Real problem and need help fast

[ghill]

for 3 days I fought green algae growing on my nano 20 gallon fish only tank glass. Following a day with the window next to the tank shaded with a blackout shade the growth on the glass is gone but I woke up today with a milky tank. So far it has cost me a fox face and a bigeye soldier. I have replaced 20% of the water and will be running out to get a bubbler. The tank paramaters include "0" ammonia and nitrites and nitrate at 10. PH is 8.2; alkalinity at 1320; calcium at 420; magnesium at 1000; and phosphate at 0.01.

 

[Doctorgori]

I always say don’t fight water quality issues with light. Oddly enough you might run the phosphate a lil higher. You can spot treat with peroxide if so versed.
White light does not cause algae…
Added, any chance something else is going on, on second thought doesn’t seem anything you did caused those deaths tbh

 

[Jekyl]

Can we have some pics? Given a ph of 8.2 I'm not sure it's leading to the loss of fish. As well as algae being on the glass is a seemingly normal thing. Both fish you mentioned need much larger systems. Were they quarantined? Eating?

 

[ghill]

the light I was shutting down was the daylight from a window that faces south. What would cause the glass algea to disappear and the tank water to turn milky

 

[ghill]

Can we have some pics? Given a ph of 8.2 I'm not sure it's leading to the loss of fish. As well as algae being on the glass is a seemingly normal thing. Both fish you mentioned need much larger systems. Were they quarantined? Eating?

the fish that have died were juveniles and were meant only to be kept for a few months. big eye solder has been with us for 3 months and the foxface for a month. Both were healthy active and eating yesterday. Only when the tank turned milky did they pass. The other fish in the tank, 2 engineer gobys, a clown, a small royal blue two ltas and 2 shrimp. Also have a conch and several snails and one hermit crab. tank is a little over a month out of cycling and was doing super until..... I am new to this hobby.

 

[Jekyl]

the fish that have died were juveniles and were meant only to be kept for a few months. big eye solder has been with us for 3 months and the foxface for a month. Both were healthy active and eating yesterday. Only when the tank turned milky did they pass. The other fish in the tank, 2 engineer gobys, a clown, a small royal blue two ltas and 2 shrimp. Also have a conch and several snails and one hermit crab. tank is a little over a month out of cycling and was doing super until..... I am new to this hobby.

Blooms are a normal thing and can definitely cause oxygen issues in the tank. So for sure something to be wary for. Also that is a lot of fish in a short time in a small area. I would have to imagine there is some aggression going on.

Sometimes text can be deceiving so please don't take this is me talking down to you. This hobby is best taken slow as there can be many issues that pop up along the way.

Do you have a quarantine system? I'm still not willing to rule out illness as being in the mix of this. Are all fish eating? Can you please post some white light pics and a short video of your fish and tank?

 

[ghill]

Blooms are a normal thing and can definitely cause oxygen issues in the tank. So for sure something to be wary for. Also that is a lot of fish in a short time in a small area. I would have to imagine there is some aggression going on.

Sometimes text can be deceiving so please don't take this is me talking down to you. This hobby is best taken slow as there can be many issues that pop up along the way.

Do you have a quarantine system? I'm still not willing to rule out illness as being in the mix of this. Are all fish eating? Can you please post some white light pics and a short video of your fish and tank?

 

[ghill]

I read in another post to add an airstone to put additional oxygen in the tank. It does have a protean skimmer.

 

[Jekyl]

I read in another post to add an airstone to put additional oxygen in the tank. It does have a protean skimmer.

Skimmer will provide enough gas exchange on its own even without an airstone. I would keep a close eye on remaining fish. Anything on their skin, lack of eating, quick breathing and flashing.

 

[ghill]

They are earlier. They are all staying near the bottom of the tank. Sure wish there was something I could do to help the situation.

 

[ghill]

Nothing on the skins. Two dead fish had no external signs of disease. One minute they were swimming around and the next lying on their as side.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

The tank is overstocked with too many fish that should be in much larger tanks, and you have way too little rock, especially for the number of fish in the tank. It is a very high stress tank for fish. Better to rehome some of those fish and go slowly and stock according to the size of your tank.

 

[ghill]

Message understood. Problem is I have no place to put the remaining fish. I have another tank (20) but I am reluctant to add to their load.

 

[Doctorgori]

The tank is overstocked with too many fish that should be in much larger tanks, and you have way too little rock, especially for the number of fish in the tank

succinct and accurate
I'd send you some pre cycled media if I were confident my tanks are 100% ich free … maybe take a ride down i90 to Salty Critter, they got a bin of precycled rock.
Advise a seat cushion as they might go deep$$$$, won’t be cheap
Check out KP Aquatics for nano fish, they got a great assortment of gobies, basslets et et …also got gulf rock

 

[ghill]

This royal blue just turned up dead. Note large white spot behind gill.

 

[Doctorgori]

You might need to do a full tank reset … might sound drastic/over reaction but might have just started out wrong…it happens
added: Mentor OH? if true I think BLUE Aquarium in Mayfield is closer …
….also think/ research nano aquarium fish

 

[ghill]

You might need to do a full tank reset … might sound drastic/over reaction but might have just started out wrong…it happens

 

[ghill]

perhaps a dumb question but what is involved in a full tank reset?

 

[Doctorgori]

perhaps a dumb question but what is involved in a full tank reset?

not a dumb question at all, but the answer could be long …
I’d rethink/limit my stocking choices to smaller fish:
Clowns, blennies, gobies, et et

I know re-homing fish is a popular thing now, but I’ve been in saltwater for 50 years, not bragging but thinking about how many fish I’ve bought, and lost

Since I don’t own a 3000 gallon public aquarium, and all of those fish I’ve bought are now gone, few if any were rehomed ….IMSO, I don’t see rehoming as a sustainable long term option, especially for a 20gal

If it were me, I’d let the tank go fallow and empty for a few weeks, get some more rock . Get yourself a new stocking wish list and we can all help you from there with the best order to stock your tank…

Also I’d advise a build thread…I don’t participate but that’s where the party is at…

 

[ghill]

no a dumb question at all but the answer could be long …
I’d rethink/limit my stocking choices to smaller fish:
Clowns, blennies, gobies, et et

I know re-homing fish is a popular thing now, but I’ve been in saltwater for 50 years, not bragging but thinking about how many fish I’ve bought, and lost

Since I don’t own a 3000 gallon public aquarium, and all of those fish I’ve bought are now gone, few if any were rehomed ….IMSO, I don’t see rehoming as a sustainable long term option, especially for a 20gal

If it were me, I’d let the tank go fallow and empty for a few weeks, get some more rock . Get yourself a new stocking wish list and we can all help you from there with the best order to stock your tank…

Also I’d advise a build thread…I don’t participate but that’s where the party is at…

the 3 remaining fish, a large clown fish, 2 engineer gobies, 2 medium size LTAs, one cleaner shrimp, one fire shrimp, a conch and several other snails are left. The big eye red soldier fish that I thought was a goner yesterday is attempting to recover after a night in a quarantine bucket. I only have one other 20 Gal long tank that is mixed reef and I do not want to accommodate this squad in there. What if I purchase some more live rock and just let it ride for a month or two while monitoring the tank chemistry? So far I have lost the fox face and royal blue tank, interestingly enough, both purchased from a regional lfs. The other fish came from a west coast supplier who has provided very healthy fish previously.