Fish dying :(

[jazreef]

That's 88 degrees F!
Parameters fine but that will kill.

So you think it’s the temp??

 

[jazreef]

I had an overstocked 30 gal reef that did fine at those temps in the summer. But, it’s very risky, any higher and oxygen will be completely depleted and at those temps bacteria in the water will proliferate at a crazy rate.

Oh shoot ok, I didn’t realize it was too warm. Should I add colder water ?

 

[jazreef]

Go here for reference —> https://www.hamzasreef.com/Contents/Calculators/FreeAmmonia.php

Ok thank you

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

I would feed them frozen mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, and leave out nori for the tang

Ok, so they were getting nutritious meals.

I agree with others on this one, the temperature is way to high, and is likely the main reason your fish aren't doing good.

 

[Gabbone]

Imo I will turn off the heater until you reach 77-78f or 24.5-25.5 degree.

Go slower since it might shock the system. Do that, now!

 

[jazreef]

Imo I will turn off the heater until you reach 77-78f or 24.5-25.5 degree.

Go slower since it might shock the system. Do that, now!

Ok, got it. Thank you!!

 

[Gabbone]

Let me know and send me pm if you need further assistance! happy to help :-D

 

[Sophie"s mom]

Hi, so I’ve had my saltwater tank running since October of last year. So far it’s been going well, had a bacteria bloom 2 months ago, but still fish were fine. I was noticing that my snails weren’t lasting for long, however, other inverts (ie. crabs, urchin) have been good. I got a purple anthias 2 months ago and I honestly did not think it was going to live because of its weird behaviour(isolated, didn’t eat), however, it pulled through but then recently died last week. Then 2 days ago my hippo tang randomly died, and today I noticed my fairy wrasse has been hiding all day, which I feel like is not a good sign. The only fish doing well at this point is my clown fish. I’m stressing out and don’t know what to do. I tested my water parameters, everything seemed ok but I tested for magnesium and it seemed a bit high, and nitrates were also slightly high too, around 25ppm. Could there be a silent killer in the tank? I’ve been so consistent with water changes and water testing , I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong and it’s so disappointing to see all my fish dying.

When all seems good on the parameters end , I tend to look around the room the tank is in. Has anything like cleaners or air fresheners been sprayed near by? What about oxygen exchange? Do you have enough surface agitation ?

 

[Sophie"s mom]

Hi, so I’ve had my saltwater tank running since October of last year. So far it’s been going well, had a bacteria bloom 2 months ago, but still fish were fine. I was noticing that my snails weren’t lasting for long, however, other inverts (ie. crabs, urchin) have been good. I got a purple anthias 2 months ago and I honestly did not think it was going to live because of its weird behaviour(isolated, didn’t eat), however, it pulled through but then recently died last week. Then 2 days ago my hippo tang randomly died, and today I noticed my fairy wrasse has been hiding all day, which I feel like is not a good sign. The only fish doing well at this point is my clown fish. I’m stressing out and don’t know what to do. I tested my water parameters, everything seemed ok but I tested for magnesium and it seemed a bit high, and nitrates were also slightly high too, around 25ppm. Could there be a silent killer in the tank? I’ve been so consistent with water changes and water testing , I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong and it’s so disappointing to see all my fish dying.

wow, just reading about that temp! yeah, way high, come down slowly, but for reference mine is at 78 F.

 

[Uncle99]

So you think it’s the temp??

78, not 88, that’s too hot
25-26 Celsius

 

[I never finish anythi]

Wow that's very hot . That's more than likely the problem. Is everything ok now you have got the temperature down ?

 

[Ziggy17]

My salinity is a bit high it’s 1.027
Ammonia seemed to be 0
pH was 8.2
Nitrite was 0
Nitrate 25ppm
Temp 31.4 C

I don’t have any videos of my sick fish.

What are you using to measure the temp? Has it been calibrated? It may not actually be that high, but anything over 83 and you will start getting O2 issues. I can’t imagine any fish lasting 2 months in 88, so I’d be checking my thermometer to make sure the reading is correct.

 

[Ziggy17]

I had an overstocked 30 gal reef that did fine at those temps in the summer. But, its very risky, any higher and oxygen will be completely depleted and at those temps bacteria in the water will proliferate at a crazy rate.

That’s incredible that they pulled through. I presume you had a ton of surface agitation and evaporating water like crazy to keep the O2 up during that time. Personally I wouldn’t have thought it possible that given that scenario all livestock made it through, but I have never pushed the envelope that far. I ran my tank at 82 to help my battle with Dinos but I had an air stone in my return baffle blowing O2 into the tank with lots of surface agitation.

 

[Readywriter]

That’s incredible that they pulled through. I presume you had a ton of surface agitation and evaporating water like crazy to keep the O2 up during that time. Personally I wouldn’t have thought it possible that given that scenario all livestock made it through, but I have never pushed the envelope that far. I ran my tank at 82 to help my battle with Dinos but I had an air stone in my return baffle blowing O2 into the tank with lots of surface agitation.

Yea it had some good (but not too much) surface agitation from powerheads, 2 large computer fans blowing into the canopy, and one of the powerheads was running a venturi, plus the skimmer. Evaporation was a little high for a 30g but not terrible (1 gallon per day)

The real crazy part is not only was the tank waaay overstocked but everything was thriving, and once it was 6 months old that tank never had any problems with algae let alone anything else. I will say though, that tank looked stunning in every way but had zero margin for error. I don't think Id try it again while my children live at home, maintaining that tank was very difficult.