Tank crashing!

LAReefer4Life

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New rock could have started a cycle or introduced a parasite if it was not cured and quarantined.

Dinos may have produced enough toxins to kill the fish.
Sorry about your problems.. the newly introduce Rock may have caused a spike in ammonia or could have been carrying pathogens.

+1
 

Cell

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Can you elaborate on the dry rock addition? How much rock was added and how much existing rock was there? Did you just add new rock or did you also remove some existing rock?
 

dansreef

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I am sorry to hear about your loss. A couple of quick questions...

Have you confirmed that you have Dinos? Has any been put under a microscope?

What do you use for topoff water? What did you use for water to cure the rock you got from the LFS? You said you replaced 100% of the water while curing... Are you using tap? RODI?

As suggested, I would run carbon in your tank asap.

Your alkalinity is kind of high... I would work it down some. What salt are you using? When was the last time you did a water change in the tank? What was the source... did you do it yourself or get it from the LFS? If you did not mix the salt yourself, do you validate the salinity? Temp? etc...?

What else are you adding to your tank? Are you dosing anything?

Again, I am sorry to hear of your losses.
 

William Mumford

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That sounds like a fish disease more than anything could the rock have been infected with ich or another quick killer. I know that it would be a long shot but it is possible that the rock had ich or another disease and transferred it to the fish.
 

willieboy240

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You said you soaked the rock for 2 weeks. Did you seed it or just put it in saltwater ? Did you test the water of the container the rock was in to see if it fully cycled ?
 

MERKEY

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With absolutely no signs on the fish before dying there is no way to know if it was a parasite or not.

Usually even quick killers like velvet show signs. Even the slightest hue of white coating could have been it. But as you said there were NO signs.

If the rock was introduced as you said and cycled them it's hard to think it caused a mini cycle.

It is a mystery....

I'm sorry and following to learn.
 

stephj03

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How often are you testing your water and with what kits?

Are those numbers an avg that you usually see, or are the the most recent test day?

Do you have test numbers from just before rock was added and before the first fish died?
 

stephj03

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If those numbers are current, and it was a chemistry issue (toxin or cycle related), most of whatever happened has likely stopped happening or has at least peaked.

If the rock was fully dry and it only touched your tank water before going into your tank then it's unlikely it brought any disease that wasn't already in the tank.IMO

If it were me, I'd get a 5g bucket and take a breath, and decide to do one of 2 things with that bucket.

1. Fill the bucket with new water, add my smallest powerhead and heater and transfer remaining fish. If you have a QT tank use that instead. Write down any signs of stress/disease for the next few days and share here. Be prepared to medicate and expect additional losses to occur

2. Use the bucket once a day for a 10% water change every day for the next wk (siphon out whatever is growing each time) while reducing photoperiod in half. Be prepared for additional losses but do not medicate.

I would likely choose 2 based on you coral looking OK in the pic. Depending on how long before or after the losses you got those test numbers, I would prob guess the rock changed you water chemistry enough to stress a few of your fish and that made them suceptible to pathogens already in the tank.

FWIW I usually see losses of corals first when chemistry gets out of whack. But I'm a stick guy and they hate change.

HTH
 

stephj03

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Whatever you do, avoid major changes. Whatever you were doing to achieve the numbers you showed is mostly working.

Tank issues roll down hill fast, don't attempt to make it run back up hill just as fast or it'll just roll back over you.IME
 

BornHandy

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I would be real suspicious of those dinos producing some toxic byproduct ... Get yourself some carbon in there for sure, and a series of water changes to siphon that stuff out.

Reducing light should also reduce the dinos. It's where I would start. Good luck.
 

Dom

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It has been suggested that disease may have been introduced to the tank with the addition of new rock.

Fish diseases are not a strength for me. And do to their nature (requiring a host as part of their life cycle), I need to understand how disease can be transported on rock... especially DRY rock.

I once dropped (2) 10 pound pieces of dry rock in a tank right out of the box. The two clowns in the tank didn't seem to mind, but what a nightmare I had with hair algae!

I am inclined to think that the rock wasn't completely cycled before it went in. But is unicycle rock enough to kill fish as hearty as Clowns??
 

destro

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I did some more thinking.

What are you feeding your fish? Check expiry date if it's pellets and flakes. If it's frozen, are you mixing it with anything that may have contaminated or spoiled the food.
 
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