Help With Cause of Death - SW Damsel

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mr.bigglesworth

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jan 22, 2012
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By SF, Farther Inland, NorCal
My Saltwater yellow tail damselfish was found dead about 40 minutes ago. He was found without his eyes. He was found heavily discolored with washed out blue and almost no yellow left in his caudal fin. and missing about 1/3 of his scales. The scales were missing primarily around his belly and smaller patches in front of his belly. He was only an inch long.

Tankmates:
15 astrea snails ~1"(1 died yesterday)
1 yellow goby 1"
1 bangaii cardinalfish 2.5"
1 Percula Clownfish 2"

Coral:
Hammer Coral
Sp? (Related to xenia)
Nuisance/Weed Aptasia

Parameters:
Ammonia 0 ppm
Nitrates 5ppm-10ppm

Note:
Already posted this in SW section. But i need an answer faster, almost nobody goes on the SW section, and this is very important. I have invested hundreds in this and being a teenager thats my entire savings account. So please dont move this thread.
 
Thanks, appreciate it.

The clownfish is very, very active. He never stops moving. He loves hanging out in the current and likes to 'display' himself and show off to visitors. He is by far the favorite fish for my parents and me. I have never seen him act aggressive at all, he seems to mind his own business. but then again i could still see him being the murderer.

The goby is hosting in the hammer coral (i think). He is perched inside the coral and never leaves. No way could he be the murderer. Highly unlikely.

The cardinal, meh he doesnt move much, he's a little skitish when you walk by the tank he sort of 'jumps'. But he never hides. He just sits still in front of the glass.

The hammer coral i have seen myself it stinging the sp? Xenia coral. It is an agressive coral. I saw it with its whitish tentacles extended 6 inches that it uses to sting. This is my personal suspect #1, more so than the clown.
 
Either the corals or just a weak damsel. They are the cheapest sw fish for a reason, they die all the time for unexplained reasons, basically the goldfish of saltwater tanks.
 
I believe i have narrowed it down to 2 possibilities, 1 being flagged as much more likely than the other.

1) Weak individual

Reasoning and thoughts:

It dawned on me that when i bought the damsel i was looking for the smallest individual they had. Being that they were captive bred and came from the same supplier it would make sense that their must be a reason he was smaller than all his other siblings. He was a runt, he had the slowest growth rate of all the batch.

2) Hammer Coral

Much less likely IMO, i still think #1 is the most logical explanation and makes much more sense.
 
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