Chromis Prone to Heart Attacks or Sudden Death?

AtlantiCat · May 24, 2024

I've had a Barrier Reef Chromis living alone in a 40g AIO for about 3 months because the fish from my LFS never seem to survive more than a week or two.

Today, I got in a shipment of captive-breds and added three young and nowhere near full-grown fish: a Purple Firefish, an Azure Damsel, and a Royal Gramma. Together they mass about 3/4 of the Chromis.

I left the lights off most of the day so everybody could rest and acclimate. The Chromis chased everybody around a bit and then the new trio staked out a corner and the Chromis mostly left them alone.

Then, just about an hour ago, the Chromis went berserk. It started smacking into the tank glass, acting like it couldn't breathe, tried to jump out several times, and then just went belly-up. It's gone.

I have never seen the like.

I immediately tested the parameters, adding in the Ammonia test just in case, and there was no Ammonia and no other significant changes.

Literally the only thing that changed was the addition of three very small fish. Literally the only thing in the tank looking or acting distressed was the Chromis.

It was eating earlier and seemingly doing just fine. Did it have a heart attack or something?

mann1139 · May 25, 2024

Please list test parameters.

Did you quarantine the new fish?

Any signs of disease on the new fish?

Mr. Mojo Rising · May 25, 2024

Can we see a pic of the tank?
If fish don't survive more than a week or two in your tank, there is something wrong. Lets see the tank and lets help you out.

Jay Hemdal · May 25, 2024

AtlantiCat said:
I've had a Barrier Reef Chromis living alone in a 40g AIO for about 3 months because the fish from my LFS never seem to survive more than a week or two.

Today, I got in a shipment of captive-breds and added three young and nowhere near full-grown fish: a Purple Firefish, an Azure Damsel, and a Royal Gramma. Together they mass about 3/4 of the Chromis.

I left the lights off most of the day so everybody could rest and acclimate. The Chromis chased everybody around a bit and then the new trio staked out a corner and the Chromis mostly left them alone.

Then, just about an hour ago, the Chromis went berserk. It started smacking into the tank glass, acting like it couldn't breathe, tried to jump out several times, and then just went belly-up. It's gone.

I have never seen the like.

I immediately tested the parameters, adding in the Ammonia test just in case, and there was no Ammonia and no other significant changes.

Literally the only thing that changed was the addition of three very small fish. Literally the only thing in the tank looking or acting distressed was the Chromis.

It was eating earlier and seemingly doing just fine. Did it have a heart attack or something?

"Sudden Death" can occur in fish that are even sub-clinically stressed in some instances. I don't know if this is a "heart attack" per-se, but the symptoms are just as you saw.

In one case, we were using a barrier net to capture some Heniochus from a 90,000 gallon reef. A few bluestripe snappers got into the net and struggled a bit and then just up and died. The Heniochus were fine. Upon necropsy, the snappers were found to have fatty liver disease.

Jay

AtlantiCat · May 25, 2024

mann1139 said:
Please list test parameters.

Did you quarantine the new fish?

Any signs of disease on the new fish?

1. SG: 1.026, pH: 8.15, Ca: 450, Mag: 1350, Alk: 9.6, Phos: 1, Nit: 10

2. No, but they're from Dr. Reef, so they've already been in quarantine for four weeks and have been treated for disease.

3. No. Also, what disease spreads so fast that it doesn't affect the host fish but kills another fish within hours? That makes no sense.

AtlantiCat · May 25, 2024

Mr. Mojo Rising said:
Can we see a pic of the tank?
If fish don't survive more than a week or two in your tank, there is something wrong. Lets see the tank and lets help you out.

All the fish aren't dying. The Chromis was living alone in the tank for three months.

The fish from a specific LFS are the ones that have been dying. I suspect they're wild-caught because they all seem healthy and they eat just fine, but then go downhill rapidly for no apparent reason.

So I'm giving captive-bred a try and I think that will help with that issue. I just wanna know what happened to the poor Chromis.

AtlantiCat · May 25, 2024

Jay Hemdal said:
"Sudden Death" can occur in fish that are even sub-clinically stressed in some instances. I don't know if this is a "heart attack" per-se, but the symptoms are just as you saw.

In one case, we were using a barrier net to capture some Heniochus from a 90,000 gallon reef. A few bluestripe snappers got into the net and struggled a bit and then just up and died. The Heniochus were fine. Upon necropsy, the snappers were found to have fatty liver disease.

Jay

This guy was a very big eater, so I wonder if he might have had the same problem. And then simply the stress of adding some new companions was enough to send him over the edge....