Watched my new Midas blenny die tonight :(

[Lovemycj7]

I had my Midas blenny in qt for a week. Was eating well and good colors after the third day then started ttm. Was doing ttm but stopped after the first transfer because it wasn't doing great after the first tank move. Turned brown stayed brown didn't move barely ate.

Tonight I come home looking at the tank. It bolts out of its cave hiding spot and twitches violently shaking the most I've seen it swim in days. Within a minute it was dead and turned a dark purple. I watched as the life came out of it. Felt helpless didn't know what to do or what was going on. This is the first time a fish has died under my care.

I tried to get a video but it was too late. Anyone have any ideas what happened. It swam with energy and was shaking then laid on the bottom of the tank dead.

 

[Joey waid]

Sorry.... is there anything else in the tank? If so you need to start watching them and looking for spots or blotches.

 

[melypr1985]

Can you drop his body in a cup of tap water? That will rule out flukes as the cause.

My next question is about the equipment in the tank. Any heaters, powerheads, filters ect in there that could be leaking electricity into the tank?

 

[DLHDesign]

I'm sorry for your loss. The first one was the hardest for me as well, so I can relate to what you're feeling right now.

Do you have any more details on what was going on in the QT? Medications added, temperature, test results, etc.?

Were you monitoring ammonia levels? I'm no expert at all, but the gills look a bit red - which may indicate ammonia burn, perhaps...

 

[Lovemycj7]

I think the ammonia alert didn't work too well. I travel and had my wife use the ammonia alert to keep an eye on the water conditions. I got home tonight and the ammonia alert was still light green. I actually was going to do a 50% water change but it was too late. I tested the ammonia level with a Red Sea kit and it came back at 1.2 So I think that was it. Feel really bad the little guy had to suffer like that. I have copper and prazi pro on hand but never used them. Was waiting to see if copper was needed and was going to do prazi at transfer 2 and 4. Thanks for your comments I think we found the problem. That was a violent death at the end.

 

[melypr1985]

I think the ammonia alert didn't work too well. I travel and had my wife use the ammonia alert to keep an eye on the water conditions. I got home tonight and the ammonia alert was still light green. I actually was going to do a 50% water change but it was too late. I tested the ammonia level with a Red Sea kit and it came back at 1.2 So I think that was it. Feel really bad the little guy had to suffer like that. I have copper and prazi pro on hand but never used them. Was waiting to see if copper was needed and was going to do prazi at transfer 2 and 4. Thanks for your comments I think we found the problem. That was a violent death at the end.

Man. I'm real sorry for the loss. In the future, if the badge is anything but yellow it's water change time. They are great for this use, but they arn't infallible. I think you're right about ammonia being part of the problem.

 

[DLHDesign]

hanks for your comments I think we found the problem.

Always better to know - that's how learning occurs.

I've found that the Ammonia Alert badges are great for casual observation purposes, but I don't trust them as the ultimate authority any more. Another clue was the lack of eating you reported. Unless you were being super-diligent at removing any uneaten food every single time, that stuff was sitting in the tank and degrading down into ammonia. Even super-diligent removal would still leave uneaten particles in the water, however.

I'd suggest picking up some Seachem Prime. I add about half a capful into my 10gal QT tanks if I even suspect increased ammonia levels might be present. NOTE: I don't use copper and only use Prime when no other meds are in the tank.

I'd also suggest removing the rock and decorations from your QT Tank. Those look nice and stuff, but they absorb not only whatever meds you are adding into the tank, but can also pick up any parasites that may be on the fish in the tank. In my QT tanks, I use PVC pieces (3" t-junctions, mostly) as these are easier to clean, yet still provide hiding places for skittish fish.

Again - sorry for your loss. :-( That you cared enough to find out what happened by posting here is wonderful - keep up that level of concern and care and you'll find that you have fewer than average fish loss as you move forward in this frustrating, wonderful hobby.

 

[Lovemycj7]

Man. I'm real sorry for the loss. In the future, if the badge is anything but yellow it's water change time. They are great for this use, but they arn't infallible. I think you're right about ammonia being part of the problem.

Will either have to teach my wife to do water changes or not get any fish until i stop traveling. Tough call but I think I'll just lay off new fish. Being gone for 3 days at a time makes it hard to take care of issues quick.

 

[Lovemycj7]

Always better to know - that's how learning occurs.

I've found that the Ammonia Alert badges are great for casual observation purposes, but I don't trust them as the ultimate authority any more. Another clue was the lack of eating you reported. Unless you were being super-diligent at removing any uneaten food every single time, that stuff was sitting in the tank and degrading down into ammonia. Even super-diligent removal would still leave uneaten particles in the water, however.

I'd suggest picking up some Seachem Prime. I add about half a capful into my 10gal QT tanks if I even suspect increased ammonia levels might be present. NOTE: I don't use copper and only use Prime when no other meds are in the tank.

I'd also suggest removing the rock and decorations from your QT Tank. Those look nice and stuff, but they absorb not only whatever meds you are adding into the tank, but can also pick up any parasites that may be on the fish in the tank. In my QT tanks, I use PVC pieces (3" t-junctions, mostly) as these are easier to clean, yet still provide hiding places for skittish fish.

Again - sorry for your loss. :-( That you cared enough to find out what happened by posting here is wonderful - keep up that level of concern and care and you'll find that you have fewer than average fish loss as you move forward in this frustrating, wonderful hobby.

I actually have prime. Just didn't use it because the badge just turned light green today which was the reason why I was going to change the water when I got home. Guess will need to test via test kits in the future since alert can't be trusted.

I actually had pvc pipes and tees as part of the ttm process but once I stopped because of the reaction to the first transfer I put the live rock in there to help with the filtration and the decoration once the blenny wasn't using the rock to hide. I was trying to make it feel comfortable since I decide to stop with the transfer for now.

Yeah anything in the tank I do not use for the next move. All great info thanks for sharing. I even have 5 seperate tanks for each ttm transfer each with seperate equipment. A 20 gallon was going to be home for observation. I thought I had every box checked too really ticked at myself for trusting the ammonia alert.

Thanks again all for helping me get to the bottom of this and providing helpful tips.

 

[DLHDesign]

I actually have prime. Just didn't use it because the badge just turned light green today which was the reason why I was going to change the water when I got home.

Sounds like you had your plan and response correct, just got unlucky in the time you had available.

I thought I had every box checked too really ****** at myself for trusting the ammonia alert.

Sounds to me like you did everything you could do - and more. Don't be mad at yourself for making a minor mistake on something you've never done before. No matter how much we prepare, there's nothing like experience to teach us the lessons we need to learn.
I use the badges still, but I just think of them as a back-up and not a primary defense. The first tool I use during QT is my own eyes. If something looks wrong (no eating, heavy breathing, unusual swimming, etc.), I'll begin double-checking everything with redundant tests - ammonia, temperature, and salinity being the first three (assuming I'm not dosing any copper - which I only rarely have done - in which case I would test that). But so long as things are going as expected, I'll rely on things like ammonia badges and in-tank digital thermometers (like the one you have in your tank) to give me a rough idea of where things stand.
Note that I had to loose several fish during QT before I developed these habits, responses, and ability to pick out what is normal or not. I still only barely know what I'm doing, but with each fish I get (whether they make it to the DT or not), I learn a bit more and give each fish I take on a bit better chance of making it through the QT gauntlet. There are very likely many visual clues I won't recognize as "danger", but I'm learning each day. Just wait till you start QT-ing tangs; who like to "play dead"... 8-|

Thanks again all for helping me get to the bottom of this and providing helpful tips.

We're all happy to help. Nearly every useful thing I've learned about reefing has been from this forum and the people on it, so this is a great place to come if you have even the smallest question. No question is "too stupid" or "too silly". Odds are that if you are wondering about something, most of us have - or will - as well.