Black Mollie test failed - what could it be?

[Spar]

(I started asking questions in another thread, but feel I need a dedicated one)

Background: about 4 months ago my fish stock in my 450g got wiped out by velvet, at a minimum. 2 fish survived, a purple tang and a bangaii cardinalfish. Steps I took:

• removed the two survivors into a QT
• on way to QT i performed a FWD and a Ruby Red bath
• treated the QT with 60mg/g of Chloroquine Phosphate from Fishman for 30 days
• observed the fish for another 45 days in QT
• repeated Chlorquine Phosphate for 14 days then moved directly into the DT from here
• DT ran fallow for a total of around 90 days

About 2 weeks later the purple tang suddenly died after getting really thin, fins and body looked slightly roughed up but not too bad. The cardinalfish continues to look fine today.

Concerned about what happened to the PT I decided to try the Black Mollie test (2 female, 2 male). They did fine going through salinity transition. I transitioned them evenly over a 7 day period from 0 to 35ppt. I used water from my DT for this (again this is after the 90 days fallow period). For what it's worth they did come down with what looked like a bacterial infection during the salinity transition so I treated them with Furan-2 and Kanaplex. By the end of about a 2 week period they were eating fine but looked a little beat up on their bodies especially the males.

I added them to the DT and almost immediately their bodies began to look very blotchy. One of the larger females died today. I can't get a good photo unfortunately, just won't show up well on my phone camera. But it sure looks like Brooke to me. Blotchy white scales over the body, fins very chopped up looking. There seem to be external parasites of some sort across the body, small white looking strings, maybe 1-2mm in length. Looking at the other 3 I am sure they will follow soon.

So I am completely unsure what could be wrong with the tank considering I let it ran fallow for so long and QT'd the fish adequately (at least I think). Any thoughts here?

 

[Amboss72]

(I started asking questions in another thread, but feel I need a dedicated one)

Background: about 4 months ago my fish stock in my 450g got wiped out by velvet, at a minimum. 2 fish survived, a purple tang and a bangaii cardinalfish. Steps I took:

• removed the two survivors into a QT
• on way to QT i performed a FWD and a Ruby Red bath
• treated the QT with 60mg/g of Chloroquine Phosphate from Fishman for 30 days
• observed the fish for another 45 days in QT
• repeated Chlorquine Phosphate for 14 days then moved directly into the DT from here
• DT ran fallow for a total of around 90 days

About 2 weeks later the purple tang suddenly died after getting really thin, fins and body looked slightly roughed up but not too bad. The cardinalfish continues to look fine today.

Concerned about what happened to the PT I decided to try the Black Mollie test (2 female, 2 male). They did fine going through salinity transition. I transitioned them evenly over a 7 day period from 0 to 35ppt. I used water from my DT for this (again this is after the 90 days fallow period). For what it's worth they did come down with what looked like a bacterial infection during the salinity transition so I treated them with Furan-2 and Kanaplex. By the end of about a 2 week period they were eating fine but looked a little beat up on their bodies especially the males.

I added them to the DT and almost immediately their bodies began to look very blotchy. One of the larger females died today. I can't get a good photo unfortunately, just won't show up well on my phone camera. But it sure looks like Brooke to me. Blotchy white scales over the body, fins very chopped up looking. There seem to be external parasites of some sort across the body, small white looking strings, maybe 1-2mm in length. Looking at the other 3 I am sure they will follow soon.

So I am completely unsure what could be wrong with the tank considering I let it ran fallow for so long and QT'd the fish adequately (at least I think). Any thoughts here?

What you’re describing to me sounds like a bacterial infection not only on your mollies but your purple tang as well. As I’m sure you’re aware the bacterial infection can be brought on simply by stress. The frayed fins and blotch white patches on body sound like areas where the bacterial infection began and then attacked the surrounding tissue. I think your use of kanamycin was correct. You could try the approach of soaking your fish food in Kanaplex and focus and even adding a little garlic extreme. As you’re also probably aware kanamycin is processed in the fishes gut so adding it to the food is a way to get the food more directly to the gut while at the same time allowing its use in your DT. Sounds like you’ve definitely done your due diligence on this. The deaths of these different fish may or may not be related but what I think could be related to all is the stress of transition.

 

[Spar]

What you’re describing to me sounds like a bacterial infection not only on your mollies but your purple tang as well. As I’m sure you’re aware the bacterial infection can be brought on simply by stress. The frayed fins and blotch white patches on body sound like areas where the bacterial infection began and then attacked the surrounding tissue. I think your use of kanamycin was correct. You could try the approach of soaking your fish food in Kanaplex and focus and even adding a little garlic extreme. As you’re also probably aware kanamycin is processed in the fishes gut so adding it to the food is a way to get the food more directly to the gut while at the same time allowing its use in your DT. Sounds like you’ve definitely done your due diligence on this. The deaths of these different fish may or may not be related but what I think could be related to all is the stress of transition.

Thanks for the feedback. I do add Selcon to the food, but I will start adding Kanaplex to it as well just in case.

I have a Sailfin and Yellow Tang going through QT right now, with plans to move to my DT in around 10 days from now. Given they are very healthy they should be able to my next-level canaries. If they survive and act/look healthy then I guess the simplest diagnosis of the Mollies is that this is continued bacterial infection brought on from stress.

edit: i should ask if it is ok to feed Kanaplex soaked food to the DT? I don't have coral right now but there are some inverts.

 

[Amboss72]

I’ve used Kanaplex+Focus soaked food in full reef sps and Lp’s dominant tanks without a problem. Just make sure and mix the Kanaplex with Focus as Focus helps bind the medication together with the food. As I’m sure you’re also aware make sure those tangs get plenty of seaweed or live ogio.

 

[ReeferMadness0347]

I put 4 Molly’s in my tank to help with some algae issues. I transitioned them in about 3 hours from fresh to salt. That was 2 months ago and they are breeding like crazy right now.

I’d get more Molly’s (from a different source if possible) transition them faster and see if the same thing happens.

 

[Spar]

I put 4 Molly’s in my tank to help with some algae issues. I transitioned them in about 3 hours from fresh to salt. That was 2 months ago and they are breeding like crazy right now.

I’d get more Molly’s (from a different source if possible) transition them faster and see if the same thing happens.

That's a good idea, I will try more.

Do the other fish eat the babies or do you have tons of mollies swimming around?

 

[Spar]

I’ve used Kanaplex+Focus soaked food in full reef sps and Lp’s dominant tanks without a problem. Just make sure and mix the Kanaplex with Focus as Focus helps bind the medication together with the food. As I’m sure you’re also aware make sure those tangs get plenty of seaweed or live ogio.

I've been putting in Caulerpa and Lettuce Algae from my DT sump. Think that is sufficient compared to Nori?

Thanks for the advice on Focus, I just ordered some.

 

[Amboss72]

Sorry for the delayed response. Personally I’ve never had my tangs eat caulerpa and I haven’t tried lettuce algae. If they’ll eat it then I would absolutely use it. An alive plant is filled with the enzymes etc that surpass those of a processed product.

 

[ReeferMadness0347]

That's a good idea, I will try more.

Do the other fish eat the babies or do you have tons of mollies swimming around?

The living ones ended up in my sump where they are safe. But yea they do get eaten up by the adults pretty quickly if they don’t hide immediately.

Right now I have about 10 in my sump that are pretty small. I don’t feed them so they eat on the algae or what ever else ends up down there.