why do my fish die?

I had the same substrate when I started, but be aware that crushed coral will accumulate detritus (fish poo) and when this breaks down it will release ammonia into your water column making your water quality poor. I would get some live sand and change the substrate at the first chance you get.

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WOW...... I'd do more reading, before you spend more money. Take your time. Stay away from PETCO. Find a LFS that deals with fish. Buy a test kit ,without one it's like shooting in the dark. Good Luck

 

Stevie,

Welcome to what is going to be an incredibly cool hobby. That said, one of the cool things about a hobby is the chance to learn new things. I'm not much of an expert and there are articles you can and should look up that explain what I'm about to say in much more detail much more expertly, but I'm going to try to give you the very short version of things.

Your tank is new. There is a series of very well known problems with new tanks that every tank must go through. Because we feed our fish and they have to produce waste, every tank becomes an increasingly dangerous place for fish as their waste builds up and excess food rots. The good news is that nature has given us some tools to help deal with it.

The initial waste comes in in the form of ammonia. You've tested for it and found you have some. This is relatively normal early on, but any sign of ammonia at all is bad for your livestock. The easiest way to deal with this, and the way most fishkeepers use, is to put nature to work. We get some rock called live rock that has spent enough time in the ocean, or in healthy systems, and has become colonized with a whole host of bacteria, algae, and little animals. Some, like me, prefer to get a little live rock and a bunch of base rock (we use a very particular type of rock as base rock, not just any old thing). Live rock, time, and steady, regular additions of waste will result in bacteria developing that will eat ammonia. Since you already have a live fish, he does the steady regular additions of waste for you.

So now you have ammonia eating bacteria and its all good, right? Not yet. This stuff takes a few days to develop and once it does, you are way better off, but nowhere near done. The bacteria that eats ammonia produces nitrite and nitrite is, unfortunately, also toxic to fish. The good news is the fix is easy. Live rock, time, and steady, regular additions of waste. You've heard that before; its the same fix as for ammonia. Essentially, if you wait another 4 to 6 weeks, another type of bacteria will develop and colonize your rock. This type eats nitrite and produces nitrate as waste.

So now everything is fine and I can stock my tank, right? Not quite, but close. Nitrate and its buddy phosphate are a problem on their own. They are more of a problem for corals, etc., but you will want to start learning how to control them soon. What you will experience is a whole series of algae blooms. As these nutrients build up in your system (nitrate and phosphate are essentially fertilizer), algae will grow. Since things are new, over the first year you will see different types come and go. Some will be unsightly and others interesting. If you do keep your nitrate and phosphate down however, this will all be more interesting that painful. The good news is that once you have 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites, usually after about 6 weeks, your tank is ready for some livestock.

When you do stock, be careful not to overstock. Also be careful not to stock too quickly. This is a hobby that requires patience and caution. Do things slowly. This is also a hobby that requires a bit of research. I consider the reading fun. Here are some initial tips:

1. Don't shop at petco. Find a friendly fish store happy to give good advice. We all need it.
2. If the crushed coral isn't doing anything useful for you (it isn't), then you probably have too much of it. If you get it down to a nice thin layer, it will be much easier to clean. Over time, uncleaned substrate will build up waste like crazy. This will become a major source of algae and unsightliness.
3. Your rock is going to get nasty looking. Test and control the major parameters. First get nutrients under control, like ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and phosphate. Once those are under control long term, get magnesium, alkalinity and calcium under control. Those are a subject for later, don't worry about them for now.
4. Use good water. Tap water is pretty good, but it has a lot of the nutrients you're trying to remove. You can buy spring water at the grocery store for water changes or, if you become a reef addict, you can have a reverse osmosis filter system installed. Good water will make your job a lot easier.
5. Think about what you want to accomplish and build your tank to accomplish it. Reading goes a long way.

I hope this rundown helped and if I forgot anything, please jump in folks!

 

read that saltwater for dummies, i read it a long time ago. it is a very helpful book and it gives you the basics. good luck, and stick with it, it will be worth it in the long run when you have a little experince.

 

Hm...

I'm not the most experienced person on this forum, but I certainly have spent countless hours reading the threads here, and have taken advantage of the wealth of knowledge and experience that is brought to the table by those who have been in this hobby for many a year.

I started with a 29 gallon tank too, and I had it up and running for 2 months before I added fish. The first thing you have to learn in this hobby is patience. If you get that down, things fall into place. Remember that you're trying to duplicate a natural environment that is pretty complex, and with 29 gallons to work with, it's very easy for parameters to stray from healthy levels quickly.

To be perfectly honest; I would have stopped adding fish when the second one died, and taken a step back to figure out what the problem is.

Another important lesson that I have very quickly learned, is not to trust your local fish store. They are a business, and are not going to tell you not to buy something, even if they know that your tank isn't ready for it. Take everything they say with a grain of salt, and go home and do your research before taking their advice.

You need to invest in a test kit to get your water parameters right before you add a single thing to that tank.

Good luck, be patient, and do your homework, and you'll find this to be a rewarding hobby, rather than a frustrating one.