I don’t really know but help?

[LDH]

hi friends,

My tank is 3 years old and that’s how old most of the current fish are. Parameters are all zeros across the board for nitrates, trites and ammonia. This is a fairly well established tank that has been doing great. It recently survived a tank move but since then have been battling a bit of algae. To get rid of that I thought it was time to beef up my cleanup crew as I hadn’t since the beginning. I added 5 turbos, a tuxedo urchin and 4 nasarious snails yesterday.

This morning my Blenny was breathing very heavily. Tonight he is dead the urchin is dead ( may have been my peppermints bullying him to death ) and my sail fin tang is breathing very rapidly now too. I’ve started water for an emergency waterchange but that will take all night.

Anything else I can do? I don’t know why this is happening or what could have caused this but it has to be something I introduced into the tank yesterday.

My two clowns are fine and my cardinal looks ok.

Any ideas ?

It won’t let me upload a video. Says invalid extension.

Thanks in advance.

I made a great dinner then noticed my Blenny being eaten by the new cuc and have completely lost my appetite. He was a fave. Had him for 3 years. Dang.

 

[GBRsouth]

Sounds like you might have introduced ich or marine velvet. I'll call the experts to help you. @Humblefish

 

[Maritimer]

If we took the peppermints out of the equation, the only thing I can think of that would take out both the blenny and the urchin would be some kind of toxin. Could be ammonia, could be Febreeze.

I think you've got a good start with a water change, but perhaps also add some fresh carbon or a poly-filter, if you've got one hanging around with nothing else to do.

Have you tested your water? Ammonia and other parameters?

Are any of the animals showing any other behavioral or physical symptoms, other than rapid breathing??

~Bruce

 

[cmcoker]

What's your nitrates? I had a new tuxedo urchin I put in a tank (invert qt) with nitrates around 30ppm. He fell off the rocks and looked dead on the sand bed, I scooped him out and put him in the display. I wanted to add him direct to the display anyway as ich and velvet don't encyst on urchins, however he was carrying rubble and I didn't want to damage him removing it. Well, when he looked dead he had dropped everything so I went ahead and moved him. He was fine in hours, so my experience is they can be sensitive to nitrates as that was the only difference in tank parameters.

It is possible you introduced a ich or velvet cyst on one of the snails, how are the other fish any swimming into powerheads or hiding? Flashing? Everyone eating?

Edit - missed the heavy breathing. Do you have a hospital tank available? If you can catch him, I'd try a freshwater dip and see if it improves the breathing.

Before that, have you checked the ammonia? All the turbos accounted for?

 

[LDH]

What's your nitrates? I had a new tuxedo urchin I put in a tank (invert qt) with nitrates around 30ppm. He fell off the rocks and looked dead on the sand bed, I scooped him out and put him in the display. I wanted to add him direct to the display anyway as ich and velvet don't encyst on urchins, however he was carrying rubble and I didn't want to damage him removing it. Well, when he looked dead he had dropped everything so I went ahead and moved him. He was fine in hours, so my experience is they can be sensitive to nitrates as that was the only difference in tank parameters.

It is possible you introduced a ich or velvet cyst on one of the snails, how are the other fish any swimming into powerheads or hiding? Flashing? Everyone eating?

Edit - missed the heavy breathing. Do you have a hospital tank available? If you can catch him, I'd try a freshwater dip and see if it improves the breathing.

Before that, have you checked the ammonia? All the turbos accounted for?

Hi there, thanks for chiming in. Nitrates nitrites and ammonia are all zero. All turbos accounted for.
Unfortunately I do not have a hospital tank setup.

Everyone ate like usual about 2 hours ago.

I’m not sure if the snails brought a parasite in. I can’t think of anything else so I’m inclined to think that is the case.

 

[LDH]

If we took the peppermints out of the equation, the only thing I can think of that would take out both the blenny and the urchin would be some kind of toxin. Could be ammonia, could be Febreeze.

I think you've got a good start with a water change, but perhaps also add some fresh carbon or a poly-filter, if you've got one hanging around with nothing else to do.

Have you tested your water? Ammonia and other parameters?

Are any of the animals showing any other behavioral or physical symptoms, other than rapid breathing??

~Bruce

Hi Bruce,

Thank you for replying. No other symptoms, all ate as usual and all my tests are negative for any spikes.

I will look at the carbon option thanks!

 

[Humblefish]

I’m not sure if the snails brought a parasite in. I can’t think of anything else so I’m inclined to think that is the case.

Parasite tomonts can encyst to a snail shell or any hard surface really: https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/how-to-quarantine-coral-and-inverts.228/

I'm not saying for sure thats what's happening here, but if velvet tomonts are releasing dinospores into the water then you've got a real problem: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/velvet-amyloodinium-ocellatum.217570/

 

[LDH]

Parasite tomonts can encyst to a snail shell or any hard surface really: https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/how-to-quarantine-coral-and-inverts.228/

I'm not saying for sure thats what's happening here, but if velvet tomonts are releasing dinospores into the water then you've got a real problem: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/velvet-amyloodinium-ocellatum.217570/

Ok @Humblefish, thank you for your insight.

Thank goodness I’m following your advice on my next build ( in progress ) and will be quarantining everything.

Heartbreaker for sure.