Infected reef tank

nano_reez · Dec 4, 2015

So I had a clown fish for about 2 weeks everything was great. Readings were 0-0-5 and sg is 1.025 so water was in line. So I added a royal gramma two days later my clown was on the bottom gasping so I removed him and put him in a hospital tank and medicated he didn't make it through the night that was last Friday yesterday I noticed it didn't come out to eat he was skiddish like that but today I got home and apon inspection of the tank I found him dead. So there is something infected my tank. I have 4 different corals in the and a few crabs a shrimp and a snail they are all doing fantastic. I have had no kind of spikes. Now there is no fish in the tank at all at this point my question is how long do I run the tank with no fish to insure I don't infect new fish with whatever is in my tank?

argue.oa · Dec 4, 2015

I had the same issue with a royal gramma vicious fish...it was the only survivor..so I took it back to my lfs and got a $10 credit...

nano_reez · Dec 4, 2015

Well it died and he was the last one there was no agression in that tank at all.

GatorGuys · Dec 4, 2015

How long has your tank been set up? Do you have a test-kit for Ammonia? Too much ammonia burns the gills. It can be caused from an un-cycled tank or something else that recently died in the tank.

Reefing Madness · Dec 4, 2015

Might just have been a coinincedence . The Gamma might not have acclimated to the tank. And the way Clownfish are, he may have given himself a heart attack. Was he going nuts when you added the Gamma?

nano_reez · Dec 4, 2015

I test my water all the time I have 0 am 0 nitrite 5 nitrate sg is 1.025. I have corals and inverts and they are doing fantastic. There have been 0 spikes it's not ammonia. And both of the fish were very small

melypr1985 · Dec 4, 2015

nano_reez said:
So I had a clown fish for about 2 weeks everything was great. Readings were 0-0-5 and sg is 1.025 so water was in line. So I added a royal gramma two days later my clown was on the bottom gasping so I removed him and put him in a hospital tank and medicated he didn't make it through the night that was last Friday yesterday I noticed it didn't come out to eat he was skiddish like that but today I got home and apon inspection of the tank I found him dead. So there is something infected my tank. I have 4 different corals in the and a few crabs a shrimp and a snail they are all doing fantastic. I have had no kind of spikes. Now there is no fish in the tank at all at this point my question is how long do I run the tank with no fish to insure I don't infect new fish with whatever is in my tank?

It could be a coincidence like mentioned above, but to answer your question, You'd want to leave it fallow (without fish) for 76 days to insure any parasites that may be in the tank die of starvation. That said, it would be good to find out what parasite - if any- it was that killed the fish. Did they exhibit any symptoms besides the clown that was laying on the bottom gasping?

nano_reez · Dec 4, 2015

melypr1985 said:
It could be a coincidence like mentioned above, but to answer your question, You'd want to leave it fallow (without fish) for 76 days to insure any parasites that may be in the tank die of starvation. That said, it would be good to find out what parasite - if any- it was that killed the fish. Did they exhibit any symptoms besides the clown that was laying on the bottom gasping?

No that's it no external marks dots or anything I could see. I didn't get to inspect the royal because the crabs got to it. But in both cases it happened really fast like 2 days from fine to dead. The day before yesterday it was swimming around fine.

melypr1985 · Dec 4, 2015

nano_reez said:
No that's it no external marks dots or anything I could see. I didn't get to inspect the royal because the crabs got to it. But in both cases it happened really fast like 2 days from fine to dead. The day before yesterday it was swimming around fine.

Dang, that makes it next to impossible to diagnose. I would assume there is a parasite in there - just to be safe- and leave it fallow for 76 days. Then QT every new fish from then on out. You can always have your next fish in qt while the display is still fallow.