Lost foxface , lost clown. After water change?

[gryphon]

Hey, i have 46 gal,live rock.live sand, fluval, protein skimmer, water tests etc. Long story short. I did water change like normal, just a 5 gal change from same lfs as always, the next day my.foxface went dark,[stressed] 24 hrs later, floating sideways, barely breathing, i tested water , all good. 0 amm, 0 nitra, 0 nitrite 8.2ph, salt 1.021/1.022. Perfect! As it has been. Had foxy in there over 4 weeks and no problems. He didnt make it. Dead in 48 to 72 hrs. I took water sample to lfs, he got same readings and had.no answer on the death. Now, 2 days ago, black n white clown, exhibit dame sideways swimming, but, clowns r clowns?! Right? Nope. I woke up this morning just checked tank, clown dead. The 4 other fish in tank perfectly fine. Water test perfect. So, could the water change have done it? Im confused. Advice? Anybody have this happen? Thanks.

 

[gryphon]

Could it have been a bad batch of salt water from lfs guy?

 

[wish]

So you have 7 fish in 46g tank? What are the other 4 fish?
Check your heater if its cracked or broken? Look for stray voltage too.

 

[JakeShu]

did you happen to test the level of salt in the water from your LFS? maybe it was higher then in your tank causing the fish to be shocked and stressed.

 

[Areseebee]

Stray voltage definitely sounds possible. Also how old is the tank?

Also what test kits are you using... specifically for ammonia. I'm guessing the LFS uses the same?

 

[gryphon]

Heater new. Test kit is that api one. 30 bux. I didnt test salinity from lfs. Ive been using same store for 10 mnths. In the 46 penta. They are all small fish, goby. Firefish, it was a small blk white clown, small foxface, and purple orange bit bigger firefish, but i didnt overcrowd tank. Its well established. Tank running 6 mnths. No problems prior to the this death event. Others appear in fine condition. A different lfs store tested my water , and said all.is good as well. Thats why i think that 5 gallons killed them... sigh....

 

[gryphon]

 

[gryphon]

Hmmm. I just realized i still have enough of that batch left in that drum to test it by itself, ill do that tonight after work and post results. I also wonder why the other fish are doing fine?

 

[Areseebee]

Honestly, even if the salinity is off, you are talking about a 10% water change. I doubt that's it.

A recurring theme with the API kits seems to be that people don't allow the color to develop for reasons that are hard to understand. I just want to verify: you follow the directions right? It feels like every week we see it "Oh no, I don't wait 5 minutes, I just read it right away".

 

[gryphon]

Yes, scoop vial, drops in per directions, shake, let sit. 5 min. All 5 tests come up in the clearm. 00000 8.2 ph. "Scratches head"***shrugs.....i wanna scream....

 

[Rory's Reef]

Do you QT all new additions? When was the last addition?

 

[gryphon]

And just to repost, a seperate , different lfs store , also tested a water sample, and all levels perfect.

 

[gryphon]

The 2 i lost were acclimated and added 4 weeks ago. And never had an any issue. Sadly, i dont have a qt tank. But i think i just learned i may need one. I just cant fathom a complete crash in 24 hrs tho... im telling ya, that fox face saw me doing the water change, minor sand suction, and freaked, turned all brown, and never came back to normal mode. And then similar with clown. Grrrr.

 

[Rory's Reef]

The 2 i lost were acclimated and added 4 weeks ago. And never had an any issue. Sadly, i dont have a qt tank. But i think i just learned i may need one. I just cant fathom a complete crash in 24 hrs tho... im telling ya, that fox face saw me doing the water change, minor sand suction, and freaked, turned all brown, and never came back to normal mode. And then similar with clown. Grrrr.

The water from the LFS would've had to have something drastically wrong with it to cause the fish to die, IMO. And I think they would have received reports from other customers if that was the case. Fish die for many reasons and sometimes we just don't know why (which can be extremely frustrating). The stress from the water change may have also made them more susceptible to a disease already present in your tank that they were fighting off up till then too.

My suggestion would be to watch the fish you have closely and if you see any changes try and get some pictures and ask the experts on here. I would also set up a QT for any future additions.

Some others with more knowledge than me may have some input as to what else could have caused this. Sorry for your loss!

 

[ebushrow]

Something is missing here.....I cannot put my finger on it but let's ask #reefsquad

 

[melypr1985]

What other symptoms did you notice in the fish that died? Heavy breathing, spots, swimming into the flow of a powerhead, twitching, yawning, flashing and scratching? Have any cleaning products been used around or near the tank? Even just in the same room? What about scented candles?

 

[reefwiser]

Are we sure that the LFS gave you Saltwater? I have seen case's where they gave a person RO/DI water instead. Did you check the salinity and temp before doing the water change. There was a drastic water change condition that caused two fish to die.

 

[gryphon]

No cleaning products in room. No candels. I have a video of the clown, i found, swimming slanted, heavy breathing, ill try to convert it and upload. ...for reefwiser.... temp was room temp. And i have a tiny bit left in that tub i got,im gonna test after work.

 

[gryphon]

Ok. Tested tank water, salinity fine. I did 6 seperate tests on the leftover salt water from lfs..... all high, over line. never NEVER TRUST store without testing water before adding. That water killed my poor foxface... now, how hard is it to make my own salt water, ? Since most of u do it? Thanku. Ill never go there again.

 

[gryphon]

And. Any recommendations on a 100$ ro di system? Thnx