No signs of illness

briedenauer · May 14, 2016

My father in law is at a loss this week and has no clue to why his fish died out all at once. He has had a 180 gal. It includes fish and coral. About 2 months ago he got rid of a blue tang and yellow tang. He then introduced a powder blue, morish idle, queen angel ( which died shortly after), and a white cheek ( died from ick within a few weeks). The powder blue and white cheek both showed signs of ick. He used ginger to help cure the ick. This week he found them dead and covered in a slimy substance. Showed no real signs of ick, stress, anything. Any clue to what it could be? He did 50% and 20% water changes shortly after most died and then found morish idle dead following day. Nitrate was high but nothing the fish haven't seen before. There are several fish that lived such as fire fish, anthis, wrasse.

Jenaleigh1 · May 14, 2016

Hmmm. Is there anyone else in the house that might have spilled something in the tank? Anyone else tinkering with levels in addition to him?

Tahoe61 · May 14, 2016

Slimy substance sounds like Brooklynella, it kills quickly and the tank will have to remain fallow for a period of time before the introduction of fish again.

Scott Fellman · May 14, 2016

Sorry for the loss...I'm thinking that if it's not a toxic response, than a virulent illness like Brooklynella could indeed be a culprit. I agree that keeping the tank "fallow" (devoid of potential hosts for the causative protozoan) is the most reliable way to go...followed by a 21-30 day quarantine period for all new fiefs added to this tank in the future. A painful lesson, but one which he won't forget...And herbal "cures", as much as their might be some weekly anecdotal evidence that they may have some affect on conditions, are really more of a "preventative" at best...like garlic, which is thought, at least by some, to deter the causative protozoa of Ich from "finding" their hosts because of a partially sulfurous chemical signature that helps "confuse" chemo-receptors on the protozoa...Notice the word "deter"- not "cure"- as it doesn't appear to kill the protozoa...IME, the "old fashioned" way of medical intervention in a "hospital tank" is the way to treat this, or any other disease. It sucks, but aggressive medical intervention is generally the way to go, IMHO.
-Scott

melypr1985 · May 15, 2016

I agree. He will need to go fallow for 76 days to be sure all - including the ich that was present- are gone from the tank. Quarantine for future fishes is the way to keep this from happening again. I truly don't believe ginger does anything except entice a fish to eat when he normally wouldn't. This can help boost the immune system of the fish and help them survive with a mild parasite like ich for longer, but it will not cure it. It's worth mentioning that in studies it has been shown that excessive garlic use in a fish's food can lead to liver damage. It's best saved for a picky eater or new fish that hasn't yet started eating. Good luck to your dad... and I'm sorry for his losses.