Any suggestions?

[seltzerd]

I know this is likely an impossible question, but something bad happened to my tank and I am at a loss. The other day I came home and found almost all of my fish dead. I had a saddle puffer (died) porcupine puffer (dead) hippo Tang (dead) maroon clown (seems just fine) and a Arabian Trigger that was on the bottom, lying on side and breathing about 50/min. He was just about a goner. I have a 90 gal reef witch also has a long spine urchin (fine), Heteractis Magnifica (?? at this time) in which the disaster occurred. My ammonia = 0, nitrites = 0, nitrates = 80 (but with all the dead) last checked was 30ish range, and I changed out about 15 gal water. temp 78, S.G. = 1.026. I dont know what killed them?? I have a 24 nano which I have 2 clarkii and a lawnmower blenny in. I was distraught and put the Heteractis Magnifica and the dying trigger in the nano. Amazingly, the trigger seems okay now (after spending a full day looking like death). I hope I did not poison my nano?!? But everyone in there looks okay now. (I also did a 30% water change today) What kind of things can do that. I am was unable to catch the maroon clown and he is still in the 90 gal and seems fine. Any thought would be great-even if they are just guesses.

 

[al mc]

Did you have a rapid pH change? That affects the water chemistry and can lead to rapid death.

 

[spanko]

Any cleaning fluids that may have gotten in there, are you painting the room, cleaning the carpets? Anything new added to the tank? How long has the tank been up?
Just kind of grasping here but trying to drive some ideas.

 

[seltzerd]

no pH change, and running about 6 months
thanks for the thoughts

 

[beth]

Any chance they were poisoned? Anyone else in the house? Anything poisonous in the tank?

 

[seltzerd]

My only thought is my son was smoking in the house and perhaps sprayed a deodorizer. I heard things like Febreeze can kill fish (of course, we dont buy any) Is that true?

 

[jharlow]

Sorry to read about your loss!
I would think this could be a strong possibility. Any type of pollutant will be detrimental to a reef system. Even a single flake of dried soap can wipe a system out.
When you think large scale, the runoff from your roof in Illinois makes it to the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi river in about a weeks time, helping to create one of the world's largest oceanic dead zones.
Sit down and talk to your son, and let him know what happened and see if he fesses up. Let him know that smoking is not only detrimental to his health, but to the fishes health as well.

 

[beth]

If chemicals actually made its way into the water, then yes it could, however, just spraying an air freshener in the air around the room will not have such an immediate long term effect.