Fish are slowly dying

[swayne06]

I think this is the right board to post this to. I could really use some help.

I have an established 55 Gallon reef tank and a 25 Gallon show sump (25 g. is divided with filtration in the back and live rock, macro algae and invertebrates in the front). Temp is about 76. I am unsure of what the levels are currently in my tank (I recently ran out of my test kit and need to pick up a new one).

55 g. -
1 small fox face
2 mandarin gobys
2 small Banggai Cardinalfish
2 peppermint shrimp
1 yellow watchman goby
1 tiger pistol shrimp
1 Yellowtail damsel
1 sea hare *
1 small Atlantic blue tang *
1 algae blenny *
1 small clown *
1 purple fire fish **
1 cleaner shrimp **
1 baby flame angel (about the size of a nickel) **

25 g. -
2 oysters
1 Porcelain Anemone Crab **
1 decorator crab **
1 nudibranch **
1 medusa worm **

* added last week
** added 48 hours ago
Both tanks also have hermits and snails.

Yesterday morning everything looked normal in the tank, but around noon when I fed the tank I noticed that the tang was swimming funny. Although he did eat, he seemed to have a white film on his body, mostly around his tail fin and his fins looked ragged. He died within 1/2 an hour (he was promptly removed from the tank). I kept close watch over the tank for the next several hours and everything looked normal. 5:30 that evening the damsel started to show the same symptoms. At this point I became extremely concerned. The damsel died within 10 minutes of first showing symptoms. Upon moving live rock to retrieve the damsel I discovered the algae blenny had died as well. At this point I removed the medusa worm, the nudibranch and the sea hare to separate tank. A 40% water change was done, the filter media was removed and rinsed thoroughly, a hang on the back filter was added and the sand was vacuumed. Again I kept a close eye on the tank until I went to bed at 11pm and nothing was showing any signs of anything being off. This morning I got up to discover that over night I had lost 1 of the cardinals, the clown, the baby flame angel and the male mandarin. The female mandarin is in the hospital tank and is not looking good. I added a uv sterilizer this morning, as I don't know what else I can do.

Any Idea what is causing this and how I can fix it?

*note- All of my corals and invertebrates seem to be unaffected. I also used Marine snow for the first time 2 days ago.

 

[snorvich]

Well, you are way over stocked, and adding animals too quickly without quarantining. Slow down!!!!

 

[Maxxingout]

This is crazy. Is this another 1 of those fishing posts?

 

[swayne06]

This is crazy. Is this another 1 of those fishing posts?

fishing posts? I have no idea what that is...

Well, you are way over stocked, and adding animals too quickly without quarantining. Slow down!!!!

The largest fish in my tank (fox face) is maybe 3 inches and is by far the largest fish in the tank. While i do agree that that last batch of fish where added to quickly It does not help with answering my current problem.

I have been talking to people all morning, and it seems that I that I have had an outbreak of velvet or Brooklynella which explains the white filminess, why it looked as though they were eating (more likely playing with/ picking at the food), labored breathing followed by death.

 

[Nina51]

it seems that I that I have had an outbreak of velvet or Brooklynella

i have no personal experience with these but from your description and what i have read in this forum, it seems highly likely.

 

[Ruskin]

The largest fish in my tank (fox face) is maybe 3 inches and is by far the largest fish in the tank. While i do agree that that last batch of fish where added to quickly It does not help with answering my current problem.

Overstocked as in too many fish, regardless of size. There isn't a inch/gallon rule like freshwater if that s what you are implying. It could be any number of things based on your description. One fish at a time over a much longer period including QT would give you a better idea of what you are dealing with. It could have even simply been too much bioload before your beneficial bacterial had a chance to multiply.

 

[Breadman03]

I suspect velvet. A quick treatment brief from LiveAquaria.

For the future of your tank, leave it fallow (fishless) for the prescribed period (6 weeks) and the parasite will die off due to lack of hosts. Feed appropriately for your inverts. After the fallow period is over, begin stocking the tank with properly quarantined fish. I suggest creating a stock list so that you can introduce them in order from least to most aggressive.

Several of your fish (fox face-70, Atlantic blue tang-180, flame angel-70) need much larger tanks, which results in stressed fish that are more susceptible to disease and difficulty keeping things peaceful. For a greater chance of success, consider choosing from livestock that is more appropriate for your tank size. I know, its not easy.

 

[Clownfish Chris]

^^ I agree with all of the above. There is simply too much going on at one time. I have made a few of these mistakes myself. Trust the advice you have been given. On the New To the Hobby section there is a sticky called Check your Intended Fish Purchases Here First: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2068112 Post to that before you buy anything else.

Im also concerned about the "established" part. How long has it been established? Was it just purchased and moved? Stirring up the sand bed may not have been the best option.

What to do now? Remove all fish and put into QT. You can leave the inverts in the tank. Let it run fallow fir 72 days. As mentioned above the parasites require fish to complete the life cycle.

At about the 40 day mark, you can buy a fish or two. DO NOT PUT THEM IN THE DISPLAY. I would recommend a Clown Fish or Gobi. Damsels become a pain in the backside because they become territorial and will kill much larger fish. Use the Tank Transfer Method to treat for parasites. After the 12 day process, keep them in QT for observation. If all is well, those fish can then be put in the display.

Also, get quality test kits.