Loss of fish over a fairly long period

[Fry1992]

Hi all

Was wondering if anyone had any ideas on an issue with my tank
195L aqua one reef tank (weekly water changes of approx 10%)

3 Months ago my tank stock was 2 clowns, 3 chromis, 1 royal grammar, 1 mccoskers, 1 bangai cardinal and 1 midas blenny.

However over the last 3 months I have lost everything other than 2 clowns and 1 chromi. After every death I test the water and the parameters are always similar to the below. None of the fish show any signs of disease or bullying and I'm quite demoralised with not being able to work out the issues so if anyone has any advised please feel free to share. I'm not restocking until after Christmas as a precaution.

Ammonia - 0
Nitrate - between 5 and 10
Nitrite - 0
Carbonate - 40
Ph - 8.4
Calcium - test kit not working
Magnesium - 1230
Alkalinity- 6.7
Phosphate - 0.1
Salinity - 1.024

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi all

Was wondering if anyone had any ideas on an issue with my tank
195L aqua one reef tank (weekly water changes of approx 10%)

3 Months ago my tank stock was 2 clowns, 3 chromis, 1 royal grammar, 1 mccoskers, 1 bangai cardinal and 1 midas blenny.

However over the last 3 months I have lost everything other than 2 clowns and 1 chromi. After every death I test the water and the parameters are always similar to the below. None of the fish show any signs of disease or bullying and I'm quite demoralised with not being able to work out the issues so if anyone has any advised please feel free to share. I'm not restocking until after Christmas as a precaution.

Ammonia - 0
Nitrate - between 5 and 10
Nitrite - 0
Carbonate - 40
Ph - 8.4
Calcium - test kit not working
Magnesium - 1230
Alkalinity- 6.7
Phosphate - 0.1
Salinity - 1.024

While the clowns are capable of hidden aggression, the water may very well be the issue and I suspect false readings and would encourage you to take a water sample to an LFS that does NOT use API tests and see what readings they come up with to compare with yours. Also disregard Nitrites which is Freshwater specific and unless sky high which is rare
Amy signs you saw such as elevated breathing, loss of appetite, sudden darting as examples prior to losses?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hi all

Was wondering if anyone had any ideas on an issue with my tank
195L aqua one reef tank (weekly water changes of approx 10%)

3 Months ago my tank stock was 2 clowns, 3 chromis, 1 royal grammar, 1 mccoskers, 1 bangai cardinal and 1 midas blenny.

However over the last 3 months I have lost everything other than 2 clowns and 1 chromi. After every death I test the water and the parameters are always similar to the below. None of the fish show any signs of disease or bullying and I'm quite demoralised with not being able to work out the issues so if anyone has any advised please feel free to share. I'm not restocking until after Christmas as a precaution.

Ammonia - 0
Nitrate - between 5 and 10
Nitrite - 0
Carbonate - 40
Ph - 8.4
Calcium - test kit not working
Magnesium - 1230
Alkalinity- 6.7
Phosphate - 0.1
Salinity - 1.024

One bit of missing information - does this tank also house invertebrates? If so, are they doing well? If so, it's unlikely to be a water quality issue, as only transient low dissolved oxygen will kill fish, but often leave all/most invertebrates alive.

If water quality issues are ruled out, then fish disease is the most likely culprit. For losses in fish, spread out over months, the disease issue is most likely flukes. A chronic fluke infection won't affect all fish equally, and the symptoms can be pretty subtle (slightly rapid breathing, or a generally slightly "tattered" look).

Another consideration may be that the fish losses are not all related. Chromis sometimes fight, Bangaii are prone to a specific viral disease, and Midas blennies are prone to gradual starvation.

A video of the tank and the remaining fish, taken under white lights, might offer us some other clues.

Jay