Cleaner Deaths

Question
I dont have any water parameters. I take my water to be tested at the fish store.  I have a new nano tank. It cycled. I added xenia, trumpet, hammer, sm brain, sm mushroom and feather duster. Two small clown fish, 2 emerald crabs, 1 fire shrimp, 1 skunk shrimp, 5 snails, and 5 hermit crabs.  All that was added was small in size. Two weeks after all the additions, the skunk shrimp was found torn apart. Then two weeks later, the fire shrimp, one hermit crab and one emerald crab were all found dead and partially eaten.  What or who is doing this? I have asked the fish store and they are of no help. Can you help?

Answer
Hello Donna,

First:

Just because a tank is 'cycled', or that it hit some magic date or time or water condition, does not mean you can toss in a bunch of stuff and be sure it will work.

There is always a chance that a percentage of stuff will not survive.  Even in a fully matured and established system.

But, with a newer tank, (less then a year), the percentage of mortality is even higher..  And then to throw in a bunch at one shot increases the percentage even higher...

It is always best to add things slowly, and over a period of time... This way you can identify issues as they arise.  (if you add two things and one thing happens, it is pretty sure that the other thing caused it.  but when you add a dozne things, then it could be any number of potential issues.

You have way too many shrimp and crabs for a small tank. There is no way of knowing if the critters died and were then eaten, or if they were attacked and killed...

I would stop adding stuff.  I would suggest living with what you got for a while.  Let things develope, and enjoy the critters you got and start the search for new criters/hitchhikers and or new growth on coraline algae or something.

After you have your tank 'established', and you and your maintenance routine is more 'established', then you can start looking for new critters and our 'choice' fish or corals.  But again, add them slowly.


I would strongly suggest you get some test kits...NITRATE, AMMONIA, and ALK   would be the minimum.  If you can, I would also suggest CALCIUM also, but not as important for your tank, with the softies, as it would be for others.  And if you decide to get into more SPS later on, then the CALCIUM maybe more appropriate then...

I would also research and review articles on TWO PART solution. NOT that you should be using this method, but for you to understand, or at least get 'exposed' to it.  so later on, you will have something to draw upon and research review it again later on if necessary.

Also, the xenia is a fast grower and could take over a nano tank pretty easily.  

Anyways, I hope this helps a little.  If you want to talk more about this or other stuff, please check out my new forum at WWW.thelittleocean.com.  It has a live CHATROOM, so you may talk with me or anyone else who maybe online at the same time as you.

Or you can create and keep a BLOG about your tank, and all the stuff you will be doing, and get feedback fromother readers and reef keepers...

Please keep in mind that my forum is relatvly new and there maybe times when no one is online, but please be patient as folks log in at different times, and at times there maybe too many folks online, (well, that hasnt happened yet, but I am hoping... hehehe)

Anyways, thanks for your questions, I hope these answers/comments help


Bill