Puzzling fish deaths update(photo)

[eddoc83]

Hey guys. I posted on here a few days back about my reefer and puzzling fish deaths. Fish have continued to die. The most proximate event to several fish deaths now is me stirring the sand which I do every few days to get the detritus into the water column to get removed. I did this last night and boom. This morning I woke up to my Midas blenny on the sand gasping for air and basically not moving. Died maybe 30 minutes later and I removed the body. Totally discolored. Sludge covering the scales and almost looked like exfoliation of the scales in areas. Brook? Velvet? I still don’t see any sores consistent with Uronema. Maybe this photo will be more diagnostic. My existing fish and corals and inverts remain unaffected.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hey guys. I posted on here a few days back about my reefer and puzzling fish deaths. Fish have continued to die. The most proximate event to several fish deaths now is me stirring the sand which I do every few days to get the detritus into the water column to get removed. I did this last night and boom. This morning I woke up to my Midas blenny on the sand gasping for air and basically not moving. Died maybe 30 minutes later and I removed the body. Totally discolored. Sludge covering the scales and almost looked like exfoliation of the scales in areas. Brook? Velvet? I still don’t see any sores consistent with Uronema. Maybe this photo will be more diagnostic. My existing fish and corals and inverts remain unaffected.

Pic fuzzy but fish appears thin and may have ich
Need clearer images and container makes it hard to see

 

[MnFish1]

can you read the list of questions? for reporting an issue - if you would answer - it may be helpful (they are in my signature)

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hey guys. I posted on here a few days back about my reefer and puzzling fish deaths. Fish have continued to die. The most proximate event to several fish deaths now is me stirring the sand which I do every few days to get the detritus into the water column to get removed. I did this last night and boom. This morning I woke up to my Midas blenny on the sand gasping for air and basically not moving. Died maybe 30 minutes later and I removed the body. Totally discolored. Sludge covering the scales and almost looked like exfoliation of the scales in areas. Brook? Velvet? I still don’t see any sores consistent with Uronema. Maybe this photo will be more diagnostic. My existing fish and corals and inverts remain unaffected.

It really helps to keep things in the same thread - it avoids us having to go back and search the other thread for things that have already been ruled out.

In the other thread, I hadn’t ruled out flukes and I still don’t see anything inconsistent with that diagnosis. Too late here, but there is a trick people can try; if you have a freshly dead fish and you suspect flukes, you can put them in freshwater for ten minutes, then settle the water and look at the bottom with a microscope on hand lens for any worms.

When I stir deep sand beds, I do so with a siphon clean and remove the detritus at the same time by doing a small water change. Is that how you do it? You don’t want to just stir tank up - the outside filters may not catch much of the detritus before it settles back - and then, it hasn’t actually been removed from the tank until the next time you change the filter media.

Jay

 

[MnFish1]

It really helps to keep things in the same thread - it avoids us having to go back and search the other thread for things that have already been ruled out.

In the other thread, I hadn’t ruled out flukes and I still don’t see anything inconsistent with that diagnosis. Too late here, but there is a trick people can try; if you have a freshly dead fish and you suspect flukes, you can put them in freshwater for ten minutes, then settle the water and look at the bottom with a microscope on hand lens for any worms.

When I stir deep sand beds, I do so with a siphon clean and remove the detritus at the same time by doing a small water change. Is that how you do it? You don’t want to just stir tank up - the outside filters may not catch much of the detritus before it settles back - and then, it hasn’t actually been removed from the tank until the next time you change the filter media.

Jay

Like a python, correct?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Like a python, correct?

Yes - pythons, marineland used to make one, so does hydro. I make my own out or a clear pvc cylinder, a bushing and some flex hose.

 

[eddoc83]

It really helps to keep things in the same thread - it avoids us having to go back and search the other thread for things that have already been ruled out.

In the other thread, I hadn’t ruled out flukes and I still don’t see anything inconsistent with that diagnosis. Too late here, but there is a trick people can try; if you have a freshly dead fish and you suspect flukes, you can put them in freshwater for ten minutes, then settle the water and look at the bottom with a microscope on hand lens for any worms.

When I stir deep sand beds, I do so with a siphon clean and remove the detritus at the same time by doing a small water change. Is that how you do it? You don’t want to just stir tank up - the outside filters may not catch much of the detritus before it settles back - and then, it hasn’t actually been removed from the tank until the next time you change the filter media.

It really helps to keep things in the same thread - it avoids us having to go back and search the other thread for things that have already been ruled out.

In the other thread, I hadn’t ruled out flukes and I still don’t see anything inconsistent with that diagnosis. Too late here, but there is a trick people can try; if you have a freshly dead fish and you suspect flukes, you can put them in freshwater for ten minutes, then settle the water and look at the bottom with a microscope on hand lens for any worms.

When I stir deep sand beds, I do so with a siphon clean and remove the detritus at the same time by doing a small water change. Is that how you do it? You don’t want to just stir tank up - the outside filters may not catch much of the detritus before it settles back - and then, it hasn’t actually been removed from the tank until the next time you change the filter media.

Jay

Sorry Jay. My apologies. Will keep responses here. Can flukes actually rapidly kill fish? Because that’s what I’m seeing. Definite association with any disturbance of the sand hed. I did a wc last night and found two dead cardinals this morning.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Sorry Jay. My apologies. Will keep responses here. Can flukes actually rapidly kill fish? Because that’s what I’m seeing. Definite association with any disturbance of the sand hed. I did a wc last night and found two dead cardinals this morning.

“Rapid death” is relative. Flukes tend to kill fish over a week or month. Velvet kills in a few days, with ich in between.

I can’t tell you how the same bed might fit into this. That wouldn’t have increased issues with any of those three diseases. Stirring a deep sand bed can release hydrogen sulfide, but that kills immediately if the level is high enough. Supposedly, stirring up bacteria through dredging in Miami is what started one of the coral disease epidemics - I’ve never heard of that with fish though.