I need some help... :(

[Veilside0Three]

Sorry for being such a noob guys, this is my third newbie post to the site now..

Heres my problem. I purchased a Flame angelfish about a week ago. The tank looks like this:

90 Gallon acrylic
30lbs live rock(getting more soon)
marineland c360 canister

Life:

Volitan lionfish
Firefish Goby
Yellow headed sleeper goby
Fire Angel
Scooter Blenny
Coral Banded Shrimp
2 Turbo Snails
5 redfoot/zebra hermits
Sally Lightfoot crab
Chocolate Chip Starfish
Brittle Starfish

Okay, back to my problem. I added the flame about a week ago, everyone seemed very happy. Last night I got home, and it was time to feed my lion. I dropped in about 5 guppies, and he ignored them. He was also sitting on the bottom of the tank.

The firefish and sleeper came out to eat just fine, scooter blenny was scootin around just fine. everyone else was moving, but the flame was missing.

After watching the tank like a hawk for about 45 minutes, the flame came from behind the rocks, and laid on his side right in the middle of the tank and started breathing hard. As soon as i saw this, i took him out and put him in a quarantine(pitcher I use for water changes) that i put partial tank water, and partial newly mixed saltwater. He died about 5 minutes later...

I then noticed my lion had his mouth wide open, breathing VERY hard. I ran out the door and raced down to the LFS to buy a protein skimmer. Seaclone 100... Not the best, but the best they had. I had no idea what else to do.

I hooked it up, and let it run overnight. This morning, I came down VERY early to check on everyone. I put in some frozen brine, everyone came out to get a bite, including the banded shrimp and sally. Everyone was swimming around fine.

I then dropped in 1 guppie, the lion raced over to inhale it. I dropped in 5 more, he did the same. Looks like hes eating fine, not breathing hard anymore, ect.

...Am I fine?

[SSalty]

Sometimes fish deaths are unexplainable.

Did you make sure your temperature and parameters are in check?

[Veilside0Three]

Yes. Parameters are at 0/0/0, temperature is a solid 79. But that doesn't explain the lion acting very strange. Was he just upset about his new found buddy passing? lol

[Bifferwine]

How long has the tank been set up for?

Live rock is a saltwater tank's main source of filtration. You really have too many fish for the amount of rock you have in the tank. You should shoot for 1 to 2 lbs per gallon, so at least 90 lbs of live rock in your tank.

If you have a lot of fish, and not enough filtration (the canister filter and SeaClone are not sufficient for a tank that size, or your bioload), your water quality will suffer.

If I were you, I'd hold off on buying any more animals and focus on adding more rock, as you can afford it.

My guess is that you didn't acclimate the coral beauty correctly when you added him to the tank (did you acclimate him over a period of time, or did you just put him in the tank?). Then, scooping him up and putting him in the pitcher probably shocked him to death. If the pH and temperature of the pitcher's water were different than your tank's water, it could easily kill a fish.

Sorry about your loss in any case. It happens to us all.

[Veilside0Three]

Originally Posted by Bifferwine

How long has the tank been set up for?

Live rock is a saltwater tank's main source of filtration. You really have too many fish for the amount of rock you have in the tank. You should shoot for 1 to 2 lbs per gallon, so at least 90 lbs of live rock in your tank.

If you have a lot of fish, and not enough filtration (the canister filter and SeaClone are not sufficient for a tank that size, or your bioload), your water quality will suffer.

If I were you, I'd hold off on buying any more animals and focus on adding more rock, as you can afford it.

My guess is that you didn't acclimate the coral beauty correctly when you added him to the tank (did you acclimate him over a period of time, or did you just put him in the tank?). Then, scooping him up and putting him in the pitcher probably shocked him to death. If the pH and temperature of the pitcher's water were different than your tank's water, it could easily kill a fish.

Sorry about your loss in any case. It happens to us all.

I floated the fish for about 30 minutes to get the temperatures correct, then opened the bag, and dripped water in over a period of about 1.5 hours. I'm not sure if the flame takes more accimating than that...

The main reason i took it out so fast, is that i read after purchasing him, and adding to the tank, that you are supposed to QT flame angels prior to adding because a good % of them carry disease. I flipped out when i saw he was sick, and got him out asap.... I'm a noob, i had no idea what to do at the time.

[Bifferwine]

Sounds like you did a good job acclimating him. So I don't think that's the problem. Really, it could have been anything. It's so hard to say in most cases.

[sen5241b]

The skimmer reduces nitrates. Did you test for nitrates??

[cthegame]

Originally Posted by SSalty

Sometimes fish deaths are unexplainable.

agreed.

[Alexander]

I would just chalk it up to doing what a good portion of us did when we first started. and that is getting way too excited and impulsively moving too fast in the wrong directions. With the experience i have now, It will be literally months before a single fish touches my water in a newly setup tank. Now i don't expect somebody just beginning the hobby to really have that kind of patients, but it will more than likely come. I would just slow down as stated before and concentrate on the basics. and sadly I think the benefit you will see from that seaclone on a 90g will be minimal and not cost effective.

[JAG107]

+1 Alexander

BTW get a harlequin shrimp to eat that choc. star b/c it will probably starve to death otherwise j/k
I did the same thing, overstocked a 55g with a very poor skimmer and had many losses as a result. Consider it a learning experience and always remember in this hobby that only bad thing s happen fast, good things take lots of patience. Best of luck to you and your tank, Veilside.