I feel so stupid, Help!!!

[JKsocr4]

I just got a 40 gal SW tank started 2 days ago and i added the live rock, sand and 3 damsels to cue my tank. Well the fish were doing fine and everything untill I fed them this morning. Now all 3 are dead! I feel so stupid and sad. How could they die so fast, was it too much fish food?

[Maxx]

Might have been....but what sort of damsel were they?
There could be many reasons they crapped out on you, why dont you tell us more about your tank. Have you tested the water parameters lately?
Nick

[Maxx]

What did you feed them and how much did you feed? Where they breathing heavy before you fed them?

[Cougra]

JKsocr4:

Welcome to the Sanctuary.

I'm sorry to hear about your loss. Unfortunately I don't think it was feeding them that was the problem but was a common problem called new tank syndrome.

This was most likely the result of your tank cycling and elivated levels of ammonia and/or nitrite in the system. These compounds are very toxic to fish and easily measured with appropriate test kits.

Have you done any measurements in your tank such as ammonia, nirtIte, nitrAte, pH, Specific Gravity (salinity) and temperature? How much rock do you have in the tank? What size tank do you have?

I highly recommend that before you add any more animals to the tank, leave everything alone and get a basic book to read such as "The Conscienence Marine Aquarist". This will help you get a basic understanding of the start up process of the aquarium.

[Curtswearing]

First off, WELCOME TO REEFSANCTUARY!!!

Secondly, all of us feel foolish at one time or another so there is no reason to feel stupid. That's the whole reason this board exists.

I'm sorry your entry into this hobby was so rough. However, we'll get you through this.

If I had to take a guess, the fish died of ammonia poisoning. The tank was still cycling and that was too many fish to add to a 2 day old tank. You have to start slow.



Your tank was still cycling after only 2 days. They died from ammonia poisoning most likely. That is too much to add at once to a new tank.

[JKsocr4]

I tested my water yester day before i put the fish in for Amonnia, the Ph, Nitrite, Nitrate and eveything was fine. Then after my mis-happ this morining eveything else was good except for the Ph was very low. Im thinking that too much food made it go so low. I should do buy the Ph 8.2 additive i know it. well, even NASA had a few mistakes at first

[Woodstock]

Don't use live fish to cycle your tank. Go to the local grocery store and get a dead shrimp, place it in your tank, then purchase ammonia, nitrite, nitrAte, hydrometer and PH test kits from your LFS. Test the PH and salinity (hydrometer) every other day until you become comfortable with keeping up with the water evaporation (make sure you use fresh water for these).

For the first 2-3 weeks, test the aquarium water daily for ammonia, nitrites and nitrAtes. The ammonia will spike first. Next the nitrite, then finally the nitrAtes. You can remove the dead shrimp once the Amm and Nitites are ZERO. THEN you can slowly add fish.... one every other week to allow the good bacteria to keep up with the bio-load.

Make sure to perform water changes to keep the nitrAtes down.

[Witfull]

just to add on to the above, just let the tank run. let it cycle and test every other day or so. if you havent taken the bodies out yet, dont. it will help the tank cycle faster, i you did, dont worry, tank will cycle in time.
reefing is a test of patience and mental strength...good luck and...

[Woodstock]

Too much food too fast can cause the PH to drop and also the oxygen level. Do you have good circulation and skimmer? A good skimmer removes ditirus as well as oxygenates the water.

[Maxx]

Then after my mis-happ this morining eveything else was good except for the Ph was very low.

If ammonia isnt even registering yet, then thats not the cause....
What was your ammonia level, and what was your PH level?

[Maxx]

Wood,
You've got to SERIOUSLY overfeed for that to happen.....again what did you feed and how much did you feed?
Nick

[JKsocr4]

Thank you all for your support. SW is way different from my FW tank that i have had for over 12 years. I had a 9 year old gold fish!! So i know that with the help you all are giving me I will be able to deliver the same results for my SW. Thanks again, all of YOU!!!!

[JKsocr4]

I fed my fish the standard Marine flakes, and about 2 pinches worth. My PH was at 7.8 (ouch I know) and the ammonia was at 0 ppm. thats good isnt it?

[ReefLady]

JKsocr4,

Welcome! As Curtswearing said, please don't feel stupid. There are none of us here who haven't made a mistake at one time or another.

I'd agree with both Cougra and Curt ~ that your fish were likely victims of a cycling new tank.

The concept of cycling a tank with fish (usually damsels) is still often urged by many LFS's, but is no longer the method most commonly recommended. The stress of cycling often results in the death of the fish, and there are other, more humane ways to cycle a tank. The most common method is by cycling with live rock. Other people "jump start" the ammonia cycle by adding a raw shrimp from the grocery store.

It's possible that an abrupt change in pH is what killed your fish. Unless you added an extreme amount of food, it is unlikely that the food triggered the drop. What kind of food was it, and how low did the pH go? pH in a tank typically drops more during the nighttime hours, so the timing of the feeding could have been "coincidental" with the lowered pH.

It would probably help a lot of us if you posted what your water parameters are -- salinity, temp, pH, a/N/N, and anything else you test for.

Also, beware of solving problems with *additives*. There are many "snake oils" on the market, and in some cases, adding chemicals to your tank to "fix" a problem does more harm than good. Usually a simple water change will best help to bring things back into balance.

When you get a chance, give us a rundown on your tank - parameters, and also setup, filtration, etc.

HTH, & welcome!

[ReefLady]

My PH was at 7.8 (ouch I know)

pH of 7.8 shouldn't kill SW fish, especially damsels. If, however, you noticed it at 7.8, it could have dipped lower during the night.

Ammonia at 0.00 is great, though if the tank is only a couple days old, it is unlikely that it will stay there. What about nitrites? Have you noticed any cycle begin to take place yet at all?