Naso sick / dying overnight

[hwastesson]

So, I've had a Naso litteratus for about 2 months, he's been doing really good. Eating like a pig, no one's picking on him, just a happy fella. This morning I found him stuck to the overflow-box, gasping by the water surface, barely alive. All the other fish are fine, nothing seems off at all. Parameters in check (1ppm no3, 0.18ppm po4, 1.024sg, 26c), been stable like that for a while now. Dosing Microblift's po4 remover (this stuff https://www.arka-biotech.de/en/products/product-single-pictures/phos-out-4) - but only a like 5 - 10 drops a week, so way under the recommended dosage for my 150g tank. Also dosing 0.5ml Nopox everyday and triton core 7 balling.

Only other bigger fish in the tank is a yellow tang but no aggression between them or any other fish.

I'm thinking something like oxygen deficiency, PH-drop or something along those lines but I feel like that should affect the other fish as well...?

I know this is probably near impossible to answer but I figured I might as well reach out and see if any of you has any ideas as to what could have caused this.

TIA

 

[FishTruck]

I had one do that after being in my tank for two years... another one did that at week 5, after getting through a 4 week quarantine with no apparent issues. I have a tank full of 10 year old fish in the same water on the same diet. So, you are not alone.

 

[hwastesson]

I had one do that after being in my tank for two years... another one did that at week 5, after getting through a 4 week quarantine with no apparent issues. I have a tank full of 10 year old fish in the same water on the same diet. So, you are not alone.

That's somewhat comforting to hear, I guess. Thanks for your reply.

 

[gentlefish]

One tries to find preventable reasons. In the absence of new additions one can pretty much rule out infectious disease. If all is well in the tank, no Dino’s or medication.., no O2 deficiency. Hitchhiker? Toxins...usually more death. ICP? I had one fish passing and the only thought I can come up with is nighttime fright trauma ( nightlight since) and I believe I saw one clown experiencing a stroke.
I am sorry for your loss of a beautiful fish, sometimes and despite best husbandry things can happen to such a small creature.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

So, I've had a Naso litteratus for about 2 months, he's been doing really good. Eating like a pig, no one's picking on him, just a happy fella. This morning I found him stuck to the overflow-box, gasping by the water surface, barely alive. All the other fish are fine, nothing seems off at all. Parameters in check (1ppm no3, 0.18ppm po4, 1.024sg, 26c), been stable like that for a while now. Dosing Microblift's po4 remover (this stuff https://www.arka-biotech.de/en/products/product-single-pictures/phos-out-4) - but only a like 5 - 10 drops a week, so way under the recommended dosage for my 150g tank. Also dosing 0.5ml Nopox everyday and triton core 7 balling.

Only other bigger fish in the tank is a yellow tang but no aggression between them or any other fish.

I'm thinking something like oxygen deficiency, PH-drop or something along those lines but I feel like that should affect the other fish as well...?

I know this is probably near impossible to answer but I figured I might as well reach out and see if any of you has any ideas as to what could have caused this.

TIA

Too late now, but I always give recently dead fish a FW dip to screen for flukes (better yet, scrape some skin and gills and look at them under a microscope). The timing here could easily be flukes, it takes 6 to 8 weeks for a fluke infestation to become fatal.

I don't know much about the products you are using, but lanthanum chloride has caused issues with tangs, is that in any of them?

Jay

 

[hwastesson]

Too late now, but I always give recently dead fish a FW dip to screen for flukes (better yet, scrape some skin and gills and look at them under a microscope). The timing here could easily be flukes, it takes 6 to 8 weeks for a fluke infestation to become fatal.

I don't know much about the products you are using, but lanthanum chloride has caused issues with tangs, is that in any of them?

Jay

Yeah, it all happened so fast, barely had time to react at all before it was too late. I'm thinking the lanthanum chloride could have a been a part of it, clogging up the gills or something like that. Although, all other fish are just fine. The only other tang in the tank is a 2.5 year old Flavescens and he's doing great.

Agreed, scraping of some skin would have been a good idea, unfortunately I didn't have the time to do that, just too much going on tbh...
Thanks for your reply.

 

[hwastesson]

One tries to find preventable reasons. In the absence of new additions one can pretty much rule out infectious disease. If all is well in the tank, no Dino’s or medication.., no O2 deficiency. Hitchhiker? Toxins...usually more death. ICP? I had one fish passing and the only thought I can come up with is nighttime fright trauma ( nightlight since) and I believe I saw one clown experiencing a stroke.
I am sorry for your loss of a beautiful fish, sometimes and despite best husbandry things can happen to such a small creature.

No dino, no medication. I am running a 80w UVC 24/7 and haven't seen any signs of parasites on any of the other fish. I also don't have many fish at the moment, just a couple of saddlebacks, a couple of kardinals and a couple of smaller wrasses, so it's a fairly light load for the tank volume in my opinion.

I haven't really ever considered something like a fright trauma but I guess it could be possible however I don't know what could have caused that. I have noticed the fish having some trouble calming down in the evening, probably due to my scape, it's pretty open altough a fair amount of hiding places.

Nighlight sounds interesting, how do you have that set up and how does it affect the fish?

 

[gentlefish]

Fright is hard to prove and to judge. However most fish that go into the aquarium trade die of stress. No light..how do you judge? With a bit of light I see my fish calm. And for me it’s easy as a Kessil function. My observation tank? I leave a ceiling light on in the basement.