Please help!! Fish keep dying

[gshoff87]

Let me start this by saying I am VERY new to the saltwater community so my apologies if I don’t use correct terms or sound dumb. 3 months ago I bought a waterbox cube 20 set up. The tank has fully cycled and all levels are within normal/functional range. For two months I had a very happy and jolly pair of clownfish. As time progressed I decided to add a hammer and a torch. Around the time my tank started to have a smell, the water wasn’t as clean as I would like it to be. So a friend recommended I put in a bag of chemi pure blue. Within 2 days water looked awesome and corals and fish were happy.

All of a sudden I noticed one night while cleaning my tank that my clowns were acting funny, panting and almost completely laying on the bottom. I even tried putting a pinch of pellets in to see if they got energetic as the normally do and nothing. Fast forward two days later and both have died. Immediately after I checked all levels in my water and yet again everything looked “normal”.

So today I went to my local fish store and bought two clowns and a blue damsel, I drip acclimated and got them in the tank. I went outside for 2 hours maybe and by the time I came back in the blue damsel was dead and the two clowns were on their way out. my two corals are perfect, I’ve got 4 hermits and two snails that are business as usual, but fish perish almost immediately. Could it be the chemi pure blue? Do I have a crazy parasite? I’m thinking of doing the fishless period for 6 weeks. Does anyone else have suggestions?

 

[ihavecrabs]

Let me start this by saying I am VERY new to the saltwater community so my apologies if I don’t use correct terms or sound dumb. 3 months ago I bought a waterbox cube 20 set up. The tank has fully cycled and all levels are within normal/functional range. For two months I had a very happy and jolly pair of clownfish. As time progressed I decided to add a hammer and a torch. Around the time my tank started to have a smell, the water wasn’t as clean as I would like it to be. So a friend recommended I put in a bag of chemi pure blue. Within 2 days water looked awesome and corals and fish were happy.

All of a sudden I noticed one night while cleaning my tank that my clowns were acting funny, panting and almost completely laying on the bottom. I even tried putting a pinch of pellets in to see if they got energetic as the normally do and nothing. Fast forward two days later and both have died. Immediately after I checked all levels in my water and yet again everything looked “normal”.

So today I went to my local fish store and bought two clowns and a blue damsel, I drip acclimated and got them in the tank. I went outside for 2 hours maybe and by the time I came back in the blue damsel was dead and the two clowns were on their way out. my two corals are perfect, I’ve got 4 hermits and two snails that are business as usual, but fish perish almost immediately. Could it be the chemi pure blue? Do I have a crazy parasite? I’m thinking of doing the fishless period for 6 weeks. Does anyone else have suggestions?

Can you take a picture of the tank to share with us? My first guess is the fish are not getting enough oxygen. Corals looking healthy typically rules out chemicals.

What is the temp?

 

[gshoff87]

Can you take a picture of the tank to share with us? My first guess is the fish are not getting enough oxygen. Corals looking healthy typically rules out chemicals.

What is the temp?

I have a buddy that suggested it also might be an oxygen issue, when he said that I pointed my return pump nozzle alittle more towards the surface. Temp normally doesn’t fall to far below 78-79. Just took those pics and turned the lights on. That’s why corals aren’t out.

 

[BoneDoc]

You might want to take your water to the store and have them check it just in case your test kit wasn’t good. Sorry to hear about your tank

 

[ihavecrabs]

I have a buddy that suggested it also might be an oxygen issue, when he said that I pointed my return pump nozzle alittle more towards the surface. Temp normally doesn’t fall to far below 78-79. Just took those pics and turned the lights on. That’s why corals aren’t ou

Awesome, that was exactly my next recommendation.

next time you add a fish, definitely take a sample with you like the reefer above mentioned. I’d also only start with a single fish and see how it goes.

 

[mike550]

@gshoff87 sorry to hear about your tank. My reaction is like yours. If the only thing that really changed was adding the Chemi Pure I would take it out. Maybe add carbon to filter any toxins (?)

I’d also do some big water changes. Maybe 30% per day for the next few days if you can.

 

[A2dahlberg]

What kind of test kit are you using?
I have 3 fish in a 13.5 and they have enough oxygen, and he has more surface agitation than I do. ( Clown, Spotted Blenny, Cardinal.)

 

[brandon429]

Agreed there isn’t an oxygen issue in anyone’s reef, this was common fish disease through skipping fallow and quarantine preps.

 

[phillybean]

Agreed there isn’t an oxygen issue in anyone’s reef, this was common fish disease through skipping fallow and quarantine preps.

I think there is something else, no disease I know would kill the fish in two hours. Getting a 3rd party to test the water will be key here, my guess is a Salinity issue.

OP, what are you using for top off water?

 

[brandon429]

The disease forum disagrees, several clues here indicate disease if we compare symptoms from that forum and if we factor that zero disease preps were made for the tank here. First clue: only fish die