Help with fish disease - 3 dead fish

[grillinwithdad]

Not even sure where to start here. I have a newer tank - wet for 3 months, and 3 of my fish just died. We were gone for 3 nights and came back to my yellow tang, white tail bristle tooth tang and coral beauty, all dead. I have 4 more fish in the tank that seem to be doing just fine - 2 clown fish, 1 wrasse and 1 fox face.

The tangs and coral beauty were all doing great before. Swimming fine, eating great, just being really good fish. The white tail and coral beauty have been in the tank for about a month. The yellow tang for about a week.

With this being a new tank, i check my parameters weekly (all seem fine) and do a 25G weekly water change. The system is about 200G (accounting for water displacement) - 170G display and 75G sump.

Salinity: 35 ppt
Amonia/Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 3.7
Phosphates: 0.2
Ph: 8.3
Alk: 10.2

I'm thinking it was some sort of disease that got them. But i'm not sure. See pics below. I only had the fish and clean up crew in the tank. No corals yet. Was taking it slow before adding anything else.

The fish have not been quarantined. I know, i know, i will start quarantining with my next fish. A hard lesson has been learned.

What do you think caused this?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Not even sure where to start here. I have a newer tank - wet for 3 months, and 3 of my fish just died. We were gone for 3 nights and came back to my yellow tang, white tail bristle tooth tang and coral beauty, all dead. I have 4 more fish in the tank that seem to be doing just fine - 2 clown fish, 1 wrasse and 1 fox face.

The tangs and coral beauty were all doing great before. Swimming fine, eating great, just being really good fish. The white tail and coral beauty have been in the tank for about a month. The yellow tang for about a week.

With this being a new tank, i check my parameters weekly (all seem fine) and do a 25G weekly water change. The system is about 200G (accounting for water displacement) - 170G display and 75G sump.

Salinity: 35 ppt
Amonia/Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 3.7
Phosphates: 0.2
Ph: 8.3
Alk: 10.2

I'm thinking it was some sort of disease that got them. But i'm not sure. See pics below. I only had the fish and clean up crew in the tank. No corals yet. Was taking it slow before adding anything else.

The fish have not been quarantined. I know, i know, i will start quarantining with my next fish. A hard lesson has been learned.

What do you think caused this?

All three fish have chewed up fins. That could be from post mortem decomposition, or feeding by CUC, however, the damage seems confined to the trailing edges of the fins- and that implies that these fish were swimming away from an attacker.

Can you post a video of the remaining fish under white lights? Hosting on YouTube often works well.

 

[grillinwithdad]

Not even sure where to start here. I have a newer tank - wet for 3 months, and 3 of my fish just died. We were gone for 3 nights and came back to my yellow tang, white tail bristle tooth tang and coral beauty, all dead. I have 4 more fish in the tank that seem to be doing just fine - 2 clown fish, 1 wrasse and 1 fox face.

The tangs and coral beauty were all doing great before. Swimming fine, eating great, just being really good fish. The white tail and coral beauty have been in the tank for about a month. The yellow tang for about a week.

With this being a new tank, i check my parameters weekly (all seem fine) and do a 25G weekly water change. The system is about 200G (accounting for water displacement) - 170G display and 75G sump.

Salinity: 35 ppt
Amonia/Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 3.7
Phosphates: 0.2
Ph: 8.3
Alk: 10.2

I'm thinking it was some sort of disease that got them. But i'm not sure. See pics below. I only had the fish and clean up crew in the tank. No corals yet. Was taking it slow before adding anything else.

The fish have not been quarantined. I know, i know, i will start quarantining with my next fish. A hard lesson has been learned.

What do you think caused this?

All three fish have chewed up fins. That could be from post mortem decomposition, or feeding by CUC, however, the damage seems confined to the trailing edges of the fins- and that implies that these fish were swimming away from an attacker.

Can you post a video of the remaining fish under white lights? Hosting on YouTube often works well.

Here you go. I couldn’t get the wrasse, it was hiding in the rocks. It’s a malanurus wrasse, same size as the fox face. Super chill and been in the tank for about a month. The coral beauty was the largest fish in the tank. Followed by the white tail and then the yellow tang.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Here you go. I couldn’t get the wrasse, it was hiding in the rocks. It’s a malanurus wrasse, same size as the fox face. Super chill and been in the tank for about a month. The coral beauty was the largest fish in the tank. Followed by the white tail and then the yellow tang.

YOUR CLOWNFISH MAY BE YOUR CULPRITS AS THEY CAN BE VERY TERRITORIAL.

 

[helmsreef]

Possibly brook? I believe with Brooklynella the fins can become damaged from the parasite and show tattered fins.

Do you clowns show any signs of sickness? I have seen it come from Clowns and spread to others and then a couple days later the Clowns will fall ill and die

 

[grillinwithdad]

Possibly brook? I believe with Brooklynella the fins can become damaged from the parasite and show tattered fins.

Do you clowns show any signs of sickness? I have seen it come from Clowns and spread to others and then a couple days later the Clowns will fall ill and die

Clowns are looking really good. Ill keep a closer eye on them the next few days. They were first in the tank and have been getting along with all the fish.

Im just not sure if i should add any medication to the tank.

 

[W31Olds]

I don't see this as aggression as your dead fish are decomposing. See if you can get some closer pics and videos of the Foxface and the Clowns. I would suspect Ich or Flukes. The clowns would be running off the Foxface if it was aggression and he looks like a Juvenile.

 

[grillinwithdad]

I don't see this as aggression as your dead fish are decomposing. See if you can get some closer pics and videos of the Foxface and the Clowns. I would suspect Ich or Flukes. The clowns would be running off the Foxface if it was aggression and he looks like a Juvenile.

After observing the foxface further, I can see a few white spots on one side only. Sorry for the crappy pic, he keeps hanging in the back of the tank. Ill try to get better ones tomorrow when I feed them