Chalk bass dying for no reason

[CLYRIC]

Hi, I have a chalk bass that is randomly getting weaker and having trouble swimming. I have a second chalk bass that's doing fine and all fish/corals are doing fine. I just fed maybe 4 hours ago and everyone was looking lively, nothing wrong. I was thinking that because it was in a short amount of time, maybe he got bullied? Which is why he was only swimming with one of his fins and not both. Any ideas?

I feed twice a day and the chalk bass that's "dying" is usually the first one to eat, so Im confused as to why this happened so quickly just after 4 hours of feeding

(Tank looks green because I put the light to 100% white for the video which has green light as well, all parameters are normal)

 

[CLYRIC]

Chalk bass was quarantined and got through dr reef. I've had him for maybe 2-3 months now, everyone is doing fine, but yea this is just so sudden so Im still quite shocked

 

[davidcalgary29]

It looks really emaciated -- how was it eating? Mine gets recurring bouts of popeye, but it's a hefty thing.

If it's still alive, I'd get it into quarantine, stat.

 

[CLYRIC]

It looks really emaciated -- how was it eating? Mine gets recurring bouts of popeye, but it's a hefty thing.

I just fed it 4 hours ago (5pm), and then before that I also fed it in the morning (9am), both times, he was quick to eat and very lively overall, swimming around normally, didnt see any fish bully him either.

If you can see the other two clownfish, all of the fish are well fed. Out of the two chalk bass I had, the one that was more shy ate less, but is still doing fine, but the one that's more lively and eating the most is the one dying. Im not sure why, but yea.

 

[CLYRIC]

It looks really emaciated -- how was it eating? Mine gets recurring bouts of popeye, but it's a hefty thing.

If it's still alive, I'd get it into quarantine, stat.

It'll take a while to get the quarantine tank set up (still have media with bacteria, but spare tank is dirty and needs to be cleaned) , and now I dont see the fish anymore. Maybe it got moved between the rocks.

Should I wait till tomorrow to see what happens or just set up the quarantine now which will take a long time, hopefully find the fish and put him in qt tank?

 

[davidcalgary29]

What does its poop look like? I think it's time for the #fishmedic #fishmedics.

 

[CLYRIC]

What does its poop look like? I think it's time for the #fishmedic #fishmedics.

I have no idea. Once fed, I usually make sure that everyone's eating then I go on with my day.

 

[davidcalgary29]

I have no idea. Once fed, I usually make sure that everyone's eating then I go on with my day.

It's a great idea to start this habit -- as weird as it sounds -- as it can give you an insight into the health of your fish when nothing else is obvious. White, stringy poop is often a sign of internal parasites or other infections, for instance.

 

[CLYRIC]

It's a great idea to start this habit -- as weird as it sounds -- as it can give you an insight into the health of your fish when nothing else is obvious. White, stringy poop is often a sign of internal parasites or other infections, for instance.

Ohhh ok got it, but yea, it's lights out at the tank right now and all the fish (including the sick one) are gone (except for 2 clownfish/cardinal) and if the fish isnt all right, I think the CUC will get to it first before I do at this point since I cant find it.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi, I have a chalk bass that is randomly getting weaker and having trouble swimming. I have a second chalk bass that's doing fine and all fish/corals are doing fine. I just fed maybe 4 hours ago and everyone was looking lively, nothing wrong. I was thinking that because it was in a short amount of time, maybe he got bullied? Which is why he was only swimming with one of his fins and not both. Any ideas?

I feed twice a day and the chalk bass that's "dying" is usually the first one to eat, so Im confused as to why this happened so quickly just after 4 hours of feeding

(Tank looks green because I put the light to 100% white for the video which has green light as well, all parameters are normal)

This fish is moribund and chance of recovery is very low. It is also thin suggesting that it has not eaten for some time and may have been feeding off its liver up to the point of weakness. I wish there was better news to offer but there is no treatment that I can suggest as it state of health is at the bottom of recovery.
Moving it to another tank will likely weaken it even more and offer no advantage. . . sorry to say

 

[CLYRIC]

This fish is moribund and chance of recovery is very low. It is also thin suggesting that it has not eaten for some time and may have been feeding off its liver up to the point of weakness. I wish there was better news to offer but there is no treatment that I can suggest as it state of health is at the bottom of recovery.
Moving it to another tank will likely weaken it even more and offer no advantage. . . sorry to say

That's suprising, I feed twice a day and I just fed him at 9 am and 5 pm and he was eating very well and being lively, but by 8-9 pm, that happened.

Should I increase the feeding? I thought I was doing plenty already

 

[To(meany)Tang]

Someone above said of you checked the poop?. This may be a shot in the dark but I believe I read that symptoms of internal parasites would be . Increased appetite but still loses weight. If you type in internal parasites into the r2r search bar the info is there. I know it wont save your fish but Hope this helps you find the cause.

 

[MBruun]

Chalk Bass are very sensitive to water parameters. Mine died weeks bofore I noticed I had an issues with high temperature and following high NH4/NH3 -> NO2 - NO3

 

[CLYRIC]

Chalk Bass are very sensitive to water parameters. Mine died weeks bofore I noticed I had an issues with high temperature and following high NH4/NH3 -> NO2 - NO3

Could be it, but all parameters are normal, coral/fish doing well, even my other chalk bass is just behaving like normal, so Im not sure why this chalk bass is started dying all of the sudden within 3-4 hours of being normal.

 

[CLYRIC]

Someone above said of you checked the poop?. This may be a shot in the dark but I believe I read that symptoms of internal parasites would be . Increased appetite but still loses weight. If you type in internal parasites into the r2r search bar the info is there. I know it wont save your fish but Hope this helps you find the cause.

I'll pay attention to the other chalk bass' poop over the coming days and see what it could be. Internal parasites can spread if Im not wrong right?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I see lots of algae, lots of debris floating in the water. The water surface also looks very still, again lots of debris floating on the surface, seems like the fish is hovering near the surface trying to breath.

You said you fed 4 hours ago, but there are large chunks of food still floating on the surface.

Do you have a protein skimmer on this tank?

Based on that short video, to help this tank I would aim a powerhead at the surface for agitation, clean the algae, do a water change, and upgrade the mechanical filtration.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Sorry to see.

+1 with @vetteguy53081 this fish is serverely emaciated and is actively dying (moribund). It probably did not survive the night. As he said, when fish get thin, they use their livers for food and then, at a certain point, they die from liver damage.

The question is, why did this happen? The clownfish look nice and fat, so it isn't the amount of food you are feeding. It is some sort of malabsorbtion issue - the fish could have had a mechanical blockage, or an internal parasite.

The other issue is this - as I watched the video, I saw lots of air bubbles. The fish also had lots of spots on it. I attributed that to the air bubbles getting caught in the skin mucus, not real issue....until the last few seconds, then I saw white spots on the fins that look a LOT like Cryptocaryon (saltwater ich). You need to check all of your other fish (especially the other chalk bass) for similar signs.

Jay

 

[vetteguy53081]

That's suprising, I feed twice a day and I just fed him at 9 am and 5 pm and he was eating very well and being lively, but by 8-9 pm, that happened.

Should I increase the feeding? I thought I was doing plenty already

These guys are eating machines and will steal food when they can. Internal parasites are generally not contagious but neither are many fish resistant to issues. Some good foods are Chopped squid-clam-krill, brine shrimp, mysis shrimp and mussel. Many of these meats are contained in LRS fish frenzy.
They are NOT sensitive to water parameters as was commented but rather are resilient to disease and generally hardy.
Also note- they are skilled jumpers

 

[CLYRIC]

I see lots of algae, lots of debris floating in the water. The water surface also looks very still, again lots of debris floating on the surface, seems like the fish is hovering near the surface trying to breath.

You said you fed 4 hours ago, but there are large chunks of food still floating on the surface.

Do you have a protein skimmer on this tank?

Based on that short video, to help this tank I would aim a powerhead at the surface for agitation, clean the algae, do a water change, and upgrade the mechanical filtration.

The debri is because the I saw the fish stuck between the rocks (which is near the sand) and I tried moving it which kicked up the sand a bit, and must've also kicked up any stuck food in between the rocks.

I have a skimmer (reef octopus 1000 for a 55 gallon and 2 powerhead pointed at each other, but not really at the surface). Should I point it towards the surface? the position that it's in right now is kinda good for the corals, but if needed then I'll move it. I'm planning to do a deep clean of the algae + water change which is tomorrow.

 

[CLYRIC]

Sorry to see.

+1 with @vetteguy53081 this fish is serverely emaciated and is actively dying (moribund). It probably did not survive the night. As he said, when fish get thin, they use their livers for food and then, at a certain point, they die from liver damage.

The question is, why did this happen? The clownfish look nice and fat, so it isn't the amount of food you are feeding. It is some sort of malabsorbtion issue - the fish could have had a mechanical blockage, or an internal parasite.

The other issue is this - as I watched the video, I saw lots of air bubbles. The fish also had lots of spots on it. I attributed that to the air bubbles getting caught in the skin mucus, not real issue....until the last few seconds, then I saw white spots on the fins that look a LOT like Cryptocaryon (saltwater ich). You need to check all of your other fish (especially the other chalk bass) for similar signs.

Jay

I'll keep an eye on the other chalk bass, I saw it this morning before work and it looks fine, no spots, eating normal. Hopefully it's nothing too bad