Coral Beauty Assumed Dead (Decomposition Rate) – 01/15/09
Hi Bob and Crew,
<<Greetings Greg…Eric here>>
This past Sunday I noticed my 2.5" to 3" Coral Beauty wasn't swimming around the tank as usual with the other fish. After carefully looking around every nook and cranny in the rock work, it was nowhere to be seen. I looked around the tank also to see if it might have jumped out but didn't find it. My conclusion is that it wedged itself in the rocks and died somewhere I cannot see it.
<<Mmm, yes… I don’t know how long you’ve had this fish, and though the reasons for its demise may be many, this species of Centropyge often suffers badly from poor collection/handling…but if eating and well acclimated can prove quite hardy>>
Not wanting to tear my reef tank down to find it, I decided to leave it, estimating that I have enough filtration to handle the excess nutrient load from the decomposing fish.
<<Likely so>>
I have a 75 gallon tank, with 60-70 lbs. of live rock, a Deltec skimmer which is very efficient and produces a very good amount of skimmate. I also run 2 canister filters, employing Chemi-Pure, Seachem Purigen, and Poly Bio Marine Poly-Filters which I empty of trapped debris weekly; so I felt somewhat confident I had enough waste removal, chemical and bio-filtration available to handle this situation.
<<Indeed>>
In addition to the above I have a 5 gallon hang on the back refugium filled with Chaetomorpha. I have been testing the water daily (sometimes twice daily) and ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate have all remained at 0.
<<Okay>>
It has been about 4 days now since the fish "disappeared". Assuming it is in the tank decomposing, how long it your estimation should I remain diligent in looking for ammonia to begin to show up?
<<You can relax… Any “spike” in Ammonia would have shown by now. The fish would have begun decomposing very quickly>>
I have no idea how long it would take a fish of this size to completely decompose.
<<It happens quickly, as stated. And aside from the very efficient microbial decomposers in your system, detritivores like your bristle worms will also have been at work. I doubt by now there is much left of this fish at all>>
Thanks in advance for your advice,
Greg
<<Happy to share. EricR>>

Help with Fish Loss... Cnidarian, supplement, cascade event?    1/8/09
Hi,
<Hello there Richard>
I need help!!! James (salty dog) helped me about a month ago with my calcium and magnesium levels which were really low. I have been battling to try and get some growth and colour from my SPS corals but have a bigger problem now. Tank is 55 gallon live rock with mostly SPS corals, also a sun coral and 1 Acan. Very few softies, only a couple of mushrooms, as I prefer SPS and know these guys can be chemically aggressive. I also keep 1 BTA in the tank,
<Mmmm>
some shrimps and feather dusters. Anyway, the inverts for once are not the main problem. Fish inhabitants (up until yesterday) were 2 Firefish, 2 Perculas, 1 coral beauty and a mandarin.
I have been away over Xmas, returning on 2nd Jan, so don't know may have initially happened. However, I left simple instructions for Dad to feed flake and some Cyclopeeze every 3 days or so and not to overfeed. He did mention that all my fish 'seemed to be hiding' when he fed them and thought it was because of the cold (not a fish expert!). However, the hiding was ominously correct. I have unfortunately had the flu that has affected just about everyone here in the UK, so haven't been able to do much since returning, but I know there is a problem.
Symptoms/problems I have noticed:
Larger (female?) percula left BTA which for her is extremely rare, then died tonight. Very rapid decline. 2nd percula who doesn't inhabit BTA also hiding, which is again unusual.
Both Firefish died tonight. No visible sign of problems other than some erratic swimming, followed by periods of inactivity, loss of appetite.
General sign of distress, but no visible signs of lesions etc.
<Yikes... something "overt" at play here>
Coral beauty also hiding, not exploring tank as much as usual.
Feather duster has lost crown, feather duster colony I also have also appears to have lost some of the colony. Christmas tree worms retracted for long periods.
Only fish that appears unaffected is the mandarin, who looks quite happy.
<This may be a valuable clue>
Causes.
Have tested for salinity (1024) temp (24.5C) ammonia (0), nitrites (0) nitrates (0) and phosphates (0)
<You do need, want "some" measurable NO3 and HPO4... these are essential nutrients for your Cnidarians ('corals')>
and ph (8.4) all of which don't appear to have changed since I was away.
Large amount of micro bubbles in the tank since I made an adjustment to skimmer. Percula did have micro bubbles on her all day
<Also notable... summat to do with body slime>
today before she died. Is talk of micro bubbles just nonsense?
<Not at all>
They are literally everywhere and large bubbles are constantly rising up.
<From the substrate?>
Did add 2 peppermint shrimp just before Xmas. Could these have carried disease?
<Possibly, but unlikely>
Disease would not explain loss of crown on feather dusters. Unrelated problem?
<I am more and more suspecting something amiss in the environment period here>
Only other 'change' recently has been the raising of the calcium levels (375ppm/mg to 450 ppm/mg) and magnesium (800 ppm/ml to 1350ppm/mg). This was achieved by slowly adding tropic Marin bio calcium and bio magnesium and also some calcium chloride.
<Through dissolved... water changes I do hope... NOT added directly to the water>
Could high levels of chloride ions cause a problem?
<It could>
I read that seawater naturally contains a lot of chloride ions, so this is unlikely.
<CaCl2 can be problematic... in effects of shifting bicarbonate ions.>
I suspect that dilution and some water changes are the best way forward
<Agreed>
but I am lost at the moment as to what could have gone wrong. To be honest, until I know, I don't want to add any more fish.
<Also agreed>
Any help appreciated before my tank becomes an inverts only tank!!
Richard
<A few scenarios can be suggested that fit your observations... About the simplest, perhaps the more useful, is to imagine that the stress of changes (supplementing mostly) going on here resulted in "upset" to your stinging-celled life... that in turn poisoned your fish stock... making them slimier (the bubbles sticking to their sides), but not harming the Mandarin/Dragonet... as it is very slimy to begin with, and much less subject to the "poisoned effects" of the Cnidarians... I would do as you suggest, seek redress through successive serial dilutions here... NOT add more livestock for a few weeks to months... And consider moving out the BTA here... it is really misplaced in such a volume with the other Classes mentioned. Oh, please read here re: http://wetwebmedia.com/cnidcompppt.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Flame Angel breathing fast...   8/12/08
Hello to all the crew!
First of all, I'm a French speaking guy from Canada, so PLEASE try not to judge me from my English mistakes!
<As long as you'll be lenient re my Francais! Merci!>
I have a huge problem with my Flame Angel, Dr. Rockso. I'll try to establish the whole story first, so you may be able to better understand what's really going on. I was on a vacation trip in Europe for three weeks during which my mother took care of my aquarium. I came back July 20th (3 weeks ago) and everything looked fine. Before going on vacation, I did a 30% water change, prepared food for the 3 weeks, and left my mother with only the feeding responsibility. When I came back, I did another water change (about 15% this time) and since then, I'm taking care normally of the whole thing. Now, there's the first problem. During my 3 weeks' vacation, the water temp. went crazy (I only learned about it when I got home... no way to reach me where I was...) and a little time after that, I lost my two Yellowhead Jawfishes, but everything else was fine! Also, due to evaporation, salinity was at 1.026-27, but I reduced it to 1.024. (Don't worry, I'll write down every detail you need to know about my tank a little later) Since that time, the water temp. was still pretty high, so last Friday, I went to my LFS to ask what I can do about that problem. I'm pretty lucky that I have this store here in Ottawa, they're honest professionals and they always gave me great advice. So, one of the owners told me to go get a little fan just to help water evaporate and reduce the temperature. So I did! And it worked amazingly well! Temp. dropped from around 85 to 75 in a day (Saturday). And now, the main problem... Yesterday (Sunday), my Flame Dr. Rockso was hiding and breathing really really fast. He was still swimming, but hiding much more than usual. I gave him a little bit of dried food and he ate it all. I also clipped dried green seaweed, but I had to go to work, so I couldn't see if he was eating it. There are absolutely no signs of parasites, Ich, or anything else. His color is still as bright as usual. The only problem actually is it's breathing. Today (Monday), the breathing got a little slower. Water temp. is now at 78.
Now, the technical details. I've had Dr. Rockso for almost a year now (11 months). He (well, she...) was eating like a little piggy since the first day, always swimming around, very alert and curious. Overall, a very healthy little guy, until yesterday.
The aquarium itself is a 65 gal FOWLR, about 20 lbs of live rock, Eheim Pro 2 canister filter,
<A clue...>
5 water pumps, 1 for the surface, and the other 4 are on a timer: 2 working for 10 min, then the other 2 for 10 min. I also have an AquaC Remora skimmer
<Good>
from my former tank. I was planning to install it this Wednesday.
Now the live stock (the age is not their actual age but for how long I've had them)
1 Flame Angel (11 months)
1 Orangespotted Goby (1 1/2 years)
1 Red Pistol shrimp (2 years)
1 Tuxedo urchin (1 1/2 years)
1 Red seastar (3 months)
1 Tiger sea cucumber (1 year)
<Mmm, might be a factor...>
1 Peppermint shrimp
A few Cerith snails and a few Astrea snails
+/-100 hermit crabs (Bluelegged)
<Yikes! This IS a bunch>
Planning to get a Yellow Tang too.
(They are ALL doing great, except for the Flame angel)
Water parameters:
Salinity: 1.024
pH: 8.4
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: +/-15
Ammonia: 0
I read ALL the Faqs on Flame angels and dwarf angels, and I didn't manage to find anything looking like my problem. Why is my angel breathing that fast?
<I suspect some sort of anomalous metabolite issue... with the canister filter, the elevated/spiked temperature...>
Is there anything I can do?
<Yes... see below>
Could the water temp. change and/or salinity be responsible for this?
<Yes... they are factors>
(so many question, and not enough answers...) Your help will be more than appreciated! Thank you very much!!
Ivan
<I would "clean out" the canister filters mechanical media (rinse in seawater outside the tank), add some activated carbon in your flow/circulation path, and execute/do a 25% or so water change here. Bob Fenner>

Re: Ammonia?  8/20/07
>Hi WWM,
>I think i have a slight ammonia problem. I feed my fish and 30 - 60 minutes later my fish start breathing for air at the surface.
><Yikes>
> I test the water and it shows 0ppm on my test kit.
><Might be low dissolved oxygen>
> The next day the fish are fine and no more breathing. It has been happening for about 2 weeks and it happens everyday after i feed my fish. But yesterday my Chromis' started to breathe at the surface and about 3 days ago one of my yellow tangs disappeared
<!>
> and i have a
>feeling he is causing the ammonia spike in my tank the last 2 days. Before he died the Ammonia was kind of like an on and off thing. But now most of my fish are gasping for air. Is it unusual to constantly have ammonia going up and down?
><Yes... insufficient biofiltration...>
>I have these pouches in my tank called 'Maifan Stones' by 'SUN SUN'. Have you heard of them?
><Have now:
>http://www.google.com/search?q='Maifan+Stones'+by+'SUN+SUN'&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-Address&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7PCTA>
>They are meant to lower ammonia and nitrite
><I would remove this material>
>and i think this might be what is lowering the ammonia every time. If you have any idea what is happening i would really like to know urgently.
>Thanks, Maison
><... what re the set-up, size, history of this system? BobF>
Hi Bob,
My tank is 6 x 2 x 2 foot, Multi SL protein Skimmer, UV Sterilizer, Reef
Octopus Nitrate Reductor, 12,000l/h return pump, Tunze Pump in a Rock(9000
l/h of movement),
<5 Nitrate, 0 Nitrite, 0 Ammonia on my test kit (Aquarium Pharmaceuticals),
pH 8.2.
My fish are:
Convict Tang
Blue Tang
2 Yellow Tangs(1 now)
Desjardin Sailfin Tang
Lawnmower Blenny
Mandarin Dragonet
10 Chromis
Flame Angelfish
Longnose Hawkfish
1 Black Ocellaris Clownfish
1 Ocellaris Clown
Haven't had any filtration problems before, it only started 2-3 weeks ago.
Yesterday i noticed these grey blotchy patches on my black clownfish. His middle white stripe has a transparent looking blotch on it. Would you have any idea what it is?
<I suspect something amiss with your Nitrate Reductor... I would take this off-line. Likely either the feeder stock is poisoning your system or some co-factor here.>
I've been searching for it on the Internet and can't seem to find it. All my other fish look perfectly fine. I just bought a new rotating powerhead yesterday and i am going to put it in the tank today to see if it helps the oxygen level. What would be the best and most accurate Ammonia test on the market? Because i don't like the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Ammonia test kit.
Thanks, Maison
<Look to Hach, LaMotte brands/manufacturers... BobF>

Rapid breathing 08-16-07 SW nitrogenous  – 08/17/07
Hello, to whomever is responding at this time. Thank you for what you do for all of us beginners! If you could direct me to the portion of your page dealing with gill burn or something similar, I would be grateful. I guess I am not typing in the correct search queries to bring me to the right page. I have a green wolf eel and yellow striped maroon clownfish. My tank is stable with Ammonia and nitrite at 0ppm, Nitrate at 5-10ppm, ph of 8.3, temp of 78 degrees and SG of 1.023. All of these readings are very consistent. The two fish have been back in my display for 7 days. I have had both since May 2007. They were in my QT tank for 6 weeks before introducing them to the display due to an Ich outbreak on a regal tang, which has been moved to a large system. These two never showed any signs of ich, but moved them to QT to be safe and let the tank fallow.
<Good move>
My concern is that the QT tank started to cycle while they were in it and they were exposed to ammonia levels of close to 2ppm and then Nitrite of 2ppm.
<Yikes!>
Their breathing (more so the eel) still appears rapid and deep. That seems to be their only problem. One time (yesterday) I saw the eel open his mouth very wide (like my yawning) and push his gills outward. Do you know what he was doing?
<A mechanism for cleaning? A reaction to low DO? A "threat" display due to your presence?>
They both are very active and eating great and otherwise appear normal. Is this gill burn from the bad water quality (I did 50-100% daily water changes with pre-mixed and aerated water while they were in QT to fight the high levels), or possibly something else? Is there anything I can do to help them?
<Patience, good care otherwise>
Is it even possible for them to recover from gill burn (if that is what it is)?
<Oh yes>
Thank you for any advice or link you can direct me to. I try so hard to keep them happy and healthy but seems I always, unknowingly, do something wrong, so now I turn to you. I will continue to read and learn. Thanks!*~*April*~*
<Don't think we have a link per se... I would try a search here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/WWMAdminSubWebIndex/question_page.htm
with gill burn marine fishes... and read the colored cached versions to save time... But gill burn from nitrogenous metabolites is very common as are dire hemolysis from environmental challenges... But/and can be resolved/cured. BobF>

Toxics Water?...More Likely Overcrowding, Lack Of Knowledge 10/15/07
I have a 40 gal tank that has been running for 3 months with a Three Striped Damsel, False Clownfish, Yellow Tang, Scopas Tang, Mandarin Goby, 2 Diamond Gobies, 2 Cleaner Shrimp, 2 Crocea Clams, Sun Coral, Frogspawn Coral, two Bubble Tip Anemones. One assumption
<Assumption of what?>
was the Mandarin Goby, after buying and doing my reading. I realize I shouldn't have it due to the lack of live rock (100lbs or more).
<And the fact that your tank is overstocked by a good margin.>
I have had her for about a week and she is doing fine, last night when the water was cloudy she turned very white in color and would swim near the surface on the water which I found to be very unusual for a Mandarin Goby. This morning I checked the mandarin and she is fine, good color and size.
<and size??>
Just to sum up a few things here it is. Recently I noticed that my cleaner shrimp was indeed pregnant, ok cool midnight snack. Second was the red slime algae, I treated that with the proper dose of Blue Life Red Slime Remover. It worked great. that treatment was 3 days ago, no more
red slime after one treatment.
<Not a cure, just a temporary band-aid. It will be back. Better to control the source of the problem. Read here and linked files above. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/bluegralgae.htm>
For the past few weeks the water quality has been good all except for nitrates.
<Not surprising with the load you have in that 40.>
It have been around 10-15 ppm. I added Algone
<Another band-aid and not a fix. Go here.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/nitratesmar.htm>
and have been doing 10% water changes every couple days to gradually bring them down. Last night I came home to my tank being completely cloudy and I had assumed it was maybe my cleaner shrimp giving birth so I left it as is. This morning the tank was clear but my Xenia was dead, so I did a water test. The first thing I checked was ammonia, it was way to high like 6 ppm. The Xenia is the only thing that died. This morning I did a 25% water change and the ammonia did not change. Any Suggestions?
<You definitely need to reduce your fish load. I'd would find homes for the tangs, as your tank is much too small for
them to begin with. Next would be the Diamond Gobies, they are not going to survive for long in that environment, and not a real easy goby to acclimate to begin with. And, the Bubble Tip Anemones, not good mixing these with corals. BTA's will move from time to time, and in the process, sting other animals along the way. Without a source of copepods for the Mandarin's diet, it too will more than likely perish. Never mentioned lighting, do not know what your lighting consists of, but the Crocea clams do require high intensity lighting to survive. It sure sounds like you have had very little direction or knowledge before setting up this tank. You mention nothing about using a filter and/or protein skimmer. This info does help us give a better answer to your query. In your case though, it is quite obvious that overstocking is the major problem here. Reading here and related linked files above, will give you a much better understanding of
what is required to establish and maintain a healthy marine system. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marineSetUp.htm>
Thank you for your time.
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog(>
Riley, Christian E.

HELP NEEDED... LR introduction wipe-out...
I have a 55 gallon salt tank it has been up and running now for a few months. everything has been fine until last night. I recently bought 16 pounds of new live rock to add to my existing LR.
<Best by far to sequester, re "cure" this outside main systems...>
I also did a 10 gallon or so water change. everything was still fine for about 24 hours then it all happened. At the stroke of the new year, I seen the tank was cloudy, checked my ph it was 7.0,
<Yikes!>
checked nitrates they were over 5.0,
<... likely Nitrites... deadly>
then I seen lots of bristle worms( I had never seen these in my tank before) all the fish were dead including the sea urchin, however my red starfish, and anemone are still alive, the anemone is not looking so good but is still alive. I also seen some cocoon looking white sacks on a live rock. (what could these be) now today I am doing water changes readily to try to get the nitrates down. Am I doing this right and what happened to cause this. I don't want to cause this again, ever.
<?>
I appreciate any information and help you can give me. I am a nurse who feels like a murderer to these poor fish. last night it was almost like a code blue call for me. I even had my husband assisting me in doing emergency cares for the star and anemone until 5 am this morning.
Sam
<... much for you to read. Please start here: http://wetwebmedia.com/lrh2oqualfaq2.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Plate coral poisoned tank? Toxic tk. situation, endogenous, biol.   3/2/08
Hi,
First, thanks for this fabulous resource that I've used once or twice :)
<Welcome>
I've scanned your FAQ's extensively (and have been since March of '06) but am not finding what I'm looking for exactly, so my apologies if this is a duplicate question. I couldn't find it in any of the books that I have either (Calfo's and *The Conscientious Marine Aquarist* the most frequently referenced ones).
I had a 72 gallon lovely (I thought) tank setup that was flourishing for quite some time (well, about two years) containing some basic livestock- a six-lined wrasse (a meanie who will not be replaced), a clownfish, 12 chromis, 1 Firefish, 2 perpetually pregnant cleaner and 1 peppermint shrimp, a lawnmower blenny, many polyps and Palythoa, a mysteriously appearing (and multiplying) tree-type coral,
<Please send a pic of this... could be a Hydrozoan... trouble>
mushroom corals, in addition to the usual feather duster worms (3 small), turbo snails (24) and blue legged hermit crabs (30) with various 'pods in the rocks and sump. Quite a few hitchhiker opihi's (don't remember the real name for them), small stars, worms, an emerald crab, etc. came in on the 90+ lbs of live rock that we had accumulated over time, and our deep sand bed in the sump and display were full of little wormie guys who build the little calcified tubes.
<Sounds very lively>
A bout of hair algae prompted my husband to stop at a local aquarium store and purchase a sea hare on the dealer's recommendation, much to my dismay- but there was enough algae to keep the guy going and he seemed to be doing quite well in there (based on his expanding girth). He seemed to be a good fit for our system.
<Mmm, too many of these are inappropriately placed... cold water... too likely to be unhappy, toxify a system>
Emboldened by his previous success, my well-intentioned but poorly-informed husband stopped at the same store that was now having a going-out-of-business sale.
<Not a good sign...>
He purchased a couple of very small polyp-covered rocks at $5 apiece and a large coral for a mere $10 :( The oh-so kind dealer assured him that his purchases would be very easy to keep alive as long as the large coral was given a piece of fresh fish once in awhile.
<...?>
By the time I had researched the coral and knew that I was dealing with a nearly impossible to keep alive plate coral (it resembled an anemone),
<Heliofungia... actiniformis>
it was late into the evening and the store had closed for good; no other store in town would take the plate coral. I drove myself bonkers trying to keep the doomed fellow alive, but die he did, and everything else in the tank died shortly after he croaked and exuded some kind of slime stuff.
<...>
The tank has run fallow since then, (July of '07) the only survivor a lone hermit crab.
I'd like to get this tank going again. Attempt #1 was done after several small water changes- testing the water looked ok, so I went out and purchased 6 small blue-green chromis. They were all dead the next morning.
All of my basic parameters appeared ok- with the exception of slightly elevated nitrates and high calcium (which is a constant problem no matter what we do). I tested and retested and retested. I bought more test kits and tested again. Still what I thought was ok (at any rate was what the previous population had appeared to thrive in before the addition of the plate coral). I assumed there was something in the water that I was unable to test for- a toxin or something from the plate coral (grasping at straws, perhaps?).
<Maybe>
Attempt #2- I did a 100% water change, but did not change the sand in the tank. I drained it a much as I could; in that process I noticed not one single living thing other than the previously mentioned hermit crab. As I said, the tank was previously teeming with 'pods and other critters who came in off the live rock. Even after running fallow for six months or so, still nothing was showing up, nor has it since the complete water change that we did four weeks ago. Three weeks after the water change I purchased 3 more small blue-green chromis. One was dead a few days later; a few days after that one was caught in the overflow. That one died the next evening. I've tested the water weekly but again, nothing looks weird to me except for the slightly high nitrates and very high calcium that is typical for our tank.
Expected diatom bloom going on right now. I'm starting to see small bubbles coming off the rocks which leads me to suspect a possible Cyano outbreak is in my near future. During this water change, the rocks were exposed to air for about an hour. I did not rinse them off but misted them with fresh saltwater (not from the tank).
Should I purchase some 'pods in a bottle and put then in my sump?
<Mmm, I wouldn't just yet>
I do not want any more live rock in the tank, but I'd like to re-seed the tank (only once I know it's safe). Is there something specific that you think I should test for in my tank before anyone else goes to their doom in there?
<Mmm, you might try running some filter media... PolyFilter, GAC... for a few weeks, ahead of the next trial... Or skip ahead to removing the Hermits... and nuking/bleaching all... draining, rinsing (repeat) a few times with freshwater... re-filling with marine, adding some new live rock over the old...>
My smart-alecky daughter has named the last three fish "dead fish 1, 2, and 3", and I'm starting to feel like all the fish in the fish store are hiding behind rocks when I walk through the store's door :(
I'd rather give up the hobby than keep killing fish... can you help? I'm feeling very nervous for my hermit crab and lonely chromis.
Below are my test results and equipment on the tank:
Temp-78
SPG/salinity-1.023-33
ph-7.9 (taken in the afternoon)
alkalinity- 300 (KH 4.8 per Salifert)
ammonia-0
nitrite-0
nitrate-20
calcium- I've used three different types of kits; they all show the calcium higher than 600.
<Something amiss here... you don't want the biomineral content this high... at the expense of alkaline reserve>
I don't dose or add anything to the water other than Dechlor for water changes so I don't understand this. No calcium precipitation but wondering if the Alk and ph are somehow suppressing that.
<...?>
This reading has always been the case with my tank (since June of '06). Is the sand a problem?
<Maybe>
Evap top-offs are done with R/O water.
I haven't been testing for magnesium, iodine, or strontium, since the big wipe-out.
Equipment/setup:
72 gallon bowfront (Upgraded from 30 gallon in June 06)
15 gallon sump / refugium (below tank) with 6+ inches Oolitic sand and spaghetti algae, rubble
Chemi-pure and Poly-filter in sump
Aqua C Remora Pro Skimmer with overflow box
Circulating 700-800 gallons per hour
Two powerheads (one rotating) for circulation
TEK T-5 Light 6 -54 watt bulbs (two actinic)
90+ pounds of live rock
Oolitic sand as substrate- 4 inches in display
Water changes are made with tap water, Dechlor, and Kent sea salt (mixed a week before)
<I'd read on WWM re, try another brand>
Many thanks for taking the time to read this long email,
Stephanie in Santa Cruz
<The choice is up to you... to try the chemical filtrant, more time going by route... or the biocide do-over. Bob Fenner>

Abandoned Toadfish  2/5/07
Hey guys, I'm sorry, I don't really have time to search through all the forums but here is my dilemma:
<All?>
My friend owns some species of toadfish (don't know what)
<Batrachoidids?>
and he has not cleaned the tank, aerated it, or balanced it in any way in almost a year.
<May he be reincarnated as a toad>
He has forgotten it was still alive and has barely fed it at all, although it appears to be ok. I think it is about 2 yrs old. I decided to adopt it and I've never set up a saltwater tank, so am doing a lot of research.
<A lot?>
I bought a Marine Chemical test kit, to test the current water so as not to kill the poor thing as soon as I move him, but everything is off the charts. PH, Alk, Nitrates... everything. I don't know how he's still alive! How can I slowly integrate him into a healthy tank without killing him?
<Mmm, slow removal of old water (a few percent a day let's say), replacement with "new" water>
Should I use 3/4 his water, with 1/4 new? It has a lot of algae in it. What can I add that will slowly bring the levels back down?
<Just the water changes for a month or two>
What kind of things can I put in his tank that he won't eat that will keep a balanced enviro and maybe some company?
Sincerely,
Josh
<Mmm, I'd try some live ghost shrimp... can be had/purchased from a LFS. Bob Fenner>

Tank Crash, NO2    4/30/07
Hey guys,
<Craig>
Thanks so much for creating such a comprehensive site.  Without it I'd be nowhere.  Here is an embarrassing who-done-it tale, that I thought you might be able to solve.
<Will try>
I came home after having the tanks lights out for about a day and a half in the attempt to cool the tank until I installed 2 fans in the canopy to keep the temp down.  I was running hot at about 84.  Today I came home and one of my larger fish did not look well and I noticed a dead Damsel on the bottom (I'm cycling right now).
<Mmm, a bit of a/the cart afore the equine...>
  The large fish was caught rod and reel from the ocean for cycling purposes, though now I realize that fish are not necessary for this purpose (I was following the LFS guy's advice, at the time).
<Mmmm>
I also noticed that my live rock did not look good.  The macro-algae had lost color.  I immediately took measurements of Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate, and everything was fine (high Nitrites (1.5 ppm),
<Not fine. Toxic>
no ammonia, 10 ppm Nitrate), but the nitrites have been there for about a week).  During the panic I managed to knock the carbon filter output out of the sump, so as I tested, gallon after gallon of precious water was spilling onto the floor (big mess before I noticed). So...
I ended up doing a water change, to replenish the lost water (about 10 gallons out of 120 + 55 sump).  I put in some stability
<Proper noun; capitalized>
and now a few hours later things look a lot better.  The fish are not breathing heavy and the algae is regaining color.
What do you think may have caused this situation?
<Mmm, the dead fish, high nitrite... but who came/caused first?>
Here are the facts:
1)  I was lowering the temperature - 84 - 78 over 48 hours.
2)  I've been raising the pH - 7.8 - 8.0 over 48 hours
3)  I added a 55 gallon tank pack of Bio Spira to help things along
<Good>
(though I had been using Stability for the prior 2 weeks before stopping about a week ago.
4)  I had the lights off for 48 hours
5)  that was the first water change in 3 weeks (since the inception of the tank)
Any ideas?
Thanks so much guys!  I want to see if I can avoid this happening again!
Again - great site!
Craig
<Thank you. Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/no2trbfix.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Impatient Cycling Causes Fish Deaths  5/10/07
Greetings from Manila, Jason here.  Hope you guys are doing good as usual! :)
<Hi Jason, This is Jeni/Pufferpunk here today & I'm doing great, thanks for asking!>
4 months ago, I had some fresh live rock from the ocean, transported it back and placed it into my 30 gallon tank.  
<Lucky you!  We pay up to $9/lb for nice rock here.>
I only have the small powerhead, no filtration, no skimmer.  Tank temps ranged from 79F to
83F.  
<83 is a bit high.  I'd aim for no higher than 80-81.  We're having a heat wave here & I have 4 fans on my tank, trying to keep the water below 82.>
I thought the fresh live rock might not go thru a cycle process because I transported it myself and was submerged in ocean water for several hours.  
<Any exposure to air will kill off some of the life & start a cycle.>
My mistake was I did not use any aeration during transport.
2 days later, lots of die off.  Everything died, worms, crabs, sponges, except for the coralline algae.
<To be expected.>
After week 3, my water was now pretty clear because of the algae growth and ammonia and nitrates were heading low.  My readings were: Ammonnia-5mg/L, Nitrates-5mg/L, pH 7.6.
<Actually, still quite toxic.>
Is there anything else I should really check for?  I don't know why my pH was
acidic.
<You are testing for the correct things.  Ammonia, caused by die-off will cause the water to become acidic.>
Anyway, at week 3, I decided to do a 80 percent water change to take care of the nutrient export and then get a baby Scopas tang and a couple Turbos.  
<Did you test the water beforehand?>
After a week, the tang died.  It started off swimming/nipping/eating for the 1st two days.  Then it got spooked out all the time and towards the end, would always be hiding in the rocks and never came out.   I checked my Ammonia went back up to 5mg and nitrates back to 5mg.  
<Quite deadly--tank was not cycled.>
I did another 80 percent water change and introduced another tang.  
<Without testing the water?>
He did the same behavior but died after 2 days.  I checked the water properties, nitrates were at 40mg/L!  It increased to 40mg after I introduced the new tang.  
<Why do you keep putting these animals lives at risk?  You cannot introduce animals to a tank that shows even the smallest amount of ammonia/nitrites & nitrates should be below 20 for fish.>
The first tang 2 days before it died started to develop an ulceration around it's eye and also its color started to get dark, with small white spots (but it didn't look like ich).
<Ulceration probably caused by ammonia burn.>
I thought it might have been HLLE, so I checked the water: ammonia, nitrates, pH.  
<What were the results?>
I also unplugged the lights, fan and used a different pump.  But then the next tang died too. :(  What could have happened here?  Are my rocks not cured enough to support even one fish?  
<There is no such thing as "cured enough".  Either the rock is fully cured or it isn't.>
Should I remove my 3 Turbos, which are happily munching away?  
<There is nothing nastier than a dead snail in your tank.>
What do I do moving forward, do I still continue to do water changes?
<Suggested reading: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_2/cav2i3/Live_Rock/live_rock.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/lrcurefaqs.htm  
Please do not add any more livestock until your rock is fully cured.  ~PP>
Jason

Oops. Protein skimmer waste back into the system!   5/22/07
Hi crew,
<Elizabeth>
While in the process of cleaning out my protein skimmer, all of the waste in the collection bin spilled over into the tank.  Of course my ammonia level shot up through the roof.
<Yikes!>
I treated the water as soon as I noticed the problem (unfortunately 4 hours later since someone else cleaned it for me).  One of my damsel fish acts like nothing happened, while the other (the shy blue) was lying on his side on the bottom of the tank gasping for air.  The ammonia is fine now, and the fish is trying to swim, but not really succeeding.  Is there any hope of saving this poor fish.  Thanks!
Elizabeth
<Well, there is always hope... I would try another dose of an anti-ammonia product here (my choice? Amquel)... and try to stay light on feeding for a week or two. Bob Fenner>

Re: Chrysurus angel sick... poisoned...  8/14/07
Well Bob I have read everything on your site on this and now I have lost my lionfish (who started whirling around towards the end like he had no balance), my male yellow stripe maroon clown, and now my Female is whirling like her swim bladder is affected?
<Some sort of poisoning>
Conspic still not eating and has a cloudy eye, (if this was HLLE why are eyes cloudy on this fish?.
<See above>
My passer and imperator are doing ok still eating but their heads look terrible. This am I was able to catch all fish and move them into holding talk with sharks. Should I start over? I was contemplating bleaching tank. let me know your thoughts on this please, and then returning sharks to clean tank, and treating fish with erythromycin or neomycin with Metronidazole in holding tank.
Thanks again bob.
Kelly
<... something toxic in this system... I would execute large water changes, add carbon to your filter path/flow. BobF>

Reef Tank Troubles PLEASE HELP ME
Hello Guys,
<Hi, JasonC here...>
My name is Eric, I'm 15 and have a 26 bow front mini reef.  It contains 36 pounds of live rock, a colt coral, some blue mushrooms, and a bubble coral. Filters are a little hang on Eheim, a whisper 1 (DIY refugium) and PowerSweep powerhead. Lighting is 150 watts of PowerCompacts. I've been reading your forums for a long time now, and they have helped me out a lot.  Now I have a problem that I just can't get rid of and I need your help!  Recently I went on vacation for a week.  I returned to brownish cloudy water, nitrates of 50 and a dead anemone.  I was devastated. The rocks were covered in red slime (Cyanobacteria I'm sure) and a lot of bubbles (some kind of algae) <Also Cyanobacteria I would think.> I stepped up big time on the additives, (liquid calcium, molybdenum, phytoplankton, and iodine), after a red slime treatment (I wasn't sure what else to do!?!) <Lay off the additives... in a tank of this size you should only be adding drops of the stuff and nothing that listed will help get rid of BGA except for that red slime treatment which I wouldn't recommend. Likewise, you should always test for things you are adding to make sure they need to be added at all.> I've done tons and tons of water changes, using gravel vacs, and trying to get rid of the algae.  Every day the brown water returns and so does the algae, sometimes it taunts me and goes away for 2-3 days, then it returns, my Caulerpa in the whisper 1 is under a 12 inch fluorescent,  worked the nitrates down to 20, but the corals seem to do good/bad depending. PLEASE HELP ME. <I think you may want to consider breaking down the system to make sure you've gotten all the dead material from the anemone, and perhaps anything else it took with it. Likewise, you could rinse the live rock in some clean saltwater and return it to the system. You might also consider a 100% water change at the same time. Small tanks are the most difficult to keep stable, and sometimes once they've gone the wrong direction, you're just better off starting over.>  Your thoughts are needed badly.
Greatly Appreciated
Eric Denemark
<Cheers, J -- >

Mysterious deaths
Hi!
I have had a 55 gal. reef tank set up for over a year and the end of last month had all my fish die within a week. They were all just short of a year old. The first was my very large blue tang, he got kind of a "patchy" look to him and within a week was almost falling apart. Next came my neon Goby which went the same way, then my maroon clown. None of my corals or snails or crabs or shrimp have suffered. I also had a Firefish that has lasted thru the whole ordeal. I waited two weeks and did my normal 5% change twice, then added two percula clowns I had in another tank and within the week they did the same thing. My Firefish is still fine. I have not changed a single thing, not my feeding, not my lights, not my water change cycle, nothing. What could of gone wrong. My levels are all great, no ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, temp. is good, salt level is good, nothing has changed. How do I know what happened and how do I know when it will be safe to add more fish? Thank you so much for your help. Rene'e
<Thank you for writing... two prominent possibilities loom here... considering what died, what didn't and the order of loss... Either some sort of dissolved oxygen limiting situation exists here, or an internal toxic one... Let me explain the reasoning behind my thesis. Larger, more active fishes perished first, and the new ones lost are in possession of a large gill surface area... Also, a microdesmid (Firefish) which lives in lower D.O. situations and in closer proximity to organisms which produce (naturally) toxic materials persists...
At any length, if you'd like to pursue the "real, root cause" of your losses we can discuss the means of testing for this... But, I'm sure you'd rather focus on what can possibly be done to "solve" the cause of the problem... A few things might well help: a large water change, or series of same... Use of chemical filtrants (PolyFilter, activated carbon)... Placement of new live rock, Macroalgae... addition of mechanical aeration (an airstone, powerheads...)... addition of a UV sterilizer, ozonizer.... All these and a few other technologies might be employed to improve your water quality, increase gaseous exchange... Please read over the marine "Toxic Tank Conditions" section and associated FAQs posted on the site: www.WetWebMedia.com for more, and return to me for clarification, expansion on any of these ideas. 
Bob Fenner>

Question: I have a 150 gallon tank with U.V., Skimmer, W/D and a Chiller. I have had the tank for 17 months. In it (for 13 months)

• 2 Tangs (Sailfin 3in.- Blue 3in)
• 3 Angels (Majestic 3in-Singapore 2in.-Coral Beauty 1.5in.)
• 7 Dam. (1 strip 2in.-3 blues 1 in. -3 unknown 2.5.in. each)
• 1 Tomato Clown 2in.
• 3 Butterfly ( 2 Raccoon 2 in. - 1 falcula 1.5in.)
• 5 Fire Shrimp
• 3 Cleaner Shrimp

I add Boyd's vitamins as recommended weekly, change 30% and clean the tank every four weeks. My fist question is, can I add 1 small Auriga Butterfly or two small Pacific Cleaner Wrasse? My water is crystal clear. Yet, my two Tangs have developed discoloration around the head and the Sailfin looks like he has tail rot and the upper fin seems like someone has bitten it off. Both are still eating and very active. Help, what can I do?
Bob's Answer: Chris, you may well have a combination. of "bad fish interactions" and semi-poor water quality going on in your system. I'd leave off on the proposed additions and put my big bongo bucks into some decent live rock. Your tank is pretty crowded and the Live Rock will help improve water quality and give livestock something else to nibble on. And consider taking the media out of the Wet/Dry.

2 month old tank w/ ich
Help!! I have a 55 gal tank and its been running for months. I checked my levels and quickly my ammonia level is very high (6,8) all other levels are normal. I have 3 damsels, Camel shrimp, scooter blenny, and a emerald crab, also I have noticed a case of ich on 2 of the damsels and I don't have a sick tank yet. Please help!!!
<Six or eight ppm of ammonia? Yikes, do a very large water change, fast... and do not feed the tank... Do you have another tank, or a friends that you can borrow/beg some used substrate and maybe old filter material. Do so, and place it in your tank ASAP... Usually anything over 1.0ppm and anything near "normal" pH will kill marine fishes... and most invertebrates. Bob Fenner>

2 month old tank w/ ich
Help!! I have a 55 gal tank and its been running for months. I checked my levels and quickly my ammonia level is very high (6,8) all other levels are normal. I have 3 damsels, Camel shrimp, scooter blenny, and a emerald crab, also I have noticed a case of ich on 2 of the damsels and I don't have a sick tank yet. Please help!!!
<The "ich" is no doubt part of the response to the poor water quality... Let's get the ammonia down to zero, then find out what died, who threw the whole can of food in, what Cleaner with Ammonia was poured in...
Bob Fenner>

Cured live rock
Recently I received a shipment of live rock that wasn't cured all the way. I have done water changes for 5 weeks to get the water crystal clear again. 
Ammonia tests at 0, nitrite tests at .1 ppm, nitrate is at 5, pH looks good. However, I can get small fishes to live in the tank, (mollies, damsels) but larger fish die within 12 hours. All fish have an erratic gill  function. My only guess would be a toxin in the water, but why would smaller  fish live?
<You'd make a fine scientist... on the way to becoming a good mystery writer... I agree with your hypothesis re the poisoning factor... And all live rock is only "cured to a point"...
The smaller fishes have a greater tolerance for a few real reasons... The most fun/easy to point out is their gill surface area per size of body ratio... Just like young dogs with large feet... fishes that are going to be bigger, have more "exposure"... 
More to a/the point, what to do now? I would get my hands on a pad of PolyFilter, do a very large (almost 100% water change), put the PolyFilter in your filter flow path... and then try culturing some macro-algae... and wait a month to try another fish. Bob Fenner>

Hi Bob:
Everything seems very happy in my 90 gallon reef tank. After it had been established for approximately 6 months I added a fine reef sand to the bottom of the tank, it had been bare up till this point. I have vacuumed it once and stirred it a couple of time sense putting it in. The sand has been in the tank for about a month now. I noticed it has little bubbles all over the top of the sand and the bubbles slowly come up to the surface. I assume the this is nitrogen, but what should I do about it or for it?
Thanks for you time...........Lin Smith
<Not much, IMO... the bubbles are probably "biological" in origin... getting trapped and coalescing under more "biofilm" material at/near the gravel's surface... Unless you see some sort of blackish material accumulating around the substrate base near the viewing panels... or detect a "rotten egg" sort of smell... I would just periodically stir, vacuum much/most of this stuff away... And do consider the possibility of some sorts of stirring livestock... Bob Fenner>

Funny smell in water...
I have a question dealing with a strange smell in my saltwater tank. When ever I clean the tank and change the water I smell a foul odor that comes from the water and it smells like vinegar or a rusty steel wool pad. What is this and how can I get rid of it? I use carbons but it seems not to solve the problem? I also have question about algae control. What kind of equipment can you recommend for me to keep algae from growing in my aquarium? I can't afford an ultraviolet stabilizer, but I could afford a protein skimmer. Will this do the trick. I was going to buy a Sea Clone Protein skimmer from Aquarium Systems. Is this a good protein skimmer and will it solve my algae problem?
Thank You,
<Hmm, you are right to be concerned about the smell of your system water... Healthy tanks smell sort of like, well, seawater... a little musty like earth... and salty.
A few things will definitely help to improve the smell, and overall viability of your water... A skimmer is a very good start. Though I consider the SeaClone to not be a very efficient make/model, it is adequate for a small fish only system (let's say up to forty gallons) or a very small reef (let's say twenty gallons)... Otherwise, if your system is larger, there are other "hang on" models to consider.
There really is no "gear" that will do away with algae entirely, but adding live rock along with the skimmer will do a lot of good in combating your algae problems... You might benefit from reading the articles on algae and their control in marine systems I have stored at the URL: www.wetwebmedia.com
Do get the skimmer, and try some live rock and possibly macroalgae in your tank... Bob Fenner>

Thanks for the help w/coral selection, but now I have a new problem. My nitrates and phosphates are real high and they haven't been a prob before. I will describe my set up and maybe you can help. I have a 29 gallon eclipse has been set up a year or so. I have about 1/2 inch of crushed shells on bottom, limestone base and about 30 lbs atop that.
The live rock is mostly covered w/coralline algae. I don't have a protein skimmer since hood is enclosed. I have 4 fish, a shrimp, colt coral, green star polyps, and mushrooms, all doing well. When I clean the tank I can only get vacuum into a few places due to the rocks, therefore most of the substrate isn't vacuumed. Is this the problem and how do I correct it? The pet store told me to set it up this way then when I started to have prob.s w/phosphate they told me I set it up wrong. They said there shouldn't be any substrate around the base rocks at all and said to take it out. Should I believe them this time? Is this the thing to do and is it good to have a bare bottom tank? I'm taking another water sample in tomorrow and I just wonder what they will tell me and that's why I need your opinion. corals don't like phosphate or nitrates right? Thanks again...PS.. A different pet store is holding a nice coral for me, but I'm sure I need to fix this prob before picking it up...
<Hmm, well all corals... and all living things need some "nitrates and phosphates"... but too much is a bad thing depending on species of livestock... even corals... much more than 10 and 1 ppm respectively should be avoided... for most species kept.
How best to limit these materials? In a 29 Eclipse... the best thing to do is to retrofit a skimmer (it can be, is done all the time... something like a CPR BakPak or even a SeaClone...) by cutting the top...
The gravel around the rock has a minimum effect... in fact, under propitious circumstances, the anaerobes living there may be helping to utilize available nutrients... By and large, I like substrates in marine and reef tanks... for looks and function. Bob Fenner>

And more questions - and an update!
Okay, I follow you, it appears to be cycling just as it did before.
I will also remove the lettuce and stop the feedings for a few days. But don't you find this an extremely fast cycling period? I haven't seen one person who doesn't think I'm full of it. My readings are my readings, what can I say.
I'll get back to you once anything develops... Spikes, deaths, whatever. I've also got a water quality issue I'm wondering about (regarding RO's/bottled water versus tap... What about the GOOD stuff in there that could get filtered out? If I just had it without so much NITRATE I'd be happy (20PPM is straight from the tap).
Thank you again, very much. Bruce
<Hmm, and you'd be shocked and dismayed to find how much nitrate is typically introduced into marine systems via lettuce feeding (often ppt, yes... not a typo... parts per thousand)... Much of the nutrient input of tap is overblown by folks... but a whole bunch more undesirable material is easily and cheaply avoided by utilizing an RO device... and IMO most everyone is a fool for not having one for their own drinking, cooking use... let alone ornamental aquatics... Well off the shoe box.
And, am I surprised at the rapidity of cycling....? No!, and adamant about "what I would do in your circumstances"? Yes! Things will/are working out... No worries. Bob Fenner>

I have a 55 gallon tank with 2 Fluval 403's, a protein skimmer, and a UV
sterilizer. I also have a bio-wheel running on it (for some wet/dry action?). I have 50 lbs. of live rock & crushed coral for substrate. I only have one fish, an 8 inch Fiji rainbow parrot (a beautiful fish). I also have some inverts; a crab, an arrow crab, 3 starfish, a leather coral and a flower pot coral. I have a major problem with my nitrates. every fish in my tank has died over time but the inverts and the parrot (they all seem very healthy). I do weekly water changes of about 5 gallons and have added Acquamarine's nitrate reducer for 3 weeks, with no effect. my nitrates are still off the scale. I have a dry tab test kit and it has the same result every time, the nitrates are the highest rating, my nitrites are somewhat high, but not bad. HELP!! what am I doing wrong!!
<Hmm, glad to offer my opinions... and am concerned with the last bit of your message... that you have "nitrites that are somewhat high"... You should have none.
And the loss of fish life... likely has not much to do directly with your nitrate situation... And am glad you listed your gear...
I would like to know what additives/supplements you use, if any... but besides that possible input, I fully suspect your tank is under-aerated... Yes, something this simple (a lack of gas exchange) can bedevil a system... the microbial and macrobial life on your rock and sand, and filters are being "gas starved"... You certainly have enough aerobic (the 50# of rock and other surfaces) and less than aerobic (the contents of your canister filters) to support more oxygen-using life... And the "finishing clues" of what you still have that lives are tell-tale... the Parrot, though large-appearing, has a lot of gill surface area per unit volume (sort of like a puppy dog that is going to be big having large paws)... and is also a relatively sedentary species... The other fishes, especially if you had any tangs/surgeons/Doctorfishes... probably perished on the basis of their "gas-demand" requirements... highest to lower...
Now, more important than all this "Sherlock Holmes" input, let's get to some solution. I wouldn't pull any of your existing filtration, but would add a power head or two with some air intake into them and their discharges aimed toward the bottom and sides to render better/complete circulation... Barring this, do consider adding a simple mechanical aerator (bubbler with an air pump) in a low corner spot.
For you browsers, yes, a dissolved oxygen, RedOx meter would be nice... 
Bob Fenner, who says, get that added aeration/circulation going and keep measuring the nitrate and nitrite... the latter should go to zero, the former to less than 10ppm in a few weeks.>

Ammonia Spike
Bob,
I have written to you a few times in the past month, and I certainly appreciate your timely and useful responses.
I have been cycling a 72 gallon tank for the past 30+ days. I initially started with 12 Damsels and lost all but 4. Yesterday I added 46 pounds of Premium Cured Fiji to the tank. 
This morning I lost one more Damsel. Tonight the ammonia reading is way off the scale......the darkest green I have ever seen (prior to the live rock, ammonia had gone to 0 for the past week or so). The nitrites are at .4 (where they have been for 8 days). I can imagine I will lose the remaining 3 Damsels with this type of ammonia activity.
Sanity check: Does this seem normal? I have a wet dry and an Eheim mechanical. My protein skimmer was supposed to arrive today but UPS says it  will be two more days (is that cause for concern?). 
What should I expect in the coming few days?
Thanks Again
<Hmm, yes, all this is well within a consideration of "normal"... And would dearly like to have started with you "at the beginning"... Let's see, at this juncture, what is the better way of making known... what otherwise you might have done. For one, I strongly advocate people "curing" their own rock in a new tank like yours... without fishes, other living things... and at the same time, this process will "cycle" the system... 
At the "recycling" stage you're at, the rock's living component is continuing to devolve, with many organisms dying, being supplanted... and yes, a great deal of ammonia will be released... overwhelming the little-established nitrifier population the damsels/tank had going... 
If you have the flexibility, do move the damsels... to another system, back to a/the store... And pretend you're starting from the get go now... Run the skimmer full blast, and do massive water changes if your ammonia or nitrite spikes off the chart...
The system (with the live rock) will soon "cycle"... a few weeks to maybe a month... and "all will be much better". I am with you, Bob Fenner>

Appended: Unexplained Fish Deaths?
Bob,
I sent you another message this morning (attached) asking about some unexplained fish deaths. At lunch today as I looked into the tank and saw a greyish/white translucent slug looking thing with antennae perched on a rock spewing something into the water. I left the room for just a minute and when I came back it was gone. Do you know what this could be and could it be my fish killer. 
Thanks again, John
<Not a/the fish killer you might believe... But likely some sort of snail, worm reproducing (or maybe just eliminating), in response to (one last gasp) to poor environmental conditions... ADD NOTHING MORE TO THIS TANK for a few weeks... it will settle down... Then we'll talk about spiffing up your water quality... Maybe take a look at this issue, skimmers.... at my site: www.wetwebmedia.com
Bob Fenner>

Within about two hours, every fish in our tank died (Firefish, Percula clown, Mandarin). We also lost all the snails, almost lost our shrimp and polyps and mushrooms too, but we got them out in time. None of the fish had looked sick. No spots, discoloration, or any weird behavior. If you would have looked at the tank, the top of the water almost looked like it had suds on it and our protein skimmer was bubbling over. We had our water tested and everything came back perfect. I was wondering if you have any ideas as to what could have happened and what we need to do to get our tank back up again. Nicki Kubes
<Something, very, acutely toxic... either started from outside (an ammonia based cleaner, soap/detergent on a hand, a cigarette butt...) or inside... A cascade of events... from the organisms you list, likely the mushrooms... poisoning their tankmates... A type of chemical warfare that goes on "in the wild" regularly... but with a much larger dilution salvation.... 
To prevent or forestall such future problems, regular water changes, the use of chemical filtrants periodically, keeping the mushrooms clearly separated from other sessile invertebrates... plenty of circulation, aeration, growing macro-algae in the system or a specialized sump (mud/rock/algae) filter... all help.
Bob Fenner, who is sorry to hear of your losses and directs you to the "Toxic Tank Conditions" and "Environmental Disease" areas of www.wetwebmedia.com for more information.>