I always had fresh water tanks and never had problems. I started a 150 gallon saltwater fish only tank about 5 years ago. Went well for about a year untill i introduced a tang that infected my tank with ich lost all but 3 fish that i treated and seemed like all was well. Now my tank is 6 years old. Since then no problems. Just last month i lost a puffer but didn't think anything was wrong since when i looked up its life expectancy said 5 years . i figured ok old age now i wake up to a dead tang that started the whole ich thing. i have a yellow tang , a lunar wrasse a damsel and a humpback grouper left. checked my chems and nitrates where high so working on that now. Should i be worried? Do not want to lose the rest of my fishy family.
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Dr. Reef
www.drreefsquarantinedfish.com
2 dead fish in 2 days is not most likely old age but more likely disease or parasite.
When you treated fish for ich back few yrs did you let tank fallow?
How long?
How long fish were in qt?
What were they treated with?
Observation period after treatment?
When you treated fish for ich back few yrs did you let tank fallow?
How long?
How long fish were in qt?
What were they treated with?
Observation period after treatment?
HotRocks
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Welcome to R2R!
I agree with @Dr. Reef likely a disease or parasite.
How high were your nitrates when you say they were high?
4FordFamily
Tang, Angel, and Wrasse Nerd!
Agree and good question. I am highly suspecting velvet, it’s far more common and deadly than ich these days it seems..
BellaD
Community Member
Were the fish acting weird prior to passing away? (Ex. Not eating/ Not swimming around as much/ Breathing heavy) Usually there is some kind of physical signs with a disease. Than again I lost a Flame Angel as well as a freshwater angel fish with no warning and no physical marks that I could see. Sometimes fish die and it's just a mystery.
Dr. Reef
www.drreefsquarantinedfish.com
now lets not use the term WILL NOT so loosely. higher nitrate levels of 300+ can wipe 25-35% of the small fish population and much higher can kill bigger fish as well.
beaslbob
2500 Club Member
Macro algae like caulerpa increase the immune system of fish like yellow tang.
Do you have macro algaes in the system? if not they will help lower nitrates, consume ammonia first, consume co2, stabilize the system while returning oxygen and fish food.
I would consider an in tank refugium which can be just s simple egg crate partition with some added side lights.
my .02
Do you have macro algaes in the system? if not they will help lower nitrates, consume ammonia first, consume co2, stabilize the system while returning oxygen and fish food.
I would consider an in tank refugium which can be just s simple egg crate partition with some added side lights.
my .02
laverda
2500 Club Member
Ok. I should have said nitrates up to 120 will not kill fish in my experience. I have no doubt adding new fish to a tank with nitrates that high could be a stresser. Is it possible to get nitrates to 300+ without elevated ammonia and nitrite?
Dr. Reef
www.drreefsquarantinedfish.com
Very much possible in tanks with no nitrate reduction method. You have bacteria that converts ammonia to nitrite and nitrites to nitrates but if that tank doesnt havr any water changes or denitration it will continue to build up on nitrates.
Or in a ultra low nutrient system 1 can dose nitrates by accident to much higher numbers.
So its possible to get high nitrates without elevating other parameters.
Or in a ultra low nutrient system 1 can dose nitrates by accident to much higher numbers.
So its possible to get high nitrates without elevating other parameters.
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