Sudden Death of Fish

[Jamon]

Folks, I'm completely puzzled. I had 3 fish that were perfectly healthy looking one day, eating well and swimming like crazy. The next day they were dead. This didn't happen to all three of them on the same day but within about a week of each other.

About a month ago I had a fox face that just stopped eating and was hiding 4 days. I put it in a quarantine tank and it did not eat for the next two weeks until it died. Every time I would drop in food it would behave as if it were blind and completely ignore the food. Now, I have a Tang that is having the same behavior in the main tank.

Clearly this is all tied to each other but I have no idea what this could be. I thought it could be ick but they do not have spots on them. I checked my parameters and they look fine. Any ideas? Frustrating is an understatement.

 

[davidcalgary29]

Please post a short video of your surviving fish -- recorded under white lights.

Hiding and avoiding light is a common symptom of many parasitic infections, let alone diseases. That would be my first suspicion given your listed symptoms. Fish kills through anoxia and bleaching (and I speak from experience there) tend to happen extremely quickly.

I lost most of a tank due to some ailment last August. Most of the fish exhibted no identifiable symptoms, and typically died a day after I noticed unusual behaviour. I think it's important that ich is not the only deadly pathogen floating around the aquarium industry, and this is a good reason why basic quarantine is a good idea for all incoming livestock. And not all ich infestations present themselves with classic symptoms; your fish might not show typical spots until your infestation is very advanced.

At the very least, I'd set up a hospital tank while your fish are being diagnosed. A plastic bin with a powerhead, HOB, and airstone will do. Most people won't even require a heater in this hot summer weather.

 

[Jamon]

Thank you. It's good advice.

 

[Cell]

How long did you have these fish?

 

[Uncle99]

We don’t always see physical evidence of the parasites.
But those behaviors spell “ick”.

 

[Jamon]

How long did you have these fish?

A few months.

 

[Jamon]

We don’t always see physical evidence of the parasites.
But those behaviors spell “ick”.

Ugh. Last year I had ick which wiped out most of my tank, but I saw spots all over them which a tang started. Two more died today, it's probably ick. I can't QT every fish. Any way to minimize further losses or is this a lost cause and I will need to start fro with scratch? Also, do you QT every fish you buy?

 

[Uncle99]

Ugh. Last year I had ick which wiped out most of my tank, but I saw spots all over them which a tang started. Two more died today, it's probably ick. I can't QT every fish. Any way to minimize further losses or is this a lost cause and I will need to start fro with scratch? Also, do you QT every fish you buy?

If you have no corals or inverts, you can use Hyposalinity to resolve that issue in the DT.
With Corals and or inverts, you can do nothing in the DT.
You need to stop the parasite cycle or it will take every fish, one by one.
Some have tried “in tank treatments” (I have not) so no comment, but Hypo, Copper and TTM are proven very effective for ick.

Yup, I QT every fish period, however, I never pre treat them or use medications if they go in the QT fine, eat, behave, swim and otherwise look fine, no need to add any additional stress points. Feed a lot. A fed fish is a strong fish.

Good Luck.

 

[davidcalgary29]

I can't QT every fish. Any way to minimize further losses or is this a lost cause and I will need to start fro with scratch? Also, do you QT every fish you buy?

First, you can treat every fish. Wheelie bin plus powerhead, HOB filter, and airstone equals success! As long as you monitor ammonia buildup, you should be fine for a quarantine period. The TTM method minimizes treatment time, but you do have to be careful about your timings.

I think quarantining is necessary, and especially during the summer months. Aquarium infections seem to peak in both quantity and virulence during this time of the year with new fish, possibly because immune systems are weakened during transport in hot weather. My near-tank wipeout happened last August, and it was fast. I lost all fish but a goby over a period of two or three days -- most didn't even show symptoms -- and that was hard. That goby went into accelerated copper treatment, though, and pulled through.