Fish dying in my QT

[Jakepen]

Have a 30 gallon qt set up, brought home a few fish from a frag swap Sunday. Two firefish, hawkfish, Lubbock wrasse and a mccoskers. No ammonia showing up, airstone running, it’s a all in one so there is decent flow from the return pump. All of the fish have been hiding, laying on the bottom, no real interest in food I tried today. Yesterday one firefish was upside down, breathing heavy, one gill turned red, he would lay upside down for a bit, then swim in circles, like upside down loops. He did not make it. Today my mccosker is pretty lethargic, he was laying on the bottom and I was able to scoop him up. I took a turkey baster to blow some detritus up, and he was just blowing in the current, then would dart. Also my Lubbock seems to be breathing heavy, not gasping, but his gills seem to be moving quick. I’m pretty stumped, bad case of flukes in the tank? Picture attatched of the mccosker.

 

[Humblefish]

First, are you sure there's no ammonia in the tank? Gills turning red is often indicative of ammonia.

The other possibility is a disease (probably velvet or flukes) is feeding on the gills, causing them to bleed. If you are sure no ammonia is present, I would FW dip one of the rapid breathing fish to check for flukes: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/freshwater-dip.248898/

 

[Jakepen]

First, are you sure there's no ammonia in the tank? Gills turning red is often indicative of ammonia.

The other possibility is a disease (probably velvet or flukes) is feeding on the gills, causing them to bleed. If you are sure no ammonia is present, I would FW dip one of the rapid breathing fish to check for flukes: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/freshwater-dip.248898/

I actually have sponges in the back chamber, from a friends tank. No ammonia is showing on the badge or test. I did a fresh dip on the mccosker, can’t say I saw any flukes come off, and he is in no better shape..

 

[melypr1985]

How about acclimation? How did you acclimate the fish to the QT? How long were they in the bag?

 

[4FordFamily]

How about acclimation? How did you acclimate the fish to the QT? How long were they in the bag?

This is where my head was going. If the ammonia isn’t in the tank, perhaps the bag was open awhile before it was added to the QT.

 

[melypr1985]

This is where my head was going. If the ammonia isn’t in the tank, perhaps the bag was open awhile before it was added to the QT.

I've been to frag swaps that had fish for sale and the fish were in the bags the entire time.... travel to the swap, during the swap and travel to their new homes. Think of the ammonia build up in the bag in that amount of time! crazy. Of course, if that isn't the issue then just acclimating too quickly could cause this as well.

 

[Jakepen]

Just dipped the Lubbock and nothing. Actually the mccosker was in a tank swimming at the swap, bagged him up before I left, and the two firefish I got from a lfs where the swap was. For acclimation, that could be it. I floated the bag for about thirty minutes, and dumped them in. All but the firefish had the same salinity, which I matched the tank to, firefish salinity was only off by .001.

 

[Humblefish]

Just dipped the Lubbock and nothing. Actually the mccosker was in a tank swimming at the swap, bagged him up before I left, and the two firefish I got from a lfs where the swap was. For acclimation, that could be it. I floated the bag for about thirty minutes, and dumped them in. All but the firefish had the same salinity, which I matched the tank to, firefish salinity was only off by .001.

I suspect velvet then: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/velvet-amyloodinium-ocellatum.217570/

 

[Jakepen]

Yeah may be velvet, woke up to find the Lubbock did not make it. Should I begin treatment? Only the hawk fish and firefish remain, both have some appetite.

 

[Humblefish]

Yeah may be velvet, woke up to find the Lubbock did not make it. Should I begin treatment? Only the hawk fish and firefish remain, both have some appetite.

Yes, raise the copper level to minimal therapeutic within 24 hrs: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/copper-treatment.193343/

And then get it up to full therapeutic 24 hrs after that.

 

[Jakepen]

Try to feed them once more before?

 

[Jakepen]

How would velvet come about so violently? If all they fish the day before appeared healthy, the day they were placed in my QT go downhill so quick? Can velvet act like ich, and lay dormant until the fish is stressed?

 

[Humblefish]

How would velvet come about so violently? If all they fish the day before appeared healthy, the day they were placed in my QT go downhill so quick? Can velvet act like ich, and lay dormant until the fish is stressed?

If a fish had been previously exposed to subtherapeutic copper, that can mask symptoms for up to 30 days.