I feel like a failure (long post)

[Mr31415]

To not bore anyone too much, here is only a quick bit of history of my setup.

I started in June with my first saltwater aquarium. Bought a nice setup - 550l tank, sump, Deltec AP600 skimmer, Rowaphos in TLF reactor, GAC in TLR reactor, Ca reactor, Calcium Dispenser pumping kalkwasser in with topup unit, 4 x T5 54W lights, AquaTronica controller, BIG chiller, Jager heater, 2900l/h return pump, 2 x Turbelle streams for circulation.

I started my tank with tap water due to the advise given to me at that time by the guy who installed the tank (big mistake - algae). Used Tropic Marine salt ever since. I have a SSB using aragonite. After about 7 days of running like this I bought 80kg of cured Kenyan Live Rock. I measured the water parameters carefully and after 1.5 weeks I could not measure any ammonia or nitrites. Since the LR had been at the LFS for about 2 months, I was sure it was properly cured, and together with the water tests and LFS advise I added my first live stock.

That was a colt coral, CBS, some turbo snails and some hermits. That seemed to go pretty well so after another week I added my first fish - 2 x clown fish, some peppermint shrimps and some brittle stars. After 2 weeks I added a purple tang and a yellow tang. The PT had ich, and I did not have a QT. So I purchased a QT then moved all fish to it. I left the main tank fallow for 1 month and had the fish in QT for the same period. That is 1 month since Ich disappeared.

I placed them back and everything was fine. In this time I added only one or two corals to the main tank.

Thereafter I purchased some Chromis and placed them in QT. After 2 weeks (the time the LFS recommended since that was the lifecycle of the Ich parasite) of showing no signs I moved them to the main tank - all the while closely monitoring the water params to ensure no ammonia/nitrite/nitrate and stable pH/salinity/calcium/alkalinity/temperature.

I then lost one chromis. That chromis was harassed I think in QT so he was never really happy from the start. I thought in the bigger tank they'd stop harassing him. After 1.5 weeks he died.

So I purchased a lawnmower blenny after a couple of weeks, and a pearl goby. The pearl goby was very thin when I purchased him, so in the QT I made a DSB in the refugium and placed some LR. I tried to feed him though he was eating poorly. I thought that since gobies to not get Ich easily it would be better for its health to move him early to the main tank (after only 1 week) since the sand bed is more mature. After 2 weeks he died. Very thin.

I added another lawnmower blenny after the usual 2 week QT period - he died after 4 days (had a bloated stomach).

I then purchased two frogfish for my predator tank which I started in the mean time. The one had a huge belly when I purchased him - I thought he ate something. During the 2 week QT only one of the frogfish ate healthily - the other one never ate anything. I thought it was still digesting whatever it ate. So I moved them to the main predator tank and after 2 days the one with the full belly fell over and died. the other one is still fine.

Then I added a blue linka to the main tank. Acclimated him 3 hours long using drip method (I use the drip method for 45 minutes - 2 hours as standard, depending on whether it is fish or invert). The first week he was fine, then the second week his legs started "melting" - decaying. The other three still at the LFS looks perfectly healthy - so it must have been something I did wrong. I got 2 red linka's, but now they are showing the same signs of decaying...

I got two small carpet anemonies - the one was in a tank at the LFS that crashed and although very sticky still - did not look too healthy. After 3 weeks the one is doing fine, but the other one is dead. I just took him out this morning. It refused to eat and kept falling over. I purchased an unidentified anemone about 3 months ago and that one is doing fine. Eating healthily and had grown considerably.

So to summarise. I purchased these fish:
3 x Clowns (one died after the second day - I assume it was too small and the CBS ate it I guess)
1 x Purple Firefish
1 x Purple Tang
1 x Yellow Tang (Taken back to LFS since it fought with PT)
1 x Green Mandarin
5 x Chromis (One died)
1 x Dragon Wrasse
1 x Spotted Leopard Wrasse
1 x Pearl Goby (Died)
1 x Blue Cheek Goby
1 x Lawnmower Blenny
1 x Lawnmower Blenny (Died)
1 x Regal Tang (Died from stress due to power outage)

Predator:
1 x Volitans Lionfish (contracted ich after 3 weeks in QT)
1 x Zebra Eel
1 x Leaffish
2 x Frogfish (one died)
1 x Puffer (has Ich - in QT with hypo)

Inverts:
1 x Feather Star (died - only found out about its difficulty later on)
Couple of brittle stars - all alive
Hermits - most alive I think
Turbo snails - had lost 3 of the 15.
Peppermint shrimp - both alive
4 x Cleaner Shrimp - all alive, though I lost 3 shrimps only minutes after acclimatising them
1 x blue linka (dead)
2 x red linka (dying)
1 x sea hare (died)
1 x CBS - alive
2 x Clams (alive)
1 x Anemone (healthy)
1 x carpet anemone (ok)
1 x carpet (died)

Corals:
Leather, Colt, Mushrooms, Sun Corals, Closed Brain, Zoanthid, Porites with christmas worms, yellow polyps - all fine and healthy.

My current params are (raising salinity again since it had been at 1.0225 for the past couple of weeks):
27C, 1.023SG, 8.00-8.18pH, 7dKH, 400mg/L Ca, 0 NH3, 0 NO2, 0 NO3.

Can anyone give me advise on why it seems like the last month was only met with death? What am I doing wrong? Is there anything in the post above that seems obvious to you on why I am failing? I will not buy anything anymore until I understand and fix this.

Any advise is welcome.

[atty]

seems like your LFS doesnt supply healthy fish, how big is your QT?

[Ooulophilia]

The fact that your corals are doing well leads me to believe there could be a toxin released from one of your inverts dying - if there is a problem with your water chemistry, the corals will be the first ones to suffer. Do regular water changes, and add carbon.
In the future, do not buy any blue or red linkia stars, and please encourage your LFS not to stock them.

[Mr31415]

atty - in my signature, 120l QT.

Ooulophilia - I am doing monthly 15% water changes currently. I am running GAC as mentioned in the post.

[Ooulophilia]

If you are having issues, do 10% twice a week - I recommend 10% once a week minimum for any marine tank.

[zemuron114]

clownfish deaths are common at small sizes.
chromis die due to aggression - common as well
weird lawnmower blenny died, they usually do very well.

i would say the deaths you are experiencing are rather common, but as everyone else mentioned your LFS may be bringing in bad fish or not handling them right as well. If anything was wrong with your system the corals anc inverts would show signs before fish. Seems you have a nice stock though, and if everything else is doing fine then i wouldn' worry about it to much.

[Mr31415]

zemuron114 - just one question then, if that is the case why would the linka have died and the others at the shop are still healthy?

[buzzee]

Hey there...

I wouldnt say you are a failure, sounds like you've read your books etc.

It just sounds to me like you are in too much of a hurry.

All that stock in just 6 months??

SLOW DOWN.....


Give your tank another 6 months before you add anything else. It neds to mature and gain momentum. After all your are building a new ecosystem.

With all that stock, you may want to upgrade to an apf600. for heavier loads, 550 litres is not that big.

Get the carbon OUT of the reactor and simply place in bags in the sump near the return. Fluidising or similar will cause major problems with nutrient stripping and bleaching. NEVER fluidise carbon.


Hope this helps.

[theroon]

I think your salinity is to low for the cleaner shrimp and Linka.

I made the same mistake and when my original salinity was around 1.022 for a couple months. I placed a couple cleaner shrimp and they died within minutes. I naturally investigated this and found out that they like the salinity around 1.025-6. I checked a couple LFS stores which I purchase my livestock and they keep the salinity around 1.025. I raised my salinity to around 1.025. Man, that took a lot of effort in the amount of salt and water changes! I have a Deltec skimmer and it skims MUCH better with the higher salinity. I have had minimal die off since. I am going to try to keep my parameter somewhat the same as my favorite LFS in the area. I found that they prefer 1.025 and temp of 79 F.

I noticed when I add a fish, I get some type of imbalance. Some are very territorial, some are shy and week eaters (ie Mandarins). I read that it is best to add fish when the lights are out. In the future I will be only adding one fish at a time. I noticed that the original fish (2 clown, tang, 5 cronies, wrasse) I purchased are still alive today. Now when I add a fish, they only lasted a couple weeks.

Sorry for the loss, I know it is disheartening. My tank is around 5 months old and it is so hard not to add stuff. It took me many months planning and setting up the tank and we all get impatient. And oh the money it takes! Also, it is amazing to see all the other tanks on Reef Central.

my tank so far...

http://sprunger.smugmug.com/photos/105428048-M.jpg

[Mr31415]

My LFS keeps most of their tanks at 1.018-1.021, that is why I kept mine lower as well. Funny thing is the Linka is fine in their tank at 1.021...

[techreef]

theroon, that's a heckofa cute invert you have at the bottom of your tank setup in your pic. does your LFS have any more in stock?

I highly recommend buying online from Liveaquaria.com. They package their animals very well, and the literature that they include w/ the shipment re: acclimation is super complete, right down to dimming the lights when you open the box so as not to stress the fish w/ bright light. i've ordered two fish and 20 snails from them, and things are good for me. it's a solid option.

[Mr31415]

techreef... I live in South Africa. About 13000km from you.

[Cuervo]

When I first got started, I tried to do things fast.. I had many losses. I don't know what it was, can't place my finger on it, but I swear that the longer the tanks have been setup and running, the less problems I have. Even if something is a little off - salinity, temp, ph, it still rarely gives me a problem any more.

I agree with the above. Slow down man. Let everything stabilize and get going.

[theroon]

Ar you using a RO/DI unit?

[CeeGee]

The linkias did well at the LFS because they are not there for an extended period. The damage was done there and ended at your end.

[Mr31415]

theroon - Yup RO/DI - TDS is 0-1ppm. I used to have some algae issues but since a couple of weeks ago I started skimming wet, now the cyno is gone.

CeeGee - the LFS got 4 blue linkas. About 4 days after they received them I purchased one. Two weeks later the one died in my tank. The other three at the LFS (same three) are still perfectly healthy. That is my concern...

[dc]

I agree..Slow down. Nothing comes fast in this hobby. Many of your choices are poor ones for a fairly new tank. I'd also raise the salinity.

Mandarins~eat pods, do well in a more mature tank

Anemones~ also like a more mature tank/don't always do well with separate species

Linkias~generally starve to death in most home aquariums

Wrasses~tend to eat inverts

Lawnmower Blennies~also starve to death if there isn't enough proper food

[DarthBaiter]

Your linkia went thru two acclimations in less than a week while the ones at the shop went thru one. I would chalk that up to experience and continue.
You have a nice set up, follow the "slow down" advice and enjoy what you have for a while and then add another fish or two down the road.