Tank Nuked! All Fish Dead

[Reef.]

While I agree with you on most of what you've said this is not true at least around where I live. The transmission lines are not insulated.

I do think there is always so kind of insulation or isolation device or we would be seeing thousands of dead birds in cites with tramways etc

 

[Gtinnel]

I do think there is always so kind of insulation or isolation device or we would be seeing thousands of dead birds in cites with tramways etc

There is not insulation on most of them. The wires going to the homes are insulated though. As for tramways, I have absolutely no idea.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hello. I came back from a 2 day leave and all my fish were randomly dead except for my one chromi. All my corals are opened and reacting normally. I did not notice any signs of disease nor were the fish acting any differently when I last saw them. I am very confused and do not know what could have killed them. Puffer fish was last to die but is it a possibility that it released its neurotoxin. Additionally, all of my inverts are alive and well. I appreciate any input. Here is the picture of my dead fish.

Tank specs:
1.5 year old
Red Sea Reefer 425 XL
Filtration: Red Sea Skimmer (oversized), mechanical filtration, carbon

Sorry for your loss. I see a lot of folks are trying to figure this out. I scanned the thread, but has anyone mentioned that if the invertebrates and corals are all fine, but the fish all (or mostly) died during an acute episode, it is virtually 100% that it was a fish disease. Otherwise, if it were toxins in the water, the corals would have been affected. The only other things that could cause this are: some ichthyotoxin, or a transient low dissolved oxygen level that killed the fish, but then, the problem resolved before the corals were affected. A power outage can do that.
I can tell you it is NOT stray voltage. My guess would be Amyloodinium (marine velvet) as that can show only as rapid breathing, and fish loss happens within 36 hours.

One thing to note though - all of the fish in the bucket have caudal fin damage except the puffer. I wonder if those fish died first and then the puffer chewed on them? I've not heard of Canthigaster puffers releasing tetrodotoxin like boxfish can, and I've worked with scores of them over the years.

Jay

 

[Reef.]

There is not insulation on most of them. The wires going to the homes are insulated though. As for tramways, I have absolutely no idea.

I have not much more of an idea than you but I know I've never walked under any electrical cabling and had to kick a load of dead birds out of the way

 

[carbasaurus]

In medicine when we are confronted with a complex diagnosis with multiple possibilities, we start with a differential list of possible causes then start ruling things out. It helps to be methodical. So what kills fish? (just brainstorming here and some are already unlikely given what was presented). Add more ideas if you think of them then start crossing out what you can

1. Ammonia
2. Nitrite
3. Pathogens (velvet would be the suspicious one do to the speed)
4. Hypoxia ( had an old jbj cube with the easily detachable surface skimmer that was knocked off one night by an urchin, the lack of surface movement caused enough hypoxia to kill a few fish by morning). Plus anyone who has gone through a long blackout knows how the fish suffer and also how they respond to tank cpr (scoop water and dump back in over and over until fish perk up or power returns)
5. Rapid pH swings
6. Rapid temperature swings
7 rapid salinity changes
8 organic toxins (puffer, cucumbers, sea apples, dinoflagellates)
9. Inorganic toxins: bleach, heavy metals, etc
10. Predation
11. Stray voltage

Some of these can (or were already ruled out) with basic testing

See if the surviving fish has evidence of infection.

Do an inventory of inverts to see if any could be toxic to fish. Include soft corals that might be stressed (lobophytum, sarcophyton, cladiella , some sinularia can be pretty toxic to fish).

Consider if you could have had a spawning event that put a sudden influx of organic and potentially toxic material in the tank. I had green star polyps spawn in the past. The red eggs went into the overflow and started breaking down in the filter sponge. Fish didn’t mind but snails started keeling over pretty quick. Sluggish ones survived when I siphoned out all the eggs and cleaned the sponge. Also have had mass synchronized bristleworm spawns in past that really clouded up the tank. Stomatella as well but not as severe

Send water for advanced testing for toxins, heavy metals. I use ATI. Several other brands just as reliable I would think

At the least , do big water change and run fresh carbon

hope this helps, and sorry about losing the fish. Really painful when that happens

 

[G Santana]

Unfortunately you may never know the underlying reason for the mass death in your tank. I just feel for you, that is one of our hobbies greatest fears.
Sorry for the loss!!!

 

[Tamberav]

What about doing a skin scrape and putting it under a scope? I would also go fallow to be on the safe side.

 

[Rick's Reviews]

Where did you gather the 'dead fish'. Was they floating about or in filters?

 

[Ro Bow]

They were all perfectly healthy when I left. Tested for ammonia already and its at zero. Already running carbon. I have a heavy CUC which ripped the dead bodies apart very quickly, I saw that with my own eyes.

so sorry!

 

[btackerman]

What filtration do you run, I saw one other had asked about this but I went through a crash about 2 years ago, I had a nitrate reactor dump sulfur in my 400. It killed almost all my fish until I was able to get oxygen back into the tank. They where very tattered trying to break the surface to get oxygen but it was my regal and a cardinal that survived. Was there an odor coming from the tank?

 

[brandon429]

always rule out ammonia issues when dealing with a post-cycle reef, there arent any that fail to control ammonia.
(if someone has eight dead fish rotting in the system thats different, but who on this whole board has that? who here has even one example of a post cycle reef that cannot control ammonia)


@Miami Reef

based on your post today, what's your inclination regarding disease issues emerging in your tank? Earlier here you seemed to rule out my offerings regarding disease preps, curious if your position has modified any since last week.


In your own tank, as it sits now with the tang spots, given a magic button that would allow you to redo a 300 gallon system with fallow and QT, would you? or do you advise not any preps, to someone who might be getting a large tank ready today for example

 

[Miami Reef]

My tang has stress spots…not diseases…any tangs can develop stress marks no matter how much you quarantine. I don’t have any comments to your question because I cannot make assumptions based on stress spots.

No fish died…I said I’ll update when something actually happens…

 

[Miami Reef]

Earlier here you seemed to rule out my offerings regarding disease preps, curious if your position has modified any since last week.

I never even responded in this thread before you tagged me just now. I also never ruled out anything you said. Why are you trying to get to respond to your statements???

 

[brandon429]

I was wondering about preps you'd recommend that's all. we're cycling some new big tanks in our non stuck cycle thread and it would be nice to hear from someone with a months old large tank on how they'd recommend preps or no preps on something that large/ uneasy to redo.

 

[Miami Reef]

I was wondering about preps you'd recommend that's all. we're cycling some new big tanks in our non stuck cycle thread and it would be nice to hear from someone with a months old large tank on how they'd recommend preps or no preps on something that large/ uneasy to redo.

If a person is able to and wants to quarantine, by all means do it. I believe people should do what they feel is the best for their circumstances. We can only be there to guide and help them. We cannot force people.

 

[MnFish1]

Hello. I came back from a 2 day leave and all my fish were randomly dead except for my one chromi. All my corals are opened and reacting normally. I did not notice any signs of disease nor were the fish acting any differently when I last saw them. I am very confused and do not know what could have killed them. Puffer fish was last to die but is it a possibility that it released its neurotoxin. Additionally, all of my inverts are alive and well. I appreciate any input. Here is the picture of my dead fish.

Tank specs:
1.5 year old
Red Sea Reefer 425 XL
Filtration: Red Sea Skimmer (oversized), mechanical filtration, carbon

Haven't read the rest of the replies - sorry - but - did you add anything new before you left? I.e. disease seems likely?

 

[MnFish1]

The only things that can kill a diverse group like that are poisons added to the tank or an extreme environment change.
I guess you Apex would have noticed a heater burn. That will do it.

Pest control. Do you rent. I could guess all day.

Something happened you are not aware of.
The fish do not look thin to me. Discoloration and missing parts mean almost nothing once they have been dead a while. Many fish pass and even bits are never found because CUCs are so efficient.

Not so sure about this - any toxin/chemical, etc that would kill fish would likely kill some inverts/corals - depending on what corals are in the tank. I suppose a power outage and Low O2 could affect fish more quickly than the inverts

 

[DrZoidburg]

I don't know if anyone said this cause its moving fast, but heater malfunction?

 

[MnFish1]

I am not a doctor of fish by any means but I second this post. This IMO would be too rapid for a disease course. Plausible for one fish especially if immunocompromised, but for all seven within two days, that to me says toxin of some nature. I cant imagine any disease wiping out an entire population in 2 days, as the disease courses generally takes some time.
So sorry for your losses =(

This is actually not too quick IME.

 

[MnFish1]

BTW - I meant to say 'sorry this happened'. A very similar thing happened in my tank some years ago. There was a power outage - perhaps for an hour (from the apex- we were on vacation) - and all the fish were dead within 2 days - the coral all survived. In that instance - it was clear that there was a parasite that 'took over' - possibly from the stress.