HELP with new clownfishies

[reeferjohn530]

So it's been a little more than a month since I started my tank. Everything went good during cycling and I added a cuc Wichita everyone is doing good there. I've got 4 snails 4 hermits and a cleaner shrimp and peppermint shrimp. From what people tell me shrimps are hard to keep in new tanks but I've had them for over 2 weeks and they have both successfully molten. One twice.

 

I bought 2 clowns from a fs about 1 or 2 weeks ago. They both did fine until one uunexpectedly died over night about 2 days later. So I waited a week then added a little older clown but it lasted about 4 days. So I got another free from the same fs but 2 days later my original fish died. I'm completely frustrated and sad that I have not been a very good fish dad. All my perams seems good no ammonia or anything even used prime for all of them to help. I've got a 10 gallon tank with a rw4 and ac50. Ai prime light. Live rock live sand. I'm setting up a quarantine tank for further additions granted I can figure our why I can't keep a clown. New tank first fish. Any help is appreciated. Thanks

[Tamberav]

Did you notice any sort of discolored areas on the fish? Were they eating?

 

I would be suspicious of parasite/disease that is now being transferred to new fish as well.

[reeferjohn530]

The one that died today was my original purchase. It was eating the whole time. No discoloration that I could tell I looked looked for anything odd daily.

Of course when I got the fish the little hermits had begun the feast

I just noticed some kind of baby shrimp about 1/8 of an inch scrolling the bottom of the glass

[Balix]

You have enough water movement in a 10 gallon tank. Sorry for your lost, it's frustrating. I guess just try something different when adding them to the tank.

 

- Try acclimating them longer. What was the salinity from the fish store compared to yours?

 

- Maybe don't use the prime

 

- Get clowns from a different LFS

[reeferjohn530]

You have enough water movement in a 10 gallon tank. Sorry for your lost, it's frustrating. I guess just try something different when adding them to the tank.

 

- Try acclimating them longer. What was the salinity from the fish store compared to yours?

 

- Maybe don't use the prime

 

- Get clowns from a different LFS

I use a refractometer my salinity is 1.025 and when I bought my refractometer I tested the fs their's was the same.

 

Should I not use light when i acclimate

 

What I did this last time was float the bag for 20 min followed by adding tank water every 15 until the bag doubled then poured hand out followed by another round of 15 min tank water adding until double then added my fish.

 

Thanks for the replies

[Balix]

I keep mine at 1.025 but my fish store is like 1.02 or lower sometimes. At least your LFS is not cheap on the salt.

 

I have two tanks with clowns in them both. They are a hardy type so I'm not sure what's going on with your situation. Makes me very curious what is wrong.

 

I did a drip drop acclimation for my clowns when I first added them. I did it for about 2-3 hours or longer. Was watching a football game and forgot about it lol. Can't hurt to do it even longer. The temp from the drips will reach 78. However, if I were to just throw them straight into the tank, I'm pretty sure it would survive.

[Droy008]

I'd be skeptical of the lfs and potentially sick fish. You should consider doseing some prazipro for your remaining fish. This will help eliminate any potential issues moving forward.

[Rural]

i add at night and make sure all originals are well fed before introducing a new one that night. I had one clown attack another and kill it once, luckily I have a bonded pair now.

[ndrobey]

Check for stray voltage going into the tank.

[Admonition]

They could be attacking each other and killing one off when you're not looking. Did you notice any aggressive behavior?

[Mikilios]

Check for stray voltage going into the tank.

I was thinking this too... Or the LFS has some major issues going on with their livestock.

[reeferjohn530]

Yeah I'm going to check that but if i would think stray voltage would kill my shrimp too. Well all my clown fish are dead as of 5 am today. Kinda pissed.

Seem to keep dying at night everytime.

I'm not going to add anything for a few weeks

[reeferjohn530]

This time I checked for cuts scrapes really close I didn't see anything and I looked for anything on or in its gills and saw Nothing I looked for a few minutes.

[SithRico]

The same thing happened to me. I bought 2 clown fish and the tank was at 1 month old. A fire-fish and the tank at 2 months old. The fire-fish just last week. I have a RW-8 and I can tell the flow is a lot for the new fish. A little back story, the clown fish I dripped lasted 3 and 5 days. Fire-fish dripped lasted 5 hrs. Went to the lfs to ask what was going on. He said it was stress. Told me to just drop then right in. After telling him how old the tank was he changed his mind. Said to float and shot-glass acclimate.

 

(Noobie School in session for me). Light, movement, flow, and water. Light changes cause stress. More flow causes more excessive movement for them. They will get tired faster and because of the stress not want to eat. Then just die cause of calorie burn. Moving from tank to bag, bag to car, car to house, bag to container, container to tank. Whatever steps you can remove the better. Water that messes with the fish are SG, and ammonia/nitrates. Everything else doesn't affect them. If you have zero your good with ammonia/nitrates. SG if your more that 3 steps from the lfs you need to acclimate slower. Within 3 steps you should be able to do a 30 min acclimation.

 

What I know now that I didn't then.

 

What I do now. Keep my tank lights off and house lights very dim during acclimation. I take a container if I want to drip and the lfs puts it in there for me. If it's a on the fly purchase I ask for a bigger bag float and use a shot-glass of my water every 5 mins for 30 mins. I never remove any water just add. More stress adding a turkey baster to remove water. Then I reach in and hand place it in the tank and get rid of the bag of water. I keep the flow off for 24 hours other than my returns. Keep my lights at 30% for 48 hours and don't feed for 24 hours. When I see them eating the cocepods I might add some food to see if they eat.

 

This may be a little over kill but since then my fire-fish and damsel are doing great. Will be trying clown-fish again sometime this week. That's another thing ask when they got the fish. If they just got them stay away! That is extra stress. Wait at least 3 days, and ask to see them eat at the store. If they do, take them. If they don't you know there is something wrong. If the lfs doesn't want to show you then maybe you shouldn't give them your money? Just means they don't care about you or the fish. A good lfs will accommodate if they want to keep seeing your money.

 

My friend (use to work at a fish store) just takes his fish and puts them right in. He told me that's what most fish stores do, cause their systems are so old. His tank is yrs old and fish just don't die. I can't do that cause I don't have the essential stuff yet in the water. But he is the one that told me about the flow and lights. He turns his flow and lights off for 24 hrs. He says the fish should have found a place to sleep and rest and feel at home by then.

 

In the end though it's up to you. All you can do is take what people tell you and choose what you want to do. What sounds believable to you, or not. This is one hobby everyone has an opinion on everything. Most of the time it's just here say. I say if you can't show me then I don't believe you. I've seen it first hand and I really do believe everything about stress. Stress effects us, just image what a tiny fish is going through.

 

Good luck.