Have a problem I could use some help with please.

[fullmonti]

Back in the winter I set up a 54 corner tank with dry rock, a 18" cube for a sump (full of lots of extra rock) & a 30 breeder for a refugium. The system ran for about 6 weeks with fresh water to work out all the bugs. After the pluming was worked out it ran for another 6-8 weeks, cycled & added the first fish, a blue damsel from a little 5 gal cylinder tank I have.

Couple weeks after that I added a yellow angelfish & a purple dottyback. The damsel chased the dotty back something awful so after 2 or 3 days I took him out & put him in the sump. A day or two after that the yellow angel went in the rocks. I thought it was just from all the chasing but he never came out & die a couple days later. Couple weeks after that I got a Bicolor angel & all looked normal no problems for 3-4 days. About the same time as the Bicolor I got a pair of very nice clowns. Every thing was still good. Then the angel went in the rocks & never came out & died a few days later. A few days after that the dottyback started acting funny & the next day he died. A few days after that the female clown started acting funny. The male clown seemed fine but two days later they both died. The day before the male clown still was eating & acting fine. None of them had a mark on them.

All this time the damselfish in the sump was fine & the hermits & snails in the sump all are still fine. Add to that I had done many one gallon water changes on the 5 gallon tank using water from the corner tank system, so it basically has the same water & is full of LPS, inverts & 3 small fish. ALL doing great.

So the short version of this story is, everything in the corner tank died & everything else in all the other tanks with all the same water is fine. The only thing I can think is, there is something about the corner tank (not the water) that is not in the other tanks that kills fish. The only thing I can think of is maybe the only pump in the corner tank (a Tunze nano stream) is leaking voltage in the water. Would that kill fish? Can anyone tell me how to test for that? Or any other ideas or questions?

Thank You
Jim

 

[heathlindner25]

If these are all new fish you are buying that could be your problem, Angels usually require multiple dips

 

[billdogg]

It doesn't sound like you quarantined anything. That was mistake #1. Your tank size, at least IMO, is at best marginal for any angel except maybe a pygmy, but unless it is the last fish you plan on adding, it will own the entire tank and it will be difficult (or impossible) to add anything after it. BiColor Angels are difficult to get to live for any length of time. They tend to be poor shippers and can be VERY picky eaters.

My best guess is that you introduced some sort of disease with your fish. The damsel is still there because you pretty much have to hit them with a hammer to kill them.

 

[fullmonti]

What about the 5 gallon cylinder tank (has a full one gallon DIY HOB/refugium) that has the same water. It has a small bluegreen chromis, Hector's goby & a shrimp goby all doing great, not to mention all the inverts. I have done many water changes using the water from the corner tank system with no ill effect.

 

[heathlindner25]

I'm not exactly sure what you're talking about.... the water has nothing to do with your problem.
Fish disease, that's your problem.HTH

 

[fullmonti]

Don't fish diseases live in and are transmitted through the water the fish swim in? If indeed it is some kind of disease, what might it be when there are no outward signs?

 

[fullmonti]

I'm not saying it is not some kind of disease. I am saying I don't understand how a fish disease could kill all fish in one tank & none in other tanks that shares the same water. It looks like the only way a fish disease could be transmitted is through the water. If it is some kind of disease some clue as to what kind, how to test for it & what to do about it now is what would be helpful. What about the question about stray voltage?

I am not new to saltwater, I have had successful tanks over the years. I have never had any kind of trouble like this & really need & was so hoping for something more than it's a fish disease.

Jim