Fish help please!!

[Marine Betta]

I just recently lost my purple fire fish randomly one morning and have been keeping a super close eye on the other tank habitants to see if anything else weird happens. Well turns out one of my clownfish looks like he’s struggling. Laying on the sand bed with extreme labored breathing. And then all of sudden they snap out of it like they were in a trance. However they still swim around normal and have been eating normally. I noticed my other female clownfish has done it once before aswell. Yellow watchman goby seems to be unaffected. I’m also having some invert dye off recently aswell. I’m not sure if they correlate but figured it could be valuable info. Also please excuse the ugly algae I’m experiencing right now. Still a semi- new tank.

Salinity - 1.026 (calibrated with Randy’s)
Ammonia- 0
Nitrite- 0
Nitrate- 5.2
Phosphate- 0.03
Ph- 7.8

I can’t see the video, but do you have dinos? Some species release toxins that can kill inverts and fish. The algae could also be potentially responsible for decreased oxygen levels.

The invert deaths and fish issues are unrelated. For example, copper leaching into the water could kill your inverts and coral. Have you tested your RO water for anything, or did you do a water change recently with water that could have been contaminated?

If it’s a parasite attacking the gills, I would suspect velvet or brook given the rapid decline of the fish. The problem is both diseases require different treatments. Copper at 2.25 ppm in a hospital tank (do not put copper in your DT with inverts) should knock out velvet, but you will need formalin baths or ruby reef rally for brook.

 

[maxs]

I’ve had a 3 nessarius snails, a couple cerith and two trochus snails die. It doesn’t show in the video however there is a good amount of flow. I have a wave maker and return pump both pointing at the surface. Had these clowns for several months with no issues. The LFS had them quarantined for several weeks however I didnt do and QT myself smh, I definitely should have. I’m also using no chemicals for the algae.

I suspect water quality issue if snails were at LFS. For a length of time

Would I have to send my water out to a specific company to test for bad water quality? I’m not too sure how to go about finding out if the water quality is bad or not.

 

[maxs]

I just recently lost my purple fire fish randomly one morning and have been keeping a super close eye on the other tank habitants to see if anything else weird happens. Well turns out one of my clownfish looks like he’s struggling. Laying on the sand bed with extreme labored breathing. And then all of sudden they snap out of it like they were in a trance. However they still swim around normal and have been eating normally. I noticed my other female clownfish has done it once before aswell. Yellow watchman goby seems to be unaffected. I’m also having some invert dye off recently aswell. I’m not sure if they correlate but figured it could be valuable info. Also please excuse the ugly algae I’m experiencing right now. Still a semi- new tank.

Salinity - 1.026 (calibrated with Randy’s)
Ammonia- 0
Nitrite- 0
Nitrate- 5.2
Phosphate- 0.03
Ph- 7.8

I can’t see the video, but do you have dinos? Some species release toxins that can kill inverts and fish. The algae could also be potentially responsible for decreased oxygen levels.

The invert deaths and fish issues are unrelated. For example, copper leaching into the water could kill your inverts and coral. Have you tested your RO water for anything, or did you do a water change recently with water that could have been contaminated?

If it’s a parasite attacking the gills, I would suspect velvet or brook given the rapid decline of the fish. The problem is both diseases require different treatments. Copper at 2.25 ppm in a hospital tank (do not put copper in your DT with inverts) should knock out velvet, but you will need formalin baths or ruby reef rally for brook.

I will be purchasing a hospital tank and all the equipment necessary when I get back home. What should I test the RO water for? Any specific test kits? I’m also going to try and bring a good sample of the algae to the LFS to see if it’s Dino’s or not.

 

[Marine Betta]

I just recently lost my purple fire fish randomly one morning and have been keeping a super close eye on the other tank habitants to see if anything else weird happens. Well turns out one of my clownfish looks like he’s struggling. Laying on the sand bed with extreme labored breathing. And then all of sudden they snap out of it like they were in a trance. However they still swim around normal and have been eating normally. I noticed my other female clownfish has done it once before aswell. Yellow watchman goby seems to be unaffected. I’m also having some invert dye off recently aswell. I’m not sure if they correlate but figured it could be valuable info. Also please excuse the ugly algae I’m experiencing right now. Still a semi- new tank.

Salinity - 1.026 (calibrated with Randy’s)
Ammonia- 0
Nitrite- 0
Nitrate- 5.2
Phosphate- 0.03
Ph- 7.8

I can’t see the video, but do you have dinos? Some species release toxins that can kill inverts and fish. The algae could also be potentially responsible for decreased oxygen levels.

The invert deaths and fish issues are unrelated. For example, copper leaching into the water could kill your inverts and coral. Have you tested your RO water for anything, or did you do a water change recently with water that could have been contaminated?

If it’s a parasite attacking the gills, I would suspect velvet or brook given the rapid decline of the fish. The problem is both diseases require different treatments. Copper at 2.25 ppm in a hospital tank (do not put copper in your DT with inverts) should knock out velvet, but you will need formalin baths or ruby reef rally for brook.

I will be purchasing a hospital tank and all the equipment necessary when I get back home. What should I test the RO water for? Any specific test kits? I’m also going to try and bring a good sample of the algae to the LFS to see if it’s Dino’s or not.

How are the fish today? Any improvement, or are they any worse? You can test for copper with a Hanna copper test. There are other copper tests, but Hanna is the most reliable.

The only way I know to test for other toxic metals would be an ICP test. The sample would be sent off to a separate facility, and you would get results back in about a week. If your RO water has a strange smell or color, it’s probably contaminated.

I’m not aware of a way to test for toxins released by dinos, but carbon, water changes, and physical and chemical removal of dinos would help remove the toxins.

If you post a picture of the algae/dino, we could see what it is exactly. If you have access to a microscope, you would also be able to get a positive ID on whatever it is. If it’s a Dino, you would also be able to determine the species. Did you use live or dry rock?

You will want to put all of your fish in the hospital tank if it’s a contagious parasite. Others may have a different opinion, but I would suspect velvet over brook right now, but that is hard to determine without seeing the fish. Additional pictures of the fish would help.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I will be purchasing a hospital tank and all the equipment necessary when I get back home. What should I test the RO water for? Any specific test kits? I’m also going to try and bring a good sample of the algae to the LFS to see if it’s Dino’s or not.

Dino best detected under a microscope and for water quality, ICP TESTING best
Please provide video of fish in question

 

[vetteguy53081]

How are the fish today? Any improvement, or are they any worse? You can test for copper with a Hanna copper test. There are other copper tests, but Hanna is the most reliable.

The only way I know to test for other toxic metals would be an ICP test. The sample would be sent off to a separate facility, and you would get results back in about a week. If your RO water has a strange smell or color, it’s probably contaminated.

I’m not aware of a way to test for toxins released by dinos, but carbon, water changes, and physical and chemical removal of dinos would help remove the toxins.

If you post a picture of the algae/dino, we could see what it is exactly. If you have access to a microscope, you would also be able to get a positive ID on whatever it is. If it’s a Dino, you would also be able to determine the species. Did you use live or dry rock?

You will want to put all of your fish in the hospital tank if it’s a contagious parasite. Others may have a different opinion, but I would suspect velvet over brook right now, but that is hard to determine without seeing the fish. Additional pictures of the fish would help.

How are the fish today? Any improvement, or are they any worse? You can test for copper with a Hanna copper test. There are other copper tests, but Hanna is the most reliable.

The only way I know to test for other toxic metals would be an ICP test. The sample would be sent off to a separate facility, and you would get results back in about a week. If your RO water has a strange smell or color, it’s probably contaminated.

I’m not aware of a way to test for toxins released by dinos, but carbon, water changes, and physical and chemical removal of dinos would help remove the toxins.

If you post a picture of the algae/dino, we could see what it is exactly. If you have access to a microscope, you would also be able to get a positive ID on whatever it is. If it’s a Dino, you would also be able to determine the species. Did you use live or dry rock?

You will want to put all of your fish in the hospital tank if it’s a contagious parasite. Others may have a different opinion, but I would suspect velvet over brook right now, but that is hard to determine without seeing the fish. Additional pictures of the fish would help.

Assessing disease without a video is second guessing and need to see symptoms before diagnosing

 

[maxs]

I just recently lost my purple fire fish randomly one morning and have been keeping a super close eye on the other tank habitants to see if anything else weird happens. Well turns out one of my clownfish looks like he’s struggling. Laying on the sand bed with extreme labored breathing. And then all of sudden they snap out of it like they were in a trance. However they still swim around normal and have been eating normally. I noticed my other female clownfish has done it once before aswell. Yellow watchman goby seems to be unaffected. I’m also having some invert dye off recently aswell. I’m not sure if they correlate but figured it could be valuable info. Also please excuse the ugly algae I’m experiencing right now. Still a semi- new tank.

Salinity - 1.026 (calibrated with Randy’s)
Ammonia- 0
Nitrite- 0
Nitrate- 5.2
Phosphate- 0.03
Ph- 7.8

I can’t see the video, but do you have dinos? Some species release toxins that can kill inverts and fish. The algae could also be potentially responsible for decreased oxygen levels.

The invert deaths and fish issues are unrelated. For example, copper leaching into the water could kill your inverts and coral. Have you tested your RO water for anything, or did you do a water change recently with water that could have been contaminated?

If it’s a parasite attacking the gills, I would suspect velvet or brook given the rapid decline of the fish. The problem is both diseases require different treatments. Copper at 2.25 ppm in a hospital tank (do not put copper in your DT with inverts) should knock out velvet, but you will need formalin baths or ruby reef rally for brook.

I will be purchasing a hospital tank and all the equipment necessary when I get back home. What should I test the RO water for? Any specific test kits? I’m also going to try and bring a good sample of the algae to the LFS to see if it’s Dino’s or not.

How are the fish today? Any improvement, or are they any worse? You can test for copper with a Hanna copper test. There are other copper tests, but Hanna is the most reliable.

The only way I know to test for other toxic metals would be an ICP test. The sample would be sent off to a separate facility, and you would get results back in about a week. If your RO water has a strange smell or color, it’s probably contaminated.

I’m not aware of a way to test for toxins released by dinos, but carbon, water changes, and physical and chemical removal of dinos would help remove the toxins.

If you post a picture of the algae/dino, we could see what it is exactly. If you have access to a microscope, you would also be able to get a positive ID on whatever it is. If it’s a Dino, you would also be able to determine the species. Did you use live or dry rock?

You will want to put all of your fish in the hospital tank if it’s a contagious parasite. Others may have a different opinion, but I would suspect velvet over brook right now, but that is hard to determine without seeing the fish. Additional pictures of the fish would help.

I’m outta town for work right now but my fiance says they still swim around and eat. She’s saying it hasn’t gotten worse or better. But every once in a while they will do the same thing. Labored breathing and belly up on the rocks or sand. I’m keeping my fingers crossed they are healthy enough for treatment when I return. But they are still alive and doing okay it seems currently. I will also get better videos when I get back but I’ll post another link for a YT video with this behavior.

 

[maxs]

I just recently lost my purple fire fish randomly one morning and have been keeping a super close eye on the other tank habitants to see if anything else weird happens. Well turns out one of my clownfish looks like he’s struggling. Laying on the sand bed with extreme labored breathing. And then all of sudden they snap out of it like they were in a trance. However they still swim around normal and have been eating normally. I noticed my other female clownfish has done it once before aswell. Yellow watchman goby seems to be unaffected. I’m also having some invert dye off recently aswell. I’m not sure if they correlate but figured it could be valuable info. Also please excuse the ugly algae I’m experiencing right now. Still a semi- new tank.

Salinity - 1.026 (calibrated with Randy’s)
Ammonia- 0
Nitrite- 0
Nitrate- 5.2
Phosphate- 0.03
Ph- 7.8

I can’t see the video, but do you have dinos? Some species release toxins that can kill inverts and fish. The algae could also be potentially responsible for decreased oxygen levels.

The invert deaths and fish issues are unrelated. For example, copper leaching into the water could kill your inverts and coral. Have you tested your RO water for anything, or did you do a water change recently with water that could have been contaminated?

If it’s a parasite attacking the gills, I would suspect velvet or brook given the rapid decline of the fish. The problem is both diseases require different treatments. Copper at 2.25 ppm in a hospital tank (do not put copper in your DT with inverts) should knock out velvet, but you will need formalin baths or ruby reef rally for brook.

I will be purchasing a hospital tank and all the equipment necessary when I get back home. What should I test the RO water for? Any specific test kits? I’m also going to try and bring a good sample of the algae to the LFS to see if it’s Dino’s or not.

How are the fish today? Any improvement, or are they any worse? You can test for copper with a Hanna copper test. There are other copper tests, but Hanna is the most reliable.

The only way I know to test for other toxic metals would be an ICP test. The sample would be sent off to a separate facility, and you would get results back in about a week. If your RO water has a strange smell or color, it’s probably contaminated.

I’m not aware of a way to test for toxins released by dinos, but carbon, water changes, and physical and chemical removal of dinos would help remove the toxins.

If you post a picture of the algae/dino, we could see what it is exactly. If you have access to a microscope, you would also be able to get a positive ID on whatever it is. If it’s a Dino, you would also be able to determine the species. Did you use live or dry rock?

You will want to put all of your fish in the hospital tank if it’s a contagious parasite. Others may have a different opinion, but I would suspect velvet over brook right now, but that is hard to determine without seeing the fish. Additional pictures of the fish would help.

I’m outta town for work right now but my fiance says they still swim around and eat. She’s saying it hasn’t gotten worse or better. But every once in a while they will do the same thing. Labored breathing and belly up on the rocks or sand. I’m keeping my fingers crossed they are healthy enough for treatment when I return. But they are still alive and doing okay it seems currently. I will also get better videos when I get back but I’ll post another link for a YT video with this behavior.

 

[maxs]

How are the fish today? Any improvement, or are they any worse? You can test for copper with a Hanna copper test. There are other copper tests, but Hanna is the most reliable.

The only way I know to test for other toxic metals would be an ICP test. The sample would be sent off to a separate facility, and you would get results back in about a week. If your RO water has a strange smell or color, it’s probably contaminated.

I’m not aware of a way to test for toxins released by dinos, but carbon, water changes, and physical and chemical removal of dinos would help remove the toxins.

If you post a picture of the algae/dino, we could see what it is exactly. If you have access to a microscope, you would also be able to get a positive ID on whatever it is. If it’s a Dino, you would also be able to determine the species. Did you use live or dry rock?

You will want to put all of your fish in the hospital tank if it’s a contagious parasite. Others may have a different opinion, but I would suspect velvet over brook right now, but that is hard to determine without seeing the fish. Additional pictures of the fish would help.

How are the fish today? Any improvement, or are they any worse? You can test for copper with a Hanna copper test. There are other copper tests, but Hanna is the most reliable.

The only way I know to test for other toxic metals would be an ICP test. The sample would be sent off to a separate facility, and you would get results back in about a week. If your RO water has a strange smell or color, it’s probably contaminated.

I’m not aware of a way to test for toxins released by dinos, but carbon, water changes, and physical and chemical removal of dinos would help remove the toxins.

If you post a picture of the algae/dino, we could see what it is exactly. If you have access to a microscope, you would also be able to get a positive ID on whatever it is. If it’s a Dino, you would also be able to determine the species. Did you use live or dry rock?

You will want to put all of your fish in the hospital tank if it’s a contagious parasite. Others may have a different opinion, but I would suspect velvet over brook right now, but that is hard to determine without seeing the fish. Additional pictures of the fish would help.

Assessing disease without a video is second guessing and need to see symptoms before diagnosing

 

[maxs]

I just recently lost my purple fire fish randomly one morning and have been keeping a super close eye on the other tank habitants to see if anything else weird happens. Well turns out one of my clownfish looks like he’s struggling. Laying on the sand bed with extreme labored breathing. And then all of sudden they snap out of it like they were in a trance. However they still swim around normal and have been eating normally. I noticed my other female clownfish has done it once before aswell. Yellow watchman goby seems to be unaffected. I’m also having some invert dye off recently aswell. I’m not sure if they correlate but figured it could be valuable info. Also please excuse the ugly algae I’m experiencing right now. Still a semi- new tank.

Salinity - 1.026 (calibrated with Randy’s)
Ammonia- 0
Nitrite- 0
Nitrate- 5.2
Phosphate- 0.03
Ph- 7.8

I can’t see the video, but do you have dinos? Some species release toxins that can kill inverts and fish. The algae could also be potentially responsible for decreased oxygen levels.

The invert deaths and fish issues are unrelated. For example, copper leaching into the water could kill your inverts and coral. Have you tested your RO water for anything, or did you do a water change recently with water that could have been contaminated?

If it’s a parasite attacking the gills, I would suspect velvet or brook given the rapid decline of the fish. The problem is both diseases require different treatments. Copper at 2.25 ppm in a hospital tank (do not put copper in your DT with inverts) should knock out velvet, but you will need formalin baths or ruby reef rally for brook.

I will be purchasing a hospital tank and all the equipment necessary when I get back home. What should I test the RO water for? Any specific test kits? I’m also going to try and bring a good sample of the algae to the LFS to see if it’s Dino’s or not.

How are the fish today? Any improvement, or are they any worse? You can test for copper with a Hanna copper test. There are other copper tests, but Hanna is the most reliable.

The only way I know to test for other toxic metals would be an ICP test. The sample would be sent off to a separate facility, and you would get results back in about a week. If your RO water has a strange smell or color, it’s probably contaminated.

I’m not aware of a way to test for toxins released by dinos, but carbon, water changes, and physical and chemical removal of dinos would help remove the toxins.

If you post a picture of the algae/dino, we could see what it is exactly. If you have access to a microscope, you would also be able to get a positive ID on whatever it is. If it’s a Dino, you would also be able to determine the species. Did you use live or dry rock?

You will want to put all of your fish in the hospital tank if it’s a contagious parasite. Others may have a different opinion, but I would suspect velvet over brook right now, but that is hard to determine without seeing the fish. Additional pictures of the fish would help.

I’m outta town for work right now but my fiance says they still swim around and eat. She’s saying it hasn’t gotten worse or better. But every once in a while they will do the same thing. Labored breathing and belly up on the rocks or sand. I’m keeping my fingers crossed they are healthy enough for treatment when I return. But they are still alive and doing okay it seems currently. I will also get better videos when I get back but I’ll post another link for a YT video with this behavior.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Unfortunately, this fish is moribund and actively dying as I dont see it swimming or eating normal going forward

 

[Marine Betta]

I just recently lost my purple fire fish randomly one morning and have been keeping a super close eye on the other tank habitants to see if anything else weird happens. Well turns out one of my clownfish looks like he’s struggling. Laying on the sand bed with extreme labored breathing. And then all of sudden they snap out of it like they were in a trance. However they still swim around normal and have been eating normally. I noticed my other female clownfish has done it once before aswell. Yellow watchman goby seems to be unaffected. I’m also having some invert dye off recently aswell. I’m not sure if they correlate but figured it could be valuable info. Also please excuse the ugly algae I’m experiencing right now. Still a semi- new tank.

Salinity - 1.026 (calibrated with Randy’s)
Ammonia- 0
Nitrite- 0
Nitrate- 5.2
Phosphate- 0.03
Ph- 7.8

I can’t see the video, but do you have dinos? Some species release toxins that can kill inverts and fish. The algae could also be potentially responsible for decreased oxygen levels.

The invert deaths and fish issues are unrelated. For example, copper leaching into the water could kill your inverts and coral. Have you tested your RO water for anything, or did you do a water change recently with water that could have been contaminated?

If it’s a parasite attacking the gills, I would suspect velvet or brook given the rapid decline of the fish. The problem is both diseases require different treatments. Copper at 2.25 ppm in a hospital tank (do not put copper in your DT with inverts) should knock out velvet, but you will need formalin baths or ruby reef rally for brook.

I will be purchasing a hospital tank and all the equipment necessary when I get back home. What should I test the RO water for? Any specific test kits? I’m also going to try and bring a good sample of the algae to the LFS to see if it’s Dino’s or not.

How are the fish today? Any improvement, or are they any worse? You can test for copper with a Hanna copper test. There are other copper tests, but Hanna is the most reliable.

The only way I know to test for other toxic metals would be an ICP test. The sample would be sent off to a separate facility, and you would get results back in about a week. If your RO water has a strange smell or color, it’s probably contaminated.

I’m not aware of a way to test for toxins released by dinos, but carbon, water changes, and physical and chemical removal of dinos would help remove the toxins.

If you post a picture of the algae/dino, we could see what it is exactly. If you have access to a microscope, you would also be able to get a positive ID on whatever it is. If it’s a Dino, you would also be able to determine the species. Did you use live or dry rock?

You will want to put all of your fish in the hospital tank if it’s a contagious parasite. Others may have a different opinion, but I would suspect velvet over brook right now, but that is hard to determine without seeing the fish. Additional pictures of the fish would help.

I’m outta town for work right now but my fiance says they still swim around and eat. She’s saying it hasn’t gotten worse or better. But every once in a while they will do the same thing. Labored breathing and belly up on the rocks or sand. I’m keeping my fingers crossed they are healthy enough for treatment when I return. But they are still alive and doing okay it seems currently. I will also get better videos when I get back but I’ll post another link for a YT video with this behavior.

Can you post a close up picture and or video under whites? I can’t tell from the video, but do you see mucus sloughing off? This would indicate brook. Do you see a fine dusting on the fish? That is a telltale sign of velvet, but the dusting doesn’t always appear with velvet. If the problem is parasitic, and the fish externally looks normal, it is more than likely velvet. In your previous thread about the sudden death of your firefish, you said the firefish looked normal before passing. If the issue is parasitic, I still believe velvet is the culprit, but close up images will help determine this.

Do the fish have constant buoyancy problems? If so, it could be a swim bladder issue (most likely bacterial). In which case, there is nothing you can do unfortunately.

Did you add the airstone? It could still be low oxygen levels or some other water quality issue like a contaminant/toxin (assuming ammonia and nitrites are 0). This would be the only scenario where the invert die off and fish issues could be related.

 

[maxs]

I just recently lost my purple fire fish randomly one morning and have been keeping a super close eye on the other tank habitants to see if anything else weird happens. Well turns out one of my clownfish looks like he’s struggling. Laying on the sand bed with extreme labored breathing. And then all of sudden they snap out of it like they were in a trance. However they still swim around normal and have been eating normally. I noticed my other female clownfish has done it once before aswell. Yellow watchman goby seems to be unaffected. I’m also having some invert dye off recently aswell. I’m not sure if they correlate but figured it could be valuable info. Also please excuse the ugly algae I’m experiencing right now. Still a semi- new tank.

Salinity - 1.026 (calibrated with Randy’s)
Ammonia- 0
Nitrite- 0
Nitrate- 5.2
Phosphate- 0.03
Ph- 7.8

I can’t see the video, but do you have dinos? Some species release toxins that can kill inverts and fish. The algae could also be potentially responsible for decreased oxygen levels.

The invert deaths and fish issues are unrelated. For example, copper leaching into the water could kill your inverts and coral. Have you tested your RO water for anything, or did you do a water change recently with water that could have been contaminated?

If it’s a parasite attacking the gills, I would suspect velvet or brook given the rapid decline of the fish. The problem is both diseases require different treatments. Copper at 2.25 ppm in a hospital tank (do not put copper in your DT with inverts) should knock out velvet, but you will need formalin baths or ruby reef rally for brook.

I will be purchasing a hospital tank and all the equipment necessary when I get back home. What should I test the RO water for? Any specific test kits? I’m also going to try and bring a good sample of the algae to the LFS to see if it’s Dino’s or not.

How are the fish today? Any improvement, or are they any worse? You can test for copper with a Hanna copper test. There are other copper tests, but Hanna is the most reliable.

The only way I know to test for other toxic metals would be an ICP test. The sample would be sent off to a separate facility, and you would get results back in about a week. If your RO water has a strange smell or color, it’s probably contaminated.

I’m not aware of a way to test for toxins released by dinos, but carbon, water changes, and physical and chemical removal of dinos would help remove the toxins.

If you post a picture of the algae/dino, we could see what it is exactly. If you have access to a microscope, you would also be able to get a positive ID on whatever it is. If it’s a Dino, you would also be able to determine the species. Did you use live or dry rock?

You will want to put all of your fish in the hospital tank if it’s a contagious parasite. Others may have a different opinion, but I would suspect velvet over brook right now, but that is hard to determine without seeing the fish. Additional pictures of the fish would help.

I’m outta town for work right now but my fiance says they still swim around and eat. She’s saying it hasn’t gotten worse or better. But every once in a while they will do the same thing. Labored breathing and belly up on the rocks or sand. I’m keeping my fingers crossed they are healthy enough for treatment when I return. But they are still alive and doing okay it seems currently. I will also get better videos when I get back but I’ll post another link for a YT video with this behavior.

Can you post a close up picture and or video under whites? I can’t tell from the video, but do you see mucus sloughing off? This would indicate brook. Do you see a fine dusting on the fish? That is a telltale sign of velvet, but the dusting doesn’t always appear with velvet. If the problem is parasitic, and the fish externally looks normal, it is more than likely velvet. In your previous thread about the sudden death of your firefish, you said the firefish looked normal before passing. If the issue is parasitic, I still believe velvet is the culprit, but close up images will help determine this.

Do the fish have constant buoyancy problems? If so, it could be a swim bladder issue (most likely bacterial). In which case, there is nothing you can do unfortunately.

Did you add the airstone? It could still be low oxygen levels or some other water quality issue like a contaminant/toxin (assuming ammonia and nitrites are 0). This would be the only scenario where the invert die off and fish issues could be related.

I just returned home from my trip and all fish are still alive! They actually look completely normal. No dusting, or sloughing. I’m not sure if they would’ve passed by now if it was velvet or brook? I’m definitely considering water quality as a main issue right now. Heading to the LFS for a big air stone and some carbon to see if it helps out. The bouncy issues/ symptoms only appear during feeding or if I take the top lid off.

 

[Marine Betta]

I just recently lost my purple fire fish randomly one morning and have been keeping a super close eye on the other tank habitants to see if anything else weird happens. Well turns out one of my clownfish looks like he’s struggling. Laying on the sand bed with extreme labored breathing. And then all of sudden they snap out of it like they were in a trance. However they still swim around normal and have been eating normally. I noticed my other female clownfish has done it once before aswell. Yellow watchman goby seems to be unaffected. I’m also having some invert dye off recently aswell. I’m not sure if they correlate but figured it could be valuable info. Also please excuse the ugly algae I’m experiencing right now. Still a semi- new tank.

Salinity - 1.026 (calibrated with Randy’s)
Ammonia- 0
Nitrite- 0
Nitrate- 5.2
Phosphate- 0.03
Ph- 7.8

I can’t see the video, but do you have dinos? Some species release toxins that can kill inverts and fish. The algae could also be potentially responsible for decreased oxygen levels.

The invert deaths and fish issues are unrelated. For example, copper leaching into the water could kill your inverts and coral. Have you tested your RO water for anything, or did you do a water change recently with water that could have been contaminated?

If it’s a parasite attacking the gills, I would suspect velvet or brook given the rapid decline of the fish. The problem is both diseases require different treatments. Copper at 2.25 ppm in a hospital tank (do not put copper in your DT with inverts) should knock out velvet, but you will need formalin baths or ruby reef rally for brook.

I will be purchasing a hospital tank and all the equipment necessary when I get back home. What should I test the RO water for? Any specific test kits? I’m also going to try and bring a good sample of the algae to the LFS to see if it’s Dino’s or not.

How are the fish today? Any improvement, or are they any worse? You can test for copper with a Hanna copper test. There are other copper tests, but Hanna is the most reliable.

The only way I know to test for other toxic metals would be an ICP test. The sample would be sent off to a separate facility, and you would get results back in about a week. If your RO water has a strange smell or color, it’s probably contaminated.

I’m not aware of a way to test for toxins released by dinos, but carbon, water changes, and physical and chemical removal of dinos would help remove the toxins.

If you post a picture of the algae/dino, we could see what it is exactly. If you have access to a microscope, you would also be able to get a positive ID on whatever it is. If it’s a Dino, you would also be able to determine the species. Did you use live or dry rock?

You will want to put all of your fish in the hospital tank if it’s a contagious parasite. Others may have a different opinion, but I would suspect velvet over brook right now, but that is hard to determine without seeing the fish. Additional pictures of the fish would help.

I’m outta town for work right now but my fiance says they still swim around and eat. She’s saying it hasn’t gotten worse or better. But every once in a while they will do the same thing. Labored breathing and belly up on the rocks or sand. I’m keeping my fingers crossed they are healthy enough for treatment when I return. But they are still alive and doing okay it seems currently. I will also get better videos when I get back but I’ll post another link for a YT video with this behavior.

Can you post a close up picture and or video under whites? I can’t tell from the video, but do you see mucus sloughing off? This would indicate brook. Do you see a fine dusting on the fish? That is a telltale sign of velvet, but the dusting doesn’t always appear with velvet. If the problem is parasitic, and the fish externally looks normal, it is more than likely velvet. In your previous thread about the sudden death of your firefish, you said the firefish looked normal before passing. If the issue is parasitic, I still believe velvet is the culprit, but close up images will help determine this.

Do the fish have constant buoyancy problems? If so, it could be a swim bladder issue (most likely bacterial). In which case, there is nothing you can do unfortunately.

Did you add the airstone? It could still be low oxygen levels or some other water quality issue like a contaminant/toxin (assuming ammonia and nitrites are 0). This would be the only scenario where the invert die off and fish issues could be related.

I just returned home from my trip and all fish are still alive! They actually look completely normal. No dusting, or sloughing. I’m not sure if they would’ve passed by now if it was velvet or brook? I’m definitely considering water quality as a main issue right now. Heading to the LFS for a big air stone and some carbon to see if it helps out. The bouncy issues/ symptoms only appear during feeding or if I take the top lid off.

How are the fish doing today? If they’re alive and have no other symptoms, I would think we can rule out most parasites (especially velvet and brook).

That’s bizarre that the symptoms only occur when you take the top lid off or feed….How long do they stay like this after the top is removed? It almost sounds like there is a rapid temperature shift, pH shift or depletion in dissolved oxygen when you remove the top. The latter seems less likely since removing the lid should increase dissolved oxygen and gas exchange. Maybe, @Randy Holmes-Farley has some ideas on this situation.

 

[maxs]

I just recently lost my purple fire fish randomly one morning and have been keeping a super close eye on the other tank habitants to see if anything else weird happens. Well turns out one of my clownfish looks like he’s struggling. Laying on the sand bed with extreme labored breathing. And then all of sudden they snap out of it like they were in a trance. However they still swim around normal and have been eating normally. I noticed my other female clownfish has done it once before aswell. Yellow watchman goby seems to be unaffected. I’m also having some invert dye off recently aswell. I’m not sure if they correlate but figured it could be valuable info. Also please excuse the ugly algae I’m experiencing right now. Still a semi- new tank.

Salinity - 1.026 (calibrated with Randy’s)
Ammonia- 0
Nitrite- 0
Nitrate- 5.2
Phosphate- 0.03
Ph- 7.8

I can’t see the video, but do you have dinos? Some species release toxins that can kill inverts and fish. The algae could also be potentially responsible for decreased oxygen levels.

The invert deaths and fish issues are unrelated. For example, copper leaching into the water could kill your inverts and coral. Have you tested your RO water for anything, or did you do a water change recently with water that could have been contaminated?

If it’s a parasite attacking the gills, I would suspect velvet or brook given the rapid decline of the fish. The problem is both diseases require different treatments. Copper at 2.25 ppm in a hospital tank (do not put copper in your DT with inverts) should knock out velvet, but you will need formalin baths or ruby reef rally for brook.

I will be purchasing a hospital tank and all the equipment necessary when I get back home. What should I test the RO water for? Any specific test kits? I’m also going to try and bring a good sample of the algae to the LFS to see if it’s Dino’s or not.

How are the fish today? Any improvement, or are they any worse? You can test for copper with a Hanna copper test. There are other copper tests, but Hanna is the most reliable.

The only way I know to test for other toxic metals would be an ICP test. The sample would be sent off to a separate facility, and you would get results back in about a week. If your RO water has a strange smell or color, it’s probably contaminated.

I’m not aware of a way to test for toxins released by dinos, but carbon, water changes, and physical and chemical removal of dinos would help remove the toxins.

If you post a picture of the algae/dino, we could see what it is exactly. If you have access to a microscope, you would also be able to get a positive ID on whatever it is. If it’s a Dino, you would also be able to determine the species. Did you use live or dry rock?

You will want to put all of your fish in the hospital tank if it’s a contagious parasite. Others may have a different opinion, but I would suspect velvet over brook right now, but that is hard to determine without seeing the fish. Additional pictures of the fish would help.

I’m outta town for work right now but my fiance says they still swim around and eat. She’s saying it hasn’t gotten worse or better. But every once in a while they will do the same thing. Labored breathing and belly up on the rocks or sand. I’m keeping my fingers crossed they are healthy enough for treatment when I return. But they are still alive and doing okay it seems currently. I will also get better videos when I get back but I’ll post another link for a YT video with this behavior.

Can you post a close up picture and or video under whites? I can’t tell from the video, but do you see mucus sloughing off? This would indicate brook. Do you see a fine dusting on the fish? That is a telltale sign of velvet, but the dusting doesn’t always appear with velvet. If the problem is parasitic, and the fish externally looks normal, it is more than likely velvet. In your previous thread about the sudden death of your firefish, you said the firefish looked normal before passing. If the issue is parasitic, I still believe velvet is the culprit, but close up images will help determine this.

Do the fish have constant buoyancy problems? If so, it could be a swim bladder issue (most likely bacterial). In which case, there is nothing you can do unfortunately.

Did you add the airstone? It could still be low oxygen levels or some other water quality issue like a contaminant/toxin (assuming ammonia and nitrites are 0). This would be the only scenario where the invert die off and fish issues could be related.

I just returned home from my trip and all fish are still alive! They actually look completely normal. No dusting, or sloughing. I’m not sure if they would’ve passed by now if it was velvet or brook? I’m definitely considering water quality as a main issue right now. Heading to the LFS for a big air stone and some carbon to see if it helps out. The bouncy issues/ symptoms only appear during feeding or if I take the top lid off.

How are the fish doing today? If they’re alive and have no other symptoms, I would think we can rule out most parasites (especially velvet and brook).

That’s bizarre that the symptoms only occur when you take the top lid off or feed….How long do they stay like this after the top is removed? It almost sounds like there is a rapid temperature shift, pH shift or depletion in dissolved oxygen when you remove the top. The latter seems less likely since removing the lid should increase dissolved oxygen and gas exchange. Maybe, @Randy Holmes-Farley has some ideas on this situation.

I noticed both fish had another “episode” rapid breathing and belly up when I cleaned the glass. I did a massive water change yesterday and added some carbon. They seem worlds happier. Even some of my mushrooms look happier. I’m chalking it up to really bad water quality/ small Dino outbreak. I got some really really bunk water from my LFS I believe. The container holding their pre-mixed saltwater was stained yellow!!! And there was chunks of crap floating around in it. Lesson learned on this one for sure. I will be biting the bullet and purchasing my own RO system. I can’t express my gratitude enough to everyone on this thread who gave their 0.02 cents!!! If anything changes i will keep this thread updated.