Tank crash...2.0

[mdrobc13]

So my tank Red Sea 1000G2 just crashed seriously....and now have multiple fish deaths starting earlier this week. Last fish add was a Flame Angel from Petco purchased on a Black Friday Sale ($59 price) which passed within 36hrs of adding...without QT [russian roulette of our hobby] and three Australina Strippies purchassed online retailer in Oct and healthy/doing fine. So I noticed around last Tue 12/16 my Clown Tang wave surfing in the powerhead one night as I was headed to bed but wasn't sure if he was playing or not. Then in the AM was a bit more listless and didn't eat AM feed and slowly moving and swimming. Okay...decided to check on him later when got home from work as he seemed a little pale/patchy...well by next AM he was DOA as were increasingly a number of fish over the next 48-72 hrs. All fish showed cloudy eyes and patchy skin that was less vibrant...no white spots I could see...all had torn/shredded fins too. So far have lost almost 80% of tank by today despite catching and transfering my large Purple Tang and one O. Orange Clown to my 55g QT which I quickly set back up on Fri evening 12/19 with fresh salt water from LFS after emergency run and more deaths the Thur prior. Both fish passed in QT tho...starting to ramp up QT with Copper Power...today reading still sub theraputis at 0.5 ppm...so I think they just got there too late.

Have lost two Bluejaw Trigger M-F pair, Clown Tang, Naso Tang, Hippo Tang, Bristletooth Orange fin tang, White Tail Tang, Passer Angel, Lemonpeel hybrid Orange Angel, 2 O. clowns, Melanurus wrasse, red coris wrasse, lemon meringue wrasse, and 1 of 2 nox fish! Just lost Foxface this evening also...so Yes I am heart broken. Did not think it is Ich, nor Brooklynella as clown are fine but others dying, and curious as Velvet which I've seen before it seems in EACH tank I've ever had at some point...but Velvet kills VERY fast! This IS not happening but like i said last fish added was over 3 weeks ago? Due to eye involvement thinking flukes and then secondary bacterial infections also..but unsure. Low temps 76-77 in tank and winter PH drop 7.8 where I've been trying to get tank at 8.2 forever last 60+ days seems to be the main issues and did a 40gal water change and sump maintenence in Oct also when I noted corals dying too. Yes have lost all my corals including palys and waving hands..and mushrooms. Also clean up crew too but attributed this to the Blue draws.

So not sure what is going on....other than sounds like multiple issues may be at play. Tank full reset likely IS in my future and how best to do that is also my question here? I am trying to catch my remaining 3 Australian stripies, yellow tang, timor wrasse, and 2 maron clowns which are ALL that have survived but lots of rock make it ah interesting. Setting fish trap tonight to see who I can get into QT but yes helpful advise...other than stay AWAY from PETCO for fish forever (it was a gift purchase from family member) would be helpful.

 

[mdrobc13]

 

[mdrobc13]

added pics I could take...sorry not the best quality. Also UV sterilizer coped out on me earlier this summer/fall and have Ice Cap in Sump Sterilizer on back order but it is likely the LEAST of my concern at this point. There was a total power outage last week for a few hours when I was out of town and then again last week for about 3 hrs on Wed night here in GA. Temps outside got to freezing but tank is in the living room. Not sure if that plus low PH + temps and likely sick host and loss of clean up crew contributed to perfect storm or not. Been in the hobby since 2008 so not new but this is my largest/dream set up and had gotten things to where everyone was happy and getting along so am just sad and perplexed at what this is and how to re-start things the best/right way....

Suspect 90 days fallow...large or total water change plus QT ALL fish and corals and replacement maintenance on system to include new pumps and UV. Have large Red Sea Skimmer, and monitor using Hydros system also....are some of the suggestions for my future in this hobby going forward. But yes appreciate the help...suggestions...

 

[tripdad]

Sorry for what is happening, it is never easy losing fish. The big tang playing in the powerhead stream suggest to me it was trying to get more water past its gills. Just a question but after the early deaths did you check for an an ammonia spike? Hopefully Jay will chime in here for you.

 

[BoaConservationist]

The patchy skin sloughing, cloudy eyes, shredded fins, and rapid system-wide losses point much more strongly toward velvet and/or flukes with secondary bacterial infections. Copper alone wouldn’t have addressed flukes, and velvet often kills before visible dust appears. Unfortunately once gills are compromised, even QT transfers can fail.

A fallow period for the display is going to be necessary before any rebuild- likely 8-10 weeks. - Sorry for your losses :(

hopefully a medic can chime in but thats my suspicion here. Also is there a test I need to take for the medic badge?

 

[slingfox]

Sorry for your losses. Seems absolutely devastating given the large collection of beautiful fish you had. I hope you stay in the hubby and get the tank back up and running. Strict fish quarantine protocol is the route I would go if I were you. Once the fish population gets large, the potential damage from a disease outbreak far outweighs the minimal hassle it takes to run a basic quarantine setup. I find quarantining fish somewhat entertaining.

 

[Louis Z]

When fish get velvet , they often swim into the current of the power head trying to get oxygen . Usually the parasites have covered the gills or damaged them preventing oxygen absorption. It gets worse . The more they exert themselves trying to swim against the current to get oxygen They exhaust themselves . Their body goes through anaerobic respiration with buildup of lactic acid as a byproduct of breaking down glucose under oxygen deprived tissues . . Lactic acid buildup throws the internal pH balance off and also contributes to the death . Sorry for your loss . I learned a long time ago that all fish I have bought no matter what the source goes through QT observation . In that period of time I do prophylactic treatment to remove parasites both internal and external . If velvet or ick shows up, I use appropriate treatments . My Qt HT treatments minimize mass casualties in the DT . I have fish that are over 8years old . The fish I have in QT are there for 2months or more depending upon their condition . Nothing goes in the DT without proving that they won’t crash my tank . Expensive lesson to learn . I learned the hard way many years ago . It’s far cheaper to setup a QT tank vs repurchasing a lot of new fish every time one brings in a disease or parasite .

 

[Naekuh]

My heart shattered when looking at those pics. My condolences... i honestly don't know if i could recover after a crash that big. Those are some beautiful fish, and some you may never be able to get again.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Sorry to see and behavior described points to velvet . I dont have to give a speech here but reason to quarantine. With velvet, you will see
fish will scratch body against hard objects, lethargic behavior, Loss of appetite and weight loss, Rapid, labored breathing, Fins clamped against the body, and typically stay at the surface of the water, or remain in a position where a steady flow of water is present in the aquarium.
Ich always shows spots at first. They are less visible in some species, and long term, the spots coalesce into mucus, but it is never seen in just the gills.
I recommend if any fish remaining be placed in a Quarantine tank and treated with Coppersafe or Copper Power at therapeutic level 2.25 for a FULL 30 days (do not interrupt this 30 day period) monitored with a Hanna Brand copper test kit- No API brand. Also monitor Ammonia levels while in quarantine with a reliable test kit and add aeration during treatment using an air stone. All other fish in with it should also be removed as they have also been exposed to the parasites and placed in quarantine tank.
The display tank will have to be kept fishless (FALLOW) for 6-8 weeks to assure the existing parasites go through their life cycle without a host fish and die off.
A quarantine tank can be as simple as a tank from a second hand store, a Rubbermaid type tub or a starter kit from Walmart which most of the needed essentials.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

So my tank Red Sea 1000G2 just crashed seriously....and now have multiple fish deaths starting earlier this week. Last fish add was a Flame Angel from Petco purchased on a Black Friday Sale ($59 price) which passed within 36hrs of adding...without QT [russian roulette of our hobby] and three Australina Strippies purchassed online retailer in Oct and healthy/doing fine. So I noticed around last Tue 12/16 my Clown Tang wave surfing in the powerhead one night as I was headed to bed but wasn't sure if he was playing or not. Then in the AM was a bit more listless and didn't eat AM feed and slowly moving and swimming. Okay...decided to check on him later when got home from work as he seemed a little pale/patchy...well by next AM he was DOA as were increasingly a number of fish over the next 48-72 hrs. All fish showed cloudy eyes and patchy skin that was less vibrant...no white spots I could see...all had torn/shredded fins too. So far have lost almost 80% of tank by today despite catching and transfering my large Purple Tang and one O. Orange Clown to my 55g QT which I quickly set back up on Fri evening 12/19 with fresh salt water from LFS after emergency run and more deaths the Thur prior. Both fish passed in QT tho...starting to ramp up QT with Copper Power...today reading still sub theraputis at 0.5 ppm...so I think they just got there too late.

Have lost two Bluejaw Trigger M-F pair, Clown Tang, Naso Tang, Hippo Tang, Bristletooth Orange fin tang, White Tail Tang, Passer Angel, Lemonpeel hybrid Orange Angel, 2 O. clowns, Melanurus wrasse, red coris wrasse, lemon meringue wrasse, and 1 of 2 nox fish! Just lost Foxface this evening also...so Yes I am heart broken. Did not think it is Ich, nor Brooklynella as clown are fine but others dying, and curious as Velvet which I've seen before it seems in EACH tank I've ever had at some point...but Velvet kills VERY fast! This IS not happening but like i said last fish added was over 3 weeks ago? Due to eye involvement thinking flukes and then secondary bacterial infections also..but unsure. Low temps 76-77 in tank and winter PH drop 7.8 where I've been trying to get tank at 8.2 forever last 60+ days seems to be the main issues and did a 40gal water change and sump maintenence in Oct also when I noted corals dying too. Yes have lost all my corals including palys and waving hands..and mushrooms. Also clean up crew too but attributed this to the Blue draws.

So not sure what is going on....other than sounds like multiple issues may be at play. Tank full reset likely IS in my future and how best to do that is also my question here? I am trying to catch my remaining 3 Australian stripies, yellow tang, timor wrasse, and 2 maron clowns which are ALL that have survived but lots of rock make it ah interesting. Setting fish trap tonight to see who I can get into QT but yes helpful advise...other than stay AWAY from PETCO for fish forever (it was a gift purchase from family member) would be helpful.

Sorry to hear.

I didn't hear you mention the single most important symptom of Amyloodinium/velvet - that is rapid breathing. With velvet, you see that as a first symptom. Some people miss that, but it really is pretty obvious. The time frame, as you mentioned is a bit long for velvet, so are the surviving fish.

However, the timeline is a bit faster than flukes typically show. There are three types of flukes:

Neobenedenia Flukes
These large skin flukes are the only fluke large enough to be visible after a 5-minute freshwater dip. Symptoms include tattered fins, skin lesions, and cloudy eyes. The fish may also exhibit signs of irritation such as scratching, fin twitching, or rocking in place. The severity of these symptoms depends on how advanced the infection is.

Gryrodactylus Flukes
Small skin flukes that initially show no obvious symptoms but can cause scratching or fin flicking as the infection progresses.

Dactylogyrus Flukes
These gill flukes cause swelling of the gills, rapid breathing, and scratching around the gill area or face. Sometimes the fish will be seen “coughing”.

Flukes also have greater sensitivity in some species, so it is more common to see fish survive for different lengths of time with an infection of flukes.

 

[mdrobc13]

Sorry to hear.

I didn't hear you mention the single most important symptom of Amyloodinium/velvet - that is rapid breathing. With velvet, you see that as a first symptom. Some people miss that, but it really is pretty obvious. The time frame, as you mentioned is a bit long for velvet, so are the surviving fish.

However, the timeline is a bit faster than flukes typically show. There are three types of flukes:

Neobenedenia Flukes
These large skin flukes are the only fluke large enough to be visible after a 5-minute freshwater dip. Symptoms include tattered fins, skin lesions, and cloudy eyes. The fish may also exhibit signs of irritation such as scratching, fin twitching, or rocking in place. The severity of these symptoms depends on how advanced the infection is.

Gryrodactylus Flukes
Small skin flukes that initially show no obvious symptoms but can cause scratching or fin flicking as the infection progresses.

Dactylogyrus Flukes
These gill flukes cause swelling of the gills, rapid breathing, and scratching around the gill area or face. Sometimes the fish will be seen “coughing”.

Flukes also have greater sensitivity in some species, so it is more common to see fish survive for different lengths of time with an infection of flukes.

Sorry to see and behavior described points to velvet . I dont have to give a speech here but reason to quarantine. With velvet, you will see
fish will scratch body against hard objects, lethargic behavior, Loss of appetite and weight loss, Rapid, labored breathing, Fins clamped against the body, and typically stay at the surface of the water, or remain in a position where a steady flow of water is present in the aquarium.
Ich always shows spots at first. They are less visible in some species, and long term, the spots coalesce into mucus, but it is never seen in just the gills.
I recommend if any fish remaining be placed in a Quarantine tank and treated with Coppersafe or Copper Power at therapeutic level 2.25 for a FULL 30 days (do not interrupt this 30 day period) monitored with a Hanna Brand copper test kit- No API brand. Also monitor Ammonia levels while in quarantine with a reliable test kit and add aeration during treatment using an air stone. All other fish in with it should also be removed as they have also been exposed to the parasites and placed in quarantine tank.
The display tank will have to be kept fishless (FALLOW) for 6-8 weeks to assure the existing parasites go through their life cycle without a host fish and die off.
A quarantine tank can be as simple as a tank from a second hand store, a Rubbermaid type tub or a starter kit from Walmart which most of the needed essentials.

Yes I appreciate the QT speech...gave it to myself when I saw this happening....have had velvet before and it seems like velvet in terms of pump surfing, lethargic behavior, hanging near bottoms or one position of tank...my clown tang was power surfing and hanging out near the top of the tank the night before he died and yes have seen rapid breathing too but that was when I really looked and after observing fish behaving very strange.

Unfortunately almost NO fish so far have survived except ONE so far...I was able to catch my Medium size Yellow Tang (he was one of my 1st two fish - Purple tang was other and he was DOA and got both of them at same time almost 3 yrs ago) and he is now in QT and has survived last 24 hrs. Looks a bit better than he did in the QT with less visible body injury/changes (he was starting to look like my PT in the picture) and less cloudy eyes. Also caught my large Maroon clown successfully and he two is in QT now. Only fish left are small maroon clown, timor wrasse, and 3 Australian Stripees who seem to be oblivious to whatever is going on...wierd. At least so far. QT tank is dosed with Copper Power now day too and slowly raising levels (today 0.59 ppm with Hanna Red Checker). Have full Hanna set so will be checking ammonia levels too but have one of those on glass colored warning checkers and so far is in SAFE category. Added sponge filter for aeration to QT and a small bit of stress coat and melafix to help out. QT is 55gal in our garage and consists of HOB filter, two heaters, and a sponge filter for aeration also. Had it prior but due to summer heat in GA and evaporation and being fully stocked I let it go and broke it down and drained it as it wasnt being used. Wish I had NOT done that...glad I didn't covert it to a Chiclid tank as I was thinking possibly of doing.

DT will go fallow till spring (March should be enough time) to slowly start rebuilding stock in QT for next few months 60 days+ before adding back to DT. Hopefully will have new UV in sump (Ice Cap) and new Red Sea return pump by then and able to reduce some rock work to allow more easily notice sick fish (found at least 4 DOA in one of my larger rock caves I created) and increase area for flow. At least that is the plan for now....appreciate any pointers or critique! tho!

Sorry to hear.

I didn't hear you mention the single most important symptom of Amyloodinium/velvet - that is rapid breathing. With velvet, you see that as a first symptom. Some people miss that, but it really is pretty obvious. The time frame, as you mentioned is a bit long for velvet, so are the surviving fish.

However, the timeline is a bit faster than flukes typically show. There are three types of flukes:

Neobenedenia Flukes
These large skin flukes are the only fluke large enough to be visible after a 5-minute freshwater dip. Symptoms include tattered fins, skin lesions, and cloudy eyes. The fish may also exhibit signs of irritation such as scratching, fin twitching, or rocking in place. The severity of these symptoms depends on how advanced the infection is.

Gryrodactylus Flukes
Small skin flukes that initially show no obvious symptoms but can cause scratching or fin flicking as the infection progresses.

Dactylogyrus Flukes
These gill flukes cause swelling of the gills, rapid breathing, and scratching around the gill area or face. Sometimes the fish will be seen “coughing”.

Flukes also have greater sensitivity in some species, so it is more common to see fish survive for different lengths of time with an infection of flukes.

Jay I suspect Velvet of the first N. Flukes given the lethality and how quickly everything went south. Didn't see any "coughing" but yes rapid breathing and listlessness as well as some pump surfing by the larger fish early when I noticed. Granted I was out of town 12/9 thru 12/13 arriving home late that night and didn't see serious issues till like Mon-Tue when the Clown tang started showing symptoms. As said last new fish was over Thanksgiving and died immediately 24-32 hrs after added but since it was a Flame Angel I thought probably mistakenly it was due to conflict with my Passer Angel or more likely my Golden hybrid lemonpeel (thanks again DrReefs QuarantineFish.com) so figured there was drama between the two and death or maybe my Clown Tang killed him. Maybe it wasn't that and lack of QT likely meant death was something else...this. But again Jay...long time for velvet to show up. Hope that and other post above helps. Appreciate comments by all and advice.

 

[mdrobc13]

My heart shattered when looking at those pics. My condolences... i honestly don't know if i could recover after a crash that big. Those are some beautiful fish, and some you may never be able to get again.

Yes I am major like sad and upset with myself...like dumb ***..cause I've seen this before and last 24+ mos with tank rule was NO entry unless it was a super trusted source (like one or two from LFS I'd seen alive for weeks/months and trusted their QT methods or purchased post QT like from DrReefsQT Fish) or QT'd myself in my 55g QT setup I had but broke down earlier this summer after reaching my peak occupancy. But been doing this since 2008 and will rebuild but smarter for sure! No repeats of this crap....

 

[BoaConservationist]

Yes I am major like sad and upset with myself...like dumb ***..cause I've seen this before and last 24+ mos with tank rule was NO entry unless it was a super trusted source (like one or two from LFS I'd seen alive for weeks/months and trusted their QT methods or purchased post QT like from DrReefsQT Fish) or QT'd myself in my 55g QT setup I had but broke down earlier this summer after reaching my peak occupancy. But been doing this since 2008 and will rebuild but smarter for sure! No repeats of this crap....

best way to do this is just do single sourced tanks, then if something shows up its literally nobody elses fault , granted that wont save the livestock, it will save your wallet -- when a vendor does you wrong, file a chargeback, unless they specify you are getting an un -qt fish etc, then reality is they are selling it openly in a sickly state and should be held accountable. -- the fish/corals industry is the only industry where its commonly accepted to get parasite filled animals. the only. likely because alot of vendors will try to push the blame on the buyer, due to the fine art that is reef keeping, even though the basics are undeniable

 

[vetteguy53081]

Yes I appreciate the QT speech...gave it to myself when I saw this happening....have had velvet before and it seems like velvet in terms of pump surfing, lethargic behavior, hanging near bottoms or one position of tank...my clown tang was power surfing and hanging out near the top of the tank the night before he died and yes have seen rapid breathing too but that was when I really looked and after observing fish behaving very strange.

Unfortunately almost NO fish so far have survived except ONE so far...I was able to catch my Medium size Yellow Tang (he was one of my 1st two fish - Purple tang was other and he was DOA and got both of them at same time almost 3 yrs ago) and he is now in QT and has survived last 24 hrs. Looks a bit better than he did in the QT with less visible body injury/changes (he was starting to look like my PT in the picture) and less cloudy eyes. Also caught my large Maroon clown successfully and he two is in QT now. Only fish left are small maroon clown, timor wrasse, and 3 Australian Stripees who seem to be oblivious to whatever is going on...wierd. At least so far. QT tank is dosed with Copper Power now day too and slowly raising levels (today 0.59 ppm with Hanna Red Checker). Have full Hanna set so will be checking ammonia levels too but have one of those on glass colored warning checkers and so far is in SAFE category. Added sponge filter for aeration to QT and a small bit of stress coat and melafix to help out. QT is 55gal in our garage and consists of HOB filter, two heaters, and a sponge filter for aeration also. Had it prior but due to summer heat in GA and evaporation and being fully stocked I let it go and broke it down and drained it as it wasnt being used. Wish I had NOT done that...glad I didn't covert it to a Chiclid tank as I was thinking possibly of doing.

DT will go fallow till spring (March should be enough time) to slowly start rebuilding stock in QT for next few months 60 days+ before adding back to DT. Hopefully will have new UV in sump (Ice Cap) and new Red Sea return pump by then and able to reduce some rock work to allow more easily notice sick fish (found at least 4 DOA in one of my larger rock caves I created) and increase area for flow. At least that is the plan for now....appreciate any pointers or critique! tho!

Jay I suspect Velvet of the first N. Flukes given the lethality and how quickly everything went south. Didn't see any "coughing" but yes rapid breathing and listlessness as well as some pump surfing by the larger fish early when I noticed. Granted I was out of town 12/9 thru 12/13 arriving home late that night and didn't see serious issues till like Mon-Tue when the Clown tang started showing symptoms. As said last new fish was over Thanksgiving and died immediately 24-32 hrs after added but since it was a Flame Angel I thought probably mistakenly it was due to conflict with my Passer Angel or more likely my Golden hybrid lemonpeel (thanks again DrReefs QuarantineFish.com) so figured there was drama between the two and death or maybe my Clown Tang killed him. Maybe it wasn't that and lack of QT likely meant death was something else...this. But again Jay...long time for velvet to show up. Hope that and other post above helps. Appreciate comments by all and advice.

Melafix is a tonic and simply does not work. Its teak tree oil. Stress coat is a water conditioner and does not reduce stress as name implies. Fallow plan is a good route to go

 

[Louis Z]

one or two from LFS I'd seen alive for weeks/months and trusted their QT methods

Sorry I never trust a LFS to do Qt . They neither have time or space to do qt correctly . I agree with watching the fish overtime to see if they are eating well and gaining mass . LFS bring in fish so often that the QT resets each time . They have multiple tanks connected to each other . So the diseased fish may not be in the same tank , but the water is shared amongst the tanks . Or they may be sharing nets and contaminate by moving from sick fish to disease free tanks . I really wish that more LFS would be on the forums and see what mess comes . Also wish they would know about parasites and treatment . Often they don’t carry the slew of products used to treat parasitical infections . Many LFS continue to use the same vendor over and over even though they can see the mortality rate of that vendors product .

 

[mdrobc13]

Update...I think my remaining maroon clown also has passed. He was out last two days and still super active but is so small and hard to catch due to rock works I couldn't get him. Slowed down a bit yesterday and almost got him but back into deep rocks and unable. Now no show last 24hrs. Timor wrasse is same..keeps diving into rocks and sand. Remaining fish am trying to catch...have fish trap but NONE seem to be interested in it and/or fresh mysis in it.

Good news tho...Copper Power in QT running now since last weekend and now at 1.09 ppm. Dosed again today so working to get it 1.30-1.75 ppm [suggested] AND my large maroon clown and my Yellow Tang are ALIVE now day 5 in the QT. Eating mysis slowly...now external skin damage noted or seen on the fish and the physically look better and are more active. Just wish my large Purple Tang and others could have made it...PT died on 1st day in QT as did similar size O.Clownfish as I suspect they were too far gone and the QT was NOT yet steady and stable with copper yet at appropriate levels. In any event THIS will be there new home till say March 2026 time frame when I can get DT fallow and reset.

 

[slingfox]

Update...I think my remaining maroon clown also has passed. He was out last two days and still super active but is so small and hard to catch due to rock works I couldn't get him. Slowed down a bit yesterday and almost got him but back into deep rocks and unable. Now no show last 24hrs. Timor wrasse is same..keeps diving into rocks and sand. Remaining fish am trying to catch...have fish trap but NONE seem to be interested in it and/or fresh mysis in it.

Good news tho...Copper Power in QT running now since last weekend and now at 1.09 ppm. Dosed again today so working to get it 1.30-1.75 ppm [suggested] AND my large maroon clown and my Yellow Tang are ALIVE now day 5 in the QT. Eating mysis slowly...now external skin damage noted or seen on the fish and the physically look better and are more active. Just wish my large Purple Tang and others could have made it...PT died on 1st day in QT as did similar size O.Clownfish as I suspect they were too far gone and the QT was NOT yet steady and stable with copper yet at appropriate levels. In any event THIS will be there new home till say March 2026 time frame when I can get DT fallow and reset.

I am sure one of the fish medics can weigh in but I believe it is not recommended to ramp copper. May want to check on that.

 

[mdrobc13]

I am sure one of the fish medics can weigh in but I believe it is not recommended to ramp copper. May want to check on that.

No it is a method as too much can make fish already ill eat less and be toxic. So you have to get them into a therapeutic level and then maintain it. Copper Power is non-cheleated is the term and better tolerated I have found than Cupramine and some of the other ones in the market. Fish now above 1.00 ppm and getting them up to 1.45 to 2.00 ppm is recommended. That should happen over next 48hrs...as I've dosed Copper Power about 5ml over 24 hrs to 36 hrs intervals while watching for further toxicity and resolution of some of the signs like cloudy eyes and fins and pale spots/sloughing on the fish bodies. YT looks a lot better and is swimming around tank at time although likes right side of tank which I suspect is because I have no large enough hiding places/cover like PVC in the tank for him. Need to figure that out so can decrease the intank stress more! At this point am happy he is alive...sole survivor at this point. Have lost a lot of great fish and as a YT this one is probably one of the hardest to replace if I had to given the current bans out of Hawaii.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Sincere condolences, @mdrobc13. I lost not one, but two, 150-gallon tank's worth of large, mature fish this year in an overnight double-heater disaster.

You will pull through this and regroup, I'm certain you will.

 

[Jungle Blue]

So my tank Red Sea 1000G2 just crashed seriously....and now have multiple fish deaths starting earlier this week. Last fish add was a Flame Angel from Petco purchased on a Black Friday Sale ($59 price) which passed within 36hrs of adding...without QT [russian roulette of our hobby] and three Australina Strippies purchassed online retailer in Oct and healthy/doing fine. So I noticed around last Tue 12/16 my Clown Tang wave surfing in the powerhead one night as I was headed to bed but wasn't sure if he was playing or not. Then in the AM was a bit more listless and didn't eat AM feed and slowly moving and swimming. Okay...decided to check on him later when got home from work as he seemed a little pale/patchy...well by next AM he was DOA as were increasingly a number of fish over the next 48-72 hrs. All fish showed cloudy eyes and patchy skin that was less vibrant...no white spots I could see...all had torn/shredded fins too. So far have lost almost 80% of tank by today despite catching and transfering my large Purple Tang and one O. Orange Clown to my 55g QT which I quickly set back up on Fri evening 12/19 with fresh salt water from LFS after emergency run and more deaths the Thur prior. Both fish passed in QT tho...starting to ramp up QT with Copper Power...today reading still sub theraputis at 0.5 ppm...so I think they just got there too late.

Have lost two Bluejaw Trigger M-F pair, Clown Tang, Naso Tang, Hippo Tang, Bristletooth Orange fin tang, White Tail Tang, Passer Angel, Lemonpeel hybrid Orange Angel, 2 O. clowns, Melanurus wrasse, red coris wrasse, lemon meringue wrasse, and 1 of 2 nox fish! Just lost Foxface this evening also...so Yes I am heart broken. Did not think it is Ich, nor Brooklynella as clown are fine but others dying, and curious as Velvet which I've seen before it seems in EACH tank I've ever had at some point...but Velvet kills VERY fast! This IS not happening but like i said last fish added was over 3 weeks ago? Due to eye involvement thinking flukes and then secondary bacterial infections also..but unsure. Low temps 76-77 in tank and winter PH drop 7.8 where I've been trying to get tank at 8.2 forever last 60+ days seems to be the main issues and did a 40gal water change and sump maintenence in Oct also when I noted corals dying too. Yes have lost all my corals including palys and waving hands..and mushrooms. Also clean up crew too but attributed this to the Blue draws.

So not sure what is going on....other than sounds like multiple issues may be at play. Tank full reset likely IS in my future and how best to do that is also my question here? I am trying to catch my remaining 3 Australian stripies, yellow tang, timor wrasse, and 2 maron clowns which are ALL that have survived but lots of rock make it ah interesting. Setting fish trap tonight to see who I can get into QT but yes helpful advise...other than stay AWAY from PETCO for fish forever (it was a gift purchase from family member) would be helpful.

+1 on Petco wipeouts.
I went cheap on a school of chromis to cherry my collection and surely enough, that was the batch that took down 90%.
Found a nsLFS I liked and stuck to them for all my fish now. So far so good.
Wishing well for your reset & comeback