Tank Restart - Fish Keep Dieing

[award212]

I recently restarted by 220g reef after marine velvet took out almost all my fish. After the velvet outbreak I took everything out of the tank. Quarantined and treated the remaining fish. Bleached the live rock, did a couple of freshwater soaks, power wash, and then allowed it to air dry for a few weeks.

I restarted the tank with the dry rock and added 50lbs of uncured live rock and all new sand. My cycle is now complete and I added my one of my remaining fish (green chromis) back to the tank. He lived for about 36 hours and then disappeared. I found him later stuck to one of the Vortechs. I tested my water only to find normal parameters.

Waited a few days and tried another fish (Bangi Cardinal). Same thing, lived about 36 hours and then died as well. I do have a few hermit crabs and a conch in the tank as well. They are all still alive and have been in the tank for about a week and a half now. The hermits are alive and I can seem them go in and out of their shells, but they haven't moved around the tank at all since introducing them. The conch seems unaffected and is acting normal.

Water parameters are as follows:

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
Phosphate .03
PH: 7.6 - 7.8
Salinity 1.024

At this point I'm at a loss for what to do and looking for any advice as to what might be going on. I'm beginning to wonder if there was still some remaining bleach on the rock despite a couple of freshwater soaks and allowing the rock to air dry for a few weeks.

I'm running carbon and I'm going to start in on some heavy water changes to see if that helps.

Any advice is much appreciated.

 

[Adrock]

when starting a tank you will need to let the tank cycle and testing for nitrate , if you have nitrate that means there is bacteria in the tank working . when you cycled the tank did you get a nitrate reading ?

 

[biocube40]

So you used actual household bleach to clean your LR? That's your problem right there. It doesn't matter how many soaks or how long you let the rock dry, you will almost certainly still have residual bleach in there. You have to assume that's your problem until proven otherwise.

 

[award212]

I did get a nitrate reading as part of my cycle. Nitrate increased to 40 during the cycle and then came back down now that the cycle is over. I do have some algae in the tank that is most likely absorbing whatever nitrate there is.

 

[jman9331]

Your PH is a little low as well ideal PH is 8.1-8.4

 

[scchase]

No bleach isn't he problem unless it was scented. Bleach in a open tank will dissipate naturally after about a week.

 

[award212]

Your PH is a little low as well ideal PH is 8.1-8.4

I'm working to bring that up. My Alk is a little low as well at 7.4 Dkh. I'm going to start dosing to brink the Alk up slowly. My tanks have always run between 7.8 and 8 for PH. Since the restart this one is running a little lower. I'm unsure at what level PH becomes dangerous for fish.