I think my tank has a plague!!

[FiremanRick]

there is a mysterious illness that is slowly moving through my tank, taking one fish at a time. One day, the fish is happy, active, eating like pigs. The next, dead or dying on the bottom. So far, in the last month, I've lost a large squirrel fish, cat fish, and a niger trigger. This morning, my large clown trigger is showing the same symptoms. There's no outside signs of injury or disease. And yesterday there wasn't any issues. Left in the tank is a large naso tang, clarkii clown, lunar wrass and a humu trigger. I have the clown trigger in a hospital tank and treated for parasites. I have no idea where to go from here. There's really nothing to post pictures of because the fish looks completely normal on the outside.

 

[ngoodermuth]

Behaviors? Breathing heavy, hiding more than usual? Swimming into the flow? Scratching on rocks? Stringy poop? Cloudy eyes?

 

[FiremanRick]

Nothing unusual. That I can tell anyway. No scratching, no cloudy eyes. And it's only ever one fish at a time. Not sure if that means anything, but it's a fact nonetheless.

 

[FiremanRick]

These are all well established fish that have been in the tank together for more than a year. There has been no new additions in the last year.

 

[ngoodermuth]

Hmm, have you checked all your parameters, including ammonia? Checked for stray voltage? Checked equipment for failure or corrosion? Including magnets on pumps and frag racks...

 

[ngoodermuth]

If nothing else seems off, I would think someone has gone rouge and is sneak attacking at night, or you might have a large predatory hitch-hiker.

 

[melypr1985]

What do they look like after they die? Do you see any red patches like internal bleeding afterwards?

 

[FiremanRick]

Haven't checked for stray voltage. The only sumbmerged pump is brand new. And that's the skimmer. Now that you meantion it, I recently removed the wet side of an MP40 because the magnet became corroded. Severely corroded. It split the case. What could that cause? If there is a cause, why would it be effecting only one fish at a time?

 

[FiremanRick]

What do they look like after they die? Do you see any red patches like internal bleeding afterwards?

The catfish was eaten by the triggers, so no real autopsy could be done. The niger looked pale. Squirrel fish was red to begin with.

 

[RamsReef]

Don't know, but the corrosion from neodymium magnets is no joke.

 

[ngoodermuth]

Don't know, but the corrosion from neodymium magnets is no joke.

+1
I would do a big WC and run carbon just in case. Some fish are more sensitive to contaminants than others which could explain them dying one by one.

How is the one in QT doing? Has it improved at all since being removed from your display?

 

[LostInTheDark]

You might try running a poly filter also to get rid of any contaminates from the magnet.

 

[FiremanRick]

I have been running carbon, but will refresh it with new. Did a 30% water change this morning. I'll do another tomorrow

+1
I would do a big WC and run carbon just in case. Some fish are more sensitive to contaminants than others which could explain them dying one by one.

How is the one in QT doing? Has it improved at all since being removed from your display?

He's been in there for a few hours. No real change yet.