Labored Breathing

[sodertech]

I have a 150 Clarity Plus Acrylic Tank, with 2- Fluval 304's, and a powerhead. The tank was set up about four days ago. Used turbo start per pet store owner. 1 Orange Spot Puffer, 1 Stars and Stripes Puffer, 1 Saddle Back Puffer, 1 Clown, 1 Yellow Tang. Day two orange spot started to hide and breathe in a labored fashion, day three all fish are breathing in labored fashion day four orange spot puffer dies. The stars and stripes puffer is swimming around the tang is swimming to the top nibbling at bubbles, but teetering can't keep balance perfectly, the saddleback is resting on coral.

I have kept my hands clean when decorating

 

[sodertech]

The pet store is closed today and i don't want to loose all of my fish. What should i do!

 

[MarkW19]

The tank's cycled I take it?

 

[ReefRaff]

In four days? you probly have a amonia spike going on. test the waters and report back on the tank readings.

 

[MarkW19]

Even if it it cycled, thats a hell of a lot of fish to add in 4 days!!

 

[first-timer89]

try ammo-lock

 

[blorkiemom]

Sodertech, if your LFS told you it was okay to put those fish in an uncycled tank (which I'm assuming is what you have) you should never, ever, go back there again. The fish are dying because the tank is cycling--that is, it's building up the bacteria it will need to support life. The problem is that the process of getting there is terribly hard on fish, as you are learning. Right now you've probably got ammonia through the roof, and ammonia is very toxic to fish. The best thing you could do is take the remaining fish back to a LFS and cycle the tank with LR or raw shrimp. Failing that, go to any pet store--petco, whatever's open--and get an ammonia test kit for SW and test your water. Then you will have to do a water change--a big one. Other folks (see first-timer89 above) recommned ammolock, a product that's supposed to bind up the ammonia. I've never used it, but given that you're about to lose all your fish I suppose it couldn't hurt.

Get water mixing for a change if you don't have it already.

Please let us know how the fish are doing--if you can tell us more about your SW experience and your tank set-up people can be of more help. If you don't do anything, your fish probably won't make it past tomorrow.

 

[lando]

I agree, do not go back to that LFS. You need to let your tank cycle slowly and properly. Take all of the fish back befroe they die for credit and get some LR. Pick up a cpoy of "the Conscientious Marine Aquarist" by Robert Fenner and start doing research. There are many products out there that claim to reduce the cycling time to 24 hours. IMO, they are all a waste of money. It is best to let your tank cycle naturally. Pick up some test kits and test for ph, nitrate, nitrite, amonia. I really urge you to find a more reputable LFS and keep coming back here for any advice you need. Good luck and keep us posted...Lando
PS- Post more tank info...lighting, substrate, any LR?

 

[sodertech]

Well, I just found out that the LFS recommended the incorrect amount of Turbo Start to begin with (one small bottle for my 150 gal tank). I will be able to get a credit no problem, but that is beside the point. How should i have set this tank up? And where do I buy fish from now on.

I had water tested today at Petco and they said all of the water sampled very well.

Funny thing my Percula Clown is doing okay right now, but three fish have died today. It is a very sad day in our home.

150 gal Clarity Plus Corner Tank
2 - Fluval 304's
1 - 30'' Coral Life Dual (Has Four Lights)
1 - Powerhead 802

_________________________________________

Was treated/outfitted with:

4 - Bags of regular sand
1.5 Bags of Salt
1 Bottle of Turbo Start (24 hours before fish were introduced)

 

[Bang Guy]

I would kindly suggest you buy a book like "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" and read it a couple of time. Then stay away from the miracle products. The market is getting flooded with them lately for some reason.

Stability in a marine aquarium takes patience and can't be purchased in a bottle.

The chance of survival of your Clownfish is not real high and it's for sure going to suffer for a while. It it were me, I would return it. I see no problem still purchasing from your LFS, I would no longer take their advice though. Try the book and please be patient.

 

[quarryshark]

Please slow down and fire that fish store. The are obviously in it for the buck and could care less if you succeed.
Use the above advise, return the fish for a refund(not credit) and do some reading. You will be better armed for success.
Also, ask us a lot of questions, we are happy to help.

 

[Corty]

Please slow down and fire that fish store. The are obviously in it for the buck and could care less if you succeed.

Something I find ironic, considering that they lose more customers that way, and the best advertisment is word of mouth.

But yes, more to the point, I agree with both, get rid of the fish store, and be more patient in the future.

Patience seems to be the most important thing in this hobby. If you wait two more days you can get a better deal.. a week and a half you might find a new LFS with better stock.. do one more hour of research and you might discover a potential problem before it happens to you..

 

[MarkW19]

The reason your clown hasn't died yet is probably due to the fact that's it's a lot hardier than the other fish you had in there.

Take any fish that are still alive back to your LFS NOW while they're still hanging on. At any rate, they won't make it through the cycle. Take them back while they're still alive, it's not fair on the fish.

Then, when there are no fish in your tank (or any other inverts) start the cycle by placing a dead, raw shrimp in there. Then monitor ammonia and nitrite to find out when the cycle has finished.

The Robert Fenner book is fantastic. Read it inside and out. Spend the next few weeks (before you put any life in your tank) researching and browsing forums (like this one!) on the internet. Ask lots of questions, and be patient.

You learn early on that nothing can be rushed at all in this hobby. While your tank is cycling (and ideally for a good few weeks after) learn as much as you can. Then, start with one or two easy, hardy fish (like the clowns). See how they go for a couple of months, then SLOWLY build up your tank from there.

But, for now, take the remaining fish back!

 

[lando]

Sorry to hear about your fish. I would still get the clown out of the water ASAP. The only reason it is still alive is because it was the most hardy of the fish you put in there. I have a feeling your water tested okay at Petco becuase you are at the begining of the cycle. Where to go from here? Take the back, see about getting some LR in yur tank. It will really help the tank cycle properly and tends to speed things up a bit. Start with whatever you can. Ideally, you want a couple hundred pounds of LR to provide enough bio-filtration. However, stickershock on that is high. Another route is to get 50% base rock (hirocks.com) and seed it with 50% LR (liverocks.com). Over time, it will all become LR. You may also want to see if you can get 10-20 lbs of LS from an established tank to seed your sand bed. Also, pick up your own test kit so you can constanly monitor the water parameters in your tank. Your tank cycle should take several weeks, at least four or more. When it comes time to add livestock do it very slowly. The LFS should have NEVER sold you that many fish at once for a brand new tank. theynow hold no more credability, spend your hard-earned money elsewhere. Do not get discouraged, many of us here have learned the same lesson the hard way. The good news is we can all learn from someone else's mistake. Slow down and do your research. Good luck and keep asking questions here...Lando

 

[sodertech]

The thing is that the guy at the fish store had mentioned that the fish have a 24 Hour Guarantee. (Is that normal) I called him to let him know that the fish were not doing well he is supposed to come by my home on Monday. I do hope that he will at least credit all of the fish. Out of 5 fish only one remains. It is Aquatic Pets in McDonough GA the guys name is Cam. He has been very nice to me and has always answered all of my questions and been very helpful. I told him that my tank was 150 but he kept telling me that he spec'd it at 80 gal. It is a corner tank, so i can see where you could make a mistake, but he swears by the Fritz product. This is a very sad day

 

[MarkW19]

Take your fish out of the tank mate. It's not fair on it! Give it back to your LFS and sort out the money later.

 

[seaham358]

he answered your questions... But that dose not mean he know what he is talking about... 150 corner...... Damn that must be hugh never seen one of those. What are the dimentions.
The others have said it all...... That LFS is nuts selling you all those fish for a 4 day old tank, I don't care what you add to the water.
No LFS in my area offers a 24 hour on the SW fish..

 

[MarkW19]

Even if the tank was 5 years old, it's still a hell of a lot of fish to add at once!!

 

[blorkiemom]

Sodertech, I think what everyone's saying is that the problem isn't that the guy told you the wrong amount of stuff to add--it's that he's advising you to set up a tank in completely the wrong way. A tank needs to cycle and no product is going to make that happen instantly, no matter what the bottle claims. Depending on how the tank is cycled (from "scratch" or with cured LR) it can take anywhere from 2-8 weeks before the tank is ready for a fish--that's A fish, singular. It was just irresponsible and cruel of that store to let you stock that tank that way and I, personally, would not trust their advice ever again. They set you up for disaster, and that's exactly what happened.