Losing Fish

[the75]

Please help me diagnose what is going on with a fish tank. The tank is only three weeks old & I have very little information regarding the system or it's installation, only to say that I'm shocked that fish are already being introduced & at such high volume. Approximately 40 tang species were introduced at the one week mark & now 35 more fish have been introduced at the two week mark. Naso's are dying first & they appear to be developing a discolored "rash" or lightening of their grey coloring along their sides in somewhat rectangular patterns. Their slime is also melting away in those areas & along their fins. A couple other unicorn tangs are also developing the same issues. There are a few angels in the tank that have been there for only three days & their slime is also starting to melt away. I wish I had more involvement with the tank, but I don't have access to even testing the water. Apparently another company is handling that & everything tests ok. There are a few lion fish as well. Is it possible that the lion fish are stinging & killing these fish? The company that installed it & handled the introduction of fish is very reputable, but I can't help but think that there is NO WAY that this tank was established in such a short period of time. I also feel that there are entirely too many fish being introduced at once. The tank is about 2800 gallons. I know that this isn't much to go on, but a lot of the fish are basically having these discolorations in regtangular splotches across their sides & their slime is melting away. ARGH!

 

[beth]

I agree that setting up a tank that quickly and putting so many fish in it is extremely risky, unfortunately, it is common practice with many installation companies.
From what you describe, it sounds like the fish are highly stressed. Tangs may be experiencing Head and Lateral Line Disease.
What can you do about it? Not much from I can tell.

 

[the75]

Unfortunately, I can't do much, outside of offering suggestions as frequently as I can. It seems like it's a "The Show Must Go On" situation... Just sad. I'm sure the tank will stablize & the some of the fish will eventually relax & survive, but it's gut-wrenching watching this speed setup take place. I've been out of the hobby for about 7 years & I was hoping someone was going to tell me that there is a new way to setup tanks fast without having to cycle them, but that doesn't appear to be the case. Thanks for your response.

 

[beth]

Well, I could tell you that high end pros can do speedy set ups with cycled water, live sand, biofilters that have been nurtured, etc, but that doesn't solve the problem for introducing so many fish at once.
Where is the tank?