How many corals/fishes have you lost in your first tank

[Blake423]

Hi,

Just curious, how many corals/fishes have you lost in your first tank (sump at the bottom)?
I have lost 2 fishes and several corals and tank is around 9 month old now, this journey is full of excitement and frustration.

Fishes:
Mandarin Dragonet (starve, won't open her mouth)
Fire Goby (not sure why)

Corals:
Hammers * 2 (probably because nitrate being too low, but my frogspawn is doing ok)
Torches * 2 (probably because nitrate being too low, but my frogspawn is doing ok)
Monti Cap
Pocillopora
Purple Digitata
Elegance (sudden increase in lighting)
Acan (probably because nitrate being too low)
A green BTA and a purple tip BTA (probably the tank is too new)
About to lose the pink birdsnest (not sure why, my millepora is doing ok)

Thanks

 

[blaxsun]

Corals and inverts I stopped keeping count. In terms of fish, I detailed my losses for the past year here.

Large Build - Blaxsun's Abyss: Red Sea 750XXL

Yes, this build thread is long overdue. Life happens, and while you're busy doing other things you realize an entire year has passed - so it's time to get the lead out and stop procrastinating. I'll be updating this thread will all my trials and tribulations, successes and failures (some quite...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[polyppal]

Pretty typical, I’ve lost way more corals than fish over the years. Mostly wild corals - hence why I don’t buy non-aquacultured anymore. They seem to rarely hold onto that newly imported color/vibrancy, or just plain ol die in a few weeks

 

[ZoWhat]

 

[KStatefan]

New setup has been wet for almost one year

Small Black and white clown (received two free with my order thought I had more time until i needed to rehome the extra picasso percula is in the refugium)
Spotted yellow eye tang only lasted three days

Coral
A number of micromussa have not made it out of the qt tank
a couple cheap SPS have not made it
one candy cane coral
one goniopora has not made it

all of the zoas I have purchased have made it to the display tank

 

[Timfish]

My first 4 systems were set up in the mid/late '80s. I'd like to say I still have some of my original animals but sadly at most I think I just had some damsels and a clown survive into the '90s.

 

[WVNed]

100% for me as well. I am embarrassed when I look back at my first tank. It was tiny and full of things I wanted to look at and not things that could live successfully in it.

 

[Oregon Grown Reef]

I lost count long ago...or maybe I stopped counting? Sometimes when it's quiet enough, I can hear the cries of them all.

 

[Mhamilton0911]

I'm a year in, I've lost 0 fish (out of the 6 i have purchased), only a few snails and a single hermit were lost due to a predatory leopard polyclad flatworm, but that wasn't my fault and I've caught and removed the flatworm. But I have lost a handful of corals, a few LPS and starter sps, a bta and a couple other anenomes (one mini max carpet and a rock flower anemone. )

Overall I think I've been pretty lucky with my livestock, no qt or any treatment. I am planning on a large upgrade and I will use my current tank to medicate the fish I currently have before they enter the new DT, and all future fish will also be medicated.

 

[ScubaFish802]

Lost a lawnmower blenny in my 1st year and had blue green chromis that went in less than a day.

Corals (LPS specifically) are really hit or miss.. although it doesn’t help that frags now are like the size of a quarter.. doesn’t really set up anything for a strong start

 

[WVNed]

Attitudes have changed over time. People seem to talk about the things that die a lot now.
I like to think about the things that did amazingly well in my tanks.
Eventually they died too. All things die eventually.
So will you.

 

[Starquake]

Lost a diamond goby and a blue rockjaw when I bought the rockjaw and didn't quarantine it and it turned out to have velvet. Also lost a lubbock's fairy wrasse to a small gap in my lid when it decided to go carpet surfing. The cat got a tasty treat, and I got a better fitting lid.

 

[DarthRaiderBob]

I'm luckier than some that I acquired a fully running tank. I've lost 2 fish and I'm losing a coral now but it was attached to a coral I bought so a freebie. My biggest fight has been testing as the previous owner didn't test and water parameters were out of whack but he only had fish. Tank seems to be doing well now thankfully.

 

[G Santana]

In 17 months of this go around, I have lost no fish and that's considering that I cycled my tank with a yellow and purple tang, those boys are well.

My biggest loss was definitely my fault, I got a maxima clam last June at Reefapalooza, I had no business getting it that soon and I knew it, ignorance directed that purchase and it died a few months later. I have lost 5 frags or so but mainly for the same reason, my tank really wasn't ready.
The pieces purchased after the tank was matured are all doing well.

Don't buy stuff before your tank is ready, you'll know when it's ready so as much as you'd like, hold off on those purchases.

 

[EricR]

1 fish loss in 1 year of "fish" -- hastily bought two juvenile clowns (((long story))) and found one clinging to life while being shredded by hermit crabs on day 2. (The other is still going strong and is more likely to take me down via "death by mutilated hand in tank")

No coral losses yet but I only started with zoanthids 5-6 months ago. (7 total right now)

I've had inverts longer and no substantial deaths other than a couple little guys falling to predation of some sort

 

[SlugSnorter]

Hi,

Just curious, how many corals/fishes have you lost in your first tank (sump at the bottom)?
I have lost 2 fishes and several corals and tank is around 9 month old now, this journey is full of excitement and frustration.

Fishes:
Mandarin Dragonet (starve, won't open her mouth)
Fire Goby (not sure why)

Corals:
Hammers * 2 (probably because nitrate being too low, but my frogspawn is doing ok)
Torches * 2 (probably because nitrate being too low, but my frogspawn is doing ok)
Monti Cap
Pocillopora
Purple Digitata
Elegance (sudden increase in lighting)
Acan (probably because nitrate being too low)
A green BTA and a purple tip BTA (probably the tank is too new)
About to lose the pink birdsnest (not sure why, my millepora is doing ok)

Thanks

2 fishes.

clownfish and hectors goby

my previous LFS sold me a 100$ "QTed clown"

It had brook and nuked the tank.

 

[Forty-Two]

1 snail.

Im concerned I may be about to lose my first coral, by clowns that have ‘loved it to death’

 

[doubleshot00]

I applaud the no fish loss people. I havent been so lucky and this was just in the last three months. And apparently the first 6 fish i added to my tank were supposed to die according to R2R posters but are all alive and well.

Had two leopard wrasse die within the last two weeks (one lasted 4 days the second lasted 3 day. All in Observation QT). Kole tang died from QT procedure (ammonia spike). Firefish died from another firefish. 2- clowns to brook. Tailspot died to velvet. Yellow watchman goby just MIA (haven't seen since introduced).

Corals one hammer frag.

 

[Dburr1014]

early 90's my first tank was a disaster. I bought the whole setup from a co-worker who had a night job in a lfs. Lost everything but a lion fish that I brought back to the store for credit. So sad

 

[Idech]

After 14 months in saltwater, I lost 2 fish (to brook) and 3-4 corals.