Fish Dying off Slowly One by One

FirstContact · 10/26/2019, 07:17 PM

I had 5 fish in QT for months. Both populations were doing great. I added some new dry rock to the DT to mix things up a bit and then added the new fish. Started with a newly added butterfly, then my angel which I’ve had for years, and now a wrasse I’ve had for years is showing symbols. The behaviour starts with head and body twitching. Not sue what I am dealing with. If it was ich, they’re supposed to be rubbing against rocks and have white spots. I’ve never seen that. If it was velvet, I thought that was supposed to kill everyone quickly and I don’t see any distress on the outside of the bodies except that the angel had puffy and cloudy eyes.

I can put everyone in a QT tank. I assume I can’t use any bio media from my main tank for filtration. I have some ProdiBio, Startup, RubyReef, Seachem Focus/Metroplex, and some popular blue liquid copper treatment I got off Amazon that I was told is safer than cupramine. I can get the name tomorrow. Most of my fish are wrasses, but I have some tangs too.

What is this? Just internal parasites? Could I have introduced it with the dry rock? I often feed live brine and black worms from the lfs, but I don’t think that was it as I bought and fed it to both populations before they were mixed.

HumbleFish · 10/26/2019, 10:00 PM

The twitching suggests either parasites or worms inside the gills. (Except for the butterfly who will twitch as part of it's natural feeding response.)

First thing I would do is catching one of the twitching fish and check for flukes: https://humble.fish/freshwater-dip/

luislimon · 10/28/2019, 12:45 PM

My first thinking is flukes too.

Use prazipro and begin with a freshwater dip

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Uncle99 · 10/29/2019, 12:24 PM

I would not rule out Ick because you can't see it....
It is very common...especially when adding new tank mates.

Why QT for so long....is that not somewhat stressful on the fish?

Adding fish to a tank with settled tangs can be problematic.

10/26/2019, 07:17 PM	#1
FirstContact Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Glenn Dale, MD Posts: 1,613	Fish Dying off Slowly One by One I had 5 fish in QT for months. Both populations were doing great. I added some new dry rock to the DT to mix things up a bit and then added the new fish. Started with a newly added butterfly, then my angel which I’ve had for years, and now a wrasse I’ve had for years is showing symbols. The behaviour starts with head and body twitching. Not sue what I am dealing with. If it was ich, they’re supposed to be rubbing against rocks and have white spots. I’ve never seen that. If it was velvet, I thought that was supposed to kill everyone quickly and I don’t see any distress on the outside of the bodies except that the angel had puffy and cloudy eyes. I can put everyone in a QT tank. I assume I can’t use any bio media from my main tank for filtration. I have some ProdiBio, Startup, RubyReef, Seachem Focus/Metroplex, and some popular blue liquid copper treatment I got off Amazon that I was told is safer than cupramine. I can get the name tomorrow. Most of my fish are wrasses, but I have some tangs too. What is this? Just internal parasites? Could I have introduced it with the dry rock? I often feed live brine and black worms from the lfs, but I don’t think that was it as I bought and fed it to both populations before they were mixed. __________________ No man is an island entire of itself; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. John Donne Current Tank Info: 120g Reef 100g Rubbermaid Sump, 20g Refugium; previous tank: 46g Drilled; Self Plumbed, Birds Nest, Anchor, Xenia, Zoas, Yuma Yuma Ricordea, Chalice, Mushrooms, Brain, Acan, Anenome Plate; Clams, Other Inverts, Fish, Live Rock

10/29/2019, 12:24 PM	#4
Uncle99 Crab Free Zone Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 2,906	I would not rule out Ick because you can't see it.... It is very common...especially when adding new tank mates. Why QT for so long....is that not somewhat stressful on the fish? Adding fish to a tank with settled tangs can be problematic. Last edited by Uncle99; 10/29/2019 at 12:31 PM.

10/26/2019, 10:00 PM	#2
HumbleFish Moved On Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 4,757	The twitching suggests either parasites or worms inside the gills. (Except for the butterfly who will twitch as part of it's natural feeding response.) First thing I would do is catching one of the twitching fish and check for flukes: https://humble.fish/freshwater-dip/

10/28/2019, 12:45 PM	#3
luislimon Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: San Francisco Bay Area (east bay) Posts: 49	My first thinking is flukes too. Use prazipro and begin with a freshwater dip Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk