I cannot figure out what is wrong!

[wncnewbie]

I’m at a loss. My 2 clowns and 6 line wrasse have been losing energy the last few days and eating less and breathing very heavy. The clowns I’ve had 4 months the wrasse 2 months and things had previously gone very well. I just found one of the clowns dead. Yesterdays test results as follows
0 NH3
0 N02
40 N03 (high)
7.8 PH (low)
.02 phosphate
.200 magnesium
8.1 alkalinity
400 calcium
79 temp
.0124 salinity
Tank is 5 months old. Feed frozen misis, ATO pellets, flakes, roe. Dose phyto daily.
Are these numbers bad enough to kill?
The only new addition was a torch a few days ago. I dipped coral in Revive. I’m not sure what to do now. I fear the other two fish will go soon. All snails hermits and shrimp are fine and other corals (zoas and Gsp) are fine. Any ideas?

 

[blaxsun]

#fishmedic

 

[Kathy Floyd]

#fishmedic @Jay Hemdal @vetteguy53081

 

[littlefoxx]

Any new editions to the tank?

 

[wncnewbie]

Any new editions to the tank?

just the torch coral. No signs of illness on the fish such as spots flukes sores nothing

 

[vetteguy53081]

I’m at a loss. My 2 clowns and 6 line wrasse have been losing energy the last few days and eating less and breathing very heavy. The clowns I’ve had 4 months the wrasse 2 months and things had previously gone very well. I just found one of the clowns dead. Yesterdays test results as follows
0 NH3
0 N02
40 N03 (high)
7.8 PH (low)
.02 phosphate
.200 magnesium
8.1 alkalinity
400 calcium
79 temp
.0124 salinity
Tank is 5 months old. Feed frozen misis, ATO pellets, flakes, roe. Dose phyto daily.
Are these numbers bad enough to kill?
The only new addition was a torch a few days ago. I dipped coral in Revive. I’m not sure what to do now. I fear the other two fish will go soon. All snails hermits and shrimp are fine and other corals (zoas and Gsp) are fine. Any ideas?

Looking at your numbers, assuming they are accurate, they are not deadly but pointing to oxygen, what type of tank is this and what filters are you using?
I am suspecting low dissolved oxygen and possible false ammonia reading - again possible.
If overfeeding can be a contributor. If not running airstone, add one and even do a water change.
Are you using RODI water or tap water from faucet ?

 

[BigMonkeyBrain]

I’m at a loss. My 2 clowns and 6 line wrasse have been losing energy the last few days and eating less and breathing very heavy. The clowns I’ve had 4 months the wrasse 2 months and things had previously gone very well. I just found one of the clowns dead. Yesterdays test results as follows
0 NH3
0 N02
40 N03 (high)
7.8 PH (low)
.02 phosphate
.200 magnesium
8.1 alkalinity
400 calcium
79 temp
.0124 salinity
Tank is 5 months old. Feed frozen misis, ATO pellets, flakes, roe. Dose phyto daily.
Are these numbers bad enough to kill?
The only new addition was a torch a few days ago. I dipped coral in Revive. I’m not sure what to do now. I fear the other two fish will go soon. All snails hermits and shrimp are fine and other corals (zoas and Gsp) are fine. Any ideas?

You used Revive - I have heard many bad experiences and some good. I would add activated charcoal ?

With the Zoe's you will need it !


Probably happens !

 

[wncnewbie]

Looking at your numbers, assuming they are accurate, they are not deadly but pointing to oxygen, what type of tank is this and what filters are you using?
I am suspecting low dissolved oxygen and possible false ammonia reading - again possible.
If overfeeding can be a contributor. If not running airstone, add one and even do a water change.
Are you using RODI water or tap water from faucet ?

It’s a waterbox 20g with a media basket filter floss, carbon skimmer with a wave maker. I use RODI from LFS for top off

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I’m at a loss. My 2 clowns and 6 line wrasse have been losing energy the last few days and eating less and breathing very heavy. The clowns I’ve had 4 months the wrasse 2 months and things had previously gone very well. I just found one of the clowns dead. Yesterdays test results as follows
0 NH3
0 N02
40 N03 (high)
7.8 PH (low)
.02 phosphate
.200 magnesium
8.1 alkalinity
400 calcium
79 temp
.0124 salinity
Tank is 5 months old. Feed frozen misis, ATO pellets, flakes, roe. Dose phyto daily.
Are these numbers bad enough to kill?
The only new addition was a torch a few days ago. I dipped coral in Revive. I’m not sure what to do now. I fear the other two fish will go soon. All snails hermits and shrimp are fine and other corals (zoas and Gsp) are fine. Any ideas?

If the corals and invertebrates are doing well, and the tank is well aerated, this virtually always points to a fish disease.

In this case, the rapid breathing and sudden onset points to velvet (Amyloodinium). I'm sorry, but there is no treatment for this in a tank with invertebrates, you would need to have a treatment tank that could be used and dosed with copper. Another issue is that velvet kills so quickly, that once fish loss begins, treatments are usually not fast enough to stop the progression.....sorry!

As a "last ditch" effort, to buy you some time, you could try a 30 minute dip in 150 ppm household hydrogen peroxide. You would add 19 ml of 3% peroxide to one gallon of tank water, and put the clown and wrasse in it for 30 minutes. Trouble is, the fish will just get infected again when you return them to the tank, but it may buy you some time.

Jay

 

[wncnewbie]

If the corals and invertebrates are doing well, and the tank is well aerated, this virtually always points to a fish disease.

In this case, the rapid breathing and sudden onset points to velvet (Amyloodinium). I'm sorry, but there is no treatment for this in a tank with invertebrates, you would need to have a treatment tank that could be used and dosed with copper. Another issue is that velvet kills so quickly, that once fish loss begins, treatments are usually not fast enough to stop the progression.....sorry!

As a "last ditch" effort, to buy you some time, you could try a 30 minute dip in 150 ppm household hydrogen peroxide. You would add 19 ml of 3% peroxide to one gallon of tank water, and put the clown and wrasse in it for 30 minutes. Trouble is, the fish will just get infected again when you return them to the tank, but it may buy you some time.

Jay

The wrasse didn’t make it through the night. Could it have come in on the coral?

 

[brandon429]

By the coral + fish bought and installed without disease preps/ fallow and qt

Stocking the tank in this order would have likely prevented the issue, as well as fallow prep for all future additions/new corals:

Has anyone done coral/inverts only and no fish at first?

Fish seem to be the main cause of disruption in a display tank, given the current circumstances in the hobby with pests (ich, velvet, parasites, etc.). I have been in this hobby for 18 years, and the amount of pests that are showing up lately is much more (could also be the fact that we have...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Jay Hemdal]

The wrasse didn’t make it through the night. Could it have come in on the coral?

Yes - it may have arrived with the coral. In other cases, fish diseases can simmer along in a chronic fashion until the move into an acute phase for some reason.

Jay

 

[wncnewbie]

By the coral + fish bought and installed without disease preps/ fallow and qt

Stocking the tank in this order would have likely prevented the issue, as well as fallow prep for all future additions/new corals:

Has anyone done coral/inverts only and no fish at first?

Fish seem to be the main cause of disruption in a display tank, given the current circumstances in the hobby with pests (ich, velvet, parasites, etc.). I have been in this hobby for 18 years, and the amount of pests that are showing up lately is much more (could also be the fact that we have...

www.reef2reef.com

This is now the plan. I like that approach a lot!

 

[jabberwock]

Tank is 5 months old? SLOW DOWN.