Blue tang turning psychopath after tank move

[locke_333]

I've been having the most peacefull tank for last year, a 120G with a blue tang, desjardini, keyhole tang, melanurus wrasse, firefish, damsel, chromis, royal gramma, nemo couple, urchins, shrimps and CUC.

3 weeks ago, I made a move to a 180G. in the move, I linked all the tanks together to make sure I didn't get any skipe of anything and so far, they are still that way and I've seen no spike.

first week was great, I kept looking at the tank and making sure everyone was eating well. But then second week came and day/other day after that I lost a fish that i saw a day or 2 earlier that was fine. and basicly, everything is gone now except the Blue tang wich seem to be hiding a lot more than he used to... the only thing left in the tank as of tonigh is the blue tang, all the shimp, snails, hermits and a dragon face pipe fish that is living in a frag tank that is linked to the display.

I've been doing all the test and there is very minimal/ alomost unreadable trace of ammonia/nitrate. I've been pulling the carcasse everydays when i see something is missing and i got around 200 pound of live rock that been running in loop for a long while...

what the heck is going on.. I'm almost the the point of doing a coral only setup...

 

[Browndawg80]

What exactly do you mean that you linked all the tanks together? As I read it you upgraded from a 120 to a 180. Either way it sounds as if you're dealing with a rapidly spreading disease or maybe an issue with adding too many fish to an unestablished/ uncycled tank. Any amount of ammonia is bad news although some may be xpected from all the dead fish. Have you tested for nitrite?

 

[locke_333]

by linked, i mean that i had in the sump a pump (mag 3) that feed a 20G frag tank, that drain into a 70G acrylic tank and that one drains into the sump. second pump ( mag drive 9 ) feed the 120G that drain into the same sump and a third pump ( diablo 12000 ) feed the 180G.

Right now, the 120G is closed but all the LR was transfered to the 70G and 180G.

except for the "new" tank itself ( used Miracle 180 central overflow ), all the LR and fished were in the 120G. i tested both nitrite and amonia on almost a daily basis since last week and even had my friend do his test also and i don't see any significant spike. i was fortunate enough to get 95% of the dead fishes out, some where still all colored. some had damage but i can't tell if it's the CUC at work or pre death damage...

 

[ca1ore]

Can you describe the appearance of the dead fish? When I have lost fish in the past due to ammonia burn, the gills were usually very red. Could have been that, perhaps there's something leeching out of the presumably cured new live rock, or the move triggered some dormant disease.

 

[locke_333]

they had a lot of différences as far as i can tell.
The Desjardini was a really beaten up, the fins and tail were melting away like if it was fin roat. colors were fading and he was losing scale. no bloating but he was simming near the top of the tank in a corner. as soon as we was swimmig away, the fishes where arasing him. he went for crusing the tank peacefully on the sunday to that state on the wenesday. died the next day trying to treat him in isolation.

the melanurus and damsel had the scale lifter up from the body like a bloating does. the melanurus had the tail alomost completly missing.

nemo couple, coral beauty, and keyhole did not seem to have any injury at all...

royal gramma and mandarin where never found...

Serpent sea star is MIA...

i've been observing my fished for the last week since the first death and didn't see any readness on the guild. i didn't see any ich on them. my blue tang had some after the move but my fire shrimp was at work on him and he seems all clean. could i have have something hidden in a rock died and cause all this? then again, all the shrimp, tuxedo urchins, snails, hermit are in perfect shape...

i have to tend toward a fish related desease but what kills fish that fast... doesn't look like velvet either...

first time i lose more than a fish in 3 years, feel really lost right now...

 

[nuxx]

Our Yellow Bellied Blue is the devil... mean mean fish...

After living with a Purple and Tomini for about 6 months the YB Blue and Yellow decided they didn't like the Purple and Tomini.

Found the Purple dead on a powerhead... then the next day witnesses the YB Blue and Yellow corner the Tomini (not attack) over 5 minutes. The Tomini darted across the tank and rammed into the far well. Started swimming in circles, and we removed him.

He later died in the sump.

After than those two tangs have been fine with the Black and Chevron tangs that were also in the tank.

The YB Blue also will chase EVERY new fish added to the tank. From a larger Crosshatch Trigger pair to tiny Anthias...

 

[locke_333]

thank for the info, i'm guessing it is propably a combinaison of factor. stress due to tank change, agression by the bigger fish and maybe a desease outbreak....

test showbarely a trace of nitrate and again barely a trace of amonia... blue tang is doing great and the last firefish came out of hidding ( though he was dead ). all inverts and pipe fish doing great.

i noticed that the blue tang did not let the pipe fish enter his hidding yesterday so i might have my answer...

it's going to ba awhile before i add any other fish back into the tank to make sure things settle. considering doing more a coral tank now. maybe redo some of the aquascape to suit that better. my wife want another tang in there someday so i'm thinking of going with only a few fish but it might be a few months from nom. really scared he's just going to bully everything.