Sorry for the long post. I'm at a lost to what caused this so I'm trying to list as much details as I can.
Tank Setup:
I have 3 display tanks plumbed together (150G, 40G, 40G) with a 55G refugium/sump. Approximately 300lbs of live/base rocks, 300lbs of sand. SRO 3000 Protein Skimmer and GFO/Carbon reactor. Tank is about 1 year old.
Livestock (had):
150G: 2 yellow tangs (~4"), 1 sailfin tang (~4"), 1 rabbitfish (4"), 3 heniochus (~3"), 1 Cardinal (2"), 2 Perc Clownfish (3"), 1 Fathead Anthias (2"), 1 Moray Eel (18")
40G: 2 Green Spotted Puffers (3"), 1 hawkfish (4"), 2 Perc Clownfish (3")
40G: 2 yellow gobies (3"), 1 mystery wrasse (4")
QT: 1 tusk fish (6"), 1 copperband butterfly (3"), 1 coral beauty (3")
My fishes were infected with Crypt about 4 months ago, which started with the heniochus and spread to all the fishes. Unable to catch all the fishes, I moved all my corals and invertebrates out and did hyposalinity (1.010) on my tank for 2 months. The live rock and sand bed die-off did cause an ammonia spike which required lots of water changes. I lost one dwarf angel and a jawfish, treated one yellow tang and the wrasse for bacterial infection but they recovered along with the rest. After 2 months, I slowly raised the salinity to 1.025 and all fishes were in good shape.
About 3 weeks ago, I purchased 1 tusk fish, a copperband, and a coral beauty - placed them in QT while starting them off in hypo. Shortly afterward, the heniochus (again) started exhibiting signs of crypt and the tangs started flashing. They also started eating much less. Unable to catch them, I began hypo on the main tanks again. 2 weeks passed, the heniochus began to show excessive slime. I then made the biggest mistake which I really regretted - I moved the 3 new fishes from QT into the main as they're all at hypo (1.010).
The tusk fish became listless after 1 day, started producing excessive slime, stopped eating, heavy breathing, and had white stringing feces. The tail fin started to fray a bit. I took the tusk out after 1 day and began treating it with Furan-2. It's condition worsen and it died 2 days later in QT tank.
All 3 heniochus were moved out to the QT at the same time as the tusk fish. They developed severe blistering and open sores all over the body and mouth. There were a great deal of slime/mucus, some which covers one of the fish's mouth. The first one died 1 day after introducing the tusk fish, 2nd one died the day afterward. The last heniochus died 5 days later. They also had swollen/red gills.
The coral beauty didn't eat in the main tank for 3 days, then lied sideway on the 4th. I took it out to QT that day, but it died a few hours later.
Since the 3rd/last heniochus showed some improvement when I first treated it with Furan-2, I decided to apply this to my main tanks to save the fishes in there. Perhaps this is my 2nd fatal mistake. With over 200 gal., I was only able to source 2 day treatment from my local stores. I then found BiFuran+ bulk, and switch to that. 200g per day, 40 to 80 gallon water change daily with prime to address the detectable ammonia. In my last 60 day hypo, I noticed a dozen snails and micro hermit crabs which I wasn't able to relocate did fine at 1.010 salinity. However, the BiFuran killed every one of them within a day which caused my water deteriorate.
2 days into the BiFuran treatment (~4 days since adding the Tusk fish), all 4 clownfishes showed excessive slime and heavy breathing. It also showed some skin blistering and severe hemorrhaging under the skin on the dorsal. All 4 died by the 4th day of BiFuran treatment.
I'm now at the 7th day of antibiotic treatment (2 days Furan-2, 5 days BiFuran). The only fishes that eat are the 2 puffers. Both the copperband and the wrasse had died this morning. I'll try to post the pictures but the copperband looked like it had internal bleeding. I didn't see any noticeable on the wrasse.
I'm really worried about my remaining fishes. My eel which hasn't eaten in 10 days has been lying in one spot breathing hard. One of my yellow tang, although still active, starts to have brown spots on the side skin which differs than it's night color. The hawkfish is becoming listless and breathing hard - similar to the wrasse yesterday before it died.
There's no sign of crypt anymore except for a flash once a while from the tangs - but they're in hypo now for almost a month. The hypo likely caused the deterioration in water quality that likely caused a bacteria outbreak. The excessive slime, heavy breathing, quick death seems like Brooklynella - but not all my fishes shows symptoms or have died... yet. Velvet perhaps? I won't be able to obtain Formalin for a week as I can't find any locally. And I would only be able to treat the really sick ones as I can't catch the rest. I can't do copper treatment as they're all in hypo and raising the salinity would take at least a week - plus having to catch them. I'm planning on a major water change tonight and add carbon to remove the BiFuran. The following day - start on Metronidazole and Maracyn-2 if I can find enough to treat the main tank. Please let me know if you have any suggestions.
Tank Setup:
I have 3 display tanks plumbed together (150G, 40G, 40G) with a 55G refugium/sump. Approximately 300lbs of live/base rocks, 300lbs of sand. SRO 3000 Protein Skimmer and GFO/Carbon reactor. Tank is about 1 year old.
Livestock (had):
150G: 2 yellow tangs (~4"), 1 sailfin tang (~4"), 1 rabbitfish (4"), 3 heniochus (~3"), 1 Cardinal (2"), 2 Perc Clownfish (3"), 1 Fathead Anthias (2"), 1 Moray Eel (18")
40G: 2 Green Spotted Puffers (3"), 1 hawkfish (4"), 2 Perc Clownfish (3")
40G: 2 yellow gobies (3"), 1 mystery wrasse (4")
QT: 1 tusk fish (6"), 1 copperband butterfly (3"), 1 coral beauty (3")
My fishes were infected with Crypt about 4 months ago, which started with the heniochus and spread to all the fishes. Unable to catch all the fishes, I moved all my corals and invertebrates out and did hyposalinity (1.010) on my tank for 2 months. The live rock and sand bed die-off did cause an ammonia spike which required lots of water changes. I lost one dwarf angel and a jawfish, treated one yellow tang and the wrasse for bacterial infection but they recovered along with the rest. After 2 months, I slowly raised the salinity to 1.025 and all fishes were in good shape.
About 3 weeks ago, I purchased 1 tusk fish, a copperband, and a coral beauty - placed them in QT while starting them off in hypo. Shortly afterward, the heniochus (again) started exhibiting signs of crypt and the tangs started flashing. They also started eating much less. Unable to catch them, I began hypo on the main tanks again. 2 weeks passed, the heniochus began to show excessive slime. I then made the biggest mistake which I really regretted - I moved the 3 new fishes from QT into the main as they're all at hypo (1.010).
The tusk fish became listless after 1 day, started producing excessive slime, stopped eating, heavy breathing, and had white stringing feces. The tail fin started to fray a bit. I took the tusk out after 1 day and began treating it with Furan-2. It's condition worsen and it died 2 days later in QT tank.
All 3 heniochus were moved out to the QT at the same time as the tusk fish. They developed severe blistering and open sores all over the body and mouth. There were a great deal of slime/mucus, some which covers one of the fish's mouth. The first one died 1 day after introducing the tusk fish, 2nd one died the day afterward. The last heniochus died 5 days later. They also had swollen/red gills.
The coral beauty didn't eat in the main tank for 3 days, then lied sideway on the 4th. I took it out to QT that day, but it died a few hours later.
Since the 3rd/last heniochus showed some improvement when I first treated it with Furan-2, I decided to apply this to my main tanks to save the fishes in there. Perhaps this is my 2nd fatal mistake. With over 200 gal., I was only able to source 2 day treatment from my local stores. I then found BiFuran+ bulk, and switch to that. 200g per day, 40 to 80 gallon water change daily with prime to address the detectable ammonia. In my last 60 day hypo, I noticed a dozen snails and micro hermit crabs which I wasn't able to relocate did fine at 1.010 salinity. However, the BiFuran killed every one of them within a day which caused my water deteriorate.
2 days into the BiFuran treatment (~4 days since adding the Tusk fish), all 4 clownfishes showed excessive slime and heavy breathing. It also showed some skin blistering and severe hemorrhaging under the skin on the dorsal. All 4 died by the 4th day of BiFuran treatment.
I'm now at the 7th day of antibiotic treatment (2 days Furan-2, 5 days BiFuran). The only fishes that eat are the 2 puffers. Both the copperband and the wrasse had died this morning. I'll try to post the pictures but the copperband looked like it had internal bleeding. I didn't see any noticeable on the wrasse.
I'm really worried about my remaining fishes. My eel which hasn't eaten in 10 days has been lying in one spot breathing hard. One of my yellow tang, although still active, starts to have brown spots on the side skin which differs than it's night color. The hawkfish is becoming listless and breathing hard - similar to the wrasse yesterday before it died.
There's no sign of crypt anymore except for a flash once a while from the tangs - but they're in hypo now for almost a month. The hypo likely caused the deterioration in water quality that likely caused a bacteria outbreak. The excessive slime, heavy breathing, quick death seems like Brooklynella - but not all my fishes shows symptoms or have died... yet. Velvet perhaps? I won't be able to obtain Formalin for a week as I can't find any locally. And I would only be able to treat the really sick ones as I can't catch the rest. I can't do copper treatment as they're all in hypo and raising the salinity would take at least a week - plus having to catch them. I'm planning on a major water change tonight and add carbon to remove the BiFuran. The following day - start on Metronidazole and Maracyn-2 if I can find enough to treat the main tank. Please let me know if you have any suggestions.
