What killed my chromis?

[ZenGuitarGuy]

It was suggested that I move this post to this forum, so here it is. Someone felt it was uronema marinum that might've killed my chromis. Here is what I posted last night--any feedback would be helpful.


Hello...my chromis died tonight. Yesterday he was fine, no problems, swimming, eating, etc. Everyone else in the tank is good. This morning, I noticed he was in hiding, up behind my intake tube for my hang-on skimmer. I looked closely at him, and noticed he had a round mark on one side. He was clearly distressed, but did eat. He stayed in hiding most of the day.

This evening, I noticed he was unable to swim against the current. I removed him and put him in QT but clearly he was doing poorly. He was trying to swim but couldn't. He passed very quickly after that. I noticed the round mark was actually a wound, and a small wound on the other side of him.

Here's another thing: I lost my yellow watchman goby last week as well, and he had a red circular mark on him as well! It wasn't a lesion so much as a bruise or blemish. I've had him since December of last year. He was fine, in his usual burrow under a rock, handing around the entrance with his pistol shrimp, and then all of a sudden I noticed he was swimming around erratically into areas of the tank he NEVER went into. I didn't suspect injury or anything like that, but he was dead by night's end.

I've attached photos below. Is this a tell-tale sign of anything specific?? I don't really suspect disease, but I'm not an expert.

I'm wondering if it's the pistol shrimp. I don't want to assume without knowing more, but that's two fish dead in a similar way.

Tank inhabitants:

PJ Cardinal
Sleeper Goby
Another Chromis
Tiger Pistol Shrimp
Porcelain Crab
Pom Pom Crab (haven't seen it since added a couple of weeks ago)
Hermit crabs of various sorts (small)
Snails: trochus, bumblebee, nassarius.

Water params are as always:
Temp 78F, SG 1.025, Ammonia 0, Nitrates >10ppm

65 Gallon FOWLR with inverts, no sump.

If there is any other information that would help, please ask. I hope these photos are helpful.

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[Jdub968]

Yes looks like uronema Cromis for some reason seem more susceptible to this.

 

[64Ivy]

Being a free-range parasite, I'm told this problem cannot be eradicated via going fallow as it does not need a host to survive. Treatments for incoming fish however include Prazi, CP, Metro, and Copper. Many fish seem to have a kind of immunity to uronema but I'd keep an eye on your other Chromis. Not the best of news, I know, but there are cases of tanks that have suffered casualties from uronema that have fish that are otherwise thriving normally.

 

[Jdub968]

There is talk on the reef sites that may suggest uronema can be eradicated by dosing metronidazole to the DT and some talk about it being reef safe but this has not been proven that I'm aware of. So if you have no coral you could gather up your snails and try dosing metronidazole to the DT. Keep in mind this is unproven!!

 

[JustinM]

Acriflavine can also cure uronema. One sure way to know it is out of your system is to bleach everything, rock, equipment, sand, tank. Most fish can naturally fight it off but chromis can not for some reason. You could just avoid buying chromis if the tank sterilization is too much.

As Jdub said, metro has been being talked about to eradicate a system of uronema but hasn’t been proven yet.

 

[ZenGuitarGuy]

Most fish can naturally fight it off but chromis can not for some reason.

Thanks for all the responses. The thing is, the chromis that was sick was a newish fish. Just one week out of QT. I already have a chromis in the tank, and he's been there since last year. Since introducing the new chromis, I lost it and the YWG. Both literally in roughly 8 hours, or overnight. No symptoms for 3 weeks in QT.

I have moved my current chromis into QT, where I can treat him, but now it sounds like it won't matter potentially.

 

[ZenGuitarGuy]

There is talk on the reef sites that may suggest uronema can be eradicated by dosing metronidazole to the DT and some talk about it being reef safe but this has not been proven that I'm aware of. So if you have no coral you could gather up your snails and try dosing metronidazole to the DT. Keep in mind this is unproven!!

Would that mean I could--theoretically--remove all snails, crabs, shrimp, treat with metronidazole, and then move forward? Change water completely. Would I be safe to add inverts then?