sudden deaths, plz help!!

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shellygirl55

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Nov 3, 2010
Messages
124
ok, i am really new to this hobby, so don't roast me :)

within the last couple of days i have lost some of my corals, and have done some reading, and am kind of confused, so i am begging you guys for some real advice...

within the last couple of days my zoo colonies have started dying off. i picked up a couple of new frags a couple of weeks ago, and today i have noticed that one ( of course my fav) has compleatly died off. also a couple of my more established zoo colonies have closed up compleatly and don't seem to be opening. i have looked at these colonies for white dots ( read about this in the forum) and don't see any spots, but other than that i don't know what else to do. i read somewhere that people should do a dip in fresh water?? is that true? also is it just normal ro, or do you add something? does it mess up your zoos? how long do you dip for? apparently i should have done this when i brought them home, i am hoping i don't learn the hard way....

also even more concerning, i am starting to loose heads on my frogspawn. so far i have lost 3 in the last couple of days. my remaining heads look great and happy as they normally do, and all of my other corals look great too...

on one more note, i have a couple bubble tip anenomnies in there and one of them kiips moving around, almost like it's restless... is this a sign of something going wrong that i can't test for?

oh yes, it may help you all to know some specifics of the tank :)... i have a 140g. custom set up with 1 150 mh and 1 250 mh with acenic blue t5's. i run a protein skimmer, a fuge, a 40g sump... i am not sure what else to tell you about that so let me know if you have any questions on my system.

my water peramaters have been checked both by myself and the lfs and they are comming out about the same...

kh 9
amm .5
nitrites 0
phos 0
nitrates .5
sal 1.024

i did lose a coral beauty last week and i was told by the lfs that my amm and nitrates are a little elevated from the recent death. i couldn't find the body i think he ended up in the rockwork, so is that my main problem?? tonight we are doing a 20g. water change as suggested by the lfs, but i wanted to get everyone's opinion on the rest of this before i do anything else... the guy at the lfs seems pretty inexperienced.... thanks in advance :)
 
oh yes.. stocking list

sorry, i think you guys will also need to know what is in my tank....

blue hippo tank
yellow tang
3 yellow tail chromies
2 clowns
1 blue dottyback
1 sailfin blenny
1 watchman goby
1 gumdrop goby
2 emerald crabs
a couple hermit crabs and a bunch of nassarius (spell??) snails

thanks guys
 
140 g with 40g dump...nope fish are actually acting totally normal...
 
I had a 2-3 day 0.25 ammonia "spike" in my tank after my old filter died before my new filter was fully established. I lost the only two corals I had: a duncan and a zoa colony. I'm guessing that the elevated ammonia level is probably what's killing off your corals. I don't think you can do much else than water changes unless you want to tear your tank apart to find the dead fish. :(
 
Your cleanup crew probably took care of the dead coral beauty. Is it only your zoas that are dieing? Do you at least dip your new corals before putting them in the tank? Have you found any strange snails crawling around in your tank like sundial snails or maybe something you couldn't id?
 
Now its everything having issues :( lost 3 more heads of frogspawn, my purple smoke Monte is going, my Cole turned white... I have a tiger tail cucumber who buried himself in my rockwork and won't come out...I can't get him out and I know if he dies under there everything is toast...any advice?
 
About 16 months its been set up

Levels tested at lfs today and just about the same as last week...a little lower on the ammonia thank goodness. Did another 20g water change today.

Does frogspawn ever get old? U know that sounds like a weird question, but its around 5 years old for each bunch...does that matter?
 
This is my Rock structure, the cucumber is under the bottom right side!!!! I am freaking out...do those things like to hide? I know he is still alive for now...
ForumRunner_20120130_181514.jpg
 
Based on my one ammonia spike experience, I'd say that you can probably kiss your corals goodbye :( They, and my snails, were the only things that kicked the bucket. Everything else lived. That being said, I don't have a cucumber and don't know how it reacts to ammonia.... I'd probably pull the tank apart to get it out (I'd be freaking out right about now)... Anywho, your tank looks really great. And, on the picture it looks like the rocks on the left are floating?!?!
 
Thanks! I suspended the whole left side...quite the project!!

I have a lot of coral in there...I so don't want to lose them :(
 
Can you put them in a temporary tank (smaller) tank until your ammo levels go down?

How in the heck did you suspend the rocks? Seriously, I spent quite a while eyeballing the picture. It is truly stunning :)
 
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