Three weeks ago I bought three tank raised Bangaii cardinal fish. I put them in my 24 gallon quarantine tank to observe for three weeks before putting them in my main tank. Right out of the gate they all eat everything I put in the tank. Mysis, blood worms, brine, plankton. After a few days two paired up and pushed the odd one away. I kind of expected this and figured once they were in the 220, it wouldn't be an issue. At the two week mark, the biggest one stopped eating and I noticed that his mouth was opening and closing non stop and he wasn't swimming very much. I figured no way he was rearing fry in there but that's kind of what it looked like...kind of. Well two days later he was dead. Now the odd one that was pushed out and the surviving one hung out together all the time. I thought it was a fluke and dismissed it. Two days later the odd one that was pushed stopped eating and his mouth was opening and closing constantly. Two days later (Friday morning) he died. Now Friday morning i fed the fish and the surviving one from the first pair ate normal, coming to the surface to eat darting and capturing the food in the water column. By Friday evening I noticed his mouth was just starting to open and close ever so slightly. By Saturday morning it was just like the other two. Today he died. Now none of the fish looked like they were breathing hard or anything. Their gills were working normally and they were not going to the surface or gasping or anything. Their mouths were just opening and closing non stop. I did a 25% water change and added some Kent carbon after the first death. Did another 25% water change after the second one died. S.G = 1.021, Temp= 80*, pH=8.1, Amonia & Nitrite = 0, Nitrate almost 0. I keep two cleaner shrimp and 3 small hermit crabs in the quarantine tank all the time and they show no signs of anything wrong. In fact the shrimp both molted during the time with the cardinals in the tank. Anyone seen anything like this?
3 Bangaii Cardinals died one by one
- Thread starter ReefHog
- Start date
Chief Reef
New member
Sounds to me like they had some kind of parasite or disease before you boughtem, Hard to tell with the symptoms you described but it matches the timeline. Alot of LFS run copper in their system to mask disease in their livestock, Usually signs show around 3 weeks out of copper. They were either really sick/injured already or it was something that hit fast and hard.
Considering you have inverts in the tank(particularly shrimp.) i doubt it would be water quality issues as something that sensitive would show signs first i would think.
Funny thing is I bought these fish from a new vendor because the place I have been buying fish from run all their fish tanks with copper. I won't name names but it is a highly regarded fish & Coral shop in Chicago's south suburbs. My success rate with that vendor was less that 50%.
Chief Reef
New member
Unfortunately one cannot assume fish from any source are disease/parasite free, Especially if you cant see their systems firsthand. It only makes sense they would do it as they have a high turnover rate of fish. to Properly qurantine that many fish and keep a steady supply of Clean Buyable fish at hand to sell would be very Unfeasible, and People dont buy sick fish. an unfortunate part of business im afraid.
Just be happy your a smart man and Put them in QT, that could have potentially wiped your tank out.
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