Do Fish Just Get Sick Randomly?

[CastAway]

I just lost my Midas blenny on the 11th. I have a yellow tang in QT, and I just added by Starry blenny to QT today.

Can fish just get sick randomly? My best guess is the my tang has a bacterial infection of the swim bladder. It has a dark blotch internal to it's body, where I think the swim bladder would be. My best guess is that I lost my Midas to the same ailment, and it appears my Starry is exhibiting the same behavior - the blennies stopped swimming in the water column, became listless on the bottom and quit eating. The tang just swims in circles and upside down, and is growing more and more listless.

What could be happening?
What should I look at?

Params have all looked good, and been very consistent. If anything, I may have had a bit of an Alk swing not too long ago. It all seems so odd to me.
I'm treating with KanPlex. Is that enough? Something better?

 

[CastAway]

Bump.

One dead fish and two sick in QT = too much to be random.
First one fish, then another and now a third, in sequence like that = not a good prognosis for my other, seemingly healthy looking, fish.
Tank looks great and parameters are in the zone = baffles me, as I would expect sick fish if things were out of control, but they don't seem to be.
SPS & LPS are doing great, new growth, new polyps, great extension.
Snails and hermits seem fine, no losses, no strange behavior.


Testing all params again tomorrow. Sure could use some help if anyone has any ideas or advice.

 

[saltyphish]

Any new additions to livestock recently?

 

[CastAway]

Last addition was a blue tang. I've seen no real aggression, but that's not to say it's not there. Overall behavior did change when he went in. It appears very healthy, no blemishes on it's body, bright vibrant color, good appetite. It has a favorit hole in my rock, stays hidden mostly, which I though was odd behavior for that fish.

Could it be a variable in all this?
Could it have introduced something that, although not manifesting in anything in the tang itself, has affected the others?

I've though to sell it back to my LFS, if only to save it's life, incase all my fish will eventually come down with whatever this is. Better to take the loss in dollars than perpetuate a bad situation.

Thoughts?

 

[fishroomlady]

I think I might take it back given that the death and other "sickness" seemed to occur after its addition. Do you have other fish that are doing ok?

 

[mcarroll]

Sounds like all the fish are fairly new?

-Matt

 

[Paul B]

No fish rarely just get sick. They should almost never get sick and IMO it all has to do with diet. Fish need a portion of their food to be live such as worms. This will keep their immune system working to protect them from almost anything. Your parameters will have almost nothing to do with your fish health. Many of my fish are over 10 years old with some of them over 20 and they are all spawning with the exception of copperband butterflies. If you can get your fish into breeding condition through the proper food, they will never get sick.
If you have a very new tank, the fish will not be very healthy and it is even more important to get them into better health.

 

[CastAway]

I think I might take it back given that the death and other "sickness" seemed to occur after its addition. Do you have other fish that are doing ok?

Besides the blue tang, my other fish include two clowns, a sapphire damsel and a Ranfordi goby. They all appear very healthy. I did have two very small neon gobies, but I have literally not seen them since I added them. The large tank just swallowed them up it seems. I assume their dead, as I just have not seen them, but hold out a tiny bit of hope they’re both buried deep in the pukani, and will re-appear one day. I think I will try and capture the tang and sell it back to my LFS. Probably do that this weekend.

Sounds like all the fish are fairly new?

-Matt

Yeah, pretty new I guess. I mean the tank cycled completely before I added anything. I confess I did not quarantine them; acclimation only. Have I added too many too quickly?

No fish rarely just get sick. They should almost never get sick and IMO it all has to do with diet. Fish need a portion of their food to be live such as worms. This will keep their immune system working to protect them from almost anything. Your parameters will have almost nothing to do with your fish health. Many of my fish are over 10 years old with some of them over 20 and they are all spawning with the exception of copperband butterflies. If you can get your fish into breeding condition through the proper food, they will never get sick.
If you have a very new tank, the fish will not be very healthy and it is even more important to get them into better health.

I feed Ocean Nutrition Prime Reef (frozen), Ocean Nutrition Formula Two flake, Ocean Nutrition Brine Shrimp Plus flake, New Life Spectrum Small Fish Formula pellets, and AZOX. I feed the flake each day, and add the frozen maybe every other day, or less. The Ranfordi eats continually, as I have a ton of pods in the display. I’m feeding once a day, in the evening, no more than gets eaten in about five mins – the AZOX maybe twice a week once the lights go off. Is this too much? Not enough? Wrong stuff? Wrong timing?

 

[Paul B]

I would not feed any flakes or pellets. That is not a proper food to get fish into a condition where they won't get sick. The frozen food you use is OK but I would also try to get some live blackworms into those fish. All I feed is clams that I buy in a food market and freeze and live worms. Flakes and pellets don't contain the oils fish need as oil goes bad and doesn't dry well.

 

[saltyphish]

If your tank was new and you added all those fish in a short period of time that could cause another cycle since the bacteria population would not be sufficient for that bio-load. Take your time when adding new fish to any tank. Also QT is most helpful. Hate to see one sick fish wipe out all of your other fish. An illness does not happen randomly they are the result of some change in the environment. A stressed fish is more susceptible to disease. Good luck.

 

[CastAway]

I would not feed any flakes or pellets. That is not a proper food to get fish into a condition where they won't get sick. The frozen food you use is OK but I would also try to get some live blackworms into those fish. All I feed is clams that I buy in a food market and freeze and live worms. Flakes and pellets don't contain the oils fish need as oil goes bad and doesn't dry well.

Thanks Paul. I'll see what live foods my LFS's have, if any. I do have fresh frozen shrimp, and have feed it to my tank, but stopped when the first fish got ill thinking that may have been a potential cause.

If your tank was new and you added all those fish in a short period of time that could cause another cycle since the bacteria population would not be sufficient for that bio-load. Take your time when adding new fish to any tank. Also QT is most helpful. Hate to see one sick fish wipe out all of your other fish. An illness does not happen randomly they are the result of some change in the environment. A stressed fish is more susceptible to disease. Good luck.

I've tested frequently for ammonia and nitrite, even after my initial cycle and they both dropped to 0, and, I've tested frequently lately, suspecting they may be present. They are not, which is an indication to me that the bacterial load is in equilibrium with my livestock. You agree? I would not be surprised one bit, if the introduction of the blue tang added some stress, and ultimately weakened the other fish. Blue tang is going back to the LFS this weekend. Thanks Salty...

 

[Paul B]

I do have fresh frozen shrimp

Don't feed the shrimp you would eat (send them to me) Shrimp from food stores have no guts or head. Those are the parts you need so get clams. Clams are a whole animal with the guts. If clams had a head, they would be in there also but it can't fit in the shell so they designed clams with no head.
Also don't use squid tentacles or scallops as that is just the muscle of the animal.
Clams are also the cheapest food you could feed. A fifty cent chowder clam lasts me a month.

 

[mcarroll]

Don't feed the shrimp you would eat (send them to me) Shrimp from food stores have no guts or head. Those are the parts you need so get clams. Clams are a whole animal with the guts. If clams had a head, they would be in there also but it can't fit in the shell so they designed clams with no head.
Also don't use squid tentacles or scallops as that is just the muscle of the animal.
Clams are also the cheapest food you could feed. A fifty cent chowder clam lasts me a month.

+1

Dunno what your problem is tho...my clams come with the heads still attached. Try a different store?

-Matt

 

[CastAway]

Okay okay. I've had the clams at Captain D's, but that's about it. So, I get a clam or two, and then what exactly? Pry it open, scrape it out, chop it all up with a knife and freeze it in portions? I have five small fish in a 150g tank - that's a thimble full of minced fresh clam I'm guessing....

 

[Paul B]

I have no Idea what Captain Ds is and you don't chop the thing. Get yourself some chowder clams, or the biggest clams you can find. Freeze it live. Open it and shave off paper thin slices with a sharp knife. Feed this every day and throw out the rest of that food except live blackworms. That is all you need.

 

[mcarroll]

That post needs to be a sticky.

-Matt

 

[CastAway]

Clams are sticky.

 

[Paul B]

I was just going to say that. you beat me :frog:

 

[DrugMonkeyRX]

I have no Idea what Captain Ds is and you don't chop the thing. Get yourself some chowder clams, or the biggest clams you can find. Freeze it live. Open it and shave off paper thin slices with a sharp knife. Feed this every day and throw out the rest of that food except live blackworms. That is all you need.

I will def try this as well. Im also in the process of culturing some whiteworms and also growing Baby Brine shrimp.

Thanks for all the info Paul!

 

[Paul B]

Your welcome