So confused: Mysterious deaths

[Longnose Hawkfish]

Hey everyone I am really confused about what happened in my reef tank. About a week and a half ago I was preparing to leave for a vacation with my family. Two days before I fed my fish a new type of food I had received from a friend. The next morning my male Red Head Solon wrasse and my female Carpenters wrasse were hiding in my rocks. I located them both breathing normal, looked normal (slightly pale but nothing to concerning.) I was kind of nervous since I was leaving in a day but there was nothing I could do so I hoped for the best. The next morning when I woke up I found my fox face sleeping in a different spot. I didn't think any of this because he sleeps oddly. Anyway I left on Monday and returned Friday. I walk in to my room and the first thing i see is my fox face dead sucked against a power head. I was furious. I found both wrasses still breathing but slightly faster. I am pretty scared at this point especially for my other fish. 5 days later my carpenters wrasse is dead. Currently about two weeks since this started my Solon wrasse is still alive but most likely on his way out. I doubt the people caring for my tank did anything normal, all they do is feed the fish and fill the tank with water. All parameters are normal. Ammonia 0, nitrate less than 1, phosphate .02, salinity 1.024, temp 80 degrees F. What's odd is that during the time of this i never noticed any true disease looking clues on my fish. ( I never got to observe my foxface cause he died when I was gone.) My two wrasse looked a little pale but other than that looked normal and fat. However their swimming habits were odd. If they came out (happened like 4 times) they would scrape the bottom of the sand and acted almost blind. They would respond to my hands and light from my flashlight. They hid all day everyday while sick or whatever it is. All my other six fish are fine, eating, and acting normal. This is a 93 gallon mixed reef. I am really nervous and plan on picking up a new fox face this week. If anyone could share some insight or offer some help that would be appreciated. If you need to know anything about my tank please ask. Thanks again.

 

[Longnose Hawkfish]

I am leading towards food poisoning. Second guess would be a mistake by the people caring for the take.

 

[Wbrian]

If it were me, I'd run a bunch of carbon after doing a significant water change. Sounds like something, possibly chemical in nature, got into your tank.

Sorry, that's a tough situation...
B.

 

[Longnose Hawkfish]

I am running carbon but don't have enough water to do an effective change.

 

[Humblefish]

If it were me, I'd run a bunch of carbon after doing a significant water change. Sounds like something, possibly chemical in nature, got into your tank.

^^This. What do you know about this food your friend gave you? I definitely wouldn't buy anymore fish until you get this figured out. Disease is also a possibility, and not all display obvious visible symptoms. When was the last livestock added to your tank?

 

[LetItReef]

Sorry for the loss. What's the PH?

 

[Longnose Hawkfish]

Sorry it's 8

 

[Longnose Hawkfish]

A firefish was the last fish about 3 weeks before. And I will not use the food anymore. I do not QT my fish but have never had a problem. It's odd though that it was directly after the new food.

 

[Humblefish]

A firefish was the last fish about 3 weeks before. And I will not use the food anymore. I do not QT my fish but have never had a problem. It's odd though that it was directly after the new food.

Has anyone else had issues after feeding with the same batch of food? All it would take is a household cleaner or roach spray being inadvertently used nearby while he was preparing it.

From a disease standpoint, it could be ich or flukes harboring inside the gills out of sight. You can confirm gill flukes (even on a recently deceased fish) by performing a FW dip (see below):

Freshwater Dip: Provides temporary relief for Brooklynella, Flukes, Marine Velvet disease (Amyloodinium); possibly even Ich & Uronema marinum (both unproven). Can be used to confirm the presence of Flukes.

How To Treat - Fill a bucket with RODI water, and use a heater to match the temperature to the water the fish is coming from. Aerate the water heavily for at least 30 minutes prior to doing the dip, then discontinue aeration while performing the dip. Fish aren’t overly pH sensitive for short durations like this, but you can squirt a little tank water into the dip just before the fish goes in to help bring it up.

Place the fish in the freshwater (FW) dip and observe closely. It is not unusual for them to freak out a little at first. Also, tangs are notorious for “playing dead” during a FW dip. The important thing is to watch their gills; they should be breathing heavily at all times during the dip. If breathing slows, it’s time to exit the dip. Dip the fish for no longer than 5 minutes. Multiple dips may be done, but it’s important to give your fish a day to recuperate in-between dips.

For flukes, use a dark (preferably black) bucket so you can see if tiny white worms fall out of the fish (especially out of the gills) at around the 3-4 minute mark. The worms will settle to the bottom, so you can use a flashlight to look for them there as well.

Pros - Provides temporary relief for a wide range of diseases in a chemical free environment. Can “buy you more time” until a proper treatment can be done.

Cons/Side Effects - Not a permanent “fix” for any disease, as FW dips are not potent enough to eradicate all of the parasites/worms afflicting the fish. Some fish can have an adverse reaction to a FW dip by appearing unable to maintain their equilibrium once returned to the aquarium. If this happens, hold the fish upright (using latex, nitrile or rubber gloves), and gently glide him through the water (to get saltwater flowing through the gills again). It is also a good idea to place the fish in an acclimation box until he appears “normal”.

 

[Pete polyp]

Is it frozen food? If so, is it possible it was thawed for a while?

 

[Humblefish]

Obviously, you don't need to worry about using RODI or temp matching/aerating the water with a recently deceased fish. Dropping the body in tap water for 10 mins is fine. But still try to use a black/dark bucket so the white flukes are easier to see.

 

[Longnose Hawkfish]

It is frozen, however he engineered it to remained unfrozen in the freezer. And I will do that when my Solon wrasse passes away. If it was a disease why would it have an outburst then? I did nothing different to my tank. But it is still a consideration. Thanks for the help

 

[Pete polyp]

So what did they use to keep it from freezing?

 

[Longnose Hawkfish]

 

[Humblefish]

It is frozen, however he engineered it to remained unfrozen in the freezer. And I will do that when my Solon wrasse passes away. If it was a disease why would it have an outburst then? I did nothing different to my tank. But it is still a consideration. Thanks for the help

The firefish from 3 weeks ago could have brought a disease in and it has taken this long for it to spread to the other fish. In rare cases (it is estimated less than 1%), certain fish can build up a natural immunity, but still serve as carriers and infect other fish. This immunity can last up to 6 months before the carrier starts to show symptoms and eventually succumbs to the disease. There is also temporary immunity to consider. This usually only lasts a few weeks, and is often the result of a fish being exposed to a non-therapeutic level of copper and a disease such as velvet is also present.

The above has all been proven with velvet; it is still only theoretical when it comes to ich, flukes, etc.

 

[Longnose Hawkfish]

So my firefish could have been a carrier, but then why would it all happen at once? It was one wave of death with no recurrences. I am not ruling out anything but I think it might be food poisoning just because last time I fed this my six line died in my nano. I thought last time it was just a freak incident but now after thinking this through I am suspecting food poisoning. By no means am I ruling the idea of a disease out. Is it even possible for a fish to die from food poison? And if this is the case would it be contagious? Thanks for the help.

 

[Humblefish]

So my firefish could have been a carrier, but then why would it all happen at once? It was one wave of death with no recurrences. I am not ruling out anything but I think it might be food poisoning just because last time I fed this my six line died in my nano. I thought last time it was just a freak incident but now after thinking this through I am suspecting food poisoning. By no means am I ruling the idea of a disease out. Is it even possible for a fish to die from food poison? And if this is the case would it be contagious? Thanks for the help.

I agree a contaminant getting into the food is the most likely explanation. How many fish have died thus far and how many do you have left?

 

[Longnose Hawkfish]

In just my 93 gallon 2 have died one is dieing and one is on it's ways out. 6 other fish completely fine. In my 14 gallon one died and one survived.

 

[Humblefish]

In just my 93 gallon 2 have died one is dieing and one is on it's ways out. 6 other fish completely fine. In my 14 gallon one died and one survived.

Gill flukes is more of a "here & there" sort of killer, and wrasses do seem to be especially susceptible. If you perform a FW dip on the next casualty and do not see any tiny white things pour out of the fish & settle to the bottom... you can rule out flukes.

 

[DLuce510]

I've had two Fox face's die on me in the past. Maybe the dead Fox face caused a ammonia spike which stressed your wrasse's. Did you notice the Fox face getting skinnier no matter how much you fed?