But this does illustrate how we sometimes don't get the whole story, and that makes it difficult for us to accurately diagnosis the problem.

 

[stunreefer]

Just look into @Humblefish atricels or attempts to cure diseases fish with a uv sterilizer it doesn't work.
Does it help sure but it will not ellimante the parasite

You should reread my comment since I never said either of those two things.

I've worked with properly implemented U/V for over a decade with phenomenal results. The efficacy of properly installed U/V (which IME is U/V intensity of >90,000 µw/cm2) is not debatable, it's a scientific fact. Feel free to look into that.

Note that most hobbyists attempt U/V implementation with sub-par equipment, incorrect flow rates, incorrect installation, or a combination of the aforementioned, yielding fields of misinformation which is perpetually spread throughout the internet.

 

[justingraham]

You should reread my comment since I never said either of those two things.

I've worked with properly implemented U/V for over a decade with phenomenal results. The efficacy of properly installed U/V (which IME is U/V intensity of >90,000 µw/cm2) is not debatable, it's a scientific fact. Feel free to look into that.

Note that most hobbyists attempt U/V implementation with sub-par equipment, incorrect flow rates, incorrect installation, or a combination of the aforementioned, yielding fields of misinformation which is perpetually spread throughout the internet.

Not arguing with u at all just making it clear to anyone that a uv will not cure ich I know what u wrote I can read.

Do u qt ur fish? If u don't with ur beleif in the ten years of running a properly implimented uv at ur best result of (gibberish u cm2) would u feel confident in throwing a known fish with ich or velvet into ur system? Cause the original post said to use a uv light to cure the diseases in the tank and I told the op that it doesn't work like that. Which it doesn't. So did u read? Would u do that with ur ten years of great results?

With someone not knowing anything and reading ur post it sure would seem that a uv could be used to cure fish. When it's not the case at all. This isn't a thread about uv it's a thread about his fish dieing. Could a uv light give more time yes it can but will it cure the fish from dieing nope.

 

[Richmond]

It could also be stray voltage... Multiple fish dying overnight makes me think electricity or ammonia.

 

[stunreefer]

Do u qt ur fish?

Absolutely.

(gibberish u cm2)

Science ≠ Gibberish.

With someone not knowing anything and reading ur post it sure would seem that a uv could be used to cure fish.

I cannot control people's comprehension of what I write, but what it wrote certainly does not say UV can be used to "cure fish".

I apologise if my post comes off as combative, it was not my intent, my sole intent was to stop the misinformation surrounding U/V from being spread.

U/V is a phenomenal tool if implemented properly, not only for fishes, but corals alike. I do not, and would never, advocate skipping quarantine.