my fish are dying!

[jrod11]

my tank is new and i am also new to the hobby...i bought to false clownfish that lived for about a month. one died, and then about 1 week later another one died. This may sound like a dumb question, but what am i doing wrong? is there something i should check/test for problems?

[Sk8r]

Yes.
First, when you get new fish, put them into a 10 gallon with tank water. You acclimate them by putting a squirt of tank water into their bag every 15 minutes until your refractometer [buy one!] shows that the salinity of the tank water is within .001 of that in the bag [ideal salinity: 1.025 on that instrument.
Second, extract fish with your hand and put him in the 10 g tank, start the filter in that tank, and keep him there for at least a week, feeding him daily and testing his water with test strips for ammonia and nitrate. If you get readings, change out his filter. And be sure his salinity stays on the mark 1.025.

Once the week is past and he's eating well, put him into your regular tank. You can do two clowns at once in the same little tank.

If, during his stay in the 10g, he breaks out in spots, he's got ich or brook and needs medication. Otherwise---into your display tank.

Your salinity in all parts of your system should be a constant 1.025---use an autotopoff system to keep it there, and use only ro/di water in your tank [you need your own filter for that].
Your alkalinity should be 8.3 to 9.3.
Your ph should be 7.9-8.3.
Temp: 80, and NEVER trust a heater thermostat: I use 2 thermometers, because I don't trust them either.
Your ammonia, nitrate, nitrate should all be nearly 0 in that large a tank...if you keep getting ammonia readings, post and we'll see why. You should have 125 lbs live rock, and no filter in the big tank unless you want to keep only fish.
Keep a log book of your tests, and the fish added to your tank, date and all, plus any additives like dkh buffer, etc.

Hope this helps a bit. Sounds like you have a nice rig. These fish should just settle in and live healthily for a decade or so. Get those tests [I use Salifert] and start your log. Once you know how your tank behaves, you'll be onto learning reef chemistry, which sounds complex at first blush, but really, with tests, and the good equipment you have, you should do fine.

[jrod11]

Sk8r, thanks for the great tips! the only thing i do not have right now are test strips which i will get very soon. i have been making my own water with a brand new spectrapure 90 gpd RO/DI kit and also have an auto top off system that fills the sump with the RO/DI water in my storage tub next to the tank. hopefully with your tips i can get it under control. all of my corals are thriving and doing great, so hopefully this will help any future fish. thanks again

[Chibils]

For someone who's new to the hobby, you're definitely off to a good start - going as big as possible, an RO/DI (a spectrapure?! I'm impressed), ato, etc. That said, I agree with everything Sk8r said.

[Timinator]

I hate to ask a stupid question, but is your tank fully cycled. You say its new, so just wondering.

[stingythingy45]

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Same thing I was wondering.

[Vinnie71975]

Originally posted by Timinator
I hate to ask a stupid question, but is your tank fully cycled. You say its new, so just wondering.

Ya how long has your saltwater tank been up? Doing an Instant cycle is Possible IF and ONLY IF you have a hook up to get Sand,Water, and Live rock from a tank that has been up and running for 6 months + Other wise you need to let it Cycle ( Mine took 2 months)

[capn_hylinur]

Originally posted by Sk8r
Yes.
First, when you get new fish, put them into a 10 gallon with tank water. You acclimate them by putting a squirt of tank water into their bag every 15 minutes until your refractometer [buy one!] shows that the salinity of the tank water is within .001 of that in the bag [ideal salinity: 1.025 on that instrument.
Second, extract fish with your hand and put him in the 10 g tank, start the filter in that tank, and keep him there for at least a week, feeding him daily and testing his water with test strips for ammonia and nitrate. If you get readings, change out his filter. And be sure his salinity stays on the mark 1.025.

I highly agree with using a quarantine tank before anything is added to the main tank.
But-----I would recommend 4-6 weeks in the qt. For eq with ich---it can be in the stage that doesn't host on the fish--only to return in up to two weeks. If the fish was removed from qt after one week then you have a probem in your main tank.

Quarantining every purchase for 4-6 weeks will ensure that your main tank remains disease free.

[Sk8r]

The cap'n is right, re the ideal qt [quarantine] time.

One other point: it really, really helps if you can plan the community you want, do your stocking of fish once and for all within the first few months, and then plan not to get another fish for the next ten years. OR at least not for a long time. The fewer fish coming in, the less chance of something obnoxious getting in while the tank is still in its first-year fragility.

You can qt several compatible fish together, which might make it advisable, if you can manage, to get a somewhat larger qt tank---so you can get them all in as fast as possible and end the period of 'exposure' to outside disease. This requires a bit of research on compatibility, but it is at least pretty sure that if they were in qt together they're not going to turn on one another when they hit the tank.

Look at the adult size of the fish in question: some tangs get to be super-large, like pushing 2 feet. Look at the behavior: a grouper or eel will eat anybody that fits in his mouth, and his mouth is wider than his body...etc. And look at the diet: can you supply him without polluting your tank or over-taxing your skimmer? I recommend going to a place like liveaquaria.com, looking at marine fish and reading the text with them, plus looking at the compatibility chart they provide. It's the most educational fish site I know of.