Please help!!

[Chris_P]

I have only been involved in this hobby for about 2 months now and love doing it, but really have no idea what I am doing besides going off of what I have read. I have a 35 gallon hex tank with 35 lbs of live rock and a skimmer. I cycled the tank with a pair of true percs and after a month they could not have been healthier, I added a purple fire fish and some inverts, (6 nassaris snails & 2 sand stars) and again had no problems. I then added a very small yellow tang a week later and it seemed to be doing well for about 4 days when all of the sudden it started hiding and not swimming. Within two days it had died with no apparent signs of disease, my female perc jumped out of a small opening in the tank where the skimmer hangs, my other perc is covered in ick and my purple firefish has one cloudy eye. it went from perfectly healthy to that in 2 days!! temp is 82-84, spg is 1.022, ammonia and nitrite is between 0 & .25 (I think due to a little overfeeding) Please help!!

[leebca]

WELCOME CHRIS TO REEFLAND!

Glad you're here; sorry it's for this reason.


Like many novice marine aquarists you're lacking some important information some of which is fundamental. You may want to obtain some beginner's books on the subject. In general and without going into too much detail:

1. You want to have a plan (how many fishes; how many inverts; etc.)
2. You want to stick to the plan
3. You want to quarantine all new livestock to prevent disease from getting into your aquarium
4. You want to go very slowly in stocking the aquarium

Regarding the 'plan.' You have a 35 gallon aquarium and that's good for about one or two small fish or a few very small fishes. Figure about 3 inches of fish, when the fish are grown.

Cycling with fish is not recommended anymore. It is an unnecessary risk and stress to the fish.

That tank is too small for a pair of anemonefish. Adding more would of course be even more overstocking issues.

Not quarantining new live stock is like waiting for your hard drive to crash. They do; it's just a matter of when.

For such a young tank, you're moving too fast in stocking it. Your tank will take several months to reach it maturity.

You'll find a lot of good posts in this Forum that will help you out, or like I mentioned above, a good beginner's book will point you in the right direction.

I'm glad you enjoy the hobby. It is challenging and that's part of the fun. I hope you'll keep at it and learn that 'undrstocking' is your best bet; quarantine is an excellent process to use in your plan; and to move very slowly.

Please post here if you ever have any questions or concerns about your fishes. Other Forums here on Reefland have very experienced people who can help with equipment and other concerns or questions you might have.

[dragonladylea]

Leebca is absolutely correct in all of the advice you are receiving. Please know that this is a very rewarding hobby if done slowly and with knowledge.

I have a Maroon Clown and a Redfin Fairy wrasse in my 35 hex and alot of corals. It has taken me years to get to this point but IMO my tank is beautiful.

[Chris_P]

Thank you for the responses, that puts things into a good context for me.