Highly disturbed about saltwater fish tank

Question
Hi
I'm the one who have the 28 gallon saltwater fish tank and everything died in the the tank but one clown fish. Well he went to fish heaven this morning. Do you think that it is possible to pull all the live rocks out of the tank and wash them off to get this moss looking stuff off them and change the sand. I cleaned my tank and the water is very clear right now but the live rocks would be good for a nice horror picture about now. They are totally ugly. All the my reefs and corals are dead too. Are do I need to change everything and go to a freshwater tank. This is very disturbing to me. I need some help all my fish have died in what I thought was the sea of LOVE it was so beautiful.

Answer
Hi Regina,

I'm sorry to hear about your clown fish. Let me try and give you (a vote of confidence) to persuade you not to quit on the saltwater hobby. Don't get me wrong, I love freshwater aquariums just the same... however all of us, even well seasoned pros, and marine zoologists and marine biologists at some point in time started off making mistakes and losing marine life. However those same mistakes led to great things, including how far the Saltwater Aquarium Hobby has become today.

Just 10 years ago you couldn't find an online forum offering saltwater fish advice or even a pet store offering saltwater aquarium fish or reef aquarium accessories. So just imagine how far we've come. Again don't give up. My advice is to try again; however by doing your homework first, and learning more about the different fish you wish to keep in your aquarium. Also learn about the biological cycle in aquarium water. Once you master this, you'll have a better understanding; therefore when something does go wrong, you'll be much more empowered to take the necessary steps to correct it. In conclusion there is no such thing as the perfect saltwater reef aquarium. I have being keeping aquariums for years and still run into problems. However I've learned how to improvise, adapt and handle the problem, which typically becomes a valuable learning lesson.

NOTE:  Regarding cleaning your live rock, yes you can momentarily take it out of your aquarium (no more than an hour - 60 minutes) and scrub it off very good and rinse it. ***(Make sure to only use de-chlorinated reverse osmosis water and a clean sterile scrubbing brush that has not be used to clean anything else)***. Again make sure to rinse it with de-chlorinated reverse osmosis water and not tap water. Afterwards return the rocks back to the aquarium; this will allow some of the microorganisms to survive. You want them to survive because they are part of your waters natural ecosystem and biological processes.

After you have set your aquarium back up, let it run for a while before adding new fish to it; give it at least a couple weeks. Every other day check the waters parameters including ammonia, pH, nitrites and nitrates. This will allow you to learn exactly what processes are taking place inside your aquarium. Once you feel confident all the water parameters are maintaining stability, then you can once again begin to add a fish or invert. But take it slow and add one at a time allowing a period of time to go by between each new addition.

My last piece of advice is to keep learning; try reading a few chapters of a good marine saltwater aquarium hobby book before going to bed. In no time, you'll have your beautiful piece of the ocean up and running once again, giving you something to be proud of... and to show off to family and friends!

In conclusion when problems do arise, for example if this hair algae starts to grow back, you'll know how to combat it; whether it involves adding a few algae eating hermit crabs or adding a protein skimmer to help keep nutrient levels down.

I wish you all the best my friend. You may also contact me through www.ocreef.com with any questions regarding filtration apparatus to help start your aquarium back up...

With kind regards,
Dave

All Experts - Editor

OCReef.com - Director