Breaking Down a 72 - issues

[gmpolan]

I would first like to say i purchased a new tank and am upgrading from my 24 gallon Nano cube to a 72 gallon bowfront with overflow, wet/dry, uv sterilizer, protein skimmer, etc....ill provide the specs once i get back to my other house where it was moved to. So my issue was this tank had been established for almost two years before i purchased it. I had a gentlemen with me who was very knowldegable about tanks and has owned many but i still ran into issues with the transfer. The breakdown was done monday and i have already lost three fish since yesterday. We seperated the larger fish into different buckets and the smaller ones in their own as well. Currently, i have added some of the smaller ones (gamma, chromie,etc) to my existing tank and their fine. The larger ones were set up in the kitchen in a trash can until the cycling of the new tank was finished. In the trash can was the orginal water from his tank set up with two 300 pumps(facing each other), a temp gauge, and a heater. I have so far lost a large goby, a large beautiful Majestic angel, and a large foxface within the first 24 hours and i dont understand why. A large clown fish is the only thing left in the trash can and he seems fine. Any input as to why this occured or was it just form the shock? I apologize if i am not as detailed as i should be. I have owned a tank for over a year now and just joined via my friends recommenddation. Thanks...

 

[jennm]

Welcome to ARC

Could the trash can have had any residue in it?

Have you tested the quality of the water in the trash can?

Could be anything from toxic residue in the trash can, to ammonia in the water from having disturbed the sandbed in the tank as it was being broken down.

Sorry for your losses Hope the clown makes it.

Jenn

 

[gmpolan]

Welcome to ARC
Thanks, its great to finally meet people that i can talk to about our interest....

Could the trash can have had any residue in it?
The trash can was purchased brand new about an hour before the transfer and washed out with fresh water before hand so i wouldnt think so.

Have you tested the quality of the water in the trash can?
No, i havent yet since i was incurring all the issues within the first 24 hours i wasnt quite sure what to do.


Thanks, i appreciate it and i hope he does as well. I might just take him to the fish store in hopes of finding him a new home while i get mine set up.

 

[jennm]

Unlikely to be the trash can then... ie residue.

My best educated guess would be either foul water, or just the sheer stress of the move (or both).

It would seem you had adequate water movement. How long do you intend to keep the fish in the can? That's OK for short term but I wouldn't stretch it out.

Are you re-using the substrate in the tank? If so, and if it was without circulation for more than a couple of hours, you will likely have a spike from the die-off in that - sandbeds die pretty fast when the water stops moving.

Jenn

 

[mclovin]

Was the sand bed in the 72 disturbed or mixed up?

 

[gmpolan]

I was aiming for about 5 days until i finished up the cycling. I was planning on getting them into the tank for their sake and adding live rock later but now thats not the case. No, i am not reusing the substrate. It is currently in another bucket drying out to be cured and re used later when the new tank is set up. So currently there is no substrate in the trash can.

Thanks for the input guys..

 

[gmpolan]

Sad, i lost the clown as well....