Total fish loss

[Joe Pulliam]

I have a 30 gallon mixed reef and up until lately everything has been fine. A few days ago my flame angel died, I removed it from the tank and tested the water. All the levels were 0 or around 0 except the nitrates were at about 10. I did a water change and hoped for the best. I woke up this morning to my fiancé hollering, "all of the fish are dead."

2 clownfish, 1 lawn mower blenny and 2 cardinals. Here are my current water parameters.

Temp: 78
SG: 1.024
PH: 8.0
Ammonia: 0.25
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: >10

I really don't know what the problem is. Any ideas?

 

[ebushrow]

Is it possible that a cleaner was used on the glass or very near the tank? Are th corals still looking ok? Do the fish look like there were any parasites or issues with them? Just some initial thought to get started....so sorry to her this....it sucks...but keep your head up and lets get down to the bottom of it.

 

[Joe Pulliam]

No cleaners, I'm a stickler for that stuff. The flame angel was acting funny a couple weeks ago and was diving into the sand repeatedly and had small white spots which I assumed was Ich. I picked up metroplex and dosed the medication and everything seemed fine. My hammer coral isn't opening up much now and my Kenya tree is like half open.

 

[twilliard]

Hate to be direct with your loss but what did the gill section of the fish look like?
Was it a deep red at all?
Sorry for your losses its always a sad day when that happens.
You are showing Amonia and that concerns me

 

[Joe Pulliam]

Honestly the fish looked fine. No marks or color change and we're eating just fine. I haven't shown ammonia in the tank since the initial cycle. So I don't know if that was just from all the death at somepoint last night.

 

[twilliard]

They didn't decay so Amonia would not have a chance to build.
Odd situation but almost points to a disease that is killing more than you see.

 

[Joe Pulliam]

Okay. So what's my play here?

 

[twilliard]

Not sure, I am thinking pod death to the Amonia spike

 

[robert]

Well - if it were ich or even velvet - it would not be likely that all the fish would die at once...
Even a normal ammonia spike or bacterial bloom wouldn't kill everything overnight...at least not likely.

Whatever happened it was sudden and acute...likely something got into the system...a chemical...a cleaner...bug spray...
It didn't have to be directly added - it could have been an airborn chemical -

Did you do anything immediately before the die off? You said you did a water change - how long was it between the water change and the fish deaths?

If it were my tank - I would suck out any substrate - discard and replace it if possible - do a 100% water change and dose seachem prime at 100-200% of recommended values for the water volume and watch my remaining corals closely for a week or so...put nothing in the tank - do not feed the corals and watch your chemistry - specifically ammonia...any further spike means more stuff - on the rock work is dieing off indicating that whatever it was is still in the tank...

Watch and then decide - you may never know what happened.

 

[Mike in CT]

If all your fish are gone, maybe let it go fallow for a couple months to let any disease peter out?

 

[Tahoe61]

They all died at night? Was this an anoxic event, low oxygenation at night?

 

[4FordFamily]

Sounds like velvet to me it can wipe a tank quickly - did you add any new fish in the past month?

The oxygen comment above is also good - did your flow stop or a powerhead quit?

 

[Breakthecycle2]

My guess is velvet. Same thing happened to me.

 

[twilliard]

My guess is velvet. Same thing happened to me.

Hey! Hope all is well
I just don't see with a complete fish loss and elevated ammonia this can be connected to velvet.
Its the Amonia that doesn't make sense.

 

[Cleo642]

I believe velvet also. It moves fast.

 

[Tahoe61]

If an API test kit is used an NH3 of 0.25 is pretty common, and dead fish decaying could initiate a detectable level depending how long after the fish died that the fish were removed.

 

[Tahoe61]

I believe velvet also. It moves fast.

Do you actually have a saltwater fish tank, do you have any experience with velvet? Just curious?

 

[twilliard]

I believe velvet also. It moves fast.

Then why the Amonia spike?
He pulled the fish.
I think it is something more

Good to see you!!

 

[Breakthecycle2]

Hey! Hope all is well
I just don't see with a complete fish loss and elevated ammonia this can be connected to velvet.
Its the Amonia that doesn't make sense.

If all the fish died at once, it would boost ammonia.

 

[twilliard]

If all the fish died at once, it would boost ammonia.

From expulsion?
There would have to be a lot of fish for this to happen
But hey I am just a pest control guy! Just doesn't make logical sense.

PM'd you!