So i set up a saltwater tank 2 months ago, 20g long, sand, 15lbs LR, PS, seachem pond matrix in HOB and a 2wpg T5 system. All was going great, added a YT damsel, did great, then added 2 O. Clownfish 1.5 months later. Good for 2 weeks. Tank started to leak. Took everything out of tank and put into seperate buckets, heaters powerheads ect. Transfered back into new tank, everything seemed good, low-none, Nitrates Nitrites and Ammonia. Then the clowns started getting white rigid spots, like from under the skin. didnt think it was ich but i turned the lights off and temp up. they still ate and swam fine, no scratching. then 2 weeks into their sickness, the blue damsel died out of nowhere, looked healthy and then a day later both clowns died...... the hermits and snails seem unaffected and there are little white spots all over the glass but i think they are feather dusters. there were these very small flea looking things on the dead clowns when they were at the bottom. I also have like an inch long bristle worm in the tank that i am trying to get out.
something killed all my fish
- Thread starter Earthswater
- Start date
Well it doesn't sound like the damsel died out of nowhere. Sounds like some sort of parasite to me, if not ich, then velvet, or some other one. White spots on the glass don't sound like the parasite or feather dusters, they sound like pods, which are a good thing. Don't worry about the bristle worm, they are actually a good thing as long as they don't get huge.
Did you test your water consistently or just after the tank change? The ammonia most likely wouldn't have shown up right away. Takes some time for dieoff. I doubt that ammonia was the problem, think it is what I talked about above, but just another thing to ask.
Lastly, how high did you turn the temp. up?
I turned the temp up to about 86F. Will that be okay for the hermits and snails? So what should i do, how long should i wait before it is safe for more inhabitants? I am really sad about what happened and want to make sure i dont have it happen again. Also, normally i only run the protien skimmer for about 6 hours a day because its loud and the tank is in my bedroom. Is that fine? ALso i run a HOB filled with seachem pond matrix, is that okay as well?
There are a couple of things other then Ich that can cause white bumps, one doesn't kill though(at least never that I have heard of) so I'd rule that one out (lymphocyctis virus just as a refference)... the other two I can think of would be Monogenean Parasites (also known as parasitic flukes or flatworms), or Monogenetic Trematodes a different worm parasite.
The #1 leading cause of fish disease-parasite infestation is stress. Stress can be from transport, new surroundings, bullying, diet, ph swings, poor water conditions, poor or no acclimation to name a few. Fortunatly disease and parasites don't live on glass however egg cists can attach themselves to poop, sand, rocks, and most especially any cloth or foam media. With no pictures for reference to ID the actual infestation any type of cure or treatment would've been/will be nothing more than a guess. I'm no expert on this but If it were me I'd be thinkin' clean new start.
Sorry for your loss
Sorry for your loss
I couldn't say what to do unless I knew exactly which it was this site is decent for desease ID and treatments http://www.chucksaddiction.com/disease.html
If you can't get a fix on what it was I would say clean start is the only way to go (like Otherone said), you could probably save your hermits, snails, and worm if you want by removing them from the water giving them a good rinse in clean salt water before moving them to a clean new system, because as far as I'm aware the flukes/worms that are parasites to fish are specific to fish, as in will not be carried by the snails or crabs. Then you would have to drain your current tank, and leave it bone dry for a number of weeks to be sure everything is dead.
If you can't get a fix on what it was I would say clean start is the only way to go (like Otherone said), you could probably save your hermits, snails, and worm if you want by removing them from the water giving them a good rinse in clean salt water before moving them to a clean new system, because as far as I'm aware the flukes/worms that are parasites to fish are specific to fish, as in will not be carried by the snails or crabs. Then you would have to drain your current tank, and leave it bone dry for a number of weeks to be sure everything is dead.
