Had my tank running for few weeks to cycle through and just recently bought two clowns and two snails...but both clowns were dead if just 5 days...they were active at first, but there had been a temp drop from 82 to 74 in a day...I don't know if that cause their misery...but both turbo snails are still doing okay...all my water parameters are good w/ readings at or near zero...HELP...I don't know if there's anything toxic in the water, but the snails would've gone first?? I'm clueless and I don't want to run out to get more fishes now...:frustrat::frustrat::frustrat:
Help...clowns dead
- Thread starter Jojo1628
- Start date
cgoodman381
can i put whtever i want?
the temp change didnt help. Your tank probably isnt cycled all the way either. Did you see an ammonia and nitrate spike? You said your water was at or near zero. If nitrites or ammonia is even .25 it can kill off ur fish.
I was checking my water every other day and the readings for both amonia and nitrites were at zero...I'm pretty sure the tank is fully cycled as I had 50 bls of live sand and 40lbs live rocks for a 30 gallon tank...what else could it be maybe something in the water?? but shouldn't the snails be more sensitive?
Gooseman
Reefing Is An Obsession
you only had your tank up for 2 weeks and then got fish :shock: ... more than likely your parameters were out of whack ... your water can test fine in the first month but still not be completely cycled ... no fish should be added to a tank for at least 4-5 weeks ... it is just asking for trouble
cgoodman381
can i put whtever i want?
Yea, even with your tests im thinking it wasnt completely cycled.
dustin_P74
Reef enthusiast
once your tank parameters were reading ok did you do a water change?
My tank has been setup for like 4-5 weeks...but after the tank cycled through, I only did like 10% water changes on a weekly basis...is that a mistake?? Should I be doing something like 50% water change after the tank has been cycled? I tested no traces of spike in amonia/nitrites so far...and the snails are doing okay going around the tank...
Piggy
Reef enthusiast
Did you have your water tested by the LFS? Sometimes you get a bad test kit. Seeing you added live rock and live sand you could of had a small cycle or none at all. As for temp that is a big drop. You should not let it wave no more then 1 or 2 degrees. The less the better. After my cycle I did a 50% water change then waited a few weeks before I added fish. I would do a water change, test paremeters,take a sample to LFS and then wait a week or so before I add another fish.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
I believe that your tank was done cycling if ammonia and nitrites were testing at zero. Adding two fish at once may have been too much fish load for the newly cycled tank to handle though.
10% once a week water changes are not bad, unless your see ammonia or nitrites.
What kind of water did you use to set up your tank? If it was tap water, were you sure to dechlorinate it?
The temperature swing could have definitely killed fish that were already stressed. It's best to keep temp swings less than 3 or 4 degrees within a 24 hour period. The ocean is a big volume of water, and the temps of the ocean are naturally very stable.
In a new tank, stuff like this happens. It's unpredictable and sometimes we have no idea why. No matter what our best efforts are, some deaths happen. Don't get discouraged, and don't beat yourself up over this. Take a week or two to make sure your water parameters are good before trying another fish, and this time, add just one.
10% once a week water changes are not bad, unless your see ammonia or nitrites.
What kind of water did you use to set up your tank? If it was tap water, were you sure to dechlorinate it?
The temperature swing could have definitely killed fish that were already stressed. It's best to keep temp swings less than 3 or 4 degrees within a 24 hour period. The ocean is a big volume of water, and the temps of the ocean are naturally very stable.
In a new tank, stuff like this happens. It's unpredictable and sometimes we have no idea why. No matter what our best efforts are, some deaths happen. Don't get discouraged, and don't beat yourself up over this. Take a week or two to make sure your water parameters are good before trying another fish, and this time, add just one.
sen5241b
Reef enthusiast
The snails can better survive a temp. swing then the fish.
thanks for all the great inputs...I guess I'll do like 50% RO water change and then let it sit for another week before adding another clown...but can anyone tell me that shouldn't the snails be more sensitive to the water than the fish? If water is not good, I would think the snails would be gone by now...
reeffreak
Reef pro
As long as the snail poop isn't spiking ammonia and nitrite then that probably isn't the cause of the fish deaths.
IMO,the rapid drop in temperature open the door to a secondary infection.Not all diseases and parasites will show visible signs.
IMO,the rapid drop in temperature open the door to a secondary infection.Not all diseases and parasites will show visible signs.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Snails are usually more sensitive to water parameters, so that is puzzling, but I've had some pretty tough snails, so who knows?
Damseluver
Reefing newb
My best wild guess on the clown deaths is acclimation shock. LFS will often run low sg on there fish holding tanks. The snails survived because they likely came out of the invert tanks at the lfs that was closer to your tanks sg.
The clowns came out of the fish holding tanks and were introduced to the higher sg of your tank without a long enough acclimation.
The clowns came out of the fish holding tanks and were introduced to the higher sg of your tank without a long enough acclimation.
