help new fish keep dieing

Hi all. I have a 29 gallon biocube with a cpr sr3 skimmer and have been running the tank since November of this year. The salt is 1.024 ammonia and nitrites are 0 and nitrates range between 0 and 10 (i do a water change when they get around 10) right now they are at 5. Ph is 8.4. I started out the tank with inverts (snails, hermits) and while at a local fish store the owner talked me into getting a tailspot blenny. I knew I wasn't ready for a fish but he said it would be fine and of course he died. After finding a new lfs to start going to i got a purple fire fish and a randal's goby. They are both doing fine along with many inverts including a pistol shrimp, 3 sexy shrimp, a pom pom crab, porcelain crab, and a tux urchin. I then added a bangi cardinal who died after about a week. After that I got another tailspot blenny who did great for about a month and a half and then mysteriously disappeared. Within that time I got a two spot goby who seemed to be doing great until this morning I found him dead being eaten by all of my inverts. What am I doing wrong? I really want some more fish for the tank but they keep dieing. Any thought on this would be very helpful.

Also i have multiple soft corals which are all doing fine. I don't get it?

 

When Blennies and Gobies start dying I have to think nutrition especially in a small tank, the Cardinal not sure. The causes may very well not even be related.

 

I'm with C. Do you see them eat when they get into the tank? What do they eat? What do you feed.

 

My first thought was bullying, but a Helfrichi and Randalls aren't going to do that.

As has been mentioned, food/nutrition is a possibility

Another possibility could be (doubtful) a parasite or disease. Potentially the existing two fish are able to fight it off, but new additions can't. Again, doubtful, but a possibility.

 

parasites are a definite possibility in my opinion and experience
existing fish, one of them was the carrier, the other fish has built up immunity, but any additional fish are falling victim to it

I have had similar experiences of this nature, 2 or 3 fish in with no issues, followed by short term loses of future additions

I found that by not trying to add any more fish for a couple of months, and then deciding to add one, the new introduction was fine

IMO parasites could have been the issue, and failing to find a host that would fall victim to them was probably akin to them being in a fallow tank and thus they eventually died off

not 100% certain on this , but that is how it "felt" to me

thus I would not try to make any further fish additions for a period of about 8 - 10 weeks
and then try another single small fish, and see how that one fairs

you do not want to many fish in a 29 anyway , so 3 possibly 4 would be enough
otherwise you may run into issues with amount of dissolved oxygen, notably in summer months when temperature climbs

Steve

 

Thanks everyone. The general thought is that the bangi was wild caught and died and the goby and blenny starved so poor fish choices on my part. I'm gonna let my two fish have the tank to themselves for a month or two just incase of the parasites. I would love some stocking ideas from you guys for when I do get more fish. Again I have a purple firefish and randals goby. I also have a small group of sexy shrimp and do not want them to be eaten, any ideas?

 

A wrasse is a solis choice hardy and fun to watch.