Fish acting weird, don't know why

[plunderisley]

I got a 75gal tank and over the past week or so some of my fish have been acting weird. About a bit over a week ago my Chromis viridis was just huddling at the bottom on the sand bed and just swimming in one pace. A few days later it passed away. Now a few days ago my Pseudanthias evansi has been hiding in a rock crevice not coming out and not really eating. I don't know why.

Other tank mates include
Acanthurus leucosternon
Amblyeleotris randalli
amphiprion polymnus x3
Salarias fasciatus
Pseudanthias squamipinnis
There are some shrimp (blood red and cleaner) star fish, sea urchin, sea hare. Also plenty of snails.

Water parameters are as follows
Temp - 79.5F
Sg - 1.025
NH4,NO2,NO3 - 0
pH - 8.17
Mg - 1250
Alk - 8.0
Ca - 400

There are also some SPS, LPS, and softies.

I do weekly water changes, I run a carbon reactor thing (the tube with carbon) I clean the PS every few days when it gets filled more than 1/3 way, I feed the fish (frozen every other day and supplement it with some flakes and pellets so everyone has a choice)

There are no spots on the fish, no redness, no white patches, nothing. Breathing is regular, no shallow/fast.

Only thing I had was about 2 weeks ago I had my elegance coral get worse and die...

Any thoughts?

 

[Dr Colliebreath]

Nothing has been added to the tank for more than a month, right?

How long has the tank been set up and the livestock in it?

Any chance you have some electrical current leaking into the tank?

Has the sand bed been stirred up recently?

 

[snorvich]

When was the last fish added to the tank.

 

[plunderisley]

Last fish was added about 2.5 weeks ago (the PBT and the Chromis - which was fine for about a week before the symptoms started)
The Pseudanthias evansi was added a month ago and was swimming everyday.
Tank has been up and running since Feb. Corals are doing just fine, and first fish (the clowns and blenny) were added over 2 months ago.

Sand bed was stirred up a bit last week when I was siphoning the top of it a bit (to remove some debris)

hmm electrical current...

 

[Dr Colliebreath]

There is a good chance the fish added 2.5 weeks ago brought something in with them. In particular, pbts are notorious for carrying disease. Stirring the sandbed sometimes can create problems, although it should have been an issue here given how new your tank is.

You also added a lot of fish over a short period to a new tank. I know it is hard to take your time when you are staring at an empty tank, but there is a very true saying that nothing good in this hobby happens quickly/only bad things happen quickly.

You are learning why long-term success in this hobby normally requires quarantining fish before putting them into your DT. Some get away without it, but most pay a price somewhere along the way if they don't quarantine.

If you suspect electrical current, be very careful as it can kill you.

 

[plunderisley]

I doubt the electrical current is the cause. I only got 2 sources of electricity in the tank - PS and the return pump.
I don't run a heater - I got LED lighting and the temp is 80.0F high to a low of 79.5F at night (0.5F difference)
and the powerhead is a ecotech, so the power is on the outside of the tank. I will check if there is any voltage tomorrow when I go buy a 9V battery to power the multimeter.
I don't have a ground probe, and reading a lot online, I don't think I will get one as I don't have the GFCI (or at least I don't think I got one. I'm based in Poland and I never saw a outlet like the ones I see in the USA with the test/reset option) and ground probe without the GFCI apparently is more dangerous than running a system without a probe.

I don't know if I added a lot of fish over a short period of time. I got 8 fish added over 3+ months and they weren't all at once.


And that brings the issue of the QT. Living in a apartment, I have no room for a QT. I have to rely on my LFS QT all their fish for weeks before selling them.

 

[MrTuskfish]

I really can't guess; with just two fish having problems, it could easily just be coincidence. Chromis seem to be dying like flies lately (who knows why?) and the Anthias is not an easy fish; especially in a fairly small and new tank Anthias really need a large mature tank to thrive. There also was an article in a mag this month about problems with elegance coral Most Anthias really need a large mature tank to thrive. (I'm just full of good news today.)

Just a heads up, you're going to have trouble with the saddleback clowns when they mature. Juvi clowns can be kept in groups, but they then mature and form bonded pairs. A pair of mature clowns (any species) won't tolerate any other clowns in the same tank. The PBT will grow into a very aggressive fish, especially in a smaller tank. Also; I know you may not be able to use a QT now, but don't expect the LFS to do it for you. I doubt that there is a LFS in the Country that really does a real quarantine job (at least by my definition). I think you've got quite a few fish that just aren't right, long-term, for your 75 gal tank. If this isn't just a one time problem, I hope you do some real research on the fish you're adding. Sorry to sound so negative and my drivel is just my opinion and experience; but better to hear this stuff now.

 

[snorvich]

There is a good chance the fish added 2.5 weeks ago brought something in with them.

That is my speculation. LFS do not quarantine.

 

[ramdude]

That is my speculation. LFS do not quarantine.

I have seen a fish store by my house quarantine fish, no joke they have opened the shipping bags and just dumped the fish into their tanks.

I believe thats why some of my fish have died from there years ago, and some lived. They had a **** poor group of younger kids making 9.00 an hour who didnt give a crap.

once I seen that, I have no longer bought any fish from there.

Been making trips to thatfishplace for my fish from now on.

could of been that ? I have seen corals even just dumped into frag tanks. kinda makes me sick to see people do that, killing fish & corals for no reason.

I was there today buying a few snails for my live rock bin, and seen dead fish in some display tanks, a few hippo tangs scraping on the rocks with ich on them. told my wife, hell with this I am not buying anything. so it's thatfishplace for me from now on. or online

 

[plunderisley]

Looks like I went for the nicest which just happens to be the hardest
If 2 clowns form a bond, I would love that (including if they are a breeding pair). If the PBT gets aggressive down the road, well what can I do but swap him out for a different fish. There is plenty of swimming room in the tank how I have my setup, so hopefully it won't become a problem (at least for a while).

So what would be a list of fish that are suited for my tank? Seems every fish has it's issue..