Help please...my fish are dying

jdjeff58 · 03-24-2008, 06:20 PM

I have just lost 4 fish in the past week. They are getting coated with something that I haven't been able to positively identify. It looks like ich at first then with a closer look the spots are more 'blurred'. Here's a few pics. Quality not so good. Whatever this stuff is, it is acting fast. It has made it to my clowns and by the looks of things they aren't going to make it either. There will be only two fish left in my tank after this, a Yellow tang and a CB. They seem to be ok but I can see the CB with a dusting of whatever this stuff is. This all started with the death of a kole tang last week. He appeared to have ich when he began to lose weight and appetite. The weight loss was fast like one to two days. Before that, the Yellow tang started pushing him into the caves of my rock...as if to keep him away from his share of the food. I was thinking the stress created ich and it eventually killed him. But from the time he got whatever he got on his body until he died was only like 3 or 4 days. He went fast.

Since then, my fish have been dropping like flies. I just lost a black cap basslet, strawberry pseudochromis, and a royal gramma. These are all housed in a 120. I don't have a hospital setup and things are happening so fast, that I just haven't been able to get one setup. I was wondering if these are flukes?

PhotoJohn · 03-24-2008, 08:16 PM

you need to treat them/the tank. If you cant treat them they will probably all die. I had the same thing everything died because I tried "reef safe" meds. Get a QT tank and put a powerhead in it. It will do the job.

jdjeff58 · 03-24-2008, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhotoJohn

you need to treat them/the tank. If you cant treat them they will probably all die. I had the same thing everything died because I tried "reef safe" meds. Get a QT tank and put a powerhead in it. It will do the job.

Can you ID? Treat the tank for?

lReef lKeeper · 03-24-2008, 08:48 PM

it looks more like marine velvet to me. to many spots to be ICH, imo.

Marine Velvet/Amyloodinium ocellatum: A Discussion of this Disease and its Available Treatment Options - Reefkeeping.com

**JustDavidP** · 03-24-2008, 10:58 PM

Velvet *nodding* Google it and treat as stated.

**CarmieJo** · 03-25-2008, 12:03 AM

I am sorry to hear of these discouraging loses. I was going to say velvet just by your description. The pictures confirmed it but Dick & Dave beat me to the diagnosis. Keep us posted.

veriann · 03-25-2008, 02:20 AM

bobby & dave carmie, hand me your drink would you, it say's not tested on animals or americans, just ozzies!

Arrr the woes of marine problems, oh yeah, happens fast, & moral for new commers essecially can be sapped in 24hrs of the first initial signs.

For what its worth, welcome to TR as i dont think ive met you before.
Hang in there, & as carmie mentioned, update us on the conditions as soon as you can so if its possible to assist further.

lReef lKeeper · 03-25-2008, 02:14 PM

Handing my ROCKSTAR® over to V. Sorry buddy, but that's the best I can do ... I quit drinking the good stuff 12 years ago !!

Awaiting an update also ...

joda · 03-26-2008, 12:10 AM

ditto again on the marine velvet, though I can't be quite sure, but that's what it looks like. i had a similar sitch years ago. one fish, no QT and there went the tank full of fishies. only a mandarin survived. it's heartbreaking

i was curious, how long has the tank been up and running?

**JustDavidP** · 03-27-2008, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joda

...only a mandarin survived.

Amazing aren't they? If we could only get ALL of them to eat frozen foods and such, they'd be one of the sturdiest fish in the hobby. That slime coat does wonders when it comes to parasitic and bacterial issues.

Dave

Noobeef · 03-27-2008, 01:47 PM

"She wore marine......velvet......."

Sucks. The more stories like this I see, the easier it will be to convince the wifey we NEED a quarantine tank for our new tank.