Postmortem Royal Gramma - Low O2?

[ThiccyRiccky]

Hi all, new here and posting for the first time.

I have a 20-gallon IM Nuvo. It’s cycled and been running for almost 4 months. I slowly have been adding corals and snails.

I decided to get my first fish (2 weeks ago) (after much consideration) and started with a Royal Gramma. It was smaller and an LFS. The gramma seemed to be doing ok, it would come out during feeding and sometimes as the lights dimmed. Yesterday I did see her hanging out in her usual cave but it is toward the back of the tank so I can’t really see her too well.

This morning I went to feed and I he Gramma was no where to be found. I killed the filters to look from the top down and found her (in her usual corner) but not moving much. I waved some water in her direction and she shot up to the surface and got sucked to the filter grate.

I immediately put her in a separate container with water from the tank and spun up the heater on some fresh saltwater. Once up to temp I added the new saltwater slowly until the container was full (probably 1:3, same salinity, temp slightly higher than what she was in as the container was sitting out for a few minutes) and she moved from gasping at the top of the water to down lower in the container.

Monitored and kept slowly switching out water. I ran all my tests while she was in there and added a powerhead to help get O2 into the water.

She died within the hour. She kept breathing heavily and quickly and she began to curl which was the fatal sign to me.

Here are all the parameters at the time of discovery:

Salinity: 1.025
Temp 78.6F
pH: 8 (API)
Ammonia: 0 (Salifert)
Nitrite: 0 (API)
Nitrate: 0-5 (API)
Phosphate: 0.05 (Hanna)
Alkalinity: 145ppm (Hanna)

I noticed the Gramma was often hiding I didn’t really see her much at all unless feeding. I fed frozen mysis shrimp and flakes. I had added 2 clowns a couple days ago. This Gramma was only in the tank for about 2 weeks.

*edit: I wanted to add I’m having a bit of a bacteria bloom so I suspected low O2, but I do have flow from the 2 pumps and a 6W powerhead on the lowest setting across the top of the tank*

Notes I got a cleaner shrimp at the same time as this Gramma and he is doing great, all corals are open and happy, clowns are swimming around, snails are dispersed throughout the tank (not hanging out around the top) 2 crabs that are also still kicking.

I’m trying to figure out what happened and I know it’s likely super hard to do so. With fish just being added I want to try and prevent this moving forward. It all happened so fast too.

Here are photos postmortem.. apologies if that’s not allowed or jarring.

I see maybe some knicks on the fins? Maybe from another tank mate?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hi all, new here and posting for the first time.

I have a 20-gallon IM Nuvo. It’s cycled and been running for almost 4 months. I slowly have been adding corals and snails.

I decided to get my first fish (2 weeks ago) (after much consideration) and started with a Royal Gramma. It was smaller and an LFS. The gramma seemed to be doing ok, it would come out during feeding and sometimes as the lights dimmed. Yesterday I did see her hanging out in her usual cave but it is toward the back of the tank so I can’t really see her too well.

This morning I went to feed and I he Gramma was no where to be found. I killed the filters to look from the top down and found her (in her usual corner) but not moving much. I waved some water in her direction and she shot up to the surface and got sucked to the filter grate.

I immediately put her in a separate container with water from the tank and spun up the heater on some fresh saltwater. Once up to temp I added the new saltwater slowly until the container was full (probably 1:3, same salinity, temp slightly higher than what she was in as the container was sitting out for a few minutes) and she moved from gasping at the top of the water to down lower in the container.

Monitored and kept slowly switching out water. I ran all my tests while she was in there and added a powerhead to help get O2 into the water.

She died within the hour. She kept breathing heavily and quickly and she began to curl which was the fatal sign to me.

Here are all the parameters at the time of discovery:

Salinity: 1.025
Temp 78.6F
pH: 8 (API)
Ammonia: 0 (Salifert)
Nitrite: 0 (API)
Nitrate: 0-5 (API)
Phosphate: 0.05 (Hanna)
Alkalinity: 145ppm (Hanna)

I noticed the Gramma was often hiding I didn’t really see her much at all unless feeding. I fed frozen mysis shrimp and flakes. I had added 2 clowns a couple days ago. This Gramma was only in the tank for about 2 weeks.

*edit: I wanted to add I’m having a bit of a bacteria bloom so I suspected low O2, but I do have flow from the 2 pumps and a 6W powerhead on the lowest setting across the top of the tank*

Notes I got a cleaner shrimp at the same time as this Gramma and he is doing great, all corals are open and happy, clowns are swimming around, snails are dispersed throughout the tank (not hanging out around the top) 2 crabs that are also still kicking.

I’m trying to figure out what happened and I know it’s likely super hard to do so. With fish just being added I want to try and prevent this moving forward. It all happened so fast too.

Here are photos postmortem.. apologies if that’s not allowed or jarring.

I see maybe some knicks on the fins? Maybe from another tank mate?

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

Sorry to hear about the gramma.

What aeration does the tank have?
It could have been low oxygen, but also it could have been a gill disease.

I also see some fin damage, that must have happened before you bought the fish or the clowns did it?

 

[ThiccyRiccky]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

Sorry to hear about the gramma.

What aeration does the tank have?
It could have been low oxygen, but also it could have been a gill disease.

I also see some fin damage, that must have happened before you bought the fish or the clowns did it?

Aeration is only surface agitation, 2 filter pumps facing up and the 6W wave maker across the top (creating more surface agitation) definitely a lot of water movement on top of the water.

This is honestly my best look at the fish since putting her in, I don’t recall any tail damage before though.

And thank you! :)

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi all, new here and posting for the first time.

I have a 20-gallon IM Nuvo. It’s cycled and been running for almost 4 months. I slowly have been adding corals and snails.

I decided to get my first fish (2 weeks ago) (after much consideration) and started with a Royal Gramma. It was smaller and an LFS. The gramma seemed to be doing ok, it would come out during feeding and sometimes as the lights dimmed. Yesterday I did see her hanging out in her usual cave but it is toward the back of the tank so I can’t really see her too well.

This morning I went to feed and I he Gramma was no where to be found. I killed the filters to look from the top down and found her (in her usual corner) but not moving much. I waved some water in her direction and she shot up to the surface and got sucked to the filter grate.

I immediately put her in a separate container with water from the tank and spun up the heater on some fresh saltwater. Once up to temp I added the new saltwater slowly until the container was full (probably 1:3, same salinity, temp slightly higher than what she was in as the container was sitting out for a few minutes) and she moved from gasping at the top of the water to down lower in the container.

Monitored and kept slowly switching out water. I ran all my tests while she was in there and added a powerhead to help get O2 into the water.

She died within the hour. She kept breathing heavily and quickly and she began to curl which was the fatal sign to me.

Here are all the parameters at the time of discovery:

Salinity: 1.025
Temp 78.6F
pH: 8 (API)
Ammonia: 0 (Salifert)
Nitrite: 0 (API)
Nitrate: 0-5 (API)
Phosphate: 0.05 (Hanna)
Alkalinity: 145ppm (Hanna)

I noticed the Gramma was often hiding I didn’t really see her much at all unless feeding. I fed frozen mysis shrimp and flakes. I had added 2 clowns a couple days ago. This Gramma was only in the tank for about 2 weeks.

*edit: I wanted to add I’m having a bit of a bacteria bloom so I suspected low O2, but I do have flow from the 2 pumps and a 6W powerhead on the lowest setting across the top of the tank*

Notes I got a cleaner shrimp at the same time as this Gramma and he is doing great, all corals are open and happy, clowns are swimming around, snails are dispersed throughout the tank (not hanging out around the top) 2 crabs that are also still kicking.

I’m trying to figure out what happened and I know it’s likely super hard to do so. With fish just being added I want to try and prevent this moving forward. It all happened so fast too.

Here are photos postmortem.. apologies if that’s not allowed or jarring.

I see maybe some knicks on the fins? Maybe from another tank mate?

With the mouth open, I too suspect low oxygen with the mouth open and can be stress related or trauma from going through the overflow grates. The tail also looks ragged and I question with no other tank mates if this was pre-existing. These fish are prone to flukes and also can be a cause

 

[ThiccyRiccky]

With the mouth open, I too suspect low oxygen with the mouth open and can be stress related or trauma from going through the overflow grates. The tail also looks ragged and I question with no other tank mates if this was pre-existing. These fish are prone to flukes and also can be a cause

Sorry, to clarify 2 clowns were added days prior. They are very small but similar in size (bit smaller) there’s also a cleaner shrimp hermit crabs and snails :)

I’m suspecting low o2 but it just seems odd with how much surface agitation already existed.

I’m new to this though so I could be misleading myself.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Sorry, to clarify 2 clowns were added days prior. They are very small but similar in size (bit smaller) there’s also a cleaner shrimp hermit crabs and snails :)

I’m suspecting low o2 but it just seems odd with how much surface agitation already existed.

I’m new to this though so I could be misleading myself.

Surface agitation does not always offer adequate oxygen. Air stones are best.
Clownfish can be nasty and territorial and may have nipped tail and intimidated the gramma

 

[ThiccyRiccky]

Surface agitation does not always offer adequate oxygen. Air stones are best.
Clownfish can be nasty and territorial and may have nipped tail and intimidated the gramma

Thank you! I have one on the way and should be here tomorrow.

Until then my powerhead is up at the water line bringing in bubbles for now.

I also have a Skimmer on the way I’m hoping that will add O2 as well, even if it doesn’t help with the low bioload it will at least add bubbles :)

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Thank you! I have one on the way and should be here tomorrow.

Until then my powerhead is up at the water line bringing in bubbles for now.

I also have a Skimmer on the way I’m hoping that will add O2 as well, even if it doesn’t help with the low bioload it will at least add bubbles :)

A good skimmer almost always ensures good aeration.......