Help! Suicidal Fish

[MattyMas]

I have a cycled 75 gallon FOWLR.. with no fish now : (

I started with an eibli angel fish.. wasnt eating.. woke up one morning and he was dead with scratches on his side.. looked like he got caught in the rocks or something.

Next I had a six line angel.. eating and fine.. 4 days later I find him under the rocks barely alive.

I just found my diamond goby injured and eventually died. He had red marks on him from what looked like a rock that fell on him while he was burrowing. This goby was alive for 3 weeks, eating and sifting like crazy.

I dont know why this is happening.. Any advice????

 

[thirty5]

I have a cycled 75 gallon FOWLR.. with no fish now : (

I started with an eibli angel fish.. wasnt eating.. woke up one morning and he was dead with scratches on his side.. looked like he got caught in the rocks or something.

Next I had a six line angel.. eating and fine.. 4 days later I find him under the rocks barely alive.

I just found my diamond goby injured and eventually died. He had red marks on him from what looked like a rock that fell on him while he was burrowing. This goby was alive for 3 weeks, eating and sifting like crazy.

I dont know why this is happening.. Any advice????

When you say cycled? How did you cycle it?

What are the water paramters?

It will be very hard to tell you anything without any more info.

What kind of water? Tap? RO

 

[albano]

I have a cycled 75 gallon FOWLR.. with no fish now : (

Doesn't look like much live rock !

 

[MattyMas]

Thanks for getting back to me. I just tested the parameters:

Ph- 7.4
Nitrite- 0
Alkalinity- 180
Nitrate- 20
Amonia- 0
Temperature- 75.7
Salinity- 1.021

I am using RODI water

 

[al0ha]

How long did u cycle for?

 

[MattyMas]

It's been up and running since September

I got a message saying my Ph is too low and Nitrates too high and I need more live rock

Thanks btw

Would that make fish try to bury under a rock?

 

[Gwiz3005]

Hitchhiker? Mantis Shrimp? Other than that maybe add some bacteria to the tank when you add your next fish. Dr Tim One and Only is pretty good.

 

[skene]

somehow I think they are dying from ammonia... I think the tank is far from even being cycled.

 

[jaa1456]

Skip the bacteria crap, that is like using a band aid for a cut that needs stitches.

 

[rookie07]

I was thinking mantis shrimp also. Do you ever here a "clicking" sound coming from the tank?

+1 on lack of rock. Many fish sleep wedged in rocks or between rocks.

 

[MattyMas]

I would be shocked if there was a mantis shrimp. Haven't seen any hint of one. I am going to add more rock, I was told my ph is way low. I'm monitoring it now before I put any fish in. I may add a hang on filter, the waterfall type to help add oxygen to the water and keep ph up without always adding buffers.

 

[FlyPenFly]

What salt are you using? How is your PH so low, if you're using RODI and using a good salt , I can't see how your PH is so low.

 

[basiab]

Please give some detail on how you cycled the tank. How did you test params during the cycle. Did you see ammonia rise and fall and same with nitrites.
I am not sure how much of a bacteria colony your tank can have since there is very little live rock. The decorator stuff probably doesn't hold much. And sand takes a while to be live. But I would expect it to handle one fish. Instead of fish try putting in hermit crabs. If they don't live you know you have a major problem.
Having a sifting goby in a new tank is #^%. What is he supposed to find when he sifts if there is nothing living in your tank. It takes quite a while for sand to be able to support a sifter.

 

[Awibrandy]

Matty, very sorry you have lost your fish.
Basiab has posted an informative response to your question.
I just need to add the following.
Yes, your PH is way low, and you need to look into why. Adding buffer to raise it constantly is not the answer.
Link to PH issues:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/rhf/index.php

You have also started out with the more delicate fish for aquarium. Angelfish are very delicate, and require excellent water conditions.
I know you also lost the goby, as basiab stated he may not have been getting any sustenance.
What were you feeding?
The beatup bodies are of concern. Could mean as others have suggested some hichhiker, or it could also be that they were coming down with ich (Ichthyophthirius multifilis). Which would cause them to scrape their bodies against the rocks.
What type of filtration are you running on this tank? If you were depending on the rocks for the filtration you definitely do not have enough.

Please do more research before acquiring any other animals for your aquarium. It will not only save life's, but will also save your wallet.

Best of wishes for healthy successful piece of the ocean in your home..