hairalgae85
New member
Have been keeping fish many years, have never experienced the ugly phenomenon like I have this past summer.
Here it goes... purchased new home last August, got rid of my two tanks I had. Fast forward to January, I was given a running tank someone no longer wanted. Moved tank overto my new house, no losses. Being some fish were already part of the system, i added a few more, formalin dipped before going in. I had a hard time convincing myself to qt, especially knowing the system given to me has never qt'ed fish.
Lost a bunch of fish im short order, checked the obvious, temp, ammonia, etc, nothing. Saw what appeared to be ich. (White sugar coating throughout body)
Upgraded to a 180, left fish in 75 gallon, rock moved to 180, 75 no rock or sand, just fish and .5 cupramine.
Left 180 with existing rock fallow 8 weeks, copper for same, moved some fish in to 180, acquired some more, ttm and prazi, (72 hour transfers, total of 5, or 15 days)
Month goes by, Friday comes, one anthias dead
Ok fine, there finicky, two days go by, two.more anthias dead. Emperor angel dead, pair of swallowtail angels dead, and within a week, 9 out of 14 fish dead, relatively close to each other.
Tank is set up sps, parameters are stable according my apex, temp fluctuates from 77-79 in 24 hour scale. 1.026 SG, so I'm and so forth.
Decide enough is enough, catch all fish at expense of breaking some growing acros, place fish in 75 which was just set up again, placed seeded sponge from display( yes I know, the sponge probably brought over whatever dt had)
Used prazi pro first, seemed.ok, withing a week, half the fish are at bottom, laying sideways . Checked ammonia, read zero. Ample flow for oxygen. Decided to hit the panicnbutting and dose cupramine. First dose, .25, next morning most fish are dead, including a 4 year old purple tang the guy had and sailfin tang I had for 6 months.
Fed up, all fish dead, I drained qt tank empty. Main tank has been sitting fallow for 5 weeks now. Debating whether to go 12 weeks fallow, and try again, or just move on and sell whatever tank items I havr. Wallet says move on, heart says wait.
Now, for what's really eating me, what strikes hard enough to kill that fast?
I am not focusing on qt deaths, since although no ammonia measures, it was a new set up bacteria wise, and a far shame of a set up compared to my 180.
Suspects:
Flukes... Can this kill that many fish that fast? I never thought so...
Velvet..yes, but why did only some die in main tank, other only didn't make it weeks after in new qt.
Ich...a lot of people say no, that it comes and goes.
Will 12 weeks fallow kill all fish pathogens in the tank?
Should I scrap the corals, bleach down tank, and start over.
Thru all this, had a hippo (classic ich magnet) never show signs. Purple looked like it, but how many other things can shapeshift into "white sugar"
And lastly, although the rock had been established in saltwater for years, perhaps, being placed into a new 180 gallon tank, that sat fallow for 2 months, was not ready foe advent of 14 fish withing 4 weeks time?
Here it goes... purchased new home last August, got rid of my two tanks I had. Fast forward to January, I was given a running tank someone no longer wanted. Moved tank overto my new house, no losses. Being some fish were already part of the system, i added a few more, formalin dipped before going in. I had a hard time convincing myself to qt, especially knowing the system given to me has never qt'ed fish.
Lost a bunch of fish im short order, checked the obvious, temp, ammonia, etc, nothing. Saw what appeared to be ich. (White sugar coating throughout body)
Upgraded to a 180, left fish in 75 gallon, rock moved to 180, 75 no rock or sand, just fish and .5 cupramine.
Left 180 with existing rock fallow 8 weeks, copper for same, moved some fish in to 180, acquired some more, ttm and prazi, (72 hour transfers, total of 5, or 15 days)
Month goes by, Friday comes, one anthias dead
Ok fine, there finicky, two days go by, two.more anthias dead. Emperor angel dead, pair of swallowtail angels dead, and within a week, 9 out of 14 fish dead, relatively close to each other.
Tank is set up sps, parameters are stable according my apex, temp fluctuates from 77-79 in 24 hour scale. 1.026 SG, so I'm and so forth.
Decide enough is enough, catch all fish at expense of breaking some growing acros, place fish in 75 which was just set up again, placed seeded sponge from display( yes I know, the sponge probably brought over whatever dt had)
Used prazi pro first, seemed.ok, withing a week, half the fish are at bottom, laying sideways . Checked ammonia, read zero. Ample flow for oxygen. Decided to hit the panicnbutting and dose cupramine. First dose, .25, next morning most fish are dead, including a 4 year old purple tang the guy had and sailfin tang I had for 6 months.
Fed up, all fish dead, I drained qt tank empty. Main tank has been sitting fallow for 5 weeks now. Debating whether to go 12 weeks fallow, and try again, or just move on and sell whatever tank items I havr. Wallet says move on, heart says wait.
Now, for what's really eating me, what strikes hard enough to kill that fast?
I am not focusing on qt deaths, since although no ammonia measures, it was a new set up bacteria wise, and a far shame of a set up compared to my 180.
Suspects:
Flukes... Can this kill that many fish that fast? I never thought so...
Velvet..yes, but why did only some die in main tank, other only didn't make it weeks after in new qt.
Ich...a lot of people say no, that it comes and goes.
Will 12 weeks fallow kill all fish pathogens in the tank?
Should I scrap the corals, bleach down tank, and start over.
Thru all this, had a hippo (classic ich magnet) never show signs. Purple looked like it, but how many other things can shapeshift into "white sugar"
And lastly, although the rock had been established in saltwater for years, perhaps, being placed into a new 180 gallon tank, that sat fallow for 2 months, was not ready foe advent of 14 fish withing 4 weeks time?
