Dead kole tang

[JumperAlex]

Today I woke up to my kole tang dead. Just hours before he was swimming around just fine(when my girlfriend left for work) I don't know if this has anything to do with the puffer that may or may not be sick. Everyone else looks okay but then again so did tang before now. My question is, I don't have a QT (dumb I know) but I'm not sure if I should go ahead and remove my puffer. I don't want to lose $300+ in fish.

 

[JumperAlex]

There were no marks of any kind on the tang, normal color just laying on the bottom of the tank.

 

[JumperAlex]

Lost puffer too I back to check on them a few minutes ago and he was sucked against my overflow. Still alive but he couldn't get away from it.

 

[TheTodd]

What are your parameters? What size tank do you have?

This was the puffer that you posted with the white areas, right? Did you do anything to treat that? If one fish has something, then others are exposed. There is not much that cures itself, so with no help, whatever is going on will continue.

Having a QT is wise. A simple glass 10-20g with a few pieces of PVC and a filter or power head and maybe a heater does not cost much when compared to the potential casualties.

 

[JumperAlex]

It is a 90 gallon tank and as of about 5 days ago these were the parameters. I didn't end up treating the puffer because some people replied to my post saying that there puffer does the same thing, I also read up on it and many places said those were his "sleep" colors. None of the other fish seemed to be effected.

 

[melosu58]

How long has this tank been going? Any white sugar like parasites on him?

 

[JumperAlex]

Tank has been going for about 3 months (not including tank cycling)

 

[JumperAlex]

And no, no sugar like things on the puffer or the tang.

 

[JumperAlex]

So all of the parameters are normal today. The only thing wrong with the water is the salinity is really high. So we are going to take out about 5 gallons and put fresh water in. Would high salinity kill my tang and puffer and then not do anything to the other fish?

 

[JumperAlex]

Our hydrometer says its 1.028. We are going to have everything tested at the LFS shortly

 

[melosu58]

That could be it but it needs to be pretty high. When you say high what was the reading?

Never mind ? Is that before you added the water or after? It needs to be 1.025 to 1.026.

 

[JumperAlex]

After she added water. She said it was closer to 1.030 or 1.031, I'm at work getting all of this info from my girlfriend. She is doing another 5gallons salt and adding regular to lower it some more now.

 

[TheTodd]

Hydrometers are not always super accurate. Might be good to get a LFS second reading. That is pretty high...bring it down slowly.

 

[JumperAlex]

Working on it, did a 10 gallon salt removal and fresh addition and now she is o her way to the LFS to have tem test it.

 

[JumperAlex]

LFS confirmed it, it was the salinity that killed them. Even after the 10 gallon swap it was still up at 1.027 on the refractometer. Not that I am happy they died but at least I know what went wrong and we can be fairly certain that disease isn't running rampant in my tank. We will do another 5-10 gallon fresh water swap and wait a week or two to make sure all is going well tn think about what to restock with. Thanks for your help everyone.

 

[ccCapt]

I don't believe high salinity killed it. Fish can tolerate high salinity much easier than low salinity, especially if it rises gradually.

Ron Shimek's Website...Critters
Coral reefs are generally located in areas that have salinities in the range of 35 ppt (1.026) to 38 ppt (1.028 SG). Most of our corals, and the associated fauna including fishes, will live best at those conditions (Weber and White 1976). Most organisms, even osmoconformers, can survive for brief periods in salinities well outside their normal range. But if maintained for longer period outside of that range they will be stressed and eventually will become so damaged that they will die even if returned to their normal salinity. Higher salinity is slightly more tolerable to these animals than is lower salinity, and adult animals are more able to withstand the extremes than are the juveniles or larvae.
Incidentally, the Red Sea is a noteworthy exception to the above generalization regarding salinity in reef situations. The southern Red Sea averages about 38-40ppt (1.030 SG), the central Red Sea averages about 40-41 ppt (1.031 SG), and the northern Red Sea has salinities up to 41-42 ppt (Kleypas, et al., 1999). These salinities approach the upper survivability limit of salinity which is about 42 ppt (1.032 SG), which is reached in some hypersaline lagoons.

 

[TheTodd]

I'm no expert, but it appears that they can survive high levels. I'm betting it did not help though. Going back to the puffer though...you mentioned a few days ago that it had white patches all over...then it dies...that screams that there is something going on. Not sure if the higher salinity would do that to a puffers skin or if it would be something fungal.

 

[JumperAlex]

The white patches were mostly when he was "sleeping" I am going to leave th tank be for a week or 2 and just keep a close eye on everything. Then I will move on from there.