About ready to nuke my tank and walk away. (your typical newbie epic fail scenario)

[Tissot]

My tank details are in my profile.So I go into this hobby because it all sounded fascinating as far as the filtration process options, the livestock and their part they play in the tank (not just swimming around looking bored). I got into this thinking this would take my mind off tenants not paying rent and a crapy job. You know, peaceful. Instead I now what to work longer hours and rent my property out to questionable people just to get my mind off the stupid aquarium. I can tell you up front I fell into the local fish store advice trap, with a side order of mixed up online reading.Let me cut to the chase.This is a fish only with live rock tank at one month old.Bought premixed water, live sand and live rock. Tested water and two days later bought a yellow tail damsel, and clown fish per the advice of lfs (and live aquarias you tube videos I might add). Then after some reading I realized that I didn't properly cycle the tank. Went back to lfs about this and they told me that due to the amount of live rock that they would be surprised if my tank would even register a cycle. Determined to prove them wrong, I immediately went to my local seafood store and bought one shrimp and dumped it in my tank. For those who are remembering I still have two live fish still in the tank and are a member of PETA, I did go to confession and was forgiven for my sin. I still closely monitored my perms twice a day for two weeks and those sob's at the lfs were right. No spike at all. This in my point of view, gave the lfs some credibility and therefore I listened with a little more trust. Had them test the water for me and they said my water was good two. So in go two more fish (1 clown and 1 flame angel). About a couple of days, clown fish number one developed white stringy poo. Pretty much wrote this guy off cause from what I read at other sites I knew it was internal parasites and at that stage I thought there is nothing I can do for him but to put him to sleep if his signs worsen which did happen. Other live stock were doing great so I figured he was just a factory recall. So I bought a replacement because I was really interested in having a pair of clowns. About a week later i purchase two cleaner shrimp and a red fire shrimp plus a brittle sea star. Then clown number two started swimming weird and not eating but no other visible signs of stress or disease. I read clowns can be very weird at times so I just let him be. His final day I noticed he was getting bullied by his tank mates and then I later found him in a rock hole dead. Relayed my info to lfs and they were scratching their heads. Again all other fish eating and doing well. I thought that since the two clowns were the same size the more senior clown rejected the new one and the rest of the tank mates just bullied him but I never notice any issues of aggression until clown number two stopped eating. And so while purchasing my scooter Blenny and butterfly fish, I purchased a large clown. All clowns the same species btw. 6 fish in the tank plus inverts. Tank less then a month old. After acclimating the three new fish, my flame and new clown were really aggressive towards each other and the other fish especially the butterfly fish which is the biggest fish in the tank. So I took the big clown and evicted him to my Refugium tank where I house my micro algae. Flame was still aggressive but he is too fast to get out of the tank so I rearranged the live rock entirely which seems to have calmed him down quite a bit. My rock was primarily stacked to hide the overflow column. The flame was small enough to hide behind the rocks and I assume he claimed it his territory and every time the butterfly would swim by he would chase it. So rocks all knocked down and aggression is over. Clown number three now not eating and saw stringy poo hanging from him.QT'ed fish:I saw the article here of stingy poo and have put both clowns in a qt tank and two live rocks and a small power head for water flow. I also purchased the maracyn 2 along with the jungle food. I felt I should put both clowns in since they were in the same display tank water. Both clowns have been exposed to two treatments of the maracyn two. Clown number four has and is still eating but won't take the jungle food. Clown number three is going on day 3 without food but swimming somewhat. After walking by the display tank I am seeing what appears to be white feces but I don't know from what fish. It appears to be the remains of brine shrimp. So therefore I have possibly another fish with i think a different digestive problem but not sure which. This happened approx 30 mins after feeding. I didn't see the butterfly eat during this time btw.Feeding:I started feeding once a day and after clown number two died, I started feeding twice a day. Fish food is pellets and flakes from OC formula 2 and frozen brine shrimp. Brine is always kept frozen but not the flakes or pellets and they are roughly three weeks old. Yes I have read your article on feeding and nutrition but only after the fact. Btw I feel the article has more what not to do then what to do and would like more examples of what to use for food. Specifics for the newbies please.Lessons learned* Slow the hell down.* Keep food frozen and find better food. BUT WHAT???* Qt fish for god sake.* Cycle a tank right if I ever do it again.Would appreciate any advice on what I need to do next.

[Reefing Madness]

Wholly crap, talk about a crash course. Ok, your QT should cure your ails with the Clowns. You water probably did not cycle because you bought fully cured Live Rock, and this type already has biologicals to filter the water. But, you added way to many fish to the tank at the same time. 1 every 2 weeks would have been ideal. And, how big is the tank? What are your water parameters now? Whats the temp? Whats your flow?
Better food to feed would be, mysis shrimp. Your clown flake food is ok. You can feed 2 times per day, but only feed what the beasties will eat in 3 mins. After time you kinda get the feel for how much that is. Dont' kick yourself over the cycle thing, i don't think you did anything wrong, you just added to many fish to soon. you should get it under control in quick fashion. No worries.

[Parrothead]

Yes, I think you moved alittle to fast on the fish additions, slow down, qt all fish for 2 - 4 weeks before adding to display tank, and under NO circumstances move that live rock in the qt/med tank back to the display tank, just slow down a bit, and give your tank time to adjust after each addition, also, you have no where near enough liverock in the tank 80 lbs in a 75 is barely enough, should be closer to 120 lbs min.

[FoMoCo Master Tech]

+1 with all of the above. I have a 75g with 115lbs of rock in the display and it doesn't take up as much room as I thought. I might even add 40 or 50 lbs more to up the biological filtration and give some more height to the aquascaping.