Whole tank wiped out over night.

[ReefAtlas]

Did you recently put in regenerated purigen?

 

[Earl Coleman]

Sorry if it's been brought up or way off base, but what about temperature? The tank is outside and he said it needs a chiller. I lived in a hot area and it was a killer in just a few hours. Regards.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Just realized tank is outdoors and in India. I can suspect high temperatures, atmospheric air quality and pressures as well as high moisture leading to corrosion from tank hardware or high condensation affecting salinity. Just some thoughts

 

[Katrina71]

So very sorry

 

[Kengar]

Any organisms that can give off toxins when stressed? I feel your pain. When moving 8 years ago, I moved all livestock (including well established rock) into a well aerated and circulating 110 gallon vat of water at the new house, went back to the townhouse to break down the hardware and bring the system to the new house, and returned to 110 gallons of total death in less than two hours. Although not certain, I think the transfer into vat stressed pink and black cucumber into releasing toxins that wiped out everything.

 

[uutank]

Did you recently put in regenerated purigen?

No I did not

 

[uutank]

Sorry if it's been brought up or way off base, but what about temperature? The tank is outside and he said it needs a chiller. I lived in a hot area and it was a killer in just a few hours. Regards.

I’ve a chiller. The temperature stays at 26 degree Celsius.

 

[uutank]

Any organisms that can give off toxins when stressed? I feel your pain. When moving 8 years ago, I moved all livestock (including well established rock) into a well aerated and circulating 110 gallon vat of water at the new house, went back to the townhouse to break down the hardware and bring the system to the new house, and returned to 110 gallons of total death in less than two hours. Although not certain, I think the transfer into vat stressed pink and black cucumber into releasing toxins that wiped out everything.

No none. The livestock I had was
1. Long fin fairy wrasse
2. Blue sided wrasse
3. Evansi anthias
4. Firefish goby (couldn’t find whether alive or dead)
5. Sand sifting goby (alive)
6. False percula (alive)
7. Pistol shrimp (alive)

Corals I’ve (all healthy and happy)
1. Finger leather
2. Rhodactis mushroom
3. Hammer
4. Goniopora
5. Pineapple brain (2)
6. Cup coral
7. Clove polyp

 

[Sarah24!]

Hello,

First I’m sorry for your loss and I as well would need more info. I can say, since these died overnight and rapidly, being a medical professional, I wouldn’t suggest openly handle them unless you have protection. Rubber gloves, or even a painters mask would benefit you. As some may not realize humans are just as delicate as our fish are, please be careful that you don’t catch what they have. (Open cut on your hand possibly, scratches, breathing etc). Also finger leathers can give off a deadly toxin that can take a tank down.

Have you had any further luck in trying to find out what caused it?

 

[Lasse]

@Sarah24! Are there any special zoonoses in fish with a fast pattern you have in mind? The most known pathogens from the family Mycobacterium are normally very slow in action - both in fish and humans.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Gareth elliott]

Bit of stretch but if the algae in the tank was an HAB species it could effect the fish. Was there any Decrease in pod population? Or any snail losses?

 

[uutank]

Bit of stretch but if the algae in the tank was an HAB species it could effect the fish. Was there any Decrease in pod population? Or any snail losses?

I don’t have any snails only, one pistol shrimp, and it’s perfectly fine

 

[ReefAtlas]

I did not say it earlier, but I am really sorry for your loss.

 

[uutank]

Hello,

First I’m sorry for your loss and I as well would need more info. I can say, since these died overnight and rapidly, being a medical professional, I wouldn’t suggest openly handle them unless you have protection. Rubber gloves, or even a painters mask would benefit you. As some may not realize humans are just as delicate as our fish are, please be careful that you don’t catch what they have. (Open cut on your hand possibly, scratches, breathing etc). Also finger leathers can give off a deadly toxin that can take a tank down.

Have you had any further luck in trying to find out what caused it?

First of all thank you for your concern and also educating me on the same. Next time I’ll handle them with a glove only.

No I’ve not been able to go to the depth of this mysterious situation, first I was looking it from disease outbreak angle, specifically marine velvet. Then as fellow reefers made some really good points I was drawn towards a possible toxicity angle, from construction in my neighbour hood. I went to the construction area and have found out that indeed they are varnishing.

But then what’s strange is that sand sifter goby is perfectly fine in my tank. If toxicity would’ve been a possibility then why didn’t sand sifter, pistol shrimp(which is an invert and is highly sensitive to changes survive this toxicity).
Another thing that was bit off was how drastically my long fin fairy lost its color. I can share old and latest picture of her and you’ll see the difference. The change in color is literally huge.

AN UPDATE: I found the body of firefish goby, my hammer was munching on it for past two days, maybe poor guy died and fell on hammer. Much of its under belly was eaten.

 

[Chriskkusa]

I don't have any technical advise to offer, but I do feel your pain. I believe most of us have stories of painful setbacks, but we're still in love with the hobby. When dealing with these setbacks (and also in raising children) I remind myself that "this too shall pass." Hang in there.

 

[Chriskkusa]

I don't have any technical advise to offer, but I do feel your pain. I believe most of us have stories of painful setbacks, but we're still in love with the hobby. When dealing with these setbacks (and also in raising children) I remind myself that "this too shall pass." Hang in there.

 

[Sarah24!]

@Sarah24! Are there any special zoonoses in fish with a fast pattern you have in mind? The most known pathogens from the family Mycobacterium are normally very slow in action - both in fish and humans.

Sincerely Lasse

Hello,

In regards to mycrobacterium marinum often also related to human tb and or leprosy. Because this is a bacteria, it’s extremelly resistant to treatment and generally appears in human extremities. Normally this bacteria can actually take affect within 48 hours and stay dormant or lay dormant for up to 2 years. There have been cases where it has been studied to affect some while having weakened immune systems at any given point from 2 days to 2 years. It can enter through scratches, fish spine punctures, mouth siphoning your fish tank (sooo gross why people do that or with gasoline), even silivers on ones hand can cause the infection to enter, and there are others non related to a fish tank. Some don’t realize what they have at first because where the infected area is, it starts out kinda like a bruise it’s purple in color. If one has started said infection then it can take up to two weeks to show signs and symptoms of it. But, where some are misguided is the fact That once it enters it can lay dormant for up to two years. It also is generally the most common one seen in the fish aquarium section and or
Coastal areas etc.

Most people can be treated for it with the same medicine we use to treat human tb. For some people the treatment ranges in recovery time, but some to half can take up to one year to recover from this. Some studies have shown it can affect very quickly, and others very slowly, that it varies greatly depending on the condition of the host aka person.

 

[ALRUI]

How does one treat a tank for Brooklynella if there are still inverts in the tank (I'm guessing that my tank & fish may have suffered from this a month ago)...

 

[RajV]

Hey @uutank - couple of thoughts having read all the posts
a) Did you visit a hospital/nursinghome/clinic and perhaps handled your tank after a visit ?
b) Is there any chance someone close by may have used thinner liberally while u were away
c) Can you take you water sample and give it to a lab and get a test done similar to a urine culture ? just rule out those gram negative/ecoli/etc (this relates back to my question in a)

lastly do you dose or autodose for KH ? could it have gone the wrong way and your KH is high ? I have seen fish die overnight on high kh
out of inquisitiveness where in India are you - and do your fish come from a similar environment ?

 

[uutank]

Hey @uutank - couple of thoughts having read all the posts
a) Did you visit a hospital/nursinghome/clinic and perhaps handled your tank after a visit ?
b) Is there any chance someone close by may have used thinner liberally while u were away
c) Can you take you water sample and give it to a lab and get a test done similar to a urine culture ? just rule out those gram negative/ecoli/etc (this relates back to my question in a)

lastly do you dose or autodose for KH ? could it have gone the wrong way and your KH is high ? I have seen fish die overnight on high kh
out of inquisitiveness where in India are you - and do your fish come from a similar environment ?

1. No I did not visit any nursing home, or hospital.

2. No no one would’ve used thinner and all, but as I said my neighbour is constructing his house and they were varnishing.
But again if it’s toxicity issue then why didn’t my sand sifter and pistol shrimp die. Sand sifter and pistol is still in tank, eating and cleaning sand.

3. I don’t think so, as I don’t know any places in India who would do that for me.

4. Kh used to be at 12 but for past 2 weeks it’s at 9dkh. I don’t dose, water changes are sufficient for me. But I’m going to start dosing have ordered a autodoser, and chemical’s as per Randy’s recipe.

5. I’m from Delhi. What do you mean by similar environment? I buy fishes and corals from only one lfs whom I trust and have seen he gives nice healthy fishes.

 

[RajV]

By similar environment is your seller running at kh 12 ?