urgent!!! need help!!!

[shpack]

my fish is dead somewhere in the aquarium and i can't find it, i tried moving everything around to see if it's under a rock, but it wasn't there. is this going to ruin my whole system? my water quality seems to still be o.k except for my ph, it seems a little to high, also my mushroom corals haven't been doing to well they seem to be getting smaller and shrivelled, can anyone help me please

[NYIntensity]

How do you know it's dead; how long has it been since you've seen it? What kind of fish is it? Have you checked on the floor, do you have some kind of top to prevent it from jumping out?

[papagimp]

Ditto on all of NYIntesity's questions.

[McTeague]

Mushroom corals shrivel up every night and expand when light comes back on.

How big was the fish? If it was small I would not worry about it. The bristleworms, hermit crabs, etc will break it down.

[NYIntensity]

If it were a large fish, I'm sure he'd be able to find it somewhere....I guess we'll know when he replies.

[shpack]

it's 4 days i don't see it, i do have a top to prevent it from jumping out and it's a blue damsel. also i don't have a cleaning crew in there yet such as snails, should i get some quickly? also how many hours a day should the lights be on for the corals?

[NYIntensity]

Did you notice any odd behavior before the disappearance? Is it the only fish in the tank? In an 85g, I wouldn't be too worried, just make sure you check your levels regularly. Are you running any sort of sump or fuge? The good news is you couldn't have spent more than $7.00 on it, so it's not that big of a monetary loss, if it really is dead.

[Sk8r]

If you have enough bristleworms and other cleaning crew you'll never see more than a small blip in your nitrate. That's what the CleanUpCrew [cuc] is in there for...not just the algae.

[NYIntensity]

Ditto ok Sk8r's response, you're going to be fine. If a dead fish is small enough to not be found, chances are it's small enough to not cause a problem. It would still help if you told us some more about your tank; how much LR, what inhabitants, and the other questions I asked.

[shpack]

it is the only fish in my aquarium, and i don't have a sump, i've got a hang on skimmer, not the best on the market not even close it's a prizm deluxe but it's supposed to get the job done. should i wait a little before getting another fish? how should i go about the situation?

[NYIntensity]

Do you own a test kit? If not, save the money on fish, and go buy a refractometer and a good test kit, one that will let you test for (at a minimum) pH, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate. DON'T waste your money on a hydrometer, just because they're cheap. In this hobby, you get what you pay for. There are places you can safely take shortcuts; test equipment isn't one of them. If you haven't established any sort of clean up crew, that's where you need to start. Get about 1/2 of it in there, let the tank balance itself out for a month. Then you can start adding fish again, and build your CUC with each trip to the LFS. Get it up to 80+ hermits, and at least 35-40 snails. An emerald crab would serve well in your tank, and maybe a yellow watchman to sift your sand.

[silvers]

How long has your tank been up?

[allenpantino]

i would agree with all the great help you have recieved. if you have a 85 gal. i would really consider a sump/refugium w/ a insump skimmer when i started the hobby i had the similar set up you have and always had problems. trust me its worth the investment and you will notice your parameters staying more consistant also get a GOOD CLEAN UP CREW they will help out a lot. invest the time and $$$$ and you'll get great results this site is great for new reef keepers because you great quick responses take care and good luck!

[shpack]

thanks everyone i really appreciate the help, happy holidays and all the best