PBT - rapid death

Winschuc · Jun 23, 2016

PBT has been in the tank and healthy for months. Today the wife called then says he's spotty and swimming funny. Thought it was ICH until I got home, he was already dead and it doesn't look like ICH.

Tank mates are a mystery wrasse, clown and peppermint hog fish. Cuc is only snails.

Any help.wpuld be appreciated.

AllSignsPointToFish · Jun 23, 2016

Sorry for your loss. May have been velvet or a massive bacterial infection. Have you added any fish lately?

melypr1985 · Jun 23, 2016

I certainly see signs of a pretty bad infection there. There are some gram negative infections that act quickly and are difficult to treat. I'm wondering what caused the infection though. Was this fish QT'd before introduction?

Winschuc · Jun 23, 2016

I've had it for a year. No new fish in 2 months. It was fine yesterday and now this. The only thing I've added to the tank is R/o

melypr1985 · Jun 23, 2016

Could he have been fighting with another fish or maybe have injured himself on the rocks? If you dont typically QT your fish it could be one a several things that was "chewing" on him and the insertion point of the parasite got infected with a particularly bad strain of bacteria that killed him quickly. Though acanthurus tangs are very susceptible to things like ick so I would honestly have expected something like that to kill him off much sooner than a year. Must be another explanation here. @Humblefish will be along shortly to give his insight as well. Bet he has some ideas.

Humblefish · Jun 23, 2016

A harmful strain of gram negative bacteria ate right through that fish's skin.

There's no way this has been latent in your aquarium. It had to come from a recent addition. Any new corals/inverts? Anything wet?

Winschuc · Jun 23, 2016

Hmm. Truthfully no new fish. I got a wellso a few weeks ago... could it have been on that?

Humblefish · Jun 23, 2016

Winschuc said:
Hmm. Truthfully no new fish. I got a wellso a few weeks ago... could it have been on that?

Possible. If the bacterium was on a droplet of water on the coral, it might have taken weeks to multiply to reach dangerous levels. I would keep a very close eye on all your fish, and if you happen to have a UV now would be a good time to run it.

Winschuc · Jun 23, 2016

I might have to look into getting one. Any other recommendation to treat it that won't kill coral or anemones?

Winschuc · Jun 23, 2016

Or is this bacteria going to eat through the coral and news as well.

Humblefish · Jun 24, 2016

Winschuc said:
Or is this bacteria going to eat through the coral and news as well.

No, its a fish flesh eating bacteria. Your corals/inverts won't be harmed. And your other fish may be able to fend it off via their natural immune system. The PBT's immune system might have been compromised by something else it was dealing with i.e. ever see ich on him? Acanthurus tangs are very suspectible to parasites, and often succumb to a secondary infection while the immune system is busy battling parasites. I'd say most fish never succumb to ich itself; but rather complications from it. A secondary bacterial infection is the perfect complication.

Humblefish · Jun 24, 2016

Winschuc said:
I might have to look into getting one. Any other recommendation to treat it that won't kill coral or anemones?

Dosing antibiotics into the water would be ideal right now, but that can harm your corals/inverts. However, you can soak your fishes' food with Kanaplex (an antibiotic) if you also use Seachem Focus to bind the medication to the food. This process prevents the antibiotic from leaching out (into the water column) and thus makes it a "reef safe" way to deliver antibiotics.

You can also food soak vitamins (exs. Selcon, Zoecon, Vita-chem) to boost the immune system. You don't have to use Focus with those, as there is no harm if they leach out.