fish dying in my reef tank

Maybe someone can help me. I have a 90 gallon tank set up with live
rock(from tampa bay sal****er). The tank is about 3 months old and has
been doing very well. All of the levels check out ok and water changes
are done every 3-4 weeks at 20-30 percent. Recently, I started buying
fish, and with the exception of a few most of them have died.

I have the following items in the tank:

coral banded shrimp
fire shrimp
5 peppermint shrimp
2 small manits shrimp
There are many urchins and there are 3 anenome's(1 condy, and 2 bulb
anenomes)
2 tomato clowns
1 scooter blenny

The follwing fish have died:

Yellow tang
Naso tang
bicolor blenny
black blenny
mandrin
cardnial fish

My question is this....What could be killing these fish....Could it be
the urchins, anenomes, or maybe the shrimp. I am baffled because the
rest of the tank looks completely healty and everone else is thriving.

Thanks,

Marshall

Marshll,

First I feel for you. You are going to have to get more information. You
either have a water condition going on or you have a disease. Start by
checking all of your parameters. make sure ammonia and NitrIte are under
control. Check salinity and temperatore.

If those look OK then report back more information. What happened before the
first fish died. Did you see bulging eyes (popeye) Do you see what looks
like salt granules on the fish (Ich)

This is going to be hard because we cannot see it first hand and are reliant
on what you see. If you have a reliable LFS, talk with them. You can show
them the dead fish first hand and they may be able to help.

wrote in message oups.com...
Recently, I started buying fish,
and with the exception of a few most of them have died.

When did you buy each fish which died and how big was it
compared to mantis shrimps?

2 small manits shrimp

These guys are aggressive predators. I would suspect them.
They are called mantis not manits.
Check this out http://www.blueboard.com/mantis/intro/what.htm

My question is this....What could be killing these fish....Could it be
the urchins, anenomes, or maybe the shrimp. I am baffled because the
rest of the tank looks completely healty and everone else is thriving.

If I had to bet, I would put all my money on mantis shrimps.

wrote in message
oups.com...
| Maybe someone can help me. I have a 90 gallon tank set up with
live

I would be tempted to agree with Pszemol as long as the corpses are
consistant with traumatic death. Mantis shrimp are monsters. If not,
I would head in another direction. Have you found corpses at all? If
they appear unmolested, water is likely the issue. As John said,
provide us or your trusted LFS with the specific water parameters.
"Levels check out ok" just isn't enough, as you may be relying on
false information. Do a full battery of tests and check it out. A,
N&N, of course, then phosphates, alk, everything you have kits for.
As an aside, check for metal of ANY kind in contact with your
water. Metal heaters, return and powerhead pump impeller shafts...I
had a problem much like yours and it turned out to be rusting metal
from something I'd rather not discuss because of how bone stick stone
stupid of me it was to have had it in there...but I digress.....

It was an anchor, wasn't it Billy? Huh? Huh?

--
Mark C. Jack of all trades, master of none. (well, maybe a couple)

I r34lly n33d t0 g37 l41d



"Billy" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
oups.com...
| Maybe someone can help me. I have a 90 gallon tank set up with
live

I would be tempted to agree with Pszemol as long as the corpses are
consistant with traumatic death. Mantis shrimp are monsters. If not,
I would head in another direction. Have you found corpses at all? If
they appear unmolested, water is likely the issue. As John said,
provide us or your trusted LFS with the specific water parameters.
"Levels check out ok" just isn't enough, as you may be relying on
false information. Do a full battery of tests and check it out. A,
N&N, of course, then phosphates, alk, everything you have kits for.
As an aside, check for metal of ANY kind in contact with your
water. Metal heaters, return and powerhead pump impeller shafts...I
had a problem much like yours and it turned out to be rusting metal
from something I'd rather not discuss because of how bone stick stone
stupid of me it was to have had it in there...but I digress.....

John, What causes popeye? I have a yellow tail damsel with a few bumps and
one recent popeye. Is it curable/fatal?

--
Mark C. Jack of all trades, master of none. (well, maybe a couple)

I r34lly n33d t0 g37 l41d



"John Maag" wrote in message
. com...
Marshll,

First I feel for you. You are going to have to get more information. You
either have a water condition going on or you have a disease. Start by
checking all of your parameters. make sure ammonia and NitrIte are under
control. Check salinity and temperatore.

If those look OK then report back more information. What happened before
the
first fish died. Did you see bulging eyes (popeye) Do you see what looks
like salt granules on the fish (Ich)

This is going to be hard because we cannot see it first hand and are
reliant
on what you see. If you have a reliable LFS, talk with them. You can show
them the dead fish first hand and they may be able to help.

"Mark C." wrote in message
...
| It was an anchor, wasn't it Billy? Huh? Huh?
|


The tang really seemed to like playing in that old coffee
can......(j/k)

Mark C. wrote:

John, What causes popeye? I have a yellow tail damsel with a few bumps and
one recent popeye. Is it curable/fatal?


It curable. It is an infection similar to out "Pink Eye". What I would do is
put the fish into a quarantine tank with no live rock and treat with
Maracyn Plus. It is a fish antibiotic.

If I could capture him.

--
Mark C. Jack of all trades, master of none. (well, maybe a couple)

I r34lly n33d t0 g37 l41d



"John Maag" wrote in message
. com...
Mark C. wrote:

John, What causes popeye? I have a yellow tail damsel with a few bumps
and
one recent popeye. Is it curable/fatal?


It curable. It is an infection similar to out "Pink Eye". What I would do
is
put the fish into a quarantine tank with no live rock and treat with
Maracyn Plus. It is a fish antibiotic.

"Mark C." wrote in message
...
| If I could capture him.
|

Indeed. I had to tear down my entire 75 reef to capture a yellowtail
that had gotten too aggressive for his own good. Ended up having to
remove the LR he was in, and leave it on the floor for a couple min,
then gently shake until he flopped out. He lived alone in my sump for
several months before some sucker, er...friend took him off my hands.
I will never again own a damsel unless I do a species tank.

billy