My fish died.. need som help.

[jada]

My fish died this weekend.. A trigger (3 cm) and a goby (7cm). I need to figure out why. I have no algea problem; no phosphate, ph 8,2 no No2 or No3, temp 27degrees c., and salt 1.023.

It's a small tank, only 22 gallon but everything looks great. -Not the fish though.. I can't see anything wrong. No wounds, they are not skinny, they look really healthy... The few corals i have looks relly great to. The skimmer works fine.. The eremit crabs and snails are fine.. I don't know what to do.. I'm afraid of buying new fish..

-and one more thing; this aquarium has worked fine for over a year now..

Anyone who has an idea of what this could be?

(sorry about my language skills)

[Sk8r]

THere are some fish sources that sell fish caught by cyanide, which ultimately proves lethal. Did both of these fish come from the same place?
Your ph is a shade low: alkalinity could be low, but not disasterously so. Your calcium could also be low. Neither of these should be bad enough to harm fish or even corals.
You're not a new tank. How new are the fish? At that size, they'd seem very young.
Another possibility would be a mantis shrimp, which kills by concussion. Have you heard sounds from the tank at night? Have you added any new rock? They hide in rock.
Oxygen depletion at night is another hazard: sometimes as weather warms that could be a problem. That's a very small tank. If there is not enough oxygenation, that could cause it.

[55semireef]

Well a Trigger would of outgrew that size of a tank in no time. BTW, did you acclimate the fish?

[puffer21]

<img src="/images/welcome.gif" width="500" height="62"><br><b><i><big><big>To Reef Central</b></i></big></big>

I would look to see if you have a mantis, it would make a click noise.

[sarduci]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7583823#post7583823 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jada
[B
-and one more thing; this aquarium has worked fine for over a year now..[/B]

A mantis would have been noticed before a year. So, I'm going to assume you didn't recently add new rock to the system.

How is the tank temp? Could it have got too warm for them or too cold?

You said it was a 22 gallon tank (US?), which is not that big for a tang, which can cause stress and for it to die. The death of a fish in something that size could cause the system to become polluted and cause the other fish to die. That's the problem with "nano" size aquariums. My QT for new fish is a 20 gallon US, my coral QT is a 12 gallon US. Personally, I have a hard enough time with new fish and feeding that I wouldn't want to permanently keep anything but the smallest of fish in a 20 gallon US tank, and only one. But, then again, it a QT and not a full fish tank.

Edit: My bad, I saw tang, not trigger. I don't know anything about triggers other than sometimes, depending on the kind, can 'snap' and kill other fish for no reason. I've read stories about people owning clown triggers for years and one day the go nuts.....

[55semireef]

Yup. My Niger snapped recently and killed a clown fish and a Blue Tang out of the blue. Its weird. But I doubt that was the reason. Triggers are very hardy and to kill one means somethings wrong.

[bluerug]

Your blue tang died, sorry for your loss. Might be time to get rid of the niger, if you are for sure he is the culprit.

[55semireef]

I am 110% positive he is the culprit. Something just "triggered" in him to become much more aggressive.

jada but having a trigger die is usually a sign something is wrong with the tank. Triggers are very hardy and to kill one indicates an investigation.

[bluerug]

Well maybe it is the size of your tank, it sounds like the niger has claimed the whole tank to himself, he really does need a bigger tank, b/c for him to kill two fish in a matter of days tells you right there something is wrong and that it is pretty much his tank and his only. So i would recommend getting rid of him and get something else besides a trigger for a 55 ecspecially a niger b/c they get kinda on the big side. Back to jada now, i think you should first try and find what the problem is, sorry i can not help you out there, but i am sure others will help you out. I will go back and your thread carefully and try and find out what your problem is.

[55semireef]

Regardless, triggers will snap. Even if they are in a 400 gallon tank. In a 400 gallon tank, the aggression is just more spread out. I am getting rid of my niger and I plan on getting more peaceful fish.

[bluerug]

Good choice, that niger is not very happy in that tank at all, it is way to small for him. But in a 400 gallon you have a little more breathing room than a 55 would have. Triggers dont always snap it is the size of the tank that makes them snap, they are very territorial fish, which you have found out now. Jada i went back and i am speechless to what has happend to your fish, sorry i cant help you.

[55semireef]

Actually my Niger seems to be very happy especially that he is the only one in the tank. He is in excellent condition and looks beautiful. Right now its not way to small for him. He has not outgrown it yet but his temper has.



Jada can I see some pics of your tank please?

[bluerug]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7585419#post7585419 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 55semireef
Actually my Niger seems to be very happy especially that he is the only one in the tank. He is in excellent condition and looks beautiful. Right now its not way to small for him. He has not outgrown it yet but his temper has.



Jada can I see some pics of your tank please?
He is happy because no other fish is invading his territory.

[55semireef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7585404#post7585404 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bluecarpet
that niger is not very happy in that tank at all,




He is happy because no other fish is invading his territory.

huh?

He is quite happy, thats all there is to it.

[bluerug]

Yes he is not happy at all in that tank when other fish are in with him, he kills them and that is not being a happy fish when he kills others that invade his territory which is the whole tank, when he is alone he is happy, but if you only want one fish your tank ( which you do not) and nothing else thats up to you, but eventually he will outgrow that tank. So it is a good idea that you are just getting more peacefull fish now.

[55semireef]

My Niger was fine even though there was other fish in the tank. Its in their nature to act like this. They eat, sleep, and breed, nothing more nothing less. This is just an act of aggression which is its insticts kicking in. My Niger acted like this because it wanted too, not because it wasn't "happy." Remember, human characteristics don't always apply to fish.

[bluerug]

Well nigers are in fact one of the more peacefull triggers, and i assure you 9 times out 10 he killed them fish b/c of his territory, some fish have bigger territories some fish have smaller, and the niger has shown his true colors and told the other fish this is my tank now get out or be dead.

[55semireef]

Not true. There were other points in time where I had other fish and he did not bother them at all. Sometimes fish earn others respect. Obviously a clown fish nor a Blue Tang would not earn the respect of a Niger. BTW, a species of trigger doesn't indicate a certain personality. Each Niger has its own traits. One might be peaceful while another may be real aggressive.

[jada]

Thanks everyone.

I know this tank is way too small for triggers, but it was only a few cm.. Really young. I am building a bigger tank only for this trigger. We thought it could live here a couple of weeks or so... Untill the new tank is ready..)

The goby (singaporensis) and the trigger were both new to the tank and of course; i did acclimate the fish.
The temperature is at 27 degrees celcius at the higest, and never lower than 25 degrees celcius. I have not added anything new but fish. They both came just 5 days ago.. And they did not fight or anything.. I know triggers are hardy, agressive fish but i don't think it's temperament caused them both to die, - at the same time. None of them had visible wounds.

A few days before I bought those to fishes, we had a falarias faciatus living there. no problem at all. We moved him to another tank and two days later, the trigger and singaporensis moved in.. For a short while though...

The corals are fine, the water is crystal clear. The polyps looks better than ever..
We caught a mantis the same day we moved the faciatus. We knew he was there all along, but i didn't want to risk the life of my little trigger.. So that shrimp is gone.. Well, he live in another tank with a bigger mantis..

[jada]

Most of you blame the trigger (sorry if i'm wrong), but he's dead too you know.. And he's not a niger. It was a really small rhinecanthus verrucosus. he showed no signs of agression. All he did was eat, eat, eat and sleep...

[falesdk]

No it looks like they were having an argument about whether or not 55's trigger decided to kill the other fish in the tank because it was unhappy or not.

I don't know what killed your fish....hopefully someone else will be able to focus on your problem :)

[55semireef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7587087#post7587087 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by falesdk
No it looks like they were having an argument about whether or not 55's trigger decided to kill the other fish in the tank because it was unhappy or not.




We were discussing not arguing.


honestly Jada, I have no idea what caused your fish to die. Can we see some tank shots please?

[jada]

I have no photos right now, but I can take some photos if you really think that will help. There's not much in the tank. Live rock, some small colonoes of some kind of polyps, eremits, a snail.. It really looks a bit empty I think but anyway. I'll snap some pictures later today or tomorrow..

I have lot of well-experienced folks around me, but none of them know what happend. I just thought it was worth trying on the web too. So many people get to know about my problem. Just a wild shot, this is.. Hoping for the best..

Thanks for everything

[55semireef]

Maybe some of your corals are releasing chemicles into the tank that are killing off your fish.

[jada]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7587821#post7587821 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 55semireef
Maybe some of your corals are releasing chemicles into the tank that are killing off your fish.


Those corals are harmless to fish. It's only cuttings from my boyfriends 132 gallon reef. His fish would die too if that were the case.

[Marinemom]

What kind of corals do you have? If you have soft corals they can release toxins in the water with a softie war. Usually this will kill other corals so there is more room for them to spread. If this is the case than running some carbon will help. I haven't heard though that this would affect the fish.

Marinemom

[jada]

I can't imagine that this little colony of polyps would release so much chemicals that the fish would die.. There are only three small corals in the tank so there should be plenty of space for all of them to grow and spread out without beeing ner eachother.

[TitansFan]

how much flow is in the tank? Is the surface getting ripples to be sure enough oxygen is in the tank? Have you ever tested your tank's PH at night after lights have been off for abit? Maybe you are getting a huge PH drop.

Have you had anyone else test your water to be sure your tests are accurate? How long were the fish in the tank before they died?

[55semireef]

jada, do you have test kits?

[jada]

Flow, oxygen and test kits. - Yes, yes and yes.