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Some of you might be familiar with the problems I have had lately but I’ll give you all the full rundown.

I started this adventure about 8 months ago preparing to turn my freshwater aquarium into a FOWLR system. Beginning in December, I filled my tank for the first time with Oceanic Natural Sea Salt, a 2-inch base of CaribSea Aragonite, and started cycling with the addition of ammonia (fishless cycling).

Partially through the cycling process (Dec 28), I added 21-pounds of Marshall Island Live Rock. The cycling process came to completion around the middle of January and I started slowly adding Hermit Crabs and Snails. The beginning of Feb brought around my first fish. A couple of us went in together and got a load of fish from an online store (to save money on shipping). I ended up purchasing Two Ocellaris (false) Clowns. They were both about 3/4-inch long. They both ate like pigs (flake and frozen brine shrimp). After a week, one of the clowns was found in the inlet of my powerhead Oddly enough, he was swimming in the current the night before and seamed to be very strong. I don’t know what happened. It’s an AquaClear Powerhead Model 301 (output 174 gph).

Well after that death I let the remaining clown live on his own for awhile. About a month ago, I added 3 additional clowns, 2 cleaner shrimp, and an Orange Diamond Watchman Goby. After everything was in there the downfall started. Within two days they were all introduced, both cleaner shrimp had died. Subsequently, in the next three weeks all the clowns died. I couldn’t figure it out. The parameters were as follows:

Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate 5-10 ppm
SG: 1.024
Temp: 82 F
Alk: 160 ppm

All the clowns had the same symptoms. They would start swimming towards the bottom, breathing more rapidly, then would loose their equilibrium and start running into the bottom The last clown died about a week ago.

Well today, I went to check on the Goby and feed him and I couldn’t find him. So I started moving the live rocks around. Needless to say, I couldn’t find him. He had jumped out of the tank sometime the previous night and died

Weeks ago I noticed a pest anemone (aiptasia). I killed it with concentrated ammonia after I removed the piece of rock from my tank. Now I have noticed a few more on the same piece of live rock

Obviously (if you are keeping a scorecard), that’s no fish that are left. I really don’t know what went one to lead to this state. My suspicion is that there is a disease or a bacterium that was killing everything. I am thinking that I need to break the aquarium down or treat for diseases. Should I treat the aquarium with Aquarium Pharmaceuticals MelaFix and/or PimaFix? I know I would have to re-cycle the tank but I don’t want to add fish eventually again and everything die off. What do you all thing? Thanks!

Oh, how do you suggest treating the aiptasia? One of the pieces of live rock has an oyster on it so I would like to save him. He hasn’t died yet. Thanks!


-Josh

Get some Joe's Juice. That works pretty well to kill aptasia, sometimes. Most of the times it takes a few attempts to kill the buggers though.

Sorry about the losses. I'd let the tank run fallow for a month. Maybe run some carbon during this time, and do water changes like there were fish in there. Any parasites that would feed on fish would die in this time. Then start up slow again.

Also, generally you only want a pair of clowns in a small tank(I know it's a moot point now, but for future reference). I forget what size your tank is, but it would have to be pretty large for more than one pair of clowns to coexist peacefully. They may get along while immature, but once they get older, trouble might arise.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

My tank is 29 gallon, so it's pretty small. But I will eventually have a sump of similar size (either a 20/29 gallon). Two of the four were going to a friends tank but they didn't make it long enough... Probably best if they had a disease or something.

Thanks Matt!

Does it sound like a disease was present or is something in my tank that's going to reoccur?

-Josh

It's hard to tell, it doesn't sound like there were any real symptoms, but there doesn't always have to be. Whatever the case, letting your tank run without fish or inverts for a while can only help. Even if there were no disease, and it was just a freak accident, letting the tank mature without fish in it can increase the amount of good little critters.

One other thing, how did you acclimate your fish?

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

I did a 2-hour drip acclimation

-Josh

Well that's more than I did for my clowns, but I knew exactly where they were coming from. I think I'm out of ideas. They could have been weak fish - it sometimes happens. I'd say give it another go in a month or so, just to be safe.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

i had a similar problem last year when i changed a FW tank to SW.

We put it down to undectable( by easily tested means) toxins.
To finally get over it i refilled the tank added cholrine, then boiled the tank about 3-4 times might of been over kill but havent had a problem since

To finally get over it i refilled the tank added cholrine, then boiled the tank about 3-4 times might of been over kill but havent had a problem since

What do you mean that you boiled the tank!?!?! I am guessing you much have had a small tank?

-Josh

It means to turn the heater temp up really high. It kills alot of stuff though so your liverock won't be quite so live. I also question it's effectiveness on bacterial illnesses since the desireable bacteria will survive such temps. I think your better off leaving the tank empty and then redoing it slower.

Literally filled the tank with boiling water. 60g tank half filled wiped down the whole bit.

Not to put your off it, but i emptied my tank and refilled and still had the same problem. thats why i boiled it.

You can get your water tested for toxins which arent testable in the average home. but to pay for these can be extremlly expensive.

I don't konw if I'd go to that extreme, especially after paying for all that live rock. If you tank the LR out in buckets and "boil" the tank, then put the LR back in - you didn't effectively do anything. So if you are going to think about starting over, new LR and sand is a must.

I'd still just let it hang out for a month or so. Any parasitic organisms by definition need fish to live, and will die without them.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

I am not considering pouring boiling water into the tank but wouldn't have affect the seals?

-Josh

If the room is cool I would think you could also crack the glass. Boiling liverock is actually mentioned quite frequently on another forum I was posting to for awhile and always referred to turning the heater up to around 85+ for several weeks. Actual boiling water would be pretty pointless. You would probably acheive the same from just letting the tank and rock dry out and then you might as well have bought dry rock to begin with. It's much cheaper.

Well i believe its a toxin, very few parasites will move from FW to SW.

i think the best thing to do is wash the tank out as much as you can. if there is a toxin dilute as much as you can.

Your problem just sounds so similar to what i had last year. changing tank from FW to SW

That's why I suggested running carbon and doing water changes. That way it's diluted when he starts back up again.

Starting all over with a bleached(much better idea than boiling) tank and new rock(whatever toxin might have been in the tank would now be in the rock as well) could very likely fix things. But you'd have to cycle again and shell out a ton of money. I'm trying to give Josh something to try before he goes to that extreme. I know I'd want to try something before I started all over. I wouldn't even be able to afford to start over, and would probably have to throw in the towel.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

I agree Matt...Starting over would about be the point to throw in the towel...lol Live rock is too expensive to do that too many times. Especially considering that I am just out of college and those student loans are sneaking up behind me

If in a month, (when I buy a "cheap" fish) if it doesn't survive then I'll consider the bleach method. Thanks all!

-Josh

what makes a cheap fish life anymore expendable than a say something like a shark?

I am not suggesting such a thing at all and I am sorry that you believe that I meant that. After a good period of time with no fish the tank should be ok. By no means am I suggesting that I am going to "sacrafice" a cheap fish because I don't want to spend a lot of money. Sorry if you think I meant that

-Josh

Well the confussion continues, well a little bit. I checked my levels on everything today. I think I need to make some adjustments. What do you all thing?

Before I give ya my levels I'll explain a little bit. I have three "bodies of water". The first is self explanitory, my main tank. It's a 29 gallon tank with 2-inch base of CaribSea Aragonite and 21-pounds of Marshall Island Live Rock. It is completely cycled although there is nothing in the tank currently (except for a few snails) for the reasons started above.

The second tank I have is a 20-gallon long. This will eventually become my sump when I get a new stand. It has a 1.5-2.0 inch base of CaribSea Aragonite and 29-pounds of Marshall Island Live Rock. I know what you are thinking, why is there more live rock in the 20-gallon tank? Well, I purchased 29 additional pounds and that's where it cured after I got it. I never added any of it to the main tank because things started to go wrong in the main tank. It is cycled as well and has a few snails and hermit crabs in there.

Finally, I have a 18-gallon plastic "tub" that I now use for mixing my saltwater up. I have had the water in there for about a week now...I need to do a water change in the main tank but thought I would ask my question first.

There are the values:

"Main tank":

pH: 7.8
NH3/NH4+: 0.00 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 15 ppm
Ca2+: 540 ppm
KH: 150 ppm
SG: 1.023
Salinity: 31%
Temp: 73 F

Future Sump:

pH: 7.8
NH3/NH4+: 0.00 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 5 ppm
Ca2+: 560 ppm
KH: 230 ppm
SG: 1.023
Salinity: 31%
Temp: 76 F

Water Tank:

pH: 8.0
NH3/NH4+: 0.00 ppm
Nitrite: 0.00 ppm
Nitrate: 0 ppm
Ca2+: 500 ppm
KH: 170 ppm
SG: 1.023
Salinity: 31%
Temp: 78 F

Although when I originally checked my pH and it was at 8.1 it has reduced. I have the following products that I could alter my parameters with:

Seachem Reef Buffer
Seachem Reef Builder
Seachem Reef Calcium

I am afraid to throw my parameters off by adjusting with Reef Buffer. WHat do you all suggest? Do the other parameters need adjusting? Thanks!

-Josh

Maybe I should just ask this...Where should my values be at? Each place I look tends to say a different range

-Josh