What killed my fish?

drcole · May 12, 2016

I fed my fish this morning with no problems, everyone was eating. I returned home to find my two clowns and my blue hippo tang dead. These are the only fish I have in the tank.

I have a 55 gallon tank, 20 gallon sump and a reef octopus 110 protein skimmer. My parameters: Ammonia- 0, nitrite - 0, nitrate - 10 ppm, pH - 8.0, temp 78, salinity 1.024.

Any ideas as to what may have caused this??

redfishbluefish · May 12, 2016

How old is the tank?

How long have you had these fish? Any "new" additions?

Assuming you've had these for some time (assuming not velvet), with total death I'd be looking at voltage leak as number one.

melypr1985 · May 12, 2016

Did they show any symptoms physical or behavioral before today? White spots, a dusty or dirty appearance, flashing or scratching against rocks or sand, head twitching, yawning, white stringy poop, swimming into the flow of powerheads, hiding a lot, lethargy? Or anything else that strikes you as not normal?

When was the last thing added to the tank? Age of tank? Any chemicals used around the tank or in the same room recently?

drcole · May 12, 2016

Tank is 7 months old, fish have been in there for 3 months. Other livestock include a peppermint shrimp, sand sifting star, hermit crabs and 3 turbo snails which are all fine.

melypr1985 · May 12, 2016

drcole said:
Tank is 7 months old, fish have been in there for 3 months. Other livestock include a peppermint shrimp, sand sifting star, hermit crabs and 3 turbo snails which are all fine.

When was the last thing wet added to the tank? How long ago? What about the symptoms I listed?

drcole · May 12, 2016

Normal at feeding this morning, no new chemicals around. Last thing added was a Ricordea about 3 weeks ago

melypr1985 · May 12, 2016

You may want to check on the voltage leak that redfish mentioned. Without any symptoms at all, it's difficult to tell you what happened. It's possible for velvet to wipe out all the fish in your tank, after being carried in on a frag plug, even without showing symptoms. It would probably be best to rule out the voltage thing and anything else that might have caused it. Got kids? Would they have had the opportunity to drop something in the tank/sump? Somebody spray air fashioner near the tank without thinking?

drcole · May 12, 2016

How would I investigate a voltage leak?? No kids to drop anything in and no chemicals around the tank

melypr1985 · May 12, 2016

drcole said:
How would I investigate a voltage leak?? No kids to drop anything in and no chemicals around the tank

@redfishbluefish should be able to elaborate on that for you.

Tahoe61 · May 12, 2016

Could the power have gone off during the day?
Have you checked all pumps, heaters and skimmer for electrical damage?
Did you disturb a deep sand bed or any other anoxic area?
Was this a new container of food?

drcole · May 12, 2016

No power off that I am aware of, and clocks at home were fine so I doubt that. I haven't yet checked for electrical damage, but will do so tomorrow. My first experience with a tank and it is so disheartening

redfishbluefish · May 12, 2016

To check for voltage leak, using a multimeter set for AC volts, put one probe in your tank water and the other to a good ground (the round portion of a wall outlet). That's it. It's not unusual to find five or so volts from induced voltage.

The other way to check without using a meter......with caution if you are old or have certain medical conditions....is to put your hand in the tank while in bare feet....or better yet, touching a good ground. If you feel a tingle or blasts you away from the tank, you have a voltage leak.

Dom · May 12, 2016

drcole said:
How would I investigate a voltage leak?? No kids to drop anything in and no chemicals around the tank

I've learned a few things about voltage leaks over the last few days. Not hard to check. Using a digital multi meter set to 200 volts AC, place the ground probe (black) in the ground of the outlet as shown below...

Place the red probe in the tank and see what the readout is.

A few volts is okay, but I had 42!!! I chose to install a titanium grounding rod to deal with the voltage. Not everyone does... not opening that can of worms again! LOL

Dom · May 12, 2016

I would think that if it was illness, it would have been gradual. Whatever caused this was sudden; a malfunction of some sort. I know... is it possible that your HEATER got stuck in the on position? That could easily get your tank up to 96 degrees and kill off everything in the tank in a few hours.

redfishbluefish · May 12, 2016

Dom, great picture....I'm liking it....but with AC volts, it doesn't matter what color probe you stick in the tank or ground. Red or black, reversed or not, it doesn't matter. Good stuff.

Dom · May 12, 2016

redfishbluefish said:
Dom, great picture....I'm liking it....but with AC volts, it doesn't matter what color probe you stick in the tank or ground. Red or black, reversed or not, it doesn't matter. Good stuff.

I know... but why make assumptions?

Greenstreet.1 · May 12, 2016

Sorry about your lost always sad to hear when someone lose a fish. Quick question what did you feed and is there any chance that the food came in contact with something before you feed them ?

Humblefish · May 13, 2016

I agree with checking for a voltage leak ASAP. Anything >50V is a problem.

drcole · May 14, 2016

So I just got a voltmeter and checked, I know it's a bit delayed but the voltage was less than 1. Any other possibilities?? No new food changes, and a total fish kill. Should I change out my equipment, get a new heater??