mystery?

[RaphaelReef]

Ok guys im still new to the hobby but have done fairly well so far. I have a 150gal fowlr with 55gal sump. Gravity 0.024, 0 nitrates and nitrites, alk is about 350. I do water changes at 20% every 2 weeks and I use ro/di system. The tank has been running for about 7months and I have my original 6 fish. The problem I'm having is anytime I add a new fish it will do great for about 3weeks and than just die instantly. I know before people say anything I should be qt the fish but I haven't set one up yet until my last fish died. I do a drip acclimation and make sure no water from my lfs gets in my tank. I have tried buying from different places thinking maybe it was my lfs but same results. The last fish to die was eating and doing great the night before but the next morning it was breathing but floating vertical. Nothing visibly wrong with the fish. I thought maybe something in my tank was attacking the new fish at night but they dont show any damage. I cant figure out why the new fish die but my old ones are just fine. I have also checked my RO system to make sure the water was testing correctly. The diet on my fish is good I change it up every feeding ( mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, greens, seaweed, and I soak in garlic). I think I have checked everything I can think of but I cant figure this out. My lfs cant figure it out either. Anybody ever have this problem or any ideas on what it could be?

 

[Mrscribbled]

Sometimes resident fish develope a temporary immunity to certain pathogens, internal and external. What test kit are you using for nitrate? IMO there should always be some present. Even if just 1 ppm. Perhaps you don't have a bio filter that can handle new additions? What are current inhabitants?

 

[RaphaelReef]

Blue hippo, yellow tang, 4 clown, and a cleaner shrimp and some crabs

 

[RaphaelReef]

Yes there is like 1ppm or 2 I just said 0 because it basically isfb

 

[guserto4]

I would highly suggest starting a QT. I accidentally introduced brook into my tank back in June (even with 2 week QT), and that disease is a 24-72 hr time bomb from the onset of symptoms. Catastrophe can go either way (new fish or existing fish). Get any new fish and QT for 8 weeks in a completely separate system. It's ridiculously long until you realize it isn't and is worth every day. Fish can look fine but be carrying something only to succumb to it when their immunity is down from stress. A QT will also serve as a control experiment to your display. The other new fish could have been dying from stress, disease or tank mates (or some combo) and a QT will help you analyze the issue, plus keep everybody safe.

 

[RaphaelReef]

I know from here on out I will be qt but I need ideas of whats wrong anybody?

 

[Newsmyrna80]

How many new fish have you added that died? How do you acclimate them?

 

[RaphaelReef]

4 fish and I do a 3hr drip acclimation

 

[dotcommer]

3 hours is a long time to drip accilmate A QT system when you first get into the hobby seems silly, but as you get into the hobby more and start having some experience with adding fish, corals etc.. you will realize the importance of one.

 

[Mrscribbled]

3 hour drip is way too long, half hour is max I do, and typically I'm bringing the s.g. from 1.016 up to 1.021, and ph 7.2 to 8.1 during that time. As I stated above, most likely your resident fish have developed/lived with a current pathogen, until they are treated and the display tank addressed properly you'll keep having problems.

 

[Newsmyrna80]

Ditto on the 3 hrs. I measure pH and salinity on the LFS water and match my QT to that, float the bag to match temp.
Did you do a freshwater dip on any of the fish? Also, do you know how long the LFS had the fish?

 

[RaphaelReef]

Ok so if my tank and fish have some pathogen and have built an immunity to it. How do I treat something that I dont know what it is? Is there some broad spectrum medicine that can treat multiple things at once?

 

[Newsmyrna80]

There's no medicine out there that 1. treats every aquatic pathology and 2. you can use in your main tank.
The only other thing I can think of to get rid of whatever is in your main tank is to run it fallow for at least 8 weeks, longer would be better.

 

[Mrscribbled]

Internal parasites and flukes can be treated in the display, ich and velvet must be done in a separate QT tank.

 

[RaphaelReef]

How do I treat something that no one can figure out what the problem is? The fish that have died all look and seem healthy and than just die and they look perfect even dead

 

[Mrscribbled]

You just treat them, your not giving us a whole lot to go by.

 

[RaphaelReef]

I know but there is nothing wrong with the water and visibly the fish are healthy and eating. I wish I could give more just not sure why any new fish dies about 3 weeks later and the other fish are fine? I just dont know what it could be