Hi, I’m new to saltwater fish and I think I researched everything to get started, but either we had bad luck or I’m missing something in the tank. Here is how I started,
37 gal tank 30x15x22H
Live sand
Live and dry rock about 25 to 30 lbs
AC70 filter
Heater
Red Sea salt mix
Sicce nano 2000 pumps X2
I cycled the tank fishless. Use ammonia and bacteria.
After completing cycle I did a water change. Checked water parameters and everything was in range whether it be mid or high in range. Salinity was 1.025 to 1.026
Day 1: We got some corals and a pair of small clownfish from non chain FS that had a bunch of saltwater fish. it was about 1.5 hr drive home. I acclimate only by floating bag and because I kinda saw one fish not moving as much. Once I put the fish in the one that was not moving as much was having trouble immediately. At this point we only had one sicce pump on. They seem to have trouble swimming in flow. I placed the pump to face current away hitting a glas to get flow away from them. A few hours later the small one died. By morning the other one died. I tested the water they came in and salinity was fine and close to mine. Only kh,mg,ca were higher than recommended from the reading I had done, but I don’t think that would be an issue for them.
Day 2: I checked the water parameters and seemed fine, no ammonia or nitrite. I did a water change just in case. I went to a local chain store and got a pair of slightly bigger clown fish. 40 min drive home. When I got home I floated the bag, this time I was going to add some tank water to the bag to acclimate that way, but when I check salinity in the bag it was 1.001 or so. I triple checked it. I checked my tank and even calibrated the refractometer. That was salinity in the bag. I started slowly adding tank water to bring up salinity slowly without leaving them in the bag too long. I don’t know if the store did a mistake and added freshwater or their tanks are messed up. It is what it is at that point. Once I added them to the tank they seemed fine but would hang out in an area for the most part.
Day 3: they both made it to morning, later I added the second pump for corals going by that one would not be enough flow but to me it seemed like no matter how I placed them it was too much flow for the fish and later even seemed to much for the corals as a whole . Mostly lps and a couple soft. So most of the day I had both pumps. In the evening I turned off one because it just seemed to much for the fish. I noticed that the bigger of the two would stay in place more.
Day 4: I woke up to find the bigger of the two fish dead. We can’t figure out what is going on.
Ideas:
1. the pumps which are 530 gph each were and are too much flow, maybe even one at 530 gph seems too much. These pumps are stream pumps could that be it?
2. Could it have been the salinity in the bag being low?
can anyone say if we are missing something to check as nothing looks or tests abnormal. Besides the flow of pumps.
We are holding off getting fish until I can figure this out.
37 gal tank 30x15x22H
Live sand
Live and dry rock about 25 to 30 lbs
AC70 filter
Heater
Red Sea salt mix
Sicce nano 2000 pumps X2
I cycled the tank fishless. Use ammonia and bacteria.
After completing cycle I did a water change. Checked water parameters and everything was in range whether it be mid or high in range. Salinity was 1.025 to 1.026
Day 1: We got some corals and a pair of small clownfish from non chain FS that had a bunch of saltwater fish. it was about 1.5 hr drive home. I acclimate only by floating bag and because I kinda saw one fish not moving as much. Once I put the fish in the one that was not moving as much was having trouble immediately. At this point we only had one sicce pump on. They seem to have trouble swimming in flow. I placed the pump to face current away hitting a glas to get flow away from them. A few hours later the small one died. By morning the other one died. I tested the water they came in and salinity was fine and close to mine. Only kh,mg,ca were higher than recommended from the reading I had done, but I don’t think that would be an issue for them.
Day 2: I checked the water parameters and seemed fine, no ammonia or nitrite. I did a water change just in case. I went to a local chain store and got a pair of slightly bigger clown fish. 40 min drive home. When I got home I floated the bag, this time I was going to add some tank water to the bag to acclimate that way, but when I check salinity in the bag it was 1.001 or so. I triple checked it. I checked my tank and even calibrated the refractometer. That was salinity in the bag. I started slowly adding tank water to bring up salinity slowly without leaving them in the bag too long. I don’t know if the store did a mistake and added freshwater or their tanks are messed up. It is what it is at that point. Once I added them to the tank they seemed fine but would hang out in an area for the most part.
Day 3: they both made it to morning, later I added the second pump for corals going by that one would not be enough flow but to me it seemed like no matter how I placed them it was too much flow for the fish and later even seemed to much for the corals as a whole . Mostly lps and a couple soft. So most of the day I had both pumps. In the evening I turned off one because it just seemed to much for the fish. I noticed that the bigger of the two would stay in place more.
Day 4: I woke up to find the bigger of the two fish dead. We can’t figure out what is going on.
Ideas:
1. the pumps which are 530 gph each were and are too much flow, maybe even one at 530 gph seems too much. These pumps are stream pumps could that be it?
2. Could it have been the salinity in the bag being low?
can anyone say if we are missing something to check as nothing looks or tests abnormal. Besides the flow of pumps.
We are holding off getting fish until I can figure this out.
