New Tank, Dead Fish

[ashleywitson]

I got a 13.5 fluval evo saltwater tank. This is my first saltwater tank. I cycled (or at least I thought) the tank for 3 weeks with live sand and a quick start bacteria. After 3 weeks, my LFS tested the water and said there was no ammonia, nitrates, or nitrites and a pH of 8 and that it was ok to add fish. Water temp is at 76 F.

I added 2 oclerias clowns and they were doing great for about 4-5 days and now have begun declining. Yesterday I added a bubble tip anenome to the tank, and now on day 6 of having the clowns, one of them died and the other one is having labored breathing.

I took a water sample to my LFS and he said there was no ammonia, nitrates, or nitrates and that the water was safe, so it could be a parasite or something the fish had.

I talked to a friend who has been in the saltwater aquarium hobby for a while and he suggested a 20% water change and a dose of ammonia remover and a dose of the bacteria additive.

Anyone here have a similar issue? Did I initially cycle the tank wrong since I did not add any food/dead fish/etc? Do we think the fish may have a disease? I was just doing what the fish store person told me, as I am new to this. Any suggestions or comments are appreciated

 

[TX_REEF]

i suspect no cycle occurred, because you did not add an ammonia source. I strongly recommend purchasing a reliable test kit and learning to test yourself, I can recommend red sea, link below. to try again, use an ammonia source (can be a raw shrimp, fish food, or liquid ammonium, which I recommend because you an add it precisely following the instructions), get ammonia to detectable levels, and then follow your cycle with testing until ammonia and nitrite read zero, with nitrate at that point being at a measurable level, as it will have been the product of the cycle. It would also help if you give us a rundown of the equipment you have (filtration, flow) and what products you use (bacteria source, live or dry rock, sand, water, salt) so we can consider other possibility of clown deaths. A word of caution without judgment - not all LFS, and even less LFS employees, are reliable and well informed, so it is important that you are able to test and understand test results yourself

Product recommendations:

red sea test kit: https://amzn.to/41eA9uf
Dr Tim's liquid ammonium: https://amzn.to/3WWZE0g
fritz turbo-start bacteria: https://amzn.to/4hrpQIN

 

[ashleywitson]

Thank you so much for your advice. I have ordered test kits as my other clown fish has now died as of this morning, and my anemone is on the floor
I’m pretty frustrated that the guy who helped me (the owner of the LFS- pretty reputable) didn’t inform me about adding ammonia.

Now the question is, should I leave the dead fish in the tank for the ammonia cycle? Or get the Dr. Tim’s liquid ammonium??

As far as equipment:
Tank: Fluval Evo 13.5 Gallon
Filter & Pump: stock (idk the specifics, it’s just what it came with)
Not sure brand of heater (but my temp is 76 F)
No ATO, wave maker, etc.
Dry rock, live sand, pre-mixed water from LFS

I’ll come back when my test kit comes in to give those statistics.

 

[ScottJ]

Have a look at this guide;
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-supreme-guide-to-setting-up-a-saltwater-reef-aquarium.138750/

There is also a wealth of info here on R2R.
I would not leave the dead fish in the tank. You might want to return the 'nem to the store also. That is unless it to has died. If it has, remove it as soon as you can.

DO NOT add liquid Ammonia, or try to start a cycle with anything alive in the tank.

Then maybe start over with new saltwater. But really, check out the above guide. A salt tank is not that hard, but there are some things you need to know to be successful. Research is key, patience is your friend!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Don’t leave the dead fish. If ammonia killed them, ammonia is massively high. It might have been disease that killed them, however.

Don’t bother with an ammonia binder. That won’t do anything useful about possible ammonia.

 

[JayM]

When I setup a year ago, I added Fritz 9 as soon as the water came up to temp, then added 2 clownfish the next day. And now, over a year later, all is well. The fish provided ammonia.

 

[Idech]

You can’t be cycled if you don’t have nitrates (unless you did a massive WC).

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

You can’t be cycled if you don’t have nitrates (unless you did a massive WC).

I think that might be misleading. I agree that this tank may or may not be cycled, but if one adds a significant amount of suitable bacteria, it can be ready for fish independent of seeing any ammonia, nitrite or nitrate.

 

[Dom]

Any local fish store that checks nitrites on a salt water aquarium is suspect. And a local fish store that would sell you an anemone 3 weeks into the tank has no regard for you or the animal.

They aren't concerned with your success, just theirs in terms of putting money in their pocket.

I would ask that you take your advice from R2R, or, at least double check what the local fish store tells you to what you're told here.

 

[exnisstech]

I would never added anything to a new tank untill I see nitrate present. It's actually the only thing I test for when cycling. I would be looking for a new LFS or ignore their advice.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I'm surprised your LFS sold you an anemone when your tank wasn't fully cycled to begin with. Usually, I don't recommend anemones to people unless they have had their tank set up for at least six months or more. I would be cautious about returning to that fish store or taking advice from them in the future.