Fish Dying

[colemyrick]

I have a 150 saltwater reef tank. I've had saltwater aquariums as a hobby for about 48 years now. I've had many problems that I have been able to fix. I can't seem to figure out what is causing this current problem or how to fix it.

I have about 200 lbs. of live rock and few coral frags. I have plenty of fish but each time I buy a new fish, it dies. The ones that are dying are the ones that hide in the coral a lot. I have many damsels, Blennies, and tang that don't really go in the coral and none of them have died. Ive had a Mandarin, 2 Chocolate Tangs, Various other Gobies, a Rusty Angel, and a Coral Beauty that all stayed well hidden in the live rock.When I fed they would all come out and eat and all looked very healthy. They all died with no sign of ick or ohter parasite. Does anyone know why this is happening. All of the water is balanced out with the right level such as the salinity, nitrates, ect. Please help.

 

[collin98]

Hello! Sorry to hear about your deaths. There are only a few possibilities I can think of at the top of my head.
1. There is a type of parasite on the coral that is microscopic to the human eye, that attaches itself to the fishes body, with no visible effects.
2. A very odd coincidence. The fish could've been sick before, and they just happen to swim near the coral.
Recommendations: try removing the coral and see if any fish die. If some do then your okay to put it back in the tank. If they don't then try a dip or just discard it.
Also, I is here anything visible on the coral that you can see? Like little parasites sometimes if you look close enough you may see something small crawling along the surface.
Hope this helps! Good luck!

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Colemyrick http:///t/396893/fish-dying#post_3536200
I have a 150 saltwater reef tank. I've had saltwater aquariums as a hobby for about 48 years now. I've had many problems that I have been able to fix. I can't seem to figure out what is causing this current problem or how to fix it.

I have about 200 lbs. of live rock and few coral frags. I have plenty of fish but each time I buy a new fish, it dies. The ones that are dying are the ones that hide in the coral a lot. I have many damsels, Blennies, and tang that don't really go in the coral and none of them have died. Ive had a Mandarin, 2 Chocolate Tangs, Various other Gobies, a Rusty Angel, and a Coral Beauty that all stayed well hidden in the live rock.When I fed they would all come out and eat and all looked very healthy. They all died with no sign of ick or ohter parasite. Does anyone know why this is happening. All of the water is balanced out with the right level such as the salinity, nitrates, ect. Please help.


Hi,

Welcome to the site! 48 years and you are asking us for help???? I hope you stay around, I bet you have lots of wisdom to share.

If the new fish is hiding, it's afraid. It's possible that the other more established fish are bulling the new one....any signs of bruising or nipped fins? Damsels are famous for being killers of all fish more timid them themselves when they mature.

 

[zoidberg01]

Hey , the tangs can be pretty aggressive , mandarins most preferred foods are live tiny crustaceans , angels cannot be together they may not do it at first but they will eventually and damsels are really aggressive

 

[zoidberg01]

Have you put some medicine , bacteria or supplements lately

 

[geridoc]

Just because I hate damsels (in tanks as pets, otherwise I have no particular beef with them in the wild), I would speculate that the damsels are harassing the newcomers. You might try putting new fish in qt for an extended time to get them well fed and adapted, then moving them to the display while simultaneously rearranging the rock work to disrupt territoriality. BTW, I gladly concede to you the honor of having kept marine fish longer than me (39 years). Welcome to the site.:hi: