what is going on!!!!

[kellane1]

Hi all, please try to put some light on this, cause i have just about had enough>
Approx 2 months ago i lost all of my fish to itch. (was not and am still not happy) This was not through introducing infected fish, and i still do not know what caused it.
Anyway, i have just waited five weeks to let the tank settle and for the disease to run its course and die out, the only thing i have done through this time is to feed my live rock.
Last weekend i went to my lfs and purchased a ocillaris clown, two yellow belly damsels, two benggai cardinals, a barramundi cod oh and also a really nice anonyme, (has pink tips, basal disc is about the size of a dinner plate)
Introduced them all to their new home, and the next morning one of the damsels disappeared, On saturday one of the benggai cardinals managed to get it's head stuck in a rock and suffocated, and today the other one has disappeared. The damsel is now rubbing itself on the sand and has started to get white dots on its body and to top it all off my anonyme is now looking quite ill. has taken on a greyish colour and is all deflated>>
Now this tank has been established since december, is 265gallons i am filtering over 800gallons an hour, water is beautiful, i also have a dsb of approx 5". About 60lb of live rock, there are no other inhabitants in the tank except for a mantis shrimp (or two) and a heap of brittle stars and the other stuff that lives in live rock.
Now my water parameters are as follows. NO3-0.5, NO2-.01, NH3-0, PH-7.9, PO4-0, CA-460, FE-0, KH/GH-110.
Any suggestions would be appreciated..
kell

 

[Biggen]

Any suggestions would be appreciated..

quarantine new arrivals!

Seriously though, I think you latest problem was that you bought all of those fish at the same time and did not quarantine any of them before introducing them into your display. Probably one of the six fish your purchased was hosting ich and it infected the rest. It only takes one. Qt'ing fish is probably one of the most important thing you can do for your tank. It will solve this all of these headaches.

You say this is a 265 gallon tank with only 60lbs of LR? No wet/dry or other type of filtration? If not, it is grossly under filtered.

As for the anenome, those are only recommended for well established tanks. You will see members here only recommending them to people who have had their tank setup for a minimum of 1 years time. You don't mention what kind of anenome or what your lighting setup is so I don't know if you have the proper lighting to support it.

 

[kellane1]

filtration and lights

Biggen, my filtration consists of two canister filters, they are Aqua 1. they have the usual filter media in them and are a mechanical, biological filter and they filter 1200 ltr an hour each. I also run a internal powerhead which is lifetech and it filters and circulates approx 600 ltrs an hour.
My lights are 2 twin banks of normal flourescents, there are two actincs (coral star 30watts) and two white lights (tri-phosphor 30 watts ea.)
And in response to your quarantine question, i will quote from the Saltwater Aquarium Handbook. "A quarantine aquarium is not required during the first introduction of fish to your display aquarium, Quarantine is reccommended for future additions of fish to your main aquarium" end quote.
I followed this advice when i ran tropicals and have done so since the start up of this tank. I do not have 6 qt tanks and it is ludicrous to suggest so. If i was to qt on the initial start up of my tank it would take forever to populate it. But i do follow the qt guidelines for future additions.
kell

 

[loganj]

Re: filtration and lights

My lights are 2 twin banks of normal flourescents, there are two actincs (coral star 30watts) and two white lights (tri-phosphor 30 watts ea.)

Kell,
This isn't enough light for any photosynthetic inverts. I would be surprised if you were able to maintain coraline long term with these lights. I'm not saying it's impossible...just that I doubt it. I would look at upgrading the lighting when it's in the budget to do so.

And in response to your quarantine question, i will quote from the Saltwater Aquarium Handbook. "A quarantine aquarium is not required during the first introduction of fish to your display aquarium, Quarantine is reccommended for future additions of fish to your main aquarium" end quote.

This might hold true for a fish only tank where you have the option of treating the fish in the tank. With a reef or a FOWLR tank, where you do not have the option of treating the fish in the tank, it does not work so well. You can quarantine all the fish in the same QT. If any one of them shows signs of disease, you can treat them all for it. I would only get one fish at a time. The only exception I can think of to this is schooling species such as chromis. Yes, it will take a while to populate the tank. Patience is the most important aspect of this hobby. "Nothing good happens fast in a reef tank". JMHO.

 

[Anemoneman]

This isn't enough light for any photosynthetic inverts.

Agreed. I would suggest 4 ea. 400W MH to start with. Depends on the dimensions of your tank.

next morning one of the damsels disappeared... and today the other one has disappeared.

With fish eating anemone and possibly 2 mantis I'm not surprised.

I would also add one or two fish at a time. Skip the damsels - they get really mean. Unless you get green chromis which is a peaceful shoaling species that does well in groups of 4 or more. Try a school of green chromis for a couple months and see how it goes. Stay away from inverts until you can upgrade your lighting. Consider a couple hundred pounds of LR instead of the power filters. The filters you're running now will not remove nitrate. If you want a reef you don't want any nitrate.

HTH
Mark

 

[kellane1]

lighting

logan, i appreciate the advice you gave me on the lighting, i need your advice on a couple of questions that this has since raised. Firstly and most importantly is my anenome, i came home from work today and found him looking better, but he was actually upside down under a rock, i inverted the rock and have sat him up the correct way, but my main issue is this, will he die in a short time with the lighting that i have, because if this is so i would rather give him away than see that happen, after all we are only in this hobby for the enjoyment that it gives, not to see unecessary suffering of our charges!
And secondly, I am not really happy with the lighting that i have, my lfs is pretty useless and these were the only lights that i could obtain, they managed to sell me two different spectrum actincs and i have a really bad algae bloom on one side of the tank, (is really dark red and all over my sand).
Now should i get rid of them all together and get metal hallides, (prob have to order them through A major capital) and if so can you please tell me exactually what to order, in regards to wattage and spectrum ect.
Tank is 6ft x 2ft x3ftDeep.
Kindest regards
kell

 

[quarryshark]

quote:"And in response to your quarantine question, i will quote from the Saltwater Aquarium Handbook. "A quarantine aquarium is not required during the first introduction of fish to your display aquarium, Quarantine is reccommended for future additions of fish to your main aquarium" end quote. "
I am suprised that any responsible author would support this. Once you introduce "any" parasite into your system, you have a problem. As long as there is a fish host, it can and will remain unless you have a fallow period. 5 weeks in theory will suffice, but longer is better. After a Velvet outbreak I went 8 weeks with good result.
Sorry, I would never again intro any fish without a 4 week qt, period. Russian roulette.
I would also suspect the Mantis in the dissapearence of your small fish. You may want to remove them.
As for you Ph its seems a little low. Was it taken in the morning? It can fluctuate throughout the day.

 

[michealprater]

there are no other inhabitants in the tank except for a mantis shrimp (or two)

Sounds like this is your problem

UV sterilizers are a excellent investment IMO

 

[loganj]

Kell,
I would go with three 400w MH's on this tank. I would probably go with either a 2x160w VHO or a 4x96w PC for actinics. You need one MH bulb for every 2' of tank. With the depth of your tank, I think you'll need the 400's. JMHO.

I would also make every effort to get rid of the mantis shrimp.

 

[Anemoneman]

My lights are 2 twin banks of normal flourescents, there are two actincs (coral star 30watts) and two white lights (tri-phosphor 30 watts ea.)

"
Keep these lights. Make or buy a new hood high enough to keep the MH's 150-250mm above the water. Put 3 400W MH in the hood about 600mm (2 feet) apart. Put the tubes staggered on either side of the MH. Turn on the tubes 1/2 hour before and 1/2 hour after the MH.

i have a really bad algae bloom on one side of the tank, (is really dark red and all over my sand).

This is most probably cyanobacteria - not an algae but a bacteria. It is fed the same way and thrives in a nutrient rich environment. If you follow the advice given here and get about 90kg LR, remove other mechanical filtration, get an oversize skimmer anf that light upgrade, you will be WAY ahead of the game. The light will enable you to grow macroalgae to compete with the cyano and other microalage (hair algae and on the glass) so your tank will be cleaner.
Keep up the good work. Sounds like you are thinking in the right direction.

 

[kellane1]

lighting

Logan, i am totally lost on this lighting subject, sorry to sound dumb but is MH a flourescent tube, bulb, fitting or what. Can i change the existing Dalbarb lighting that i have to take a 300watt flouro, seems a big jump from 30 watts to 300.
Is high output flourescent flouro just another type of bulb or is it a a whole lighting system?
Can i just buy a complete system and install it, if so please tell me make and model and i will hunt for it.
kell