Firefish and hammer coral dying!

[mersam935]

I have a biocube 29 and in it there is 2 ocellaris clownfish, 1 wheelers watchman goby, a midas blenny, a flame angel and a firefish goby and a hammer coral. So first I woke up to see my firefish goby hiding which she never does, I noticed that her dorsal fin was a lot thinner and looked bitten. I put some melafix in for his fin to help it. He is out and about now but I don't know what to do and my midas blenny isn't very dominant and every time he goes near the firefish goby he runs away. Second, yesterday I woke up and my hammer coral was dying, there are two peices that are connected and today the bigger one has white stuff on it and the smaller peice looks absolutley gorgeous! I don't know what to do because we have a major blizzard and so I cant go anywhere.I did a 25% water change and checked my water everything perfect. PLEASE HELP! here are pictures
https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=e98cad9c7f&view=att&th=13543efcd36c2ac3&attid=0.1&disp=thd&zw theres a link to a picture of the hammer coral. PLEASE HELP! Im in a panic and I realize I am overstocked but what can I do now? What do you suggest? PLEASE HELP!

 

[mfdrookie516]

Moved to Saltwater & Reef - Sick Fish or Coral

 

[mersam935]

sorry im new to this...

 

[Zer0]

Try posting the picture of the hammer coral on this site, as I can't login to gmail to see it, sorry.

Also, have you tested your water chemistry yet? Checked for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates? Because chances are, with that many fish, you're having some water chemistry problems. Are your test kits expired?

Also, from your description it doesn't really sound like too much is going on. If only a couple things are looking bad, it could just be them and not the whole tank. How are you other fish acting? Is everyone still eating and swimming normally?

 

[mersam935]

Everyone is doing fine except everytime I come the midas blenny turns brown and swims in a corner I tested my water yesterday and I have the API one. It is not expired and I have no idea how to post a picture.

 

[mersam935]

the test kit said everything is perfect. Should I just return the midas blenny? He seems very stressed out

 

[Zer0]

Well, if you have the picture on your desktop, just upload it to this site: imageshack.com and post the link, I'll show you how to post pictures from there if you would like some help.

How new is the blenny to your tank? It could be that he is still pretty shy around you, and the color change is pretty normal for that blenny. They usually change colors when there stress levels are affected.

 

[mersam935]

he is about 1 week and a half. I downloaded the picture onto my desktop and its still giving me a link. I have a macbook so thats probably why..... And should I return the firefish because all she does is hide now...

 

[Zer0]

One week isn't a lot of time to get used to his surroundings. He is most likely still getting used to your presence, as is the firefish. I would most definitely say give the fish some more time to get comfortable in their surroundings.

How long has your tank been running, and how far apart were your fish purchases? Or did you just buy them all at once?

 

[carey]

I rarely see my firefish, she just hides in a series of rock holes. lol I too would say to give it awhile.

 

[mersam935]

my tank is 2 and a half months old I had the clownfish in by themselves for a month so they could cycle it ( bio-spira helped) then I added the wheelers watchman goby, waited a week and then added the flame angel, waited a week and then added the firefish goby and then 3 days later i added the midas blenny. I also have a peppermint shrimp and have some emerald crabs, snails, and hermit crabs.

 

[mersam935]

I am worried about his dorsal fin it definitely looks like it was bit...

 

[Zer0]

5 fish in a 29 gallon tank, in that short period of time does sound like a lot to me unfortunately. If you aren't having water chemistry problems now, it's possible that you will in the near future, especially with the feedings you will have to keep up with in order to keep those fish healthy and happy.

Also, the Midas blenny can become very territorial in smaller aquariums, and they also get rather large, around 5 inches, so I can only see the aggression getting worse as that fish gets larger and wants more territory. Also, Midas blennies need to be fed twice a day in order to keep them healthy.

I would seriously consider bringing back the firefish goby and the flame angel, because unfortunately, the flame angel was a poor choice. Maybe it could have worked out if it was the only fish in that tank, maybe with one other fish, but with 5 fish including itself, I doubt it will work out long term, sorry.

It's all up to you though, I'm just giving you some advice.

 

[mersam935]

I cant give up the flame angel she is one of the reasons why I came into this hobby. im considering giving back the midas blenny. He is full grown I might just give back the midas blenny and get a purple firefish goby to go with the other goby.

 

[Zer0]

Ok that's fine too, as long as you give up some fish. I know it's sad and you want all of them, but sometimes we have to make sacrifices for the things we love the most. If you really love the angel as much as you say you do and you want it to live a long and healthy life, it would be in your best interest to accommodate it and give it the feedings and space requirements it needs to *thrive*, not just survive. If you want to keep all of those fish, consider getting a larger aquarium.

I think for your aquarium, you would do very well to start off with two or three fish and possibly farther down the road when your aquarium is much more mature and stable and can handle more fish, you could add a fourth fish, one that is on the small side, with a small bioload as well. For now, since you want to keep the Angel, I suggest getting rid of the blenny, and one more fish.

 

[mersam935]

well first in the long run would it be harder to have a bigger livestock with the flameangel? I am going to get rid of the midas blenny but should I also get rid of the wheelers watchman goby,firefish, or flame?

 

[moonstreak2005]

Adding another firefish will probably help bring your 1st one out into the open more too. I'm new to this (well, new to big tanks) but have had my 29g cube for about a yr. I've found that firefish tend to do better and be a lot less shy when you have 3 or more of them. I added just 1 to my 125g and it hid most of the time. There was only 1 lonesome one left in the lfs which is why I only got 1 at the time. I realized that the 3 in my cube never hide, so when they got more in I added 2 more to the 125g to see if it would make a difference and within a few hrs of adding them, all 3 were out in the open in the tank and as long as the lights are on they all stay out in the open all the time, only darting into their cave for a few seconds if another fish goes speeding by them to close.

 

[mersam935]

I dont know what to do! I LOVE ALL OF MY FISH!!!!!!!!!!!! Its so hard to decide I think i'm getting rid of the midas blenny but then what? i just want an awesome tank!!!! I am not getting rid of my clownfish and maybe I could add a purple firefish goby to make my other firefish goby? HELP PLEASE!! this stinks

 

[moonstreak2005]

Lol I tend to overstock too. If overstocked you really have to test more often, and extra water changes can help prevent problems.

 

[mersam935]

I have been doing 10 % water changes every week and I test every 2 weeks. All i wish is that I could add a purple firefish goby. Then that would be the best!