Multiple Fish Flashing Suddenly - Cause Unknown

[MnFish1]

So sorry a bunch of replies came in at once! I'll just address them all generally.

I am checking my ammonia and nitrate with hanna checkers. Nitrite im just checking with an API test. I also have a seachem ammonia badge in my sump that Im checking multiple times a day. Ammonia has not been detectable since the tank move, but I had the sand and about half of the rock cycling for several weeks in the tank before doing the move.

I did add in the angelfish recently, but he went through a medicated qt before being added to the tank. I dont qt my corals though... im unsure if flukes or eggs can come in on those.

What was the medicated qt?

I normally havent been running carbon on the tank bc Ive been struggling with hlle on the yellow tang.

It's only poor quality carbon - that you shouldn't use. Of course you cant use Prazipro and carbon.

Speaking of, the charging behaviors Ive been noticing I think could be boiled down to flashing or just general agitation from itchiness. His gills still dont look that inflamed to me and I dont see any redness, but he is going back and forth this morning flashing. My basslet, which Ive also noticed last night, has not flashed this morning that Ive seen. The wrasse usually comes out around 10am or so from presumably the sand bed so I'll see how she looks then.

My water is actually pretty dirty and was so before the ostreopsis outbreak. Ime, I tend to get pop-up outbreaks anytime my microbiome is destabilized which I think a tank transfer would accomplish. Theyre slowly clearing up since adding the UV filters. I also am doing small 10% wcs either at night or when the lights initially come on for manual removal (with water dosed with nitrates/phosphates to match the tank levels). Unfortunately, Ive had several run-ins with ostreopsis over the years so this has always been the winning ticket for me.

I am including YouTube links to the videos in case anyone was unable to view the original format. Its the charging behavior from yesterday (which has now developed into more intentional flashing) and a close up of my yellow tangs gills from last night.

I think you have a couple choices:

1. Remove all the fish into a hospital tank and treat with prazipro and add carbon to remove any dinotoxins - and treat for flukes at the same Time
2. Add carbon to the existing tank if you think its dinotoxins or another toxin, and are fairly certain its not flukes (this will only help dinotoxins
3. Add Prazipro to the existing tank, if you don't think it's dinotoins, but only flukes

you could also do water changes to remove dinotoxins while adding prazipro but for a number of reasons this would be suboptimal

 

[cryingrn]

What was the medicated qt?

It's only poor quality carbon - that you shouldn't use. Of course you cant use Prazipro and carbon.

I think you have a couple choices:

1. Remove all the fish into a hospital tank and treat with prazipro and add carbon to remove any dinotoxins - and treat for flukes at the same Time
2. Add carbon to the existing tank if you think its dinotoxins or another toxin, and are fairly certain its not flukes (this will only help dinotoxins
3. Add Prazipro to the existing tank, if you don't think it's dinotoins, but only flukes

you could also do water changes to remove dinotoxins while adding prazipro but for a number of reasons this would be suboptimal

So, admittedly, my quarantine procedures are lackluster. Ive only just now learned that most flukes arent visible to the naked eye, so I was only prophylactically doing a copper power treatment and doing a fw dip before qt and after qt thinking I would catch flukes this way. *Generally* I wasnt doing anything else prophylactically (this will change)

I think flukes are the most likely cause at this point, although my dinos are probably exacerbating the issue. My goldflake has been open-mouth head shaking with bilateral fin degradation on both pectoral fins + his caudal fin. I went ahead and pulled the carbon I was using (plus polyfilter), took the collection cup off my protein skimmer, and dosed 85% the recommended dose of prazipro this morning. I dont know if the dinoflagellates are able to metabolize it, but they exploded again since using it. I figure in 72 hours when most of the prazi has been neutralized I'll continue treating dinos as I was until it's time for the next dose.

Overall, my fish dont seem too poorly affected. Water clouded up, but most of my corals are still pretty open minus euphyllia. The flashing Ive seen today has been minimal (particularly in regards to the yellow tang, who was doing it almost constantly). If I need to pull anyone individually for additional treatment, I will, but wanted to treat the DT since its relatively safe and I want to be able to move forward without them making a resurgence. The tank has been completely out of whack since the move

 

[cryingrn]

Just wanted to give a small update. I noticed almost an immed

Thank you! I did also want to add, about the juvenile goldflake angel, I have not seen this fish flash so far but he went from being very confident to jumpy and skittish overnight. Ive also noticed some erosion happening primarily on his pectoral fins, but potentially also on his caudal fin. The erosion is bilateral and seems roughly equal, although Im not seeing any redness. Im unsure if this is consistent with flukes, or if I should attempt to pull him to treat for secondary bacterial infections at this time. This is turning into quite the mess

I just wanted to give a small update. After one treatment, my fish are already doing a lot better. My yellow tang is swimming around foraging again as opposed to just hiding. The wrasse is out more. The fish are a lot less skittish and lethargic. Ive noticed no flashing past 24 hours after initial treatment. And my juvenile goldflake angelfish's fins have already mostly repaired (shocking how fast he and the rest of them recovered). For reference the above pictures were taken Sunday. The attached photos are today, so hopefully he wont have to be pulled for antibiotic treatment.

Im still having a nasty bout of dinoflagellates. I think they are just having a field day with the instability currently present in the tank. My corals are really feeling the effects of it. My anemones shriveled up, I lost several heads off a hammer colony and all of my euphyllia are extremely upset, and ive lost several acro frags. I dont think this is entirely because of the prazipro, and still feel treatment is worth the headache, but I think its just a compounding of different issues that came to a head this week. I did a 30% wc to remove as much nastiness from the water column, resumed my UV sterilization, and added back fresh carbon. I also turned down my orpheks to give the corals a chance to recover without being cooked.

I was never able to 100% confirm flukes through a fw dip, but given how quickly and thoroughly they responded to treatment Im pretty sure it was flukes. To be sure they dont come back, I am thinking of doing 3 treatments 8 days apart. I will just do my best to maintain stability and get my dino problem back under control between treatments

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Just wanted to give a small update. I noticed almost an immed


I just wanted to give a small update. After one treatment, my fish are already doing a lot better. My yellow tang is swimming around foraging again as opposed to just hiding. The wrasse is out more. The fish are a lot less skittish and lethargic. Ive noticed no flashing past 24 hours after initial treatment. And my juvenile goldflake angelfish's fins have already mostly repaired (shocking how fast he and the rest of them recovered). For reference the above pictures were taken Sunday. The attached photos are today, so hopefully he wont have to be pulled for antibiotic treatment.

Im still having a nasty bout of dinoflagellates. I think they are just having a field day with the instability currently present in the tank. My corals are really feeling the effects of it. My anemones shriveled up, I lost several heads off a hammer colony and all of my euphyllia are extremely upset, and ive lost several acro frags. I dont think this is entirely because of the prazipro, and still feel treatment is worth the headache, but I think its just a compounding of different issues that came to a head this week. I did a 30% wc to remove as much nastiness from the water column, resumed my UV sterilization, and added back fresh carbon. I also turned down my orpheks to give the corals a chance to recover without being cooked.

I was never able to 100% confirm flukes through a fw dip, but given how quickly and thoroughly they responded to treatment Im pretty sure it was flukes. To be sure they dont come back, I am thinking of doing 3 treatments 8 days apart. I will just do my best to maintain stability and get my dino problem back under control between treatments

Yes - I would go three treatments for sure, maybe even four. A 25% water change prior to subsequent treatments would help the corals….

 

[cryingrn]

Yes - I would go three treatments for sure, maybe even four. A 25% water change prior to subsequent treatments would help the corals….

Yes definitely. I did a 30% wc today and things are slowly starting to open back up. Im preparing my mixing station to do another 15% water change Saturday. And depending on how things are looking I will probably do a 10-20% water change Tuesday morning before my next dose. Right now, Im just trying to flush out as many dinos and related toxins/chemical warfare/lingering medication as possible.