Found Blue Tang Dead. Don’t want it to spread, help me ID whatms going on?

[LadAShark]

As the title says, my blue tang began behaving odd a few days back. Namely hiding more than usual. However this had happened before and it was eating, so I wasn’t too worried. I found it dead a little bit ago today.
I am worried as the other two fish in my tank, an Indian triggerfish and a Niger triggerfish, have begun exhibiting what appears to be sleeping during daytime, though they have become a little more active as of late. They eat but don’t seem to have great appetite. I feed a mix of clam, squid, mussel, shrimp, and octopus, as well as supplementing with nori and kelp, sometimes adding in some Ocean nutrition formula 2.
As for parameters, ammonia and nitrite are both nonexistent, nitrate is 5, phosphate is 0.14.

There have been no fish additions to the tank since at least October and all other additions have been quaratined. Last addition were some dwarf ceriths, which were added on January 30th.

The pictures aren’t great, but what is notable is an odd cyanotic area above the right lateral fin. In addition, the ventral, abdominal area of the fish appears darker and has an odd pallor, if not a tinge of cyan. Before the fish passed observed behavior was some occasional rare scratching, a little paleness on one side of the fish’s dorsal portion of its back around on the black stripe.

I want to at least save my two triggers, but I haven’t been able to find any info on what my fish had. This has me quite down. If I lose my last two fish I am thinking of exiting the hobby for a bit. Hope somebody can help because I’ve exhausted the literature on public domain and can’t seem to put my finger on what’s going on.

Edit: dwarf ceriths were added a month and a half ago, not three weeks ago. They are the only ones that did not undergo quarantine due to coming from a fishless system.

 

[LadAShark]

Woops, silly typo in title, meant “what’s” not “whatms” ;Dead

 

[LadAShark]

Been told #reefsquad will get the right people’s attention. Hope it works.

 

[Big G]

Were the ceriths quarantined?

 

[DarthSimon]

How long did you have the Hippo Tang?

 

[LadAShark]

How long did you have the Hippo Tang?

Since July of last year.

Were the ceriths quarantined?

Embarrassing to say it, but no, they were not. The only exception, because they came from a fishless system. Probably a big mistake I made.

 

[DarthSimon]

Any signs of white spots ich? Any sort of parasites on fish before it passed?

 

[LadAShark]

Any signs of white spots ich? Any sort of parasites on fish before it passed?

None of either.

 

[Big G]

Note the areas I highlighted in red:

Marine Velvet Disease

Amyloodinium ocellatum, commonly referred to as “velvet,” is a single celled dinoflagellate. It is sometimes referred to as a hybrid, having characteristics of both plants and animals. However, for marine aquarists it is a feared pathogen with a reputation for being capable of wiping out an entire fish population in just a matter of days.

Velvet has a lifecycle (more info here: http://www.ultimatereef.com/articles/marinevelvet/) similar to that of Cryptocaryon irritans (ich). Even the terminology used is mostly the same - except velvet “free swimmers” are referred to as dinospores instead of theronts. Velvet’s lifecycle is typically faster (completed in 4 days on average), and the attacking free swimmers are more numerous than ich. Also, velvet dinospores can remain infective for up to 15 days, whereas with ich theronts it’s only 48 hours. This is because velvet tomonts and dinospores are both capable of using photosynthesis as a means of obtaining nutrients (remember it is a dinoflagellate).

Symptoms - Velvet dinospores will usually invade the gills first and sometimes kill the fish right then due to asphyxiation. If this happens, you may never see physical evidence of velvet on the skin & fins. Therefore, it is important to observe for these key behavioral symptoms of velvet:

• Reduced or complete loss of appetite.
• Heavy breathing, rubbing, flashing, head twitching, erratic swimming behavior (unfortunately velvet shares all these same symptoms with ich & gill flukes.)
• Swimming into the flow of a powerhead (unique to velvet).
• Acting reclusive (velvet causes fish to be sensitive to light).
  
  https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/velvet-amyloodinium-ocellatum.217570/#post-2499399

 

[LadAShark]

Note the areas I highlighted in red:

Marine Velvet Disease

Amyloodinium ocellatum, commonly referred to as “velvet,” is a single celled dinoflagellate. It is sometimes referred to as a hybrid, having characteristics of both plants and animals. However, for marine aquarists it is a feared pathogen with a reputation for being capable of wiping out an entire fish population in just a matter of days.

Velvet has a lifecycle (more info here: http://www.ultimatereef.com/articles/marinevelvet/) similar to that of Cryptocaryon irritans (ich). Even the terminology used is mostly the same - except velvet “free swimmers” are referred to as dinospores instead of theronts. Velvet’s lifecycle is typically faster (completed in 4 days on average), and the attacking free swimmers are more numerous than ich. Also, velvet dinospores can remain infective for up to 15 days, whereas with ich theronts it’s only 48 hours. This is because velvet tomonts and dinospores are both capable of using photosynthesis as a means of obtaining nutrients (remember it is a dinoflagellate).

Symptoms - Velvet dinospores will usually invade the gills first and sometimes kill the fish right then due to asphyxiation. If this happens, you may never see physical evidence of velvet on the skin & fins. Therefore, it is important to observe for these key behavioral symptoms of velvet:

• Reduced or complete loss of appetite.
• Heavy breathing, rubbing, flashing, head twitching, erratic swimming behavior (unfortunately velvet shares all these same symptoms with ich & gill flukes.)
• Swimming into the flow of a powerhead (unique to velvet).
• Acting reclusive (velvet causes fish to be sensitive to light).

No spots similar to velvet were observed. The snails have been in the tank since, correction, January 30. Velvet should have taken effect far sooner than 1.5 months later, no?

 

[DarthSimon]

Any chance of low oxygen in tank??? Water temp too high??? Do you use an apex and monitor temp or any other water parameters?

 

[LadAShark]

Any chance of low oxygen in tank??? Water temp too high??? Do you use an apex and monitor temp or any other water parameters?

Tank has a skimmer, and lots of flow pointed at the surface. The only way oxygen would be low is if the room’s oxygen was low, however I regularly open the window and aerate the room with added A/C, so it shouldn’t be the case.
I’ve measured the temperature at multiple times, during night and day, and the temperature stays at a steady 77 F.
I don’t, however, have an Apex or a similar monitoring system, so I can’t vouch for there not being some crazy swing or something. All I can say is I’ve check multiple times for temperature and taken care to make sure oxygenation was going strong, day and night.

 

[DarthSimon]

Your triggers are eating well though??

"
If I lose my last two fish I am thinking of exiting the hobby for a bit. Hope somebody can help because I’ve exhausted the literature on public domain and can’t seem to put my finger on what’s going on.
"

I know this may be a bad time, but don't get down. Most of us have been where you are right now. Unfortunately these things happen in our hobby. You will work this out, learn and move on and get better....

 

[LadAShark]

Your triggers are eating well though???

They are eating, but I wouldn’t say well. They seem to not have that great of an appetite as of yesterday and today. However after the removal of the blue tang they have gone from hiding/sleeping to actually swimming around the tank.

 

[DarthSimon]

The triggers look totally healthy otherwise. The fins and tails look clean???? Eyes clear?

 

[LadAShark]

Your triggers are eating well though??

"
If I lose my last two fish I am thinking of exiting the hobby for a bit. Hope somebody can help because I’ve exhausted the literature on public domain and can’t seem to put my finger on what’s going on.
"

I know this may be a bad time, but don't get down. Most of us have been where you are right now. Unfortunately these things happen in our hobby. You will work this out, learn and move on and get better....

Thanks. It’s just got me quite down. I’ve been meaning to do lots of improvements to my system in the future anyway, so I am fairly tempted to have a delayed reboot. Come back in a year or something.

 

[LadAShark]

The triggers look totally healthy otherwise. The fins and tails look clean???? Eyes clear?

Yessir.

 

[DarthSimon]

Keep that fat and monitor.... Do you use garlic and selcon in their foods??

 

[LadAShark]

Keep that fat and monitor.... Do you use garlic and selcon in their foods??

I do use selcon. Seldom use garlic but can easily add it to the regime now.

 

[DarthSimon]

Garlic is more for appetite stimulation...
Good luck and I hope things settle down.