Why did my Clowns die???

F

fastzorro

Reefing newb
My tank is 4 months old now. All fish have been doing well. Also all inverts and leathers too. My 1.5 inch long clown has been there since I started the tank. One day I did a partial water change and he was dead the next day. 1 week later the smaller clown was dead too. Used pure water & proper salt mix. All water parameters are optimal, all other life is doing great. WA HAPPEN???
 
Can you please list all your fish and inverts?

Do you have any powerheads? What are your parameters (exact numbers)? Any temperature swings lately?
 
Yes, have power heads. Really, all water tests are right where they should be, Have 3 feather duaters, one 4" leather, one 3" brain, one electric scalop, 4 snails, a small enie and two green coral trees.
 
Also can you please list the actual parameters, just fine can mean very different things to people.

also, include info on your other livestock, and equipment. That will he helpful in trying to figure out what is going on
 
fastzorro said:
Used pure water & proper salt mix. All water parameters are optimal, all other life is doing great. WA HAPPEN???
Click to expand...
I'm sorry, that's terrible news FZ. You said the first clown died the day after a water change. What was the pure water? Was it your own RO or RODI, and do you know that it is indeed pure, i.e. are the filters up to date, running with a TDS meter to check? And on the salt mix, do you age the mix, at least a day or two before using? You are also matching as close as you can, temperature and salinity.

I know, everybody is asking too many questions! I find in my lab work or aquaria, water is the root of many problems!:twocents:

I hope the folks here help you figure it out, they are real good!
 
They were eating fine, the water came from a "glacier" machine at the store. I have not heard about aging the water, thought it was ok to mix & put right in!! The water parameters are, as the test kits say, are good in the instructions.
Ph is round 8.0 & rising. The water temp & salin. is somewhat the same when I put it in. Someone told me that sometimes they just die. They have been doing well with the same type of care I have been giving them for 3 months now.

P.S. What about the food. They have been getting Tetra fin for tropical fish....
 
Flake food really isn't optimal for saltwater tanks. Frozen is the best. I rotate mine on mysis, emerald entree, marine cuisine, and throw some silversides and krill in every once in a while.
 
Newly mixed salt water can be caustic to fish's gills. You ideally want to let the water mix for 24 hours before adding it to your tank, to ensure that the salt is completely dissolved. Also, you won't get accurate salinity readings if you measure it right after adding the salt. It takes several hours for the salinity level to equalize.
 
Wow,ok. I really, really want to thank you for all your insite and advice Sarah. Your a credit to the hobbie. P.S., I bet your cute too!
 
This probably didnt kill the clowns, but if you're going to feed flake, you should really get something meant for marine fish, tropical fish food is most likely for freshwater. I occasionally feed Formula Two flake to my Tangs
 
Flake = Bad i changed the food and i have my own RO unit and LIST YOUR FREAKING REAL PARA's.......

"There Okay" Or "There Good" means differently for everyone
 
Yes, I always look at the most basic thing first. It's like, If the light doesn't work, make sure it is plugged in before you change the bulb! There are a lot of minerals that are not readily soluble, and take hours to dissolve. They dissolve at certain pH, which is reached as your reef salt mixes and dissolves. It should be crystal clear when done. I don't have a big holding tank, so I mix 5 - 6 gallon buckets. I put a nano Korolia pump in to keep it moving after I hand mix it. I adjust salinity when it's at temp and ready to use 24 - 48 hours later. At some point, you'll want to invest in a little RO or RODI system. Makes life so much easier!
Good luck in the future
David
 
I'm gonna guess you did no homework on starting a saltwater tank at all, that being said, your tank is still CYCLING and that is what killed your fish...Now WE CAN GET STARTED..
 
meshman10 said:
I'm gonna guess you did no homework on starting a saltwater tank at all, that being said, your tank is still CYCLING and that is what killed your fish...Now WE CAN GET STARTED..
Click to expand...

I didn't jump to that conclusion because he said his tank has been set up for 4 months now. Is that correct, or is everything new?
 

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