Why does my livestock keep dying?

[Tim_G]

55 Gallon reef aquarium. Fluval Canister Filter with Phosgard and Chemi Pure and Bio Floss in it. Protein Skimmer. UV Sterilizer.

Tap water Conditioned with Prime
SQ 1.024
Am 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Calcium 420
ALK 12
PH 8.2
temp 76

Livestock list 2 turbo snails
13 heads of fine grae coral
Mushroom Toadstool Leather
Large colony of Zoos
Small colony of Palythoas
3 Purple Rhodactis Mushrooms
All coral spaced evenly throughtout the aquarium.

Tank is 9 months old, ater cycling i had a yellow tang, Coral beauty angel, 2 pajama cardianals, one false percula clownfish. All were healthy and doing fine for about 3 months, then all of a sudden all fish died overnight. Tested water and all perameters were fine. did a 25% WC and let sit for 3 weeks. at that time i added 3 Green chromises, all lasted 3 days adn then died overnight. tested water perams again and took water sample to 2 different LFS. Did not go over test results with anyone. All tests fine. did another 25% WC and let sit for 3 weeks. Added another coral beauty, died overnight. Cleaned rocks and reaaranged as well as ran carbon int he canister filter. did25% water change and let sit for 2 weeks. bought an azure damsel and it ust died ater 2 days. No one seems to know what the problem is. I have checked for ph swings, i use reef buffer 8.3, checked for stay voltage, none. I do not quarantine fish, b/c i cannot add more than one fish as the will die overnight. Coral seems to be doing fine and snails are happy. I have noticed quite a few bristle worms, and most recently my damsel seemed to have some battle wounds. coudl the worms be killing my fish while they rest? ANy help is appreciated.

 

[Mebbid]

It sounds like there is a contaminant in the water that is effecting the fish. Anything other than that would take longer to kill the fish. I might try a 100% water change, refill, and re acclimate the corals to the tank.

 

[scuba dude]

I would also question the use of treated tap water , DIRO water instead of the tap water would be where I would start.

 

[Dav3]

+1 to both previous comments.


There are contaminants in tap water that you aren't/can't test for and no amount of aquarium filtration will remove them. this includes use of prime. You must start with RODI water. At this point you will need a 100% water change. Might as well start over from scratch. If you can, move livestock to a smaller temporary tank till you can cycle your current tank again. Then move livestock back without the contaminated water and hope for the best.

 

[54seaweed]

how often you clean the canister filter ?
did you ever dose anything in tank ?
how much LR you have and where you get it?
you need to get away from tap water asap there are so many contaminants that prime wont remove
have you tested for copper?

 

[ivan_dalmatia]

Stray voltage?

 

[Tim_G]

I am thinking the same thing.. 100% water change, I just hate thought of cycling again, but its for the best!!

 

[Mebbid]

There shouldn't be a cycle if all you're doing is changing out the water.

 

[jeffaquarius]

I would suspect you have deadly parasites in your tank called Marine Velvet. It will kill fish overnight. You must not put fish in your tank for 6 weeks to eradicate the MV parasites.

 

[Mebbid]

I would suspect you have deadly parasites in your tank called Marine Velvet. It will kill fish overnight. You must not put fish in your tank for 6 weeks to eradicate the MV parasites.

Velvet is deadly but it takes longer than a single night to infect and kill a fish.

 

[Hesselrode]

That's crazy, never heard of such a thing!! Sucks to have that and have to wait 6 weeks.

 

[jeffaquarius]

Velvet is deadly but it takes longer than a single night to infect and kill a fish.

"it may be too late by the time you realize your fish has velvet"

It is a quote taken from this link

Marine Velvet - Saltwater Fish Diseases

Another link which may help. It says "This type of ich is one of the most common causes of a wipeout, or an abrupt loss of all the fish in a saltwater aquarium."

http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/ichparasiticdiseases/a/aaich_oodinium.htm

 

[Mebbid]

"it may be too late by the time you realize your fish has velvet"

It is a quote taken from this link

Marine Velvet - Saltwater Fish Diseases

Another link which may help. It says "This type of ich is one of the most common causes of a wipeout, or an abrupt loss of all the fish in a saltwater aquarium."

Marine Ich, Velvet or Coral Fish Disease - Learn to Diagnosis and Treat Oodinium

Yes, I understand that. But the OP has added fish in the tank and had them die in less than 24 hours. Unless every fish he has tried adding to the tank was already infected with velvet and on its death bed then I don't see this as being the cause of the fish deaths in his tank.

While I will concede that the original fish population COULD have been killed by velvet; it takes longer than a day of exposure to kill a healthy fish.

 

[jeffaquarius]

Yes, I understand that. But the OP has added fish in the tank and had them die in less than 24 hours. Unless every fish he has tried adding to the tank was already infected with velvet and on its death bed then I don't see this as being the cause of the fish deaths in his tank.

While I will concede that the original fish population COULD have been killed by velvet; it takes longer than a day of exposure to kill a healthy fish.

What do you think killed the fish while the corals are doing fine?

 

[Mebbid]

A contaminant in the water is the #1 most likely culprit. A distant second is the possibility of an acute bacterial infection that remains viable in the water column which imho is a remote possibility. Nothing else would kill a fish fast enough to be the case.

 

[jeffaquarius]

You mean those contaminants will not affect corals and invertebrate?

 

[Mebbid]

That's a distinct possibility. We have no idea what corals and inverts are resistant to.

 

[Tim_G]

I am tending to agrees with Mebbid.. I also thought it was velvet but after huge WCs and addition of uv sterilizer, it is still happening. I think I will do a 100% WC and start from scratch. Every single person seems to be stumped and its the only thing I haven't tried.

 

[Dav3]

It's got to be water quality. Tap water is full of contaminates. If people saw what is in their tap water they'd stop drinking it.

Chromis still alive(for now) but they are pretty hardy fish. Op says corals seem ok but are they really? All softies so more tolerant but are they thriving or merely getting by? Are phosphates and nitrates really 0? Perhaps algae is growing and consuming it.

We could use some pictures.

 

[Dav3]

I am tending to agrees with Mebbid.. I also thought it was velvet but after huge WCs and addition of uv sterilizer, it is still happening. I think I will do a 100% WC and start from scratch. Every single person seems to be stumped and its the only thing I haven't tried.

Please use rodi. If not available at your lfs then please consider investing in your own filter. You've probably spent the cost of one in lost livestock by now.