Killed all my fish

[Earthswater]

So i set up a saltwater tank 2 months ago, 20g long, sand, 15lbs LR, PS, seachem pond matrix in HOB and a 2wpg T5 system. All was going great, added a YT damsel, did great, then added 2 O. Clownfish 1.5 months later. Good for 2 weeks. Tank started to leak. Took everything out of tank and put into seperate buckets, heaters powerheads ect. Transfered back into new tank, everything seemed good, low-none, Nitrates Nitrites and Ammonia. Then the clowns started getting white rigid spots, like from under the skin. didnt think it was ich but i turned the lights off and temp up. they still ate and swam fine, no scratching. then 2 weeks into their sickness, the blue damsel died out of nowhere, looked healthy and then a day later both clowns died...... the hermits and snails seem unaffected and there are little white spots all over the glass but i think they are feather dusters. there were these very small flea looking things on the dead clowns when they were at the bottom. I also have like an inch long bristle worm in the tank that i am trying to get out.

really pissed that i am out like $45 from the fish...... I'm sad i lost them as well
SO
what happened?
What do i do?
How do i prevent this?


Thanks

 

[Earthswater]

I did about a 3 gallon water change the day the damsel died, i mixed the instant ocean let it sit 20 mins then dumped it in. is this okay?

 

[jworth]

i mix my water for 24 hours with a powerhead in the bucket to keep it mixing and aerated. try the saltwater section and youll get more feedback. Dont sweat about the bristleworm, shouldnt harm anything. Leave all fish out for 6-8 weeks to kill off any parasite that was living off the fish. post info on your salinity etc...

 

[Wiggles92]

i mix my water for 24 hours with a powerhead in the bucket to keep it mixing and aerated. try the saltwater section and youll get more feedback. Dont sweat about the bristleworm, shouldnt harm anything. Leave all fish out for 6-8 weeks to kill off any parasite that was living off the fish. post info on your salinity etc...

x2. You probably could have cured them using a hyposalinity treatment in a hospital aquarium.

 

[Earthswater]

I dont have a Qt tank, and i will measure the salinity asap. So i cranked the heater as far up as it would go hoping to kill whatever is in there. What should i do about the hermits and snails? should i just let everything sit for a while? that will be a good fix? thanks for the feedback so far.

 

[shua71]

I dont have a Qt tank, and i will measure the salinity asap. So i cranked the heater as far up as it would go hoping to kill whatever is in there. What should i do about the hermits and snails? should i just let everything sit for a while? that will be a good fix? thanks for the feedback so far.

Let everything sit. Sounds like you had ich. Those flea things should be copepods and they're good creatures. The bristleworm is also good as it cleans up excess food.
How far is all the way up? Usually heaters get up to 90 something and that is way too hot for fish

 

[muttley000]

Nothing fancy needed for a qt or hospital tank, a $5 rubbermaid container and a HOB filter will get you by. Your lack of a QT/Hospital tank is what killed your fish IMO

 

[Earthswater]

Nothing fancy needed for a qt or hospital tank, a $5 rubbermaid container and a HOB filter will get you by. Your lack of a QT/Hospital tank is what killed your fish IMO

How did that kill them, i added nothing new, besides a glass tank lol for 4 weeks before they got sick, and okay i will Qt, right now the temp is up to 82 and i don't think it will get more than 2-3 degrees more, its been on for like 3 hours. So wait it out like 6-8 weeks is the best option? What about the hermits/snails? Any other ideas? Thanks!!

 

[AirborneAquatic]

That's a bummer man, my condolences. I'll wake up in the middle of the night freaking out because I'm worried all my fish just died lol. I wish I could offer some insight, but I haven't made the jump to saltwater yet.

 

[ALAINA]

well just in case u could put the snails in another container.. mine live permanently in a 5g with only a bubbler and they love it?