Mysterious Juv. Emperor Angel Deaths

[76fishman]

I have had 2 Juv. Emperor angels about 2” in size in my tank on separate occasions. Both have died, seemingly out of nowhere. In both cases, neither had any signs of ich or stress, and were eating flakes/mysis, albeit not pigging out. Also nipped at coral and rock. They would stop eating suddenly, disappear and die.

Dipped the most recent one in freshwater post mortem, no flukes.

Tank has been up and running for 4.5 months. Only tank mates are a blue tang and percula with a variety of lps, sps.

Any idea on how to be successful in keeping one alive? My LFS’s have said they are one of the more hardy large angels.
Could my tank not be established enough or the Imp. be weaker at that size?

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[sfin52]

Welcome to reef2reef.

A little more about your tank will help. What are your parameters. What else do you have in the tank?

 

[4FordFamily]

How is the timeline?

A couple years ago my angels were dying and I couldn’t figure it out. I’d buy one, fine for 2-4 days, then it would start blotching our (loss of color) slowly. Over 2-4 days after seeming fine it would lose more and more color, stop eating, and hide more and more. Turned out to be a strain of velvet impacting the gills, only. Resident fish had built an immunity to it, at least until it hit critical mass and even my hippo that had been in it for a suspected 3-4 months, perhaps more, died right as I figured out what was going on. Copper for all the fish and fallow 76 days took care of it.

 

[76fishman]

Welcome to reef2reef.

A little more about your tank will help. What are your parameters. What else do you have in the tank?

I’m currently in college and away from the tank. I’ll post the parameters when I hear back from home.

How is the timeline?

A couple years ago my angels were dying and I couldn’t figure it out. I’d buy one, fine for 2-4 days, then it would start blotching our (loss of color) slowly. Over 2-4 days after seeming fine it would lose more and more color, stop eating, and hide more and more. Turned out to be a strain of velvet impacting the gills, only. Resident fish had built an immunity to it, at least until it hit critical mass and even my hippo that had been in it for a suspected 3-4 months, perhaps more, died right as I figured out what was going on. Copper for all the fish and fallow 76 days took care of it.

I was actually looking at your thread prior to creating this thread and my account. Sorry to hear about your loss of fish

Timeline is as follows:
Purchased first imperator 3/13, was eating mysis/pellets and grazing. Only tank mate was a perc. Introduced a blue tang 3/16 and imperstor still ate and grazed. Left for college 3/18 and imperator disappeared a week later. Body never found

Purchased second imperator 3/31. Eating and grazing same as the old, didn’t accept pellets. Introduced yellow clown goby 4/1. Imperator wasn’t eating 4/2-4/6 then starting swimming around and eating again. 4/10 started to act strangely. 4/11 found on its side dying and passed.

Could the introduction of new fish be the issue?
We also fed 1x a day, sometimes 2x. Blue tang eats like a pig. Could there have been too much competition for food?

 

[4FordFamily]

Could be parasites but without symptoms it’s hard to know — any spots? Hiding from light? Swimming in to powerheads? Scratching? White stringy poop?

 

[76fishman]

Welcome to reef2reef.

A little more about your tank will help. What are your parameters. What else do you have in the tank?

Salinity - 1.025

Both phosphate and nitrate levels are nil (weekly 20% water change with RO water)

No questioned physical traits noted. Fish was swimming freely at all levels of tank. Continuously picking at rock. Shy eater, consumed 3-4 pieces of mysis shrimp at daily feedings.

Day prior to expiring, spent majority of time swimming against coral rock archway.

Other fish and coral do not exhibit any signs of stress/duress. No excessive algae.

Tank temp - 80/81. Running high to fully acclimate blue tang

Lighting - 9 hours daylight levels with 1 hour ramp up and down, respectively.

 

[Maritimer]

I should think that with most parasites, the tang would be affected even before the imperator, no?

I recently lost all my angels (and tang, and clowns, and wrasses, and . . . ) to what may well have been Brooklynella. "Blotchy colors" were among the first and most prominent symptoms.

~Bruce

 

[76fishman]

Could be parasites but without symptoms it’s hard to know — any spots? Hiding from light? Swimming in to powerheads? Scratching? White stringy poop?

None of these symptoms were present on the most recent imperator and I did not notice any on the initial imperator as well.

I should think that with most parasites, the tang would be affected even before the imperator, no?

I recently lost all my angels (and tang, and clowns, and wrasses, and . . . ) to what may well have been Brooklynella. "Blotchy colors" were among the first and most prominent symptoms.

~Bruce

Sorry to hear of your fish loss always one of the worst feelings.

The blue tang did contract some sort of parasite and was scratching a lot, also contracted what seemed to be popeye (cloudy enlarged left eye). This occurred while the new imperator was in the tank. Bought a cleaner shrimp and saw it actively cleaning the blue tang and occassionally the imperator. I guess the shrimp lowered the stress of the blue tang as the white spots and popeye began to clear up the next day.

 

[sfin52]

I’m thinking you have a low paisite level in the dt or fish that have immunity to it. Any new fish does not.

You may need to qt all fish in dt. Let dt sit fishless for a couple months.

 

[sfin52]

Velvet looks a lot like ich and wipe fish out quick. I just lost an ebilli eyed angel to velvet in a day. Got it Friday night dropped it fo tank Saturday noticed white spots and Sunday dead. Dosed copper Saturday when found spots.

Other fish came down with it but since copper was in the tank they are fine now. Nasty stuff.

 

[76fishman]

If the fish currently in the dt have built up an immunity (show no signs of parasites) will parasites such as velvet and ich be present in the tank?
I would think the parasites would die off since they no longer are able to host the current residents and no new, susceptible, fish will be added to the tank?

 

[sfin52]

You may have a carrier as well or maintain low levels of the parasites in the tank