Learning the hard way..

[Djmike]

Upsetting day today.. I lost 5 out of 7 fish overnight. I tested the water this morning and found out that my Nitrite level spiked to between 30-50. I have records from less than a week ago and the levels were fine. Don't have any idea what caused this.
My levels today are as follows:
Ammonia 0
P.H. 8.2
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 30
KH 2.5
Please feel free to comment.
Thanks,
Mike
40 gallon tank Red Sea Reefer 170

 

[tankstudy]

How many fish did you have a week ago?

 

[Djmike]

The same amount. I haven't put anything new in the tank in the the past 2 weeks.

 

[tankstudy]

When was the last time you put something in and how many things went in during that time?

 

[Djmike]

2 weeks ago I put in a fire shrimp and a damsel. Those were the last 2 things that went in.

 

[DracoKat]

how old is the tank?

 

[Ty Hamatake]

Was it your nitrite or nitrate that spiked (your post says nitrite, but your list looks like it was nitrate). Either way, how long has the tank been up and running? have you looked around to see if any of your CUC is missing? Maybe someone was hidden away rotting somewhere and it finally surpassed what your tank could handle.

 

[tankstudy]

So I'm going to speculate what may have happened.

What may have occurred is that your fish got sick. One death chained to another and the death of them is what caused the nitrite spike. Based off your information, if your spike of those levels were consumed overnight, your bacteria load is pretty strong.

 

[Djmike]

I cycled the tank for almost 10 weeks. it was a brand new tank with a new Octo skimmer etc... Yes it was the Nitrate level not the Nitrite level.

 

[Djmike]

Being I still have some live fish in there I am planning on doing a water change today to try and get the levels down if I can.it may be too late. I see my clown laying on its side but breathing. If I try to move him he suddenly swims but not for long..

 

[tankstudy]

I cycled the tank for almost 10 weeks. it was a brand new tank with a new Octo skimmer etc... Yes it was the Nitrate level not the Nitrite level.

The nitrate levels aren't that high then. Not good to keep it there but its not enough to say it was the main culprit. More than likely, you had a disease outbreak and it just took a lot of your fish.

Your tank cycle is good because if it wasn't, you'd still see the ammonia and nitrites lingering. Your bacteria load removed the ammonia pretty much as soon as it appeared.

I've had it where a fish seemed healthy and added it to my main system and lost a lot of them a few days later. Sometimes QT can only do so much.

Test your ammonia and nitrites one more time. If they are zero, do a water change. Don't add anything for awhile.

 

[Tahoe61]

Probably added too many fish too quickly to a newer tank and an ammonia spike occurred as evidenced by the nitrite spike. Ammonia burns gills at high enough levels slowly killing off the existing fish, this phenomena is sometimes called new tank syndrome. You might consider that you could have possibly been over feeding as well. I would not add any further live stock for a couple weeks and proceed with the planned water change since you do have live stock, consider bacteria in a bottle such as Microbacter7.

Good luck, it can be frustrating initially.

 

[themcnertney]

I agree. New tank with lots of livestock added too fast.
Small frequent water changes. Closely monitor your water parameters.

 

[nickenayat]

Marine velvet can be unnoticeable until the day everything dies. The scales of the fish will resemble velvet or be rather bumpy

 

[Salty1962]

With anew tank you have to be extra careful about the amount of livestock you add. I'm sorry for your losses but things will get better! Just go slow;)

 

[Djmike]

Did my water change today and the nitrate level looks like it may have dropped a little. The clown is also gone now. The damsel and the shrimp are still alive. If it was a disease I assume the rest will die also from it? I looked closely and didn't see anything on the skin as far as "velvet" or any kind of growth. I am going to wait a few weeks I guess before I try to add anything. Someone asked if I had a clean up crew. I don't. I was looking to add some but hadn't because I was told there probably wasn't enough for them to eat yet because it was so new and to give it time. That is true right? Well as much as this was a letdown I wont be giving up at this. I will let it take its course again.
Mike

 

[Ty Hamatake]

Did my water change today and the nitrate level looks like it may have dropped a little. The clown is also gone now. The damsel and the shrimp are still alive. If it was a disease I assume the rest will die also from it? I looked closely and didn't see anything on the skin as far as "velvet" or any kind of growth. I am going to wait a few weeks I guess before I try to add anything. Someone asked if I had a clean up crew. I don't. I was looking to add some but hadn't because I was told there probably wasn't enough for them to eat yet because it was so new and to give it time. That is true right? Well as much as this was a letdown I wont be giving up at this. I will let it take its course again.
Mike

That's a great attitude to have. Luckily it is early on, while a loss is a loss, this is honestly the best time to have one. A significant setback in the beginning can give you an invaluable learning experience without completely breaking you. It sounds so strange to not notice anything going on with the fish though. I don't know what the chances are, but you may have a bad test kit. Maybe take you water in to have it tested by an outside source before you go any further. Either way, take it slow and good luck!

 

[john.m.cole3]

Sorry for your losses. I had a mass die off in my QT tank before. I put 4 fish in there and was trying to get them to eat regularly. After 3 days, they were all bellied up. I blame that on an ammonia spike. It sounds like either ammonia or velvet to me, but I'm leaning towards ammonia. What are your export methods. Water changes (how often), skimmer, refugium, etc...?

 

[ahiggins]

Did you say your alkalinity is 2.5!?