At a loss, all but a clownfish

becca10 · Apr 1, 2017

I have a 40 long going and the tests I've run, as well as at the fish store, tell me my tank is perfect. My corals are growing, rose bubble is fine and inverts thriving. All my fish die within a week of putting them in the tank. HELP!

Salinity 0.025
PH 8.3
No traceable Ammonia

becca10 · Apr 1, 2017

becca10 said:
I have a 40 long going and the tests I've run, as well as at the fish store, tell me my tank is perfect. My corals are growing, rose bubble is fine and inverts thriving. All my fish die within a week of putting them in the tank. HELP!

Salinity 0.025
PH 8.3
No traceable Ammonia

glb · Apr 1, 2017

Could it be chloramines or chlorine in the water? I had the same problem with perfect parameters and couldn't keep fish alive. How old is the tank? Do you use RODI water?

becca10 · Apr 1, 2017

glb said:
Could it be chloramines or chlorine in the water? I had the same problem with perfect parameters and couldn't keep fish alive. How old is the tank? Do you use RODI water?

I only use RODI. So that's not it. [emoji853]

becca10 · Apr 1, 2017

becca10 said:
I only use RODI. So that's not it. [emoji853]

The tank is a few months old. Used rock from my big tank and some sand to seed it. Well past cycling.

glb · Apr 1, 2017

becca10 said:
The tank is a few months old. Used rock from my big tank and some sand to seed it. Well past cycling.

Mine was established too. My problem was old rodi filters. The TDS measured at 0 but chlorine/chloramines don't register on a TDS meter. My 12g crashed. When I started my 40g I figured it out. Adding Prime to water with chloramines releases ammonia. Doesn't sound like your issue because the corals are ok.

becca10 · Apr 1, 2017

glb said:
Mine was established too. My problem was old rodi filters. The TDS measured at 0 but chlorine/chloramines don't register on a TDS meter. My 12g crashed. When I started my 40g I figured it out. Adding Prime to water with chloramines releases ammonia. Doesn't sound like your issue because the corals are ok.

Ya. I have a new RODI system. Really have no clue what it could be. I have a grounding probe. Salinity is good. Good water flow. No stagnant water in sump.

melypr1985 · Apr 1, 2017

So the fish weren't showing any symptoms of a disease? Heavy breathing, flashing or scratching, swimming into the flow of a powerhead, hiding excessively.

Humblefish · Apr 1, 2017

melypr1985 said:
So the fish weren't showing any symptoms of a disease? Heavy breathing, flashing or scratching, swimming into the flow of a powerhead, hiding excessively.

+1 When fish die within a week and it keeps happening, I suspect velvet: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/velvet-amyloodinium-ocellatum.217570/

4FordFamily · Apr 1, 2017

melypr1985 said:
So the fish weren't showing any symptoms of a disease? Heavy breathing, flashing or scratching, swimming into the flow of a powerhead, hiding excessively.

Humblefish said:
+1 When fish die within a week and it keeps happening, I suspect velvet: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/velvet-amyloodinium-ocellatum.217570/

This is exactly where my head was going. Velvet is EVERYWHERE right now. We really all need to qt to avoid this type of thing :/

Sorry for your losses!

Humblefish · Apr 1, 2017

4FordFamily said:
This is exactly where my head was going. Velvet is EVERYWHERE right now. We really all need to qt to avoid this type of thing :/

Sorry for your losses!

I've also noticed an upswing lately with internal parasites (white stringy poop).

becca10 · Apr 2, 2017

The purple tang had very light case of ich. Was eating well and have a cleaner wrasse and shrimp. Then last night started swimming into flow of powerhead. What can I do now for my tank? Will I be able to have fish[emoji20]

CarrieB · Apr 2, 2017

You need to move your remaining fish to a QT and treat for velvet. Also leave your DT fallow (fishless) for 76 days. Then QT all new fish. Humblefish and melypr1985 will post instructions in velvet, I'm sure.

melypr1985 · Apr 2, 2017

I'll just post this again to be sure it's seen and read https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/velvet-amyloodinium-ocellatum.217570/

This has the instructions in it to save the fish and get the display back to a place where it can house fish again.

becca10 · Apr 2, 2017

Thank you all very much. Working to save the clown now.

Humblefish · Apr 2, 2017

When I see someone write that their fish are "swimming into flow of powerhead" that almost always means velvet.

Due to chance, I spent almost a year experimenting on fish with velvet. Tried a lot of different things, killed A LOT of fish in the process. Until I finally discovered this protocol: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/velvet-amyloodinium-ocellatum.217570/#post-2499437

5 min FW dip + 90 min acriflavine bath + 30 days in copper or CP is the 1-2-3 punch which gave me the highest success rate treating fish with velvet.

becca10 · Apr 4, 2017

No fish made it. Going fallow. The LFS recommended Prodibio and said I wouldn't have to wait the 94 days? Anyone know if this is true?

ebushrow · Apr 4, 2017

It is 76 days to wait on ich....I would suggest the same for velvet to be sure its eradicated(especially since the fish are being lost so quickly). Make sure you qt before anything goes into the tank in the future ( see humblefishes qt protocol).

By the way the 76 days comes directly from Dr. Burgess's atlas of marine aquarium fishes

Also prodibio did nothing for fish during my testing.