Need help: Corals doing fine but fish keep dying off one by one

Nightcrawler

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I hope someone can assist me with this. I have an 800gallon tank with both SPS & LPS Corals.
The majority of corals are doing very well. I lost some of the acroporas recently due to a spike in phosphates from the newly added calcium reactor.
Subsequent to this, I've lost a coral hogfish, axilspot wrasse, 2 yellow chorus wrasses, strawberry basslet, 2 carpenter wrasses, 4 fiji blue damsels, 1 flame angel, 6 banghai cardinals, 6 pajama cardinals and a yellow tang. The corals are looking healthy and the other fish also look healthy but then they suddenly die without warning. What could possibly be going wrong?
 
First, I'm sorry to hear of your losses. :(

Are you finding the bodies after they die? Any damage from, say, a rogue crab or mantis shrimp?

If not, then it is very possible that you have a disease in your tank slowly killing the fish one by one. How much time typically passes in-between the fish deaths?
 
Are there any fish that seem immune to whatever is happening?
 
First, I'm sorry to hear of your losses. :(

Are you finding the bodies after they die? Any damage from, say, a rogue crab or mantis shrimp?

If not, then it is very possible that you have a disease in your tank slowly killing the fish one by one. How much time typically passes in-between the fish deaths?
I see the bodies sometimes, other times they just disappear completely, but there isn't any damage to them at all besides the fins being stripped up. Usually a few days.
 
I see the bodies sometimes, other times they just disappear completely, but there isn't any damage to them at all besides the fins being stripped up. Usually a few days.

What do you mean by stripped up? Like the fins are all ripped up? Can you list all the inverts you have in your tank - crabs, shrimp, starfish, etc.?
 
What do you mean by stripped up? Like the fins are all ripped up? Can you list all the inverts you have in your tank - crabs, shrimp, starfish, etc.?

Red-legged hermit crabs, 2 arrowhead crabs (hardly seen, I'm thinking rectangulus trigger may have eaten them). Yeah, I mean the fins are ripped
 
Red-legged hermit crabs, 2 arrowhead crabs (hardly seen, I'm thinking rectangulus trigger may have eaten them). Yeah, I mean the fins are ripped

If the arrow crabs are still in there, they may very well be the culprits. Quote below taken from LA about them: http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=497+501+616&pcatid=616
This crab has been known to attack crustaceans such as Banded Coral Shrimp, and may even attack small slow moving fish.

I also wouldn't put it past the trigger, but you should see body wounds. Of course, a disease is always possible but impossible to say without seeing symptoms. The next time a fish dies drop the body in FW to check for flukes (see below).

Freshwater Dip: Provides temporary relief for Brooklynella, Flukes, Marine Velvet disease (Amyloodinium); possibly even Ich & Uronema marinum (both unproven). Can be used to confirm the presence of Flukes.

How To Treat - Fill a bucket with RODI water, and use a heater to match the temperature to the water the fish is coming from. Aerate the water heavily for at least 30 minutes prior to doing the dip, then discontinue aeration while performing the dip. Fish aren’t overly pH sensitive for short durations like this, but you can squirt a little tank water into the dip just before the fish goes in to help bring it up.

Place the fish in the freshwater (FW) dip and observe closely. It is not unusual for them to freak out a little at first. Also, tangs are notorious for “playing dead” during a FW dip. The important thing is to watch their gills; they should be breathing heavily at all times during the dip. If breathing slows, it’s time to exit the dip. Dip the fish for no longer than 5 minutes. Multiple dips may be done, but it’s important to give your fish a day to recuperate in-between dips.

For flukes, use a dark (preferably black) bucket so you can see if tiny white worms fall out of the fish (especially out of the gills) at around the 3-4 minute mark. The worms will settle to the bottom, so you can use a flashlight to look for them there as well.

Pros - Provides temporary relief for a wide range of diseases in a chemical free environment. Can “buy you more time” until a proper treatment can be done.

Cons/Side Effects - Not a permanent “fix” for any disease, as FW dips are not potent enough to eradicate all of the parasites/worms afflicting the fish. Some fish can have an adverse reaction to a FW dip by appearing unable to maintain their equilibrium once returned to the aquarium. If this happens, hold the fish upright (using latex, nitrile or rubber gloves), and gently glide him through the water (to get saltwater flowing through the gills again). It is also a good idea to place the fish in an acclimation box until he appears “normal”.
 

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