Mysterious deaths in my tank?

[arking_mark]

Hello R2R reefers-

I've had another mysterious death in my tank. This time my 6-month-old Copperband Butterfly fish.
Some Details:

• The CBB was one of the best eaters in the tank and ate Mysis, Bloodworms, and enriched Brine Shrimp
• Tank parameters are all stable and ICP tests are clean. (Tank is 2 years old. Salinity 1.026ish, Alk 8ish, Ca 475ish, NO3 5-10ish, PO4 0.05-0.15ish)
• Prior to vacation, I setup an automated refrigerated frozen food feeder that I used for a couple weeks before leaving with no issues
• Went on 2-week vacation with no issues
• Was back for 2-weeks and added hand feedings again with no issues
• Went on another 1-week vacation with no issues
• Came back and everything seemed fine for the 1st 5 days with normal eating etc...
• Then on Thursday night I noticed a little aggression as I was going to sleep from the White Tail Bristletooth Tang (been in the tank for about 1-year and never showed aggression b4)
• The CBB had some minor fin damage but there was no further aggression
• The next day eating/behavior seemed off as it was having a little difficulty targeting the food and started missing its targets
• Then it started to no longer graze the tank
• By Monday morning it was dead

My thoughts on cause of death:

1. Aggression caused some internal damage that created eating issues and eventually death. However, normally starvation takes more time.
2. The CBB was not really eating well when I went on vacation and aggression just was the final nail in the coffin. However, until Friday it was handfeeding like normal.
3. Something mysterious in the tank is causing deaths as I've similarly lost 1 Blue Striped Pipefish, 4 Orange Spotted Filefish, and a Long-Nosed Butterfly over the last 1.5 years. In each of those cases, the fish were fat and healthy, then went became lethargic and having trouble swimming to death all within a day or two of the onset of behavior/eating changes. I suspected maybe a coral in the tank that the Orange Spotted Filefish by have grazed on could cause the issue...something that the other fish might have gotten into as well. I sort of feel the fish were poisoned by something.

Thoughts?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hello R2R reefers-

I've had another mysterious death in my tank. This time my 6-month-old Copperband Butterfly fish.
Some Details:

• The CBB was one of the best eaters in the tank and ate Mysis, Bloodworms, and enriched Brine Shrimp
• Tank parameters are all stable and ICP tests are clean. (Tank is 2 years old. Salinity 1.026ish, Alk 8ish, Ca 475ish, NO3 5-10ish, PO4 0.05-0.15ish)
• Prior to vacation, I setup an automated refrigerated frozen food feeder that I used for a couple weeks before leaving with no issues
• Went on 2-week vacation with no issues
• Was back for 2-weeks and added hand feedings again with no issues
• Went on another 1-week vacation with no issues
• Came back and everything seemed fine for the 1st 5 days with normal eating etc...
• Then on Thursday night I noticed a little aggression as I was going to sleep from the White Tail Bristletooth Tang (been in the tank for about 1-year and never showed aggression b4)
• The CBB had some minor fin damage but there was no further aggression
• The next day eating/behavior seemed off as it was having a little difficulty targeting the food and started missing its targets
• Then it started to no longer graze the tank
• By Monday morning it was dead

My thoughts on cause of death:

1. Aggression caused some internal damage that created eating issues and eventually death. However, normally starvation takes more time.
2. The CBB was not really eating well when I went on vacation and aggression just was the final nail in the coffin. However, until Friday it was handfeeding like normal.
3. Something mysterious in the tank is causing deaths as I've similarly lost 1 Blue Striped Pipefish, 4 Orange Spotted Filefish, and a Long-Nosed Butterfly over the last 1.5 years. In each of those cases, the fish were fat and healthy, then went became lethargic and having trouble swimming to death all within a day or two of the onset of behavior/eating changes. I suspected maybe a coral in the tank that the Orange Spotted Filefish by have grazed on could cause the issue...something that the other fish might have gotten into as well. I sort of feel the fish were poisoned by something.

Thoughts?

Either stress from aggression, damage from tail of tang or fiet
I have a near 6@ cbb and it eats LRS herbivore diet
Mysis
Small plankton
Rods original formula
Hikari veggie diet
Hikari marine cuisine
Formula 1 and 2 frozen
This is just some that it eats
Tubifex known to foul water if uneaten and I would visit ammonia and nitrate levels.

what test kits are you using?

 

[mtraylor]

From this case. It sounds like the CBB may have been a little sick from something and your tang beat the crap out of him until it killed him. I think your writeup tells the tell. If any of my fish start showing any issues of being sick or not feeling well. I treat the food with antibiotics to get things back to normal. I have had to do that a couple times over the past say 8 years. Its possible for them to get sick now and then. When fish sense another fish is getting weak... some other fish will attack them sometimes. Tangs are big on that.

I think you should have separated the CBB from the other fish while not feeling well and got him back on his feet. You can catch some of these things quick and treat with anti as i do above.

Sorry for the loss.

 

[arking_mark]

Either stress from aggression, damage from tail of tang or fiet
I have a near 6@ cbb and it eats LRS herbivore diet
Mysis
Small plankton
Rods original formula
Hikari veggie diet
Hikari marine cuisine
Formula 1 and 2 frozen
This is just some that it eats
Tubifex known to foul water if uneaten and I would visit ammonia and nitrate levels.

what test kits are you using?

Hanna and GHL.

There was little to no damage on the tail. Just a little damage to one pectoral fin and top fin.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hanna and GHL.

There was little to no damage on the tail. Just a little damage to one pectoral fin and top fin.

Any redness around gills or on skin?

 

[arking_mark]

From this case. It sounds like the CBB may have been a little sick from something and your tang beat the crap out of him until it killed him. I think your writeup tells the tell. If any of my fish start showing any issues of being sick or not feeling well. I treat the food with antibiotics to get things back to normal. I have had to do that a couple times over the past say 8 years. Its possible for them to get sick now and then. When fish sense another fish is getting weak... some other fish will attack them sometimes. Tangs are big on that.

I think you should have separated the CBB from the other fish while not feeling well and got him back on his feet. You can catch some of these things quick and treat with anti as i do above.

Sorry for the loss.

Again, not much physical damage. Tail had little to no damage and one pectoral and top fin had minor damage. Eating/behavior issue wasn't apparent till the next day (Friday 8/5).

I figured I'd give him a couple days to see if things went back to normal...the plan was to move him today (Monday 8/8) to observation tank if he was not back to himself. Got up this morning to a RIP CBB.

 

[arking_mark]

Any redness around gills or on skin?

Nothing apparent...looked pretty healthy. No heavy breathing or anything similar prior to RIP.

 

[arking_mark]

Either stress from aggression, damage from tail of tang or fiet
I have a near 6@ cbb and it eats LRS herbivore diet
Mysis
Small plankton
Rods original formula
Hikari veggie diet
Hikari marine cuisine
Formula 1 and 2 frozen
This is just some that it eats
Tubifex known to foul water if uneaten and I would visit ammonia and nitrate levels.

what test kits are you using?

Any change you want to sell a CBB? It's so hard to find health specimens.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Any change you want to sell a CBB? It's so hard to find health specimens.

Not mine- had him 5 years

 

[vetteguy53081]

Any change you want to sell a CBB? It's so hard to find health specimens.

 

[mtraylor]

Its really hard to see some of the damage that tangs do with that razor blade. I have been cut a many times from them and didn't even know it until I saw the blood coming out of my hand. You never notice the paper cuts till you feel that sting later. That damage is allot worse on the small fish. You will be surprised. Tangs will do all the damage to the fish and then leave it alone after it seemingly knows that its killed the fish. The fish may last a week or few days later, but the damage is done.

Keep in mind that fish loss can happen as a natural thing anytime. I have been fortunate to have fish last a very long time. You can prolong their lives with medicine and extreme care. Takes time to learn, and keep an eye for issues as you have. But you learn to intervene early. Every time I havn't....I always say. I should have got to him when I noticed "X". So I just do it now. Then i know I have done everything to try and prevent a fish loss.

 

[arking_mark]

Is that a yes?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Is that a yes?

No unfortunately

 

[arking_mark]

No unfortunately

;(