Problem with Two year old tank

[Cunningham]

i have had my saltwater setup for about 2 years now and it started out ok but i wasnt adding the chemicals i was supposed to as i was supposed to and eventually my corals depleted my calcium levels and they all died and my phosphate level got out of control and i had green slime everywhere and it was impossible to keep clean so i eventually figured that out and got it all under control and my levels all back to normal but now i just can't seem to keep fish alive i have had several different kinds of fish in there and they all just eventually die.

for the past 2 weeks ive noticed my ammonia level and my nitrate were both high and my ph was low so ive bin doin 25% water changes every day almost since then and they go back to normal but then the next morning they r back up there.....lately its just bin my ammonia thats bin high and my ph low so im not sure what it is.

ive tried treating my water with Tetracycline and Kick-Ich(ICH) and Rally(Marine Velvet) both by Ruby Reef and i just bought another fish(sixline wrasse) yesterday and it was dead this morning along with a fish(pajama cardnal) ive had for over a year now. a few days ago my peppermint cleaner shrimp died.......i just don't understand whats wrong

heres the list of question to help

1. ive had some for a while and they died and some i just got and they don't make it the night....no sure if they were wild or not(bought them at a petstore)

2.same thing some have bin in the tank for a couple years and some just a night....and i had some aggressive fish but i got rid of them so everything would stay calm.

3. usually they all eat but some days in the morning they wont eat or swim around they just lay on the bottom and breath heavily and my yellow tail cleaner wrasse's gills r really red and swollen some days.(thats why i tried the tetracycline for gill disease)

in the morning after water change
4. pH is 7.8-8.0 ---- its 8.3
ammonia is 0.25ppm-0.50ppm ---- 0ppm
nitrate is 0.25ppm-0.50ppm ---- 0ppm
nitrite is 0ppm always
SPG? not sure what that is
im using API Saltwater Test Kit

5. in the morning the fish all breathe really heavily and like i said the wrasse's gills r really read and sticking out and none of them will eat.

6. the wrasse rubs against the bottom substrate once in a while and thats why i treated for ich.

7. in the morning the wrasse lays on the bottom breathing heavilly and the others hide and the two clown fish hide in my anename.

8. nothing qt should i get another tank and do that with my fish ?

9. if acclimated u mean added to the tank....well they come in the plastic bag so i sit the bag in the water for about 20 mins and then add the fish by pouring the whoel bag in.

10. i have an 80 gallon tank with a 110 aqua clear filter and a Seaclone protein skimmer, 3 power heads, i have about 40 - 50 lbs of live rock in there and crushed coral substrate.

11. heres a list of the different chemicals and how often i add them

Reef iodide made by Seachem: twice a week
Reef trace made by Seachem: twice a week
Reef Complete made by Seachem: twice a week
Marine Buffer made by Seachem: every water change
Prime made by Seachem: every water change
Stability made by Seachem: every water change or when adding a new fish
Water Conitioner made by Topfin: every water change
Purple Up made by Carib Sea: once a month
Phos Buster Pro made by Carib Sea: once a month
lately ive bin using Ammonia Neutralizer made by Aqueon: every water change
and i did add about a month or two ago i used Magnesium made by Seachem i used the whole bottle over a couple weeks to bring my magnesium level up....i never tested it cuz the testing kit was too expensive but i figured it was low cuz my calcium was low

now if theres anyone out there that can help me please im open for ideas because im ready to give up on my saltwater and just say screw it.... ive spent thousands of dollars and my tank is empty still its just full of rock

thanks
-Dan

 

[melosu58]

No Chemicals needed. Just frequent PWC`s will replenish all trace elements needed. Not doing PWC`s will not dilute the excessive nutrients in your tank. 1) I dont think the wild status of your fish has anything to do with it. Your fish need pristine water conditions to survive. 2) Good move 3) Probably from ammonia in the tank or parasites. 4) Salinity needs to be checked with a hydrometer or refractometer. 5) Usually the sign of ammonia poisoning. 9) NEVER add the whole bag in. That`s why your fish are showing signs of ick. When you throw in the whole bag you just added your LFS`s problems into your tank. 11) STOP adding those chemicals to your tank. They are not needed. What you need to do is start doing some 33% PWC`s to get your tank back to where it needs to be. All those chems are doing is degrading your water quality and reeking havoc on the tank inhabitants. I know I`ve been blunt but you really need to start focusing on your tank by just doing PWC`s and treating for ich. The following articles will help you immensly. Those snake oils will not destroy the parasites. Thr articles will help along with some frequent PWC`s.

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure: A Quarantine Tank for Everything by Steven Pro - Reefkeeping.com


Marine Ich/Cryptocaryon irritans - A Discussion of this Parasite and the Treatment Options Available, Part I by Steven Pro - Reefkeeping.com

Marine Ich/Cryptocaryon irritans - A Discussion of this Parasite and the Treatment Options Available, Part II by Steven Pro - Reefkeeping.com

 

[cmor1701d]

All I'm going to say is,, Follow Mike's advice. He's laid it all out for you.

 

[scottkraft]

just have to agree with Mike as well..stop the chems , read the articles and fix the tank, that where the problem is. One more thing clean your filter, tke off the tank, clean it with just plain hot fresh water(hottest water you can stand and dry it, and replace all the media in it.
Scott

 

[cmor1701d]

Dan, Sorry, I missed your last sentence. So teh tank is now devoid of all livestock?

If so I have some additional advice to help you get to a succesful tank.

1. Place all of your rock in a plastic bind and cover it with water from the tank.
Get rid of the crushed coral substrate and replace it with aragonite sand. You want an inch or two of sand.
Get some base rock (50 pounds or more).
Place the rock directly on the bottom and then add the sand.
Add some water then add your LR on top of the base rock
Crushed coral traps detritus (uneaten food, fish poop, etc.)

2. Do a 50% water change with freshly mixed salt. Mix the salt as you normally do, maknig sure to let it aerate with a power head overnight at a minimum, with 24 hours being ideal. You can get a BRUTE trashcan at Lowes for this. All BRUTE by Rubbermaid are food grade safe.

3. Cycle the tank using the fishless method. This should not take very long as you are startting with LR.

4. TEST TEST TEST the water parameters.

5. DO NOT ADD ANYTHNG YOU DO NOT TEST FOR FIRST! ever!

The above will get you on the road to a successful marine tank.
You have come to the right (best) site for advice. Heed it. Read the articles, ask questions, especially before you buy something. Most folks here have made the mistakes and are here to to help you avoid making them. So the posts I like most are from people doing their research here before buying anything and then following their journey to a wonderful world of enjoyment from their little piece of the ocean at home.

Oh, and

 

[Cunningham]

hey no i still have 2 percula clown fish
a yellow tail cleaner wrasse
and a silver one with a yellow tail (can't remember the name it was a cheap one)
and thats all i have left and i have a anename and two different types of polyps
but my other friend told me the same thing as u get ro/di water and no more chemicals and she said change the filter media she said take out the bio balls and change the carbon and also use chemi-pure elite filter bag inserts
but one question when u said no more chemicals do u mean the supplements too? like iodide and trace and complete too
so absolutely nothing atall but ro/di water and the proper amout of live rock ?

 

[melosu58]

but one question when u said no more chemicals do u mean the supplements too? like iodide and trace and complete too
so absolutely nothing atall but ro/di water and the proper amout of live rock ?

All you need is your water and saltwater mix. Your salt water mix has over 89 different salts in it which make up your supplements and trace elements. PWC`s is all you need.