Oh god what's happening

auntynatal · #1 10/02/2007, 05:43 AM

I am sat here literally watching things die and I don't know what on earth's going on!

Last night when the lights went out, everything was fine and swiming about happily, fed well yesterday evening, no problems at all.

This morning however is a different story.

I woke up and checked my tank (force of habit) checked the skimmer was working and emptied it (it was nearly full but on Sunday I put my hand in the tank after using an antibacterial wash so was warned it might do overtime, which it did) Then I do a headcount.

My yellow tang was missing!

Found it, dead, at the bottom of the tank. Cried like a baby.

So I move on to my pair of clownfish.

One of them can't swim properly and it floundering about on its back trying to upright itself. Two minutes later, its dead. Checked the other clownfish, he seemed ok, no swimming problems at all but he was looking for his mate. Ten minutes later, he can't swim upright any more and is trying to get to the top of the water. After watching him for a minute, I had to take him out. It was too painful to watch any more.

My regal tang is racing around as usual like nothing is going on at all.

My crabs and shrimps are fine, my snails are fine.

I have 2 cleaner chrimps and a boxing shrimp.
I have a dozen hermit crabs and a dozen turbo snails.

I do not have an algae problem.

My anemone has deflated, but I'm sat waiting to see if its a natural deflate/inflate of if that is going to die too.

I took my readings, for obvious reasons, and this is what I've got.

No2 <0.3mg
Ph 8.0
Nh3 + Nh4 0
Sal 1.023
dKH 10.6
Alk 3.77
Temp 27

And these are what they normally are.

My tank is a 40g - 48 x 15 x 18

I'm not great with lights but mine are twin bulbs at 76 (I think) watts (its 70-something, I can't quite mke it out) One is white and the other is blue

I have a crushed coral substrate, 20kg of live rock which has cycled and various xenia and soft corals (all of which are flourishing)

I'm running a fluval205 which is pumping happily, I cleaned the pads a month ago. A prizm deluxe protien skimmer, I have a wave machine installed with 3 powerheads, which were all cleaned on Sunday, and 2 heaters in case one fails. I've checked all electricals and all are working fine.

I feed them on frozen foods and marine flakes, using as wide a variety as I can, I feed the corals with a coral mix, the anemone grabs whatever is floating past. I have a seaweed clip and replace nori daily.

Does anyone have the remotest idea what could be happening?
I'm absolutely devastated and I am just sat watching my little blue tang and wondering what's going on.

The tang and clowfish have been in there for the last 8 and 6 weeks respectively and were fine, the yellow tang went in 9 days ago and the anemone 2 days ago.

Sorry for the long post, but I thought it best to give as much information as I possibly could.

TIA x

mikeatjac · #2 10/02/2007, 05:51 AM

antibacterial wash might be it.

How old is the tank?
Any new additions?

cartouche · #3 10/02/2007, 05:56 AM

Thats heartbreaking!

Get a sample of your water down to your LFS, maybe one of the test kits is out of date ?
Its a long shot but apart from maybe an electrical fault somewhere? or something releasing a poison ie a box fish its difficult to come with any suggestions...

Oh god I feel so helpless!! Get a sample down to your LFS and prepare to do some heavy duty water changes.... lets hope others can be more useful!

Hang in there...

auntynatal · #4 10/02/2007, 05:56 AM

The tanks been running for about 14 weeks now, it took 3 weeks to cycle which was when I put the regal tang in. The clownfish 2 weeks later, then no more fish until September 22nd when the yellow tang went in. The anemone went in on Sunday just gone.

cartouche · #5 10/02/2007, 05:57 AM

Also if things are that bad ring the LFS and ask if they can take your livestock into a quarantine tank... you'll need bags for transportation but its worth a go... Then you can concerntrate on solving the problem rather than watching your livestock die!

auntynatal · #6 10/02/2007, 05:58 AM

Hubby has set off to LFS with a tub full of water about 20 minutes ago, along with the dead fish. My kits are all new within the last 3 months so shouldn't be out of date. I'm sat here crying like a baby. I can't believe how attached I have got to these little guys.

auntynatal · #7 10/02/2007, 05:59 AM

If there was an electrical fault then my trip switches would go. I'm sure its not elecrical.

cartouche · #8 10/02/2007, 06:23 AM

Electrical is a long shot but it has been known.... I'm afraid i'm at a loss but please keep us posted. Out of interest where in the UK are you?

Largo50 · #9 10/02/2007, 06:41 AM

How about an immediate 20% water change? Any poison in the water wouls be diminished and how can it hurt?

auntynatal · #10 10/02/2007, 06:51 AM

Hi Catrtouche, I'm in the North West of England, in a lovely (not) town called Morecambe.

I now know what the problem was

Hubby got back from LFS. LFS found some kind of 'perfume' in the water. After several questions it turns out its an AIR FRESHENER!

Funny thing is, my lad said the other day that it had gone mad and was squirting every 9 seconds instead of every 9 minutes and I never even thought about it.

How devstating!

Piscator · #11 10/02/2007, 06:53 AM

Could the regal and yellow tang have fought it out overnight? 40 gallons is kinda small for 2 tangs IMO. Maybe the clown got caught up in the mix....

So sorry about this...

payyourtoll · #12 10/02/2007, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by auntynatal

Funny thing is, my lad said the other day that it had gone mad and was squirting every 9 seconds instead of every 9 minutes and I never even thought about it.

How devstating!

thats horrible, I assume you have no canopy?

cartouche · #13 10/02/2007, 07:34 AM

Auntynatal....
Morecombes miles away, I was hoping to recommend a few LFS but I really don't know that area...

I really do sympathise with your loss .... BUT , you must look forward, at least you now know the cause so you can put that behind you. Use this as an excuss to start over.

Good luck ....

cartouche · #14 10/02/2007, 07:34 AM

Auntynatal....
Morecombes miles away, I was hoping to recommend a few LFS but I really don't know that area...

I really do sympathise with your loss .... BUT , you must look forward, at least you now know the cause so you can put that behind you. Use this as an excuss to start over.

Good luck ....

auntynatal · #15 10/02/2007, 09:08 AM

No, I do have a cover! But there is a 1/2 cm gap all around the front! Nothing else is dead, I've done a 20% water change. LFS says my parameters are the same as his, and he tested my samples again to make sure I was doing the tests right, which I apprently am.

While hubby was in the shop, a man came in who had lost his entire tank overnight (approx £3000 worth he said) and when he went to try and lift his live rock out it practically crumbled in his hands! Turned out he had been over feeding to such an extreme and for so long the whole system just collapsed! Made my few fishies seem like small fry (pardon the pun) in financial comparison, but for mental anguish I feel absolutely terrible.

seapug · #16 10/02/2007, 11:23 AM

Wow, that's a bummer. It must be some serious air freshener. Between that and the antibacterial soap your tank must have gone completely sterile. When all the benenficial bacteria died it might have made the oxygen level drop to 0 and the fish suffocated.

If you are having "odor" problems in your tank room, just open a box of plain Baking Soda and leave it sitting on a shelf. That stuff does a great job of absorbing smells (not covering them)and it's completely non toxic.

CruzinKim · #17 10/02/2007, 12:32 PM

Sorry for your lost. But don't give up.

g_langley · #18 10/02/2007, 01:54 PM

Hi

Sorry to hear about your news. I'm in the UK also, and read in Practical Fishkeeping about a year back that these plug-in Air Fresherners did the same damage with a freshwater tank and have avoided them. Obviously didn't show up on your readings so were in the dark as to the problem. I go with Pot-Pourri FWIW.

Savas · #19 10/02/2007, 02:08 PM

Sorry for your loss. I know how disheartening this is.

What is with all the air freshner use with our friends across the pond - is this a UK thing. We never use it.

auntynatal · #20 10/02/2007, 04:34 PM

I'm right off air freshener I can tel you!

I think you are right about the oxygen dropping to zero because if they weren't fish I would have said they were drowning.

A bit calmer tonight, regal tang is obviously a superfish and not to be messed with (can't quite fathom why he's not growing but with his super survival skills I think I'll just leave that be!) Anemone has filled back up and took food greedily this evening.

My tank looks so empty though

I won't be getting another yellow tang as I was informed on here my tank is too small (and I agree totally after further research) but I will replace the clownfish in a few weeks. Nothings going in for at least a month now so I know that whatever was in the water is no longer there. The guy at my LFS said I should have an airstone in the tank, but I have never read that anywhere else? Does anyone have an opinion on this?

Playa-1 · #21 10/02/2007, 07:27 PM

It seems like i remember you posting this a couple of days ago.
You said you washed hands with antibacterial soap and then stuck you hands in the tank to adjust the power head. Ya think that might have contributed to your loss???

" Oh no...
Preview: I think I have just wiped out my entire tank

I did all my maintainance this morning, clean up, water change, added a new xenia, fed them, closed up the lid and went and washed my hands and then... "

auntynatal · #22 10/03/2007, 01:54 PM

I think it was probably a combination of the two to be honest! Today things look much better, and I can't believe how stupid I have been this week.

You would think I was blonde.

Vinnie71975 · #23 10/03/2007, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by auntynatal
I think it was probably a combination of the two to be honest! Today things look much better, and I can't believe how stupid I have been this week.

You would think I was blonde.

We all make mistakes, i just lost all of my Snails and Hermits except 3 due to putting in a new large live rock and causing an ammonia Spike so i know hour you feel. My lil Bumblebee Snail and my Nasses are fine though!