Whats wrong with my saltwater fish tanK?????????

[BiiGPAPASMURF]

Okay I have had my 75 gallon saltwater fish tank for 5 months now. I first started off back in december with a black and white damsel, green chromis, and yellow tailed damel fish. The tank was doing great I got a diamond goby a month later. I waited till about a month and a half ago to decide to by some more expensive fish. I bought a 3 inch yellow tang and a 3 and a half inch naso tang. Two weeks after I bought them the naso had black spots all over him. I assumed he had ich so I took him back to the pet store immediatly and he died there. Then My yellow tang started acting weird and he died along with my black and white damsel, yellow tailed damsel, and diamond goby. My only fish that is still alive today is the green chromis. So I bought ich-attack and took out the carbon from the filter and did a 10 day treatment putting exactly the right amount each day. The week the 10 day treatment was over I went and got my water tested again and they said my water was perfect and I was fish ready. So that was 2 weeks ago. Yesterday I bought me a small copperband butterfly and a small bicolor angelfish. They seemed to do good last night 5/14/10. Just today the copperband was at the top of the tank like he wasn't getting enough air. And my bicolor is laying on the gravel dieing acting like it was trying to get more air too. My green chromis has never done this before as well as some of my other fish. The temp. is at 82 degrees F. and the saltinaty is 1.020. I don't know what to do anymore I am tired of wasting money. Please someone tell me what is going on and what should I do. If not Im switching to freshwater asap.
Is my tank still invected? Is my live rock still infected? What should I do??? WHat fish should I get after all this is over?

[Sisterlimonpot]

Wow, it sounds like you got caught up in getting all the wrong fish for your 75g tank. Not to mention you had some fish that should be reserved for more experienced reefers.

Right off the bat your salinity is too low and your temperature is border line too high. Get it to 1.026 and the temp down around 79-80.

If it was ich that killed off all your fish, you should've allowed your tank to go follow (fishless) for 8 weeks to kill off the parasite. Ich attack is a waste of money and doesn't do anything to solve an ich problem.

I wouldn't allow this to get you down. many start off with a hick-up like this and go on to have successful reefs. What I would suggest is to read through these articles and get a better idea of what to do.

[Sisterlimonpot]

oh and BTW

To Reef Central

[Percula9]

Stay away from butterfly fish and angels for now. Your salinity is at the low end. Slowly raise it up to 1.026. That is the salinity of natural ocean water.We need some information about your tank. What are the basic parameters: pH, alkalinity, ca and magnesium? The temp also is a little high. Try to get it down to 78-80F. The black spots sound like black ich. It looks like pepper grains on the body of the fish. Maybe your fish store sells sick fish. They would rather the fish die in your tank then there's. Try a clown fish instead or a trigger. The fish you chose are for more advanced hobbyists.

[Tuscaquatics]

The tangs brought ich into your tank and it spread to everyone. You need to stop putting fish in and pretty much start over. Almost all of the fish you listed are not beginner fish. They are hard to acclimate and need a very stable tank when introduced. All tangs, if not all fish period, need to be quarantined and observed/treated for ich before introducing them to your main tank.

What I would do, since your tank is empty now anyway, would be to nuke your rock with bleach or something similar and restart the cycle.

[aykim2188]

I agree with Sisterlimonpot in that the salinity is low but that quantity doesnt "kill a fish." LFS keep them at usually between 1.016-1.020 based upon personal preference. They do not raise the salt level unless the fish are kept with LR and coral. I know a couple very experienced reef hobbyists who do fine w/ 82 but its recommended to keep the temp. between 78-80 do to the swings in temp throughout the day.

I think we should look at basic parameters like ph, ca, and magnesium just like percula9 said.

Also did you acclimate your fish properly? The water parameters can be fine but a sudden change in the parameters between the transfers can cause massive stress.

[Sisterlimonpot]

78-82 is where you want to keep your temp, however as the days are getting longer and hotter we're going to want to shoot for the low side so that when it does rise you'll still be within the parameters.

and also I didn't add anything to your vote because neither of those fish are easy fish, like Percula9 said. A successful 75 gallon tank doesn't need to have tangs and angels. stick with the smaller fish and when you get more experience and want to get those fish you may want to upgrade to a bigger tank that can accommodate your choices.

[IPowderBlueTang]

Agree with the others comments, also for them to drop dead so fast and breathing hard your fish might have major infestation of flukes. I would suggest leave your tank empty for 6-8 weeks of fish and let any disease die off before adding any fish. Take any remaing fish out and put i n a quarantine tank and treat for ich and flukes. Any new addition should go through quaratine in a separate tank for 4 -6 weeks in copper and after prazi pro before releasing in the display tank. If you keep on adding fish to your tank they will continue to die because your tank has a disease lingering.

I would try to find a better LFS with healthier fish if you keep buying from them and they are all infected and dying.

[travis32]

Also, I'm surprised no one brought this up, but it sounds like you were / are relying on the fish store testing of your water to determine if your tank is ready or not..

LFS's are good for verifying your test results, however, you have to remember they are a business and their business and # 1 priority is to sell you something. Secondary goals are for you to succeed (this varies with fish store to fish store).

I would suggest having your own test kits. You're own salinity measurer (refractometer if possible). Instead of buying livestock, while waiting for your tank to go fallow over the next 8 weeks, stock up on test kits a good refrac with automatic temp control.

Do the testing yourself, validate your test results with the LFS.

What type of water are you using? Are you mixing it yourself? IF so is it tap mixed with salt? Is it purified e.g. RODI water? If not, you using Purchased sea water?

How long was the tank setup without fish?

What type of filtration?

SW aquariums are like a planned trip, there's different phases the tank must go through, and if a phase is skipped it can be detrimental.