Tank wipeout

[LBReefer]

Over the past week, all of the fish in my office tank have passed. Last week I noticed that two of my anthias were unaccounted for. Over the last two days I have last two wrasses, the remaining anthiases and both my clowns. The inverts seem unaffected.

The sole survivor is my bicolor foxface.

Pictures and video below. Am I dealing with velvet? Or did the initial fish fatalities lead to an ammonia spike? I am bringing my test kits to the office this am to check our parameters.

Am I look at ammonia burn or a disease?

My two smallish btas are also missing? Could they have nuked the tank?

 

[Big G]

The last photo looks like a pretty heavy "dusting" and spots. You may be dealing with velvet. Anything new that was "wet" added to the tank lately?

 

[Mical]

I suspect BTAs nuked tank.

 

[tastyfish]

I'm sorry to hear this. Assuming water quality is fine, I'd strongly suspect velvet, especially given the timescales and last picture.

Any behavioural clues prior (rapid gill movement, hiding from light, sitting in front of powerheads)?

The foxface looks like it has very advanced velvet or another protozoan parasite and I'm sorry to say, but I would be surprised if he survives, even with treatment, which would be copper or chloroquine based medication in a hospital tank. You can give a 5 minute freshwater/acriflavine dip to relieve some of the parasites, but I'm not confident the fish would survive, either way.

 

[Frtdrmrose7]

I suspect BTAs nuked tank.

Unfortunately I would agree with the above and a velvet diagnosis.

 

[LBReefer]

I was thinking the same. I was quite surprised to see him alive this am.

I was trying to think of anything that was recently added, but have not come up with anything. I added a dottyback a little over a month ago.

I had a yellow eye tang that started losing color a week prior to this incident. I had finally setup the hospital tank and brought in boxes to remove the rockwork, when everything started dying off.

I just discovered that my yellow watchmen goby survived the massacre. Getting him out is going to require some major engineering. He and his pistol shrimp buddy have quite the labyrinth going.

 

[LBReefer]

Eek, I was afraid of all of the above. I was quite frankly shocked to see that the foxface alive this am.

I added a dottyback about two months ago and noticed my yellow eye tang losing color a few weeks ago.

I just noticed that my yellow watchman goby survived the massacre. Getting him out is going to take a minor act of god, he and his pistol shrimp buddy have created quite the labyrinth.

 

[Big G]

The slime coat on a Foxface helps them a lot to resist parasites.

 

[tastyfish]

The slime coat on a Foxface helps them a lot to resist parasites.

Unfortunately the damage and what causes mortality is the parasites on the gills that you can’t see. :(

Eek, I was afraid of all of the above. I was quite frankly shocked to see that the foxface alive this am.

I added a dottyback about two months ago and noticed my yellow eye tang losing color a few weeks ago.

I just noticed that my yellow watchman goby survived the massacre. Getting him out is going to take a minor act of god, he and his pistol shrimp buddy have created quite the labyrinth.

Yeah, the parasite goes through some life cycles without showing obvious external signs until it reaches a critical population. Unfortunately, by then it’s already causing significant gill damage.

It also has the look of brook about it, so I’d say protozoan at this stage.

Try a bottle trap for the goby, or remove all the rock and have lots of hands with nets! You need to get all fish out and into treatment as even if they don’t show signs/survive, they will be carriers of the parasite and you will have further wipeouts when you restock.

 

[Hemmdog]

Unfortunately the damage and what causes mortality is the parasites on the gills that you can’t see. :(



Yeah, the parasite goes through some life cycles without showing obvious external signs until it reaches a critical population. Unfortunately, by then it’s already causing significant gill damage.

It also has the look of brook about it, so I’d say protozoan at this stage.

Try a bottle trap for the goby, or remove all the rock and have lots of hands with nets! You need to get all fish out and into treatment as even if they don’t show signs/survive, they will be carriers of the parasite and you will have further wipeouts when you restock.

I was going to say brook as well. Very sorry for your losses :(

 

[LBReefer]

Good/bad news, the YWG did in fact survive. He must have put in some quality time with Keith Richards.

Now I am trying to figure out how to get him out. I will start with the bottle trap, but I see a lot of rock moving and splashing water in my future. He disappeared pretty quickly when I tried to net him today.

I will put together a new (re)build thread and keep you all informed.

Thank you for all of your support!

 

[cdare99]

Any tips I’m going through the exact same thing right know. I am down to a quoyi parrotfish and 2 chromis. The quoyi is in the hospital tank and is in even worse health than what your foxface was. I just started copper but feel it won’t be enough he’s also hasn’t been eating for a couple days now.