Lost 7 fish, discouraged and about ready to give it up.

Okay, after the loss of 7 fish I'm discouraged about ready to give up. Sorry for the long post, I'm trying to provide all the information. Can anyone offer some help, or direct me to what I might be missing?

Equipment
75g, display tank
Refugium with Cheto and DSB
Skimmer, AquaC Urchin Pro with a Mag3 pump
Main return pump, Quiet1one 3000 @760gph
Power heads, 2x 425gph koralia

In the tank
80lbs of rock that is growing Coraline, It's base rock, that is growing Coraline, I'm adding purple up.
CUC, ~40 assisted snails from reef cleaners and 9 dwaf hermits
2" of aragonite sand/crushed coral mix

Water parameters
The tank cycled about 2 months ago, since then all reading have been stable. I do 15% water changes every 2 weeks, I use only RO/DI water. Today's reading, typical for my tank.
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 5
Ph: 8.0
Temp 78
SG 1.024, if it moves from there I top off with RO or SW as needed.

Here's what has happened
I added 3 fish, a royal gramma and 2 clowns. The gramma would not eat and after a few days disappeared. The fist clown died in week later, could not tell why. The second clown died a week after that, turned grey and it was a goner. Talked to a guy at the LFS and he explained that my Ph was too low at 7.8, the fish can't maintain a slime coat, and advised me to add a buffer to bring it up to 8.0 - 8.2. He further advised me to add sea labs #28 once the Ph was up, to maintain it. I started adding Kent Pro Buffer and the Ph came up to 8.0/8.2 ( hard to tell the colors are so similar). I added the #28 block and checked the parameters, everything was good added new fish.

I purchased 5 assorted damsels, they were different colors black, brown, striped, and two were blue. The LFS said they were all different kinds of damsels and would live fine together, they were all in the same tank at the shop. Brought them home, acclimated them over 90 mins and added them to the tank. The next day they seemed to be doing well and were eating, except one shy one that stayed away from the others. I did not notice any chasing or aggression. On day number three the black fish seemed to have swollen eye, and the shy one was missing. Come home today from work today, and they are all gone except one. Found a dead blue damsel on the sand, but no sign of the others, I assume the CUC got them. Fed the tank and lone surviving fish is eating well and seems fine.


So I've lost a total of 7 fish thus far, and I'm about ready to give up. There are few things going right. The CUC is working well, I have Zoa and Mushroom int he tank that are doing well.

So what the heck is going on? It seems like my water is fine and I'm doing all the things I'm supposed to do. Could my new fish have been killed off by the surviving fish? Is there something I'm missing?

DarkHorseMBA

 

i could be that ur LFS just downright sucks at keeping fish lol. either way dont give up; ur like me. I wanted to give up because i killed a lot of stuff and then got a leak, but im still trying to keep a good tank. check all your parameters, including alkalinity again and make sure there good. do u use RO/DI water?

 

I use only RO/DI water. I updated the original post to include that.


DarkHorseMBA
___________________________
Sent from my iPhone

 

I suspect a pathogen and would leave the tank without fish for at least 2 months and then only add one cheap fish at a time, every 2 to 3 weeks if the first one survives for more than 2 weeks.

Of course need all parameters. Temp and SG please.

Also try getting fish from a different distributor if possible.

 

It the rock live rock? Have you checked for hitchhikers? A lobster or a crab can make short work of fish.

 

Hey man we all lost fish, lots of fish. Fish stores are in business not because there are new people in the hobby but because fish die. I lost 3 expensive fish 4 weeks ego and my tank has been running for years. Try different store, it took me a while before I found one I can trust and I only go to them now. Also like stated try one fish at a time and wait a week or 2 to add more. Patients is the key.

 

Temp 78
SG 1.024, if it moves from there I top off with RO or SW as needed.


DarkHorseMBA
___________________________
Sent from my iPhone

 

what exactly is a pathogen?

 

Don't give, follow Corailline's advice to be safe. Then definitely switch your LFS. Or buy online and follow montecarloz' advice.

 

Illness causing creature.