Newly starting NEED HELP????

[lovmyfish]

I started my tank about a month ago w/ just live sand & rocks. Waited a week or so & all my chemicals were testing good. Then started w/ 3 yellow tail damsel & 3 clown. Had them for a week or so & chemicals & water were doing great. Had a little slime, but have eliminated most. Then another week or so got a yellow tang, fire angel & some snails...same thing everything great. Then just last night I picked up a blue tang, "dorie" & came home & my fire angel was laying on the bottom gasping for air. It was breathing real fast & would try to start swimming & was able to for a second, then would fall back on it's side again. Since I bought it, it would hide most the time & not come out. I have a concern on the blue tang because it does the same thing...hides & never comes out. What should I do about my tank. I'm afraid my other fish may become sick from the fire angel. PLEASE HELP!!

 

[WILDER]

Please post test results in ammonia,nitrite,nitrate,and ph, sound like you have added to many fish to soon, what size is the tank.

 

[BettaMomma]

How big is the tank, and I assume that since you just set it up that it was not fully cycled when you started adding fish?

Are you checking ammonia levels?

 

[lovmyfish]

I have a 55 gal tank. My readings since I started...besides going through the cylce, has been...ammonia 0, nitrate 20, nitrite 0, PH 8.4, & salinity 1.021. I waited to add fish until it went through the cycle. Was it something I did wrong or did I possibly just have a sick fish?

 

[Katchan]

Thats a highish nitrate level for a freshwater tank but I have no experience with marines, may also depend in fishes sensitivity to nitrate

katchan

 

[ccg]

I do not have a saltwater tank myself, but I have several friends and family member who do.

Was your tang and fire angel eating? What have they been eating? Tangs need a lot of greens to survie, make sure he always has access to algae, lettuce, spinage, etc.

Often when you get a new fish they will hide and not want to eat, so it is possible the fish staved to death. Also, you did add to many fish all at once. The fish could have also died from stress, does he have lots of room and good hiding places?

 

[lovmyfish]

From what I observed the fire angel ate. I actually provide a variety of different types of food that I rotate. I have 3 types of flake foods I feed them: regular marine flakes, brine shrimp plus, and formula two. I also have that new life spectrum marine fish formula, (small pellets) that they all love. Then I have freeze dried brine shrimp, which I don't feed them because they hate it. Also the clip with the seaweed for them to eat. The tang I just got a couple nights ago, from what I can see doesn't eat it just hides behind rocks all the time. I'm just wondering if maybe the fire angel may have had ick or some other kind of disease and if I should go ahead and treat the tank. I'm just afraid of loosing my other fish.

 

[steelhealr]

Hi..Nitrate is way too high for a saltwater tank. Nitrate should be zero or close to it. Sounds like the tank is either overloaded or something is adding nitrates like an uncleaned sponge, filter or bioballs or ? OVERFEEDING...? I'd stop adding fish and get your nitrates to zero. Do a saltwater change immediately. SH