chronic Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 i got a clown 2 days ago...first day it was doing fine...healthy...the next day when i got home...he was like paralyzed 1/2 he was like rotting on one side not sure if it was bites. Same thing happened to another fish that died. All other I got are fine, yellow tang, blue tang, fishes are fine. I read in other threads that the damesls attack clowns. Is it because of the damsel or a disease? Or is it also because I have a three band clownfish also? Link to comment
reefhog Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 i got a clown 2 days ago...first day it was doing fine...healthy...the next day when i got home...he was like paralyzed 1/2 he was like rotting on one side not sure if it was bites. Same thing happened to another fish that died. All other I got are fine, yellow tang, blue tang, fishes are fine. I read in other threads that the damesls attack clowns. Is it because of the damsel or a disease? Or is it also because I have a three band clownfish also? Too vague to diagnose. Link to comment
zachxlutz Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 how big is your tank? how long has it been set up? what are your parameters? any other info we should know? Link to comment
chronic Posted September 12, 2006 Author Share Posted September 12, 2006 it's 20 gallon tank with air driven skimmer (which stopped skimming when i installed an overhead filter (contains crushed corals and foam) a undergravel bed under the sand and live rocks. Inhabitants are 1 spider crab, 1 coral banded shrimp, a clam, 3 corals, 1anemone, 1 yellow tang, 1 blue tang, 1 three band clown 1 coral beauty 1 blue damsel, and a yellow fish which i don't know what its called that i hardly see. actually been running it for a week only...based on what i've been reading i don't think i have clcled it properly...I made a mistake of purchasing livestock immediately, without cycling, got too excited... however, what i did was i got all the rocks, water sand, and livestock from the tanks of the LFS so in effect only the tank, skimmer and the OHF is the new thing. I plan to setup a sump tank soon... Fishes are eating, corals are lively, the clam is pretty much alive...based on what i'm seeing inhabitants seem pretty fine, water is crystal clear, live rocks have some activity (like tube anemone, and some small crabs i think or snails maybe, have removed the hijacker pests such as majano that i saw... have not purchased a test kit yet thou... Link to comment
brandonlai Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 it's 20 gallon tank with air driven skimmer (which stopped skimming when i installed an overhead filter (contains crushed corals and foam) a undergravel bed under the sand and live rocks. Inhabitants are 1 spider crab, 1 coral banded shrimp, a clam, 3 corals, 1anemone, 1 yellow tang, 1 blue tang, 1 three band clown 1 coral beauty 1 blue damsel, and a yellow fish which i don't know what its called that i hardly see. actually been running it for a week only...based on what i've been reading i don't think i have clcled it properly...I made a mistake of purchasing livestock immediately, without cycling, got too excited... however, what i did was i got all the rocks, water sand, and livestock from the tanks of the LFS so in effect only the tank, skimmer and the OHF is the new thing. I plan to setup a sump tank soon... Fishes are eating, corals are lively, the clam is pretty much alive...based on what i'm seeing inhabitants seem pretty fine, water is crystal clear, live rocks have some activity (like tube anemone, and some small crabs i think or snails maybe, have removed the hijacker pests such as majano that i saw... have not purchased a test kit yet thou... Not trying to flame you or anything, but the reason your clown probably died is because your tank is not cyled...also, your tank is too small for the tangs and the coral beauty. Your tank is way overstocked as is and you probably are not experienced enough for the anemone. I would purchase a test kit asap and return all the fish and livestock and properly cycle your tank. Again i hope i didnt come off as being angry or anything but you might want to research some more before you purchase livestock HTH Brandon Link to comment
John_Auberry Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 HOLY CRAP!.....dude you need to get rid of some fish or get a bigger tank......You know your tangs will soon out grow a 20g right? Do you have another tank you can move them to? Link to comment
MagElvs Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 Oh god. You're going to get flamed, but I'll try to help. First, tangs don't belong in a tank smaller than 50g and most people would say that is pushing it. 2nd, you shouldn't add any livestock to your tank for 2-4 weeks depending on how long your cycle is. You have to test and wait for your ammonia and nitrate levels to fall. I'd try returning the livestock for credit and start over. What lighting do you have? Clams need A LOT of light? Your clowns probably died because your tank hasnt cycled, but they may have died from clownfish disease. I feel bad, read up on this site. LFS like to trick you into spending money. Patience is key. Link to comment
John_Auberry Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 HOLY CRAP!.....dude you need to get rid of some fish or get a bigger tank......You know your tangs will soon out grow a 20g right? Do you have another tank you can move them to? Sorry didnt mean to jump like that.......but seriously, in about 3 days the amonia is going to build up and you are going to have a very expensive death chamber.....You should slap the store owner that sold you all of the with out properly walking you through the process. It not you fault as much as the store that sold them to you. Link to comment
idog Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 Agreed... Take everything back where you got it and kick the LFS guy square in the nuts once for each of the 20,000+ members on this forum. You got hosed my friend. Everything will surely die if you don't take action. Do some research before you buy in the future, and ask the questions FIRST. Good Luck. Link to comment
chronic Posted September 12, 2006 Author Share Posted September 12, 2006 oh no...maybe i'll try to setup another tank for my tangs...right now i'm only using my acryltic light which i leave on during night time...but i plan to change the lighting time during day time...I also plan to get another 7000k bulb...I also got direct sunlight on the tank but i diffuse it with bamboo blinds so that it won't warm up the tank... here are other pics of my death chamber very bad mistake, is there a way to prevent the spike? i mean how do i save my inhabitants? Link to comment
brandonlai Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 oh no...maybe i'll try to setup another tank for my tangs...right now i'm only using my acryltic light which i leave on during night time...but i plan to change the lighting time during day time...I also plan to get another 7000k bulb...I also got direct sunlight on the tank but i diffuse it with bamboo blinds so that it won't warm up the tank... here are other pics of my death chamber very bad mistake, is there a way to prevent the spike? i mean how do i save my inhabitants? well, like i said before, return all the livestock back to the LFS and slap them for not telling you about the cycleing and stuff. Then cycle your tank and research before you get anything else Link to comment
John_Auberry Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 That dont look like a yellow tang.....I think it might be a lemon peel......but I looking at it on a 5 inch screen Link to comment
chronic Posted September 12, 2006 Author Share Posted September 12, 2006 well, like i said before, return all the livestock back to the LFS and slap them for not telling you about the cycleing and stuff. Then cycle your tank and research before you get anything else hmmm....don't think that's possible.... got other suggestions guys? would frequent water change, adding a sump, cleaning the OHF do any good? Link to comment
MagElvs Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 when you put new sand/rock into your tank, die off happens. this causes your ammonia to explode, then nitrites, then nitrates--all along with some pretty nasty algae. Pretty soon, the ammonia is going to explode and poison all of your livestock unless you remove them till the tank is cycled--should take 2-4 weeks. Link to comment
chronic Posted September 12, 2006 Author Share Posted September 12, 2006 when you put new sand/rock into your tank, die off happens. this causes your ammonia to explode, then nitrites, then nitrates--all along with some pretty nasty algae. Pretty soon, the ammonia is going to explode and poison all of your livestock unless you remove them till the tank is cycled--should take 2-4 weeks. I see...so getting live rocks and water from a cycled tank does not really have any difference from mixing my own SW and getting rocks from uncycled tanks... How about the OHF? does it make any difference? coz i noticed that the skimmer reduced its skimate after i installed the OHF. I also noticed that there is this smell inside the OHF, maybe ammonia. What if I placed the livestock in a bare tank while I cycle the tank? Link to comment
John_Auberry Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 What if I placed the livestock in a bare tank while I cycle the tank? If I was you I would get a few large rubbermaid tubs and put them in them and keep the water changed.....but You still need a bigger tank. Link to comment
magicboy6264 Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 I see...so getting live rocks and water from a cycled tank does not really have any difference from mixing my own SW and getting rocks from uncycled tanks... How about the OHF? does it make any difference? coz i noticed that the skimmer reduced its skimate after i installed the OHF. I also noticed that there is this smell inside the OHF, maybe ammonia. What if I placed the livestock in a bare tank while I cycle the tank? well....then the bare tank will soon be full of ammonia then nitrite then nitrate. First, you need to at least try or call or do something, to take back all that live stock for credit, because if not you will lose a lotttttt of money in fish deaths. There are cycling products out there, but they rarely work and good ones are few and far between, not to mention expensive. Good luck and I hope you don't go through the same thing that many of us in your position did! Link to comment
chronic Posted September 12, 2006 Author Share Posted September 12, 2006 i meant bear tank to hold livestock while my tank was still cycling...then return them after 2 to 3 weeks since it has been cycling for a week now. i think bringing them back to LFS would be more of a disaster because i really don't know how to pack the fish... thanks for the help guys... Link to comment
zachxlutz Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 I'm gonna make this plain and simple for you. Everything you have is going to die. If the tangs don't die from the ammonia spike, they are going to die from being cramped up in the tank. Your corals are going to die. Your clam is going to die. Not only from not having enough light, but from not being able to withstand ammonia and nitrite. Take everything living back to your local fish store. Even if you just have to give it back and don't get any money back. For the fishes sake, give them back. You have made a major mistake and unless you do something quick you are are going to have a lot of death on your hands. Link to comment
Prowland Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 If at all possible have someone local hold the livestock and fish in an established tank! If you cant do that or return the stuff then here is what you need to do... Get a few empty tanks.... add water, heaters, 70W Metal Halide light over the tank with the coral, and filters. Buy a test kit. Add Livestock to new tanks. Pray. Do frequent water changes to tanks with livestock. Pray again. Keep testing the tank w/ LR and LS and wait for it to cycle. Dont just guess when it has cycled. Pray some more. When its over return livestock to your cycled tank and get a larger tank set up for the fish. Link to comment
fewskillz Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 Packing fish isnt hard. Just put them in the bags they came in or even in a clean bucket for that matter. Unless the fish store is hours away they'll be fine. They wont be fine in an un-cycled 20 gallon tank. You can keep them in an empty tank like youre asking about, but you'll have to do a small water change at least every other day to keep the ammonia down. Be sure to siphon out any uneaten food and all waste from the bottom of the tank. I suggest putting a piece of clean PVC pipe in the empty tank for the fish to hide in. A 2-3" T fitting is nice. Makes the fish feel hidden but you can still see inside it nicely for observing their well-being. You need to do something quickly before you lose anymore livestock. Link to comment
chronic Posted September 12, 2006 Author Share Posted September 12, 2006 LFS is a bit far...so i'll try the bare tank with frequent water change...the fish will have better chances of survival than transporting them to LFS... Link to comment
jenn_jeffery Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 LFS is a bit far...so i'll try the bare tank with frequent water change...the fish will have better chances of survival than transporting them to LFS... Somehow I doubt that, but notice MULTPILE tanks, buckets whatever. You need to spread the fish out a good bit for them to have a chance. Tossing all of them into a smaller but bare tank will just further complicate the problems you're already having. You'll still need to return some of the fish though, unless you're upgrading tank size as well. Most of the fish you have are WAY too small for a 20g tank. From looking at the pictures you have, I would also advise adding more liverock. That's your main source of filteration, and you don't have that much in your tank currently. You also need to upgrade the lighting SOON to be able to keep that clam alive. www.drsfostersmith.com is a good place to order lights from. You'll probably need Metal Halide to keep the clam. Link to comment
xplicit Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 First off, go get a bigger tank if you want to keep that tang or else return him. You don't want to setup that 20gal and later set up a bigger tank for that tang. Unless your rich I advise you to ditch the 20 and start over. I find that useing "stress zyme" did help my tank cycle alittle faster, but that could be just my imagination. Good luck. Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.