Something is killing/hurting my fish

[ciodavid]

I have had this reef tank running for 5 years. I recently wanted to revamp and improve my livestock and corals. I got 3 new fish to add to my DT. I put in my new 3 fish in QT and then last week I transferred them to my DT. It all started with my yellow coris wrasse going missing on day 3 in my DT. Then 2 days ago I noticed my new mandarin missing, I found him today and his eye looks damaged and he is barley breathing. My shrimp goby is doing good, he has made himself a home in the sand and is eating well. I need your advice, I think something is killing or hurting my fish. This is what I have in the tank right now.

1 orange clown
1 black clown
1 damsel
1 pajama cardinal

I added to the tank:
1 shrimp goby
1 mandarin
1 yellow coris
1 sea hare

The sea hare has been doing awesome. ( I got him a long time before the stuff I added, he was in the DT for a month or so prior to me adding these new fish)

The reason I think something is killing them is my yellow coris has been missing over a week, mandarin eye looks messed up and isn't moving anymore, and sea hare is missing. I have noticed that I have HUGE bristle worms, do you think they caused this? I need helping in diagnosing what is killing or hurting my beautiful fish. The fish I had in there showed NO sign of aggression or even caring about the new tank mates when I added them. Thanks for all the help or advice!

 

[Dmorty217]

Do you have tops on you tank? Do you have a sandbed? How long ago did you add the fish?

 

[ciodavid]

Do you have tops on you tank? Do you have a sandbed? How long ago did you add the fish?

I have a canopy on top with a three inch gap in the back. I have a sand bed about 4 inches thick. I added the fish a week ago.

 

[ciodavid]

Update! My mandarin face is swollen, like the area around his eyes are swollen really big, his forehead, and his upper mouth and lower jaw are all cloudy and swollen! What was it that got him? Did something sting him? Did he accidentally go for a copepod on my sea hare and my sea hare inked on him? Help me figure this out if you can, I'm running out of ideas of what caused it!

Oh and btw, his fins are still together and show no signs of nipping from other fish.

 

[namxas]

What's in your tank that stings? Do you have any 'nems or corals with strong stings?

I suspect your wrasse will show up...they often dive into the sandbed for a bit, esp. when new.

 

[ciodavid]

He did yesterday morning the beautiful mandrin. I don't have anemone, I have mushrooms. I do have some type of coral that I don't know what is, I think it's a type of zooanthid, I think I posted it on here to find out but no one answered me. But I think it stings because my clowns are hosting in it. Do u think that caused it? Wrasse and sea hare are still MIA. Thank you for the responses!

 

[namxas]

It could be a sting, might be that it banged it somehow hunting in the rockwork too. It sounds like it's unilateral, is that correct?

 

[ciodavid]

I don't think so. Both eye sockets were swollen, his forehead, top jaw and bottom jaw on both sides was swollen and cloudy looking. It basically was his entire head. If he was stung, what do you think got him?

 

[namxas]

I suppose you'll never know for sure. It almost sounds like it chased a pod into something and stuffed its face into it and it was stung. We had a mandy for several years (like 8), and it was stung in the eye by an appy towards the end of its life, and went blind in that eye. Other than that, I can't say that anything else bothered it. There was even a Cerianthus in the tank along with lots of softies/LPS.

 

[ciodavid]

Thanks namxas! I'm posting an update, I found my sea hare in my sump! He is a little skinny but doing ok, I put him back in the tank and he is back to grazing already! Yay! Now I'm hoping for the wrasse to show up someday soon I hope!

 

[zeebies]

Ciodavid, what size tank do you have?

 

[ciodavid]

75 gallon tank.