Help fish dying

Yarm79

New member
Sorry for long post I'm trying to be thorough
Bought some Anthias and Blenny from a well known UK store 3 weeks ago and some coral from well known UK coral supplier
I don't have a quarantine tank so after acclimating they went in
No problems
Did a water change Sunday and noticed what I thought was the body of a dead fish. I couldn't see my wrasse so thought must be that.
Just finishing my water change the wrasse came flying from the back of the tank upside down thrashing and gasping, laid on its side.
Was dying so I removed and put it out of its misery.
I was then baffled what the dead fish was so guessed it was a shrimp shell and left it at that.
Been busy with work and not spent the last 3 days looking at my tank as much as I would.
Last night I Noticed my banana wrasse rubbing itself on the sand.
Noticed then my big lipstick tang trying to get cleaned off the shrimp. I never see him do this I looked more closely and noticed his side had what looked like a burn about 2 inch long, the skin peeling off very thinly, he was flicking.
Woke up this morning fed them he ate, then started flicking badly gasping and hiding in his cave. He looks very ill. My yellow tangs are now behaving in the same way
I am in the middle of filling my water container although this won't be ready until tomorrow. Local shop is closed so can't get no water
It can't be white spot as there are no signs of it other than itching, I would imagine they would have spots by now. Iv seen fish die of white spot, the spots get worse and worse as the disease gets worse and they die. These seem to be getting ill quick.

Ideas what it could be
Mixed the water Sunday, was mixing with power heads for a few hours, when I put it in the tank looked very cloudy like it hadn't mixed right?
Salt - Tropic Marin Bio Actif
Wondered if this had burnt them?

Something has gotten in to the water somehow and poisoned them?

The sailfin died I didn't know, ammonia / nitrite spike making them really I'll?

Iv introduced something bad to the tank with the new additions?

One of the corals I bought was a Favia, it had a few dead heads and was in the tank out the back when they arnt to happy with them.
I was willing to give it a go as iv rescued corals in the past with good success.
Over the past 4 days it stripped totally and died very quickly it's now totally dead.
I also noticed 2 days ago my plate corals tentacles were not extending and bubble coral not inflating. I then noticed this morning my elegance coral in one area is dying away from the skeleton. This is very big. Iv never seen one as big for sale anywhere it's size of a rugby ball iv had it a few year.
The lipstick tang and yellow tangs iv had 4 years. They been through a lot, house move new tank 2 year ago, nothing fazes them but something is killing them off

Don't know what to do so I'm after some ideas

Iv put my skimmer on wet. Filled reactor full of rowa carbon and in the middle of filling water butt for 10% water change.
Ironically the new addition Anthias and Blenny look fine and eating fine

Update tonight lipstick tank has patches of skin missing on his other side now, goes to eat then freaks and hides, gasping badly and laying on his side.
I'm now thinking flukes or velvet?
Iv seen online Polyp Lab Medic so though I could try that.
I couldn't get him out the tanks too big and full of rock work and coral

Iv posted this on uk forum with little input so any ideas would be amazing :)
 
Since all this started with the WC, the water was cloudy afterwards and your corals seem affected, that's likely the first problem. Perhaps some toxin or poison made it's way into the freshly mixed s/w? I also think you should let your s/w mix for more than just a few hours (12hrs minimum IMO) before using it. For now, I would suggest running and changing out carbon in your tank to remove whatever contaminants might still be in there.

As for the fish, it sounds like something in the water is irritating their skin and affecting their breathing. So, we're right back to something contaminating the water. You may need to re-trace your steps to figure out exactly what happened here. Do you have a bug guy that sprays your house while you're not home? Something like that...
 
Hi thanks for the reply
I filled a reactor full of carbon and that's running
No nothing like any thing being sprayed
There's a plug in air freshner in the room Iv unplugged that.
My lipstick tang I think will be dead in the morning I'm very sad to say. He's gone extremely thin within two days and has peeling skin on both sides of his body and breathing very rapidly. Read up on brook and velvet seems to be the symptoms
This might have me pack in I'm so down about it.
 
Hi thanks for the reply
I filled a reactor full of carbon and that's running
No nothing like any thing being sprayed
There's a plug in air freshner in the room Iv unplugged that.
My lipstick tang I think will be dead in the morning I'm very sad to say. He's gone extremely thin within two days and has peeling skin on both sides of his body and breathing very rapidly. Read up on brook and velvet seems to be the symptoms
This might have me pack in I'm so down about it.

Do you have a QT you can move the lipstick tang into? Seems like getting him out of the DT can only help at this point. And if you say his skin is peeling (sounds more like Brook) then you might try formalin baths.
 
He died this morning unfortunately
Damage limitation now
Im hoping its Marine Velvet as I can treat that with Polyp Lab Medic
I have ordered some as the tank can be treated with that with aparently good results
Im also ordering a big UV as we speak
 
He died this morning unfortunately
Damage limitation now
Im hoping its Marine Velvet as I can treat that with Polyp Lab Medic
I have ordered some as the tank can be treated with that with aparently good results
Im also ordering a big UV as we speak

If you are dealing with Marine Velvet, no "reef safe" treatment is going to work. I looked up Polyp Lab Medic, and the active ingredients are Metronidazole & Peroxide acids. Neither will completely eradicate Velvet. A UV sterilizer is incapable of zapping all the free swimming parasites.

The only way is to treat all the fish with either copper or chloroquine phosphate in a QT. Then go fallow in your DT to starve out any remaining parasites. Sorry mate, but that's just the way it is. :beer:
 
Polyp Lab Medic is another in a long line of products that claim to eliminate ich & velvet while being safe for corals. Like all the others, it won't do the job. UV will not eliminate these parasites either. You need a quarantine tank and the will to use it with all new fish; this hobby is a lot more fun with healthy fish and a QT/HT is vital to make that happen.
 
I agree with the two posts above. Even reviews of Polyp Lab Medic are mixed on the Marine Depot website. Reef safe and parasite effective are pretty much mutually exclusive. Peeling skin is indicative of Brook. UV is ineffective at eliminating any of the parasites.
 
I don't know guys
I tried to catch a few today to see how they would react they all just bolt in to the rock work
Tank is 72"x20"x30" high with 150kg live rock and coral there is no way I can get them out plus I would have to buy a hospital tank filter etc no way I can
The instructions say it kills velvet so ill just have to see
Iv got some coming tomorrow and a UV for 1500 litre reef
Worst case scenario they all die, best case scenario it works and they all pull through, or some die some live and it works.
Never put fish in from a store only from classifieds, first time I do this happens I can't believe it!
Apparently you put it in morning and night it (claims to) kills the parasite in its free swimming stage, dose max 15 days. The UV can be used middle part of the day.
I'll just have to pray it works. Few lads have had good success on the UK forum so.... Fingers crossed :(
 
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Pic of dead fish. Note the skin peel
 
Thanks for the replies
Update was the Lip stick tang died after New Years Day
He was very thin, ragged fins and most if his skin had peeled off

I did two 10% water changes (100 litres each)
The fish perked up after this
I have been using the medicine for the last 3 days. The fish still scratching but Iv not lost any more.
I'm not sure I'll really know what caused it as there were a few possibilities but....
I think, as my elegance coral was pulling away from its skeleton also, that the large salifin died. Unsure how long it had been dead but was obviously decomposing. I think this has led to possible ammonia burn and poisoning?
Only fish that looks like it has something wrong with it is my blue throat trigger. He has some small white patches on him and cloudy eyes. The others look normal just twitching and scratching a little.
All are eating at the moment.
Hope Iv not cursed myself with this post but them seem ok at the moment, fingers crossed
 
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