Something wrong with my clown.

[Kelso]

My clown fish has been acting weird. Based on whats happened I dont think he is going to make it. About 4 wks ago I bought an angel fish, I dont recall exactly which one it was. About three inch long dark, dark blue with a white vertical stripe from top to bottom behind its eyes, also yellow fins. Anyway I had it for maybe week and a half, then it started acting weird. Never coming out to eat always hiding under live rock, it looked pale around its head. 3 maybe 4 days later I found him lifeless on the bottom. Two days later my clown and damsel started to act strange as well. Jolting randomly, hovering near the surface and on the bottom. We added three small cardnals, which havent shown any bad signs yet, to make up for the angel fish not thinking I had any problem. A few days later my damsel went too. Now my clown twitches and seems to be growing a slime on his head and upper body. Sorry for the story but can anyone help me out here?

 

[melosu58]

Moved to the sick fish forum.

How about some water test results.

 

[Kelso]

All I got now are test strips with nitrite, nitrate, pH, and Alk. Everything reads in the safe zone.

 

[mfdrookie516]

if youre not testing ammonia, that could be it... is there any way you can buy a test kit or take it to an lfs and have them test the water for you?

 

[HN1]

How did you cycle? Test strips aren't going to do it. What is the SG? Are you QTing new fish? How long has this tank been set up? I suspect you are trying to add WAYYYY too quickly. Dead fish tell you something. Try to figure out what before you throw more into the tank.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Along the lines of HN1's questions of too much, too fast... what tank is this happening in? The 20g or the 55g?

 

[Kelso]

Its happening in the 55g.
Not sure what you mean by cycle, I started with pre-cured live rock if thats what you mean.
Have had the tank for about six months.
What do you mean by SG?
No I havent been Quarientening the fish if thats what you mean, I know I should be.

 

[mfdrookie516]

cycling is the process to build up the nitrifying bacteria that converts ammonia to nitrites to nitrates... if you used cured lr, you may not have seen a cycle... sg is specific gravity (ie salinity)

 

[melosu58]

Not sure what you mean by cycle

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/articles/articles/3/1/Cycle-your-salt-tank/Page1.html

 

[thincat]

SG is pretty important in a SW tank as fish are used to stable salinity levels in the ocean. The Ocean is at ~1.026 SG and it's fairly constant except in areas where rivers flow into them. Fish can die of shock if the SG gets to high or to low quickly. You have to use a "Refractometer" at best or at least a Hydometer at least to test this.

 

[HN1]

Ok, please forgive me but I gotta ask.... You are adding salt (or buying premixed SALTwater) right? If you aren't testing, how can you possibly be topping off correctly?

Ever kept guppies? You might find them easier and more rewarding for awhile.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Hmmm... seems a little harsh.

Kelso - what is the longest a fish has been alive in this tank. Can you give us a little timeline of what went in, and when? And when it died?

I'm kind of thinking that this tank never really cycled and most of the deaths were due to ammonia poisoning. But one would think that over the course of 6 months, the tank would be cycled by now. Unless... you went a month or so without fish before adding another one. Whatever bacteria population you'd built up would've died off in the month without fish, and then you're back at square one again.

So that's why I'm thinking a little timeline would help shed some light on the problem.