Bacterial Infection: Empty tank: When is it safe?

[morgan_jAq]

Somehow idek how I got a bacterial infection in my reef tank. It knocked out my tomini tang, saddle back clownfish, melenarous wrasse, and diamond back goby. It was very disappointing. Tried to treat, but alas I was too late. Corals, sea hare, and cleaner shrimp are of course healthy and happy, and I have a major copepod bloom going on in my tank, so I was thinking about a mandarin, but when is it safe to add a fish? I don't want to screw any fishy up. Its been about a week since last fish died.

 

[Ludders]

do you know the exact cause and can you test for it?

 

[morgan_jAq]

do you know the exact cause and can you test for it?

I honestly have zero clue how I got it. it just happened, and there's too many different types of bacterial infections to be able to test and find a specific one.

 

[Ludders]

Were there any visible symptoms observed physically on the fish?

 

[morgan_jAq]

Were there any visible symptoms observed physically on the fish?

They got that mucus slime on them and their fins got kinda cloudy. it wasn't Brooklyn tho it took over 2 week for them all to die.

 

[Ludders]

sorry for all the questions, I'm trying to work put the best course of action here. Do you have a UV Steriliser?

 

[morgan_jAq]

sorry for all the questions, I'm trying to work put the best course of action here. Do you have a UV Steriliser?

no im happy to answer I am looking for all the help. and no I've thought about it but they are $$ lol

 

[Ludders]

I think in this case I am going to recommend doing a real deep clean and water change out and get a decent UV and you should be good to re-add fish.
Topical treatment of the water can be a little destructive on gram-negative bacteria, wiping out your good biological bacteria in the process. It's also difficult to ascertain whether you're dealing with a gram-positive or gram-negative infection.

 

[morgan_jAq]

I think in this case I am going to recommend doing a real deep clean and water change out and get a decent UV and you should be good to re-add fish.
Topical treatment of the water can be a little destructive on gram-negative bacteria, wiping out your good biological bacteria in the process. It's also difficult to ascertain whether you're dealing with a gram-positive or gram-negative infection.

this could sound super dumb, but will the uv sterilizer wipe out my copepod population? It is booming right now which is great, so I was thinking about a mandarin, but not if the uv wipes them out

 

[Kal93]

Bacteria isn't like parasites. Unless you know and test for the species that killed your fish, there's no way of knowing whether it is still in your tank. Some options from least to most effective are:

1. Dose antibiotics to your system (see: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/antibiotics.283711/)

2. When used effectively, UV will reduce the number of motile (but not non-motile) bacteria, but won't eradicate them. You could DIY a UV filter with tubing and a UV bulb.

3. The only way to conclusively remove the bacteria is mass sterilization (i.e. restart your tank following drying and sanitizing all surfaces).

Also, make sure that your rockwork doesn't have sharp edges--my fish were getting scratches, which allowed an opportunistic bacterial infection to take hold

 

[Kal93]

Opps-double post

 

[morgan_jAq]

Bacteria isn't like parasites. Unless you know and test for the species that killed your fish, there's no way of knowing whether it is still in your tank. Some options from least to most effective are:

1. Dose antibiotics to your system (see: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/antibiotics.283711/)

2. When used effectively, UV will reduce the number of motile (but not non-motile) bacteria, but won't eradicate them. You could DIY a UV filter with tubing and a UV bulb.

3. The only way to conclusively remove the bacteria is mass sterilization (i.e. restart your tank following drying and sanitizing all surfaces).

Also, make sure that your rockwork doesn't have sharp edges--my fish were getting scratches, which allowed an opportunistic bacterial infection to take hold

so having a tank empty/ without fish that can be hosts for a while won't make the bacteria die off on its own?

 

[Ludders]

so having a tank empty/ without fish that can be hosts for a while won't make the bacteria die off on its own?

I would say not knowing is the main issue, so we can't assume the problem has gone away by itself.
I think given the fact you probably have an established reef by the sound of it, it's going to be extreme to reboot everything.

 

[morgan_jAq]

I would say not knowing is the main issue, so we can't assume the problem has gone away by itself.
I think given the fact you probably have an established reef by the sound of it, it's going to be extreme to reboot everything.

exactly I don't want to kill any fish and my tank is very well established I can't risk that. plus copepodsss haha

 

[kennyymacau]

I have been dealing with bacteria infections few times now, since I have a fowlr tank and fish sometimes fight. I normally do large water change a couple times, new sponge And rinse some of my ceramic rings in old saltwater. I never tried UV sterilizers, but large water changes does help. I also dip my fish in Paraguard for 2 hours, but if the fish is not eating and in bad condition just do 40-50% every 2 days for 6-8 days. Normally 6 days is enough

 

[kennyymacau]

Normally dealing with any problems in the tank water changes are the best most times medications aren’t even needed.

 

[kennyymacau]

Do not always think medications will do the job for you, it is more than likely to stress fish out. Never use any medications that require you to turn off skimmer because I stand to the fact that bad water quality will kill the fish faster than most illness. For my tanks I run 0.25 - 0.35 copper constantly just for control if velvet every suddenly pops up.

 

[morgan_jAq]

Do not always think medications will do the job for you, it is more than likely to stress fish out. Never use any medications that require you to turn off skimmer because I stand to the fact that bad water quality will kill the fish faster than most illness. For my tanks I run 0.25 - 0.35 copper constantly just for control if velvet every suddenly pops up.

I have corals I can't do that

 

[kennyymacau]

I have corals I can't do that

Do water changes clean the sand bed but not all at once

 

[ichthyoid]

From the description I suspect a parasite outbreak, perhaps Uronema. External parasites can lead to secondary infection from bacteria, fungus, virus, etc.

Since you don’t know, I would let the tank lay fallow for at least a month. I think a UV can help, if properly used. It won’t cure a sick fish, but it will control or prevent an outbreak.

Best practice is to quarantine any new fish, or treat them prophylactically to prevent introducing disease to the main display. These require separate tanks.

You also mention an ‘explosion of copepods’. Is there macro algae in the system? If not, what do they feed on?

Here’s one reference on parasites to look over-

A Hobbyist’s Guide to Identifying Marine Aquarium Parasites

Awareness of the symptoms and treatments for other common parasites can save aquarists from disappointing setbacks, unnecessary expenses and the loss of livestock.

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