Fire fish died inexplicably

[soreefed]

Hello All,

i recently had a fire fish die in my tank. It was doing great then stopped eating for two days, and then became very sluggish laying on the sand bed. Once that behavior started it had died within 24 hours.

my tank is 3 months old and the fire fish had been in the ta for 2 months.
nitrates-10ppm
Phos-0ppm
Nitrites-0ppm
Ammonia-0ppm
Alk-7.8

I also have a clownfish and blenny that are doing fine as of now. The blenny has been aggressive to the clown but never seen it bother the fire fish.

I didn’t see any signs of disease before or after the death. I’ve attached a video and image of its condition prior to death just in case any disease can be identified. Any opinions



Cheers!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hello All,

i recently had a fire fish die in my tank. It was doing great then stopped eating for two days, and then became very sluggish laying on the sand bed. Once that behavior started it had died within 24 hours.

my tank is 3 months old and the fire fish had been in the ta for 2 months.
nitrates-10ppm
Phos-0ppm
Nitrites-0ppm
Ammonia-0ppm
Alk-7.8

I also have a clownfish and blenny that are doing fine as of now. The blenny has been aggressive to the clown but never seen it bother the fire fish.

I didn’t see any signs of disease before or after the death. I’ve attached a video and image of its condition prior to death just in case any disease can be identified. Any opinions



Cheers!

These fish can be sensitive to changes in water quality.
Was fish breathing normal or rapidly ?
You state Zero ammonia and 10 nitrate (dont worry about nitrite) - What test kit are you using ?
Cant see anything in video due to shimmer

 

[soreefed]

These fish can be sensitive to changes in water quality.
Was fish breathing normal or rapidly ?
You state Zero ammonia and 10 nitrate (dont worry about nitrite) - What test kit are you using ?
Cant see anything in video due to shimmer

It seemed like it was breathing more rapid than usual but not super fast like I’ve seen in some videos. Maybe 2-3 breaths a second. I uploaded a second video that might be better. Also I’m using salifert test kits

 

[vetteguy53081]

It seemed like it was breathing more rapid than usual but not super fast like I’ve seen in some videos. Maybe 2-3 breaths a second. I uploaded a second video that might be better. Also I’m using salifert test kits

Ye labored breathing but dont see anything on fish suggesting cause pointing to water

 

[soreefed]

Ye labored breathing but dont see anything on fish suggesting cause pointing to water

Ok thanks for the helpful input. I’m gunna test the water again tonight and see if I find any irregularities. If it were the water would it likely be an ammonia spike to cause this behavior? I did a water change maybe a day or two before this behavior started.

 

[MnFish1]

First - sorry for the loss of your fish. Second - I have no clue what caused the death of the filefish - it could be 1000 things. Third - the main concern to me - is your remaining fish - as well as any new fish you're adding. I.e. - If there is a parasite in the tank - this could be a repeating cycle. So - any more information - you can give would be helpful.

 

[soreefed]

First - sorry for the loss of your fish. Second - I have no clue what caused the death of the filefish - it could be 1000 things. Third - the main concern to me - is your remaining fish - as well as any new fish you're adding. I.e. - If there is a parasite in the tank - this could be a repeating cycle. So - any more information - you can give would be helpful.

Yeah my concern is my remaining fish! My salinity has been stable at 1.024-5 and I did disturb the sand bed recently which clouded the tank. Did a water change with my usual salt water from my lfs. Haven’t added a new fish since about 30 days ago. I did add a bunch of coral about 15 days ago.

i do have a freshly cycled pick tank that has literally nothing but water in it. So I could move them over but I’m hesitant to without first identifying the issue. I’m afraid the transfer will stress the fish out.