Back to Square 1 (RIP Oscar the Grouper and Leo the Lion)

[Bassoonguy]

Well... I managed to lose my only two fish to what I now beleive was Marine Velvet The Miniatus Grouper died this morning, the Volitans tonight. So now I have 3 hermit crabs, 2 feather duster worms and 55 lbs of live rock in a 75 gallon tank... where do I go from here? :? I currently am running a wet/dry system.. is now the perfect time to convert to a DSB? Is this possible since the tank is already cycled? And if so... how do I do it? How long do I leave the tank without fish before starting over? How much more live rock should I add (if any?)

I must say.. this has left me feeling really down.. both of my fish , even though I've only had them a short time, had become very much like pets to me. I HATED to see them go. Both had great personalities.. and both were beautiful fish.

 

[michealprater]

Well... I managed to lose my only two fish to what I now beleive was Marine Velvet The Miniatus Grouper died this morning, the Volitans tonight.

I am terribly sorry to hear of your loss. These are both great fish and I am sure they were hard to part with.

I currently am running a wet/dry system.. is now the perfect time to convert to a DSB? Is this possible since the tank is already cycled? And if so... how do I do it?

Well since you dont have fish, does your wet dry system contain bio balls or bio wheels. If so I would say you could remove them now and it wouldnt hurt anything by drastically reducing the bio load in a quick time. You wont want to have either of those nitrate factories around for long term. You may want to do some research on a sump/refugium, that may be something you want to do now. Now would be a good time to convert to a DSB, however, do you really need to? I have been doing research and I'm not sure if they are all they are cracked up to be. Some say they are certain doom for a tank long term, however I have never found any "real" concrete evidence that they are. Maybe you should start a thread called "the pros and cons of a dsb", to get everyones opinions and then you can weigh the differences out yourself. I have heard a lot of good things, and honestly very few negative about a SSB, so if thats what you have you may want to stay with it. I will warn you that sand bed conversations that take place can be real confusing, so do your best to sort through all the stuff and make the decision that makes the most sense to you.

How much more live rock should I add (if any?)

I would not say that it is a absolute must that you do it immediately, but I would try to get the live rock up to 150 lbs in a 75 gallon. Not too many people will argue that 2 lbs. per gallon is a sufficient amount for a tank.

I must say.. this has left me feeling really down.. both of my fish , even though I've only had them a short time, had become very much like pets to me. I HATED to see them go. Both had great personalities.. and both were beautiful fish.

I am definitely sorry to hear this, but please dont give up. Everyone in this hobby has lost fish, whether they admit it or not. Just do your best to learn from it and continue on. To me it is worth it, hopefully it is to you. Good luck.

 

[Hara]

Sorry to hear of your loss. Although this hobby can be heartbreaking at times, I still believe that the joy it brings helps us to get through the tough spots and is more than worth our efforts.