Karen Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 I have an 80 gal. saltwater tank which I set up the first part of October. Always had fresh and wanted to try something different. I have gobies and other mellow fish in there which seem to be thriving but I keep losing fish. My cardinal was eating great and now it won't eat, I don't know what to do. Any pointers/tips would be great. I buy my fish in Albany from Roger at Amazing aquariums which seem to look pretty healthy. I hear some say it is best to buy tank raised vs. wild. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks (clap) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonBoy Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 My first thought is are you running a skimmer and do you have enough live rock to support the system, more info on your setup would help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stylaster Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 First thing we need to know is your salinity, ph, nitrates, and phosphates Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coralreefer Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 saltwater is all about the water...water...water...water... stylaster is right...what about parameters...temp, skimmer, alk, pH, salinity? DrMerle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePremiumAquarium Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 An equipment list would be awesome as well. Here are a few things that might help us. Do you have/use/type? A sump , protein skimmer, flow, lighting , amount of live rock and sand, tap water or RO/DI water, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huskerduck Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 and after all those great recomendations...........if everythings good, you may have an aggressive fish thats stressing( killing) the others Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 First off, Welcome. Next as others mentioned we need a lot more details about your system. A complete equipment list will give us an idea whether or not your missing something essential or have something known to be an issue. Next we need to know what is currently in the tank and how long it has been there. Not just fish bit we also need to know how much live rock is there, sand, water (ro/di or tap), etc., and then we need to know what your current water parameters are and whether these have been tested against a second source as well. (I.E. Did you check them and then also have the LFS test them as well) It may seem like a lot but the more information we have the better picture we can have of what the problem may be. One other thing, what are you feeding them and how often? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JManrow Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 Welcome to the PNWMAS Forum Karen! An 80 is a nice tank to enter the marine side of the hobby with. You should find the crowd here to be a very helpful bunch! The Annual PNWMAS Christmas Party is this coming Saturday, December 19th. You won't want to miss it! http://www.pnwmas.org/forums/calendar.php?do=getinfo&day=2009-12-19&e=72&c=1 If you would like to receive notifications of upcoming PNWMAS Meetings and Events, please send a PM your email address to me. You will then be added to the PNWMAS Evite mailing list. Also, be sure to check out the New to the Hobby "Noobs R Us" section http://www.pnwmas.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=53&order=desc , and the "EVERYBODY CAN HELP IN THIS. THAT MEANS YOU" thread http://www.pnwmas.org/forums/showthread.php?t=12128 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen Posted December 17, 2009 Author Share Posted December 17, 2009 My PH is 8.2, I have a skimmer and about 30 lbs or so of live rock with good lighting and I feed them brime shrimp. There are about 10 fish (damsels, clown, gobbies, lawnmower blennie, anemones, starfish, snails, shrimp). Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JManrow Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 My PH is 8.2' date=' I have a skimmer and about 30 lbs or so of live rock with good lighting and I feed them brime shrimp. There are about 10 fish (damsels, clown, gobbies, lawnmower blennie, anemones, starfish, snails, shrimp). Thanks[/quote'] Can you test for other water parameters, such as ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, alkalinity(dKH), calcium, etc.? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
undrtkr_00 Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 That's not a lot of live rock for that size tank. Have you tested for ammonia and/or nitrites? Those can be toxic at low levels, and not having enough live rock (or other suitable media) could lead to inefficiency in that nitrogen cycle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonH Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 First thing that catches my eye is a tank that's ~6 weeks old and already has ~10 fish? Perhaps some cycle problems as things peak and valley. New tank, high bio-load (not necessarily for the tank, but for the maturity). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coralreefaquarist Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 My PH is 8.2' date=' I have a skimmer and about 30 lbs or so of live rock with good lighting and I feed them brime shrimp. There are about 10 fish (damsels, clown, gobbies, lawnmower blennie, anemones, starfish, snails, shrimp). Thanks[/quote'] lots of folks here really know there stuff and will help as much as possible. but often times it takes knowing as much as possible to be able to do that. brand and model of protein skimmer? example asm g1. what i may consider a good skimmer and coulda payed 200 bucks for others may disagree and it actually may not be very efficient at what i need it to do. same goes for lighting. power compacts t5 halide. how many watts how many hours a day are you running them? food. you said you feed them brine? live frozen how much of it how many times a day or week. is that the only thing your feeding. all info will be a great help. it seems tedious and annoying at time but we want to help you. loosing livestock is no fun!we need to get this figured out so you can start enjoying the hobby a little more and not have to worry as much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 My PH is 8.2' date=' I have a skimmer and about 30 lbs or so of live rock with good lighting and I feed them brime shrimp. There are about 10 fish (damsels, clown, gobbies, lawnmower blennie, anemones, starfish, snails, shrimp). Thanks[/quote'] Brine shrimp are not the best thing to feed regularly as the nutritional value is about the equivelent of popcorn is for us unless it is first soaked in vitamins. What kind of damsels and what kind of clown? What kind of anemone is it? What are the other parameters? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huskerduck Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 Damsels can be little buggers, they are known for killing other fish. I have one and when I add a fish I have to watch it the first day and if he chases the new fish, I chase him with a long Turkey baster and after awhile he gets the idea. He sees the turkey baster a lot less these days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JManrow Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 You may find this store helpful http://www.coralreefpc.com/site/ CORAL REEF 142 13TH STREET S.E. SALEM, OR. 97301 (503) 364-1818 Store TUESDAY - SUNDAY 12:00 - 7:00 Closed normal holidays Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theJenchild Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 I agree that this is a very young tank, if it was set up at the beginning of October. I'd wager that this is a heavy bioload for a tank that has not fully cycled. Test water parameters and consider not replacing lost fish until tank is matured enough to handle them. Good luck and welcome to the addiction! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CA2OR Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 Best way to get good direction is to post a system write up such as this one http://www.pnwmas.org/forums/showthread.php?t=15703 That way we know what you have and what you use so we can assist you better with more accurate information and suggestions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
undrtkr_00 Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 First thing that catches my eye is a tank that's ~6 weeks old and already has ~10 fish? Perhaps some cycle problems as things peak and valley. New tank' date=' high bio-load (not necessarily for the tank, but for the maturity).[/quote'] Good point. Was the tank brand new when you got it? Used? Previously filled with water, rock, livestock? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen Posted December 18, 2009 Author Share Posted December 18, 2009 Yes the kit I have does test for nitrate, nitrite and ammonia. My cardinal passed yesterday but the others seem to be holding on. Any suggestions in the future on were to purchase fish or supplies? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen Posted December 18, 2009 Author Share Posted December 18, 2009 The tank was previously used for fresh water fish (goldfish). I didn't start adding fish untill about mid Nov. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgf86123 Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 karen, i see that you didnt add fish til mid november, do you know for a fact that your cycle was done? unless your ammonia, nitrite and nitrates were at 0, especially the ammonia and nitrite part, then your cycle wasnt completed. please please post the results of your water tests, and also, what brand of test kit are you using? are you using a hydrometer or a refractometer to measure your salinity? what kind of salt are you currently using? what are you keeping your salinity at? these and a multitude of other questions we need answered so that we can help you get things straightened out and get your tank looking great. honestly, i wouldnt bother purchasing any fish at all for quite a while, 9 fish in an 80 gallon tank, while not seeming to be a lot, actually is, especially when you take into account the territories that the individual fish will be setting up and defending from each other. your damsel is going to be the worst, its is strongly recommended that you catch it and trade it in to your LFS for store credit. saltwater tanks can take up to 3-6 months to be fully cycled and for the nitrogen cycle to be fully in place and able to handle a heavy bioload. we really need to know the full parameters of your tank, from tank size, lighting, water parameters, amount of live rock, skimmer make/model, and so on. as for the live rock, that is probably the most important part of your nitrogen cycle, and very important to the long term life of your tank. the general rule of thumb is roughly 1.5-2lbs of rock per gallon of water, i currently run roughly 35lbs of live rock in my 20 long, if that gives you an idea lol. in an 80g tank, your going to want roughly 100lbs of live rock, it gives you more surface area for beneficial bacteria to attach to and grow on. as for a store to visit, i have no idea where you live, but if you are close to portland, i would highly recommend that you go and see nick at rose city aquarium, he's a great guy with a ton of knowlege and is generally a pleasure to talk to, as he's always in an upbeat and happy mood lol and he's given me some great deals. and as for the anemone, it usually isnt wise, considering the level of care they require, as well as the fact that they generally require a well established tank, it generally isnt wise to add one til your tank has been established for at least 6 months, some people will tell you a year, and you will need high lighting to keep them healthy and happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen Posted December 18, 2009 Author Share Posted December 18, 2009 Thanks so much for the information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgf86123 Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 i edited a couple of times, you might want to go back and reread it LOL sorry for the long message, i tried to compress everything as much as possible Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JManrow Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 You may find this store helpful http://www.coralreefpc.com/site/ CORAL REEF 142 13TH STREET S.E. SALEM, OR. 97301 (503) 364-1818 Store TUESDAY - SUNDAY 12:00 - 7:00 Closed normal holidays This place has a good reputation for quality livestock and supplies. Please check out our other sponsor LFS (Local Fish Sores) too! http://www.pnwmas.org/cmps_index.php?pageid=sponsors Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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