Unexplained deaths

[SlicVic]

Hi everybody!
I am very upset and need some help! I had my aquarium set up for the whole year with no issues. It's a 40 gallon tank and I only had live rock, several corals, trochus snails, a peppermint shrimp, a pajama cardinal, a firefish, and one chromis. Everything was thriving and then about 1 month ago I got up and all the fish were dead! I just cried so hard! I checked the parameters and they were all within the limits using the master kit test. The snails, corals, and shrimp are still alive. I waited a couple weeks and then I put two pajama cardinals which also died! I just can't understand this! I just got an established ocelaris pair Saturday and one was dead the next day! I immediately put the surviving clown in my other tank and he is doing fine so far. The only thing I noticed that is curious in the death tank are these little brown specks on the glass. I just wiped them off and they were back the next day! Could this be something that is deadly? Here is a picture!

 

[Crabs McJones]

Those are red planaria flatworms. You wernt running any treatments like flatworm exit were you? Sorry for your losses

 

[BristleWormHater]

Those dots are red planaria flatworms.
They aren't harmful to fish.
You might have low oxygen levels?

 

[BristleWormHater]

How were the fish swimming and breathing before they died?
Also
@Jay Hemdal
#fishmedics

 

[SlicVic]

Those dots are red planaria flatworms.
They aren't harmful to fish.
You might have low oxygen levels?

How did I get those in my tank? How do I check oxygen level?

 

[Crabs McJones]

Those dots are red planaria flatworms.
They aren't harmful to fish.
You might have low oxygen levels?

They're not harmful to fish, but when they die they release a toxin, so if OP has been having the flatworms die off or have been treating for flatworms it would explain everything dying in less than a day.

 

[SlicVic]

How were the fish swimming and breathing before they died?
Also
@Jay Hemdal
#fishmedics

They acted normal during the day and then died overnight!

 

[BristleWormHater]

How did I get those in my tank? How do I check oxygen level?

They get in just like any other hitchhikers, rocks and coral frags mainly. Do you dip your coral before you add them? If not that's probably how they got in.

 

[kyreefville]

can you share more information like set up/equipment. Any changes recently? Any signs of sickness. Environment where is tank located. I ask the later because in some places it’s starting to get cold and I wonder if to much carbon monoxide from a heat source. I’m just spitballing here trying to find source of mystery.

What was the last fish you added and when?

 

[SlicVic]

Those are red planaria flatworms. You wernt running any treatments like flatworm exit were you? Sorry for your losses

No, I didn't even know those were creatures! How do I get rid of them without killing my corals or shrimp?

 

[SlicVic]

They get in just like any other hitchhikers, rocks and coral frags mainly. Do you dip your coral before you add them? If not that's probably how they got in.

I am so upset about that! Usually my mom and pop store dips all their corals before they sell them so I just figured they were free of hitchhikers! How upsetting!

 

[BristleWormHater]

No, I didn't even know those were creatures! How do I get rid of them without killing my corals or shrimp?

They are relatively harmless, unless they are dying like @Crabs McJones mentioned. They can also cover coral and starve them of light if their populations get too bad.

 

[BristleWormHater]

I am so upset about that! Usually my mom and pop store dips all their corals before they sell them so I just figured they were free of hitchhikers! How upsetting!

It's best to do it yourself as well. When stores dip corals (if they do) they are dipping many corals at once and probably not as long as a typical dip. Even with dipping sometimes critters just survive.

 

[Crabs McJones]

Agree, unless you take the proper time to dip and quarantine yourself, something will always slither it's way in

 

[kyreefville]

Certain fish may help keep them in check which brings us back to the original issue.

 

[BristleWormHater]

This thread may help
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/everything-dead-within-an-hour.1080352/

 

[kyreefville]

I just blitz read that. Thx for sharing.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hi everybody!
I am very upset and need some help! I had my aquarium set up for the whole year with no issues. It's a 40 gallon tank and I only had live rock, several corals, trochus snails, a peppermint shrimp, a pajama cardinal, a firefish, and one chromis. Everything was thriving and then about 1 month ago I got up and all the fish were dead! I just cried so hard! I checked the parameters and they were all within the limits using the master kit test. The snails, corals, and shrimp are still alive. I waited a couple weeks and then I put two pajama cardinals which also died! I just can't understand this! I just got an established ocelaris pair Saturday and one was dead the next day! I immediately put the surviving clown in my other tank and he is doing fine so far. The only thing I noticed that is curious in the death tank are these little brown specks on the glass. I just wiped them off and they were back the next day! Could this be something that is deadly? Here is a picture!

Sorry to hear about your fish loss. I think the issue was most likely Amyloodinium (velvet) brought in by one of the clownfish. There are really only three things that will kill animals "overnight"; toxins in the water, low oxygen or Amyloodinium. The first issue will kill invertebrates, not just fish, the second issue will kill shrimp and fish. Only the third issue will kill 100% of the fish and none of the invertebrates.

To eliminate this disease from your tank, you will need to leave it fishless for 60 days.

 

[SlicVic]

Okay everybody, I got a new heater which I'm going to put in shortly and I will try and clean off as many of those red planaria flatworms each day. I won't enter any fish until January. That really sucks because everybody's going to see an empty fish tank during the holidays! Oh well, at least it will be free of whatever disease might be in there. Just tell me how do I feed my shrimp and snails in there during this time? All of my corals just use photosynthesis for their food so should I worry about them too?

 

[BristleWormHater]

Okay everybody, I got a new heater which I'm going to put in shortly and I will try and clean off as many of those red planaria flatworms each day. I won't enter any fish until January. That really sucks because everybody's going to see an empty fish tank during the holidays! Oh well, at least it will be free of whatever disease might be in there. Just tell me how do I feed my shrimp and snails in there during this time? All of my corals just use photosynthesis for their food so should I worry about them too?

Just feed them like you usually do, don't think there's any problems with that.