all fish dying, inverts fine

[l Morphine]

Hi guys,

I work at a local aquarium store and I am posting this because a customer recently came in. He said for 2 months he has been losing all his fish. Everything from damsels, clownfish to tangs. He tested his water and my store tested it and all his params are fine. He has a few shrimp, and hermits and snails and all are absolutely fine. He doesnt have anything in the tank except for sand and live rock. He has a powerhead, protein skimmer and an aquavlear 70 HOB filter. His tank is a 36 bowfront. This is bothering the hell out of me. Does anybody have any ideas or suggestions? He is on the verge of turning his tank into a planted tank.. thanks!

 

[Frankie Marble]

Flukes? I had a prob with them in the past. Can't detect them easily, tell him to try a freshwater dip on one of the fish. Even I the fish recently died, the flukes can't take the freshwater. When all your params test good it has to be a parasite of some sort. If it is flukes, prazi pro works great. Hope this helps

 

[l Morphine]

I was thinkin low oxygen. I told him to point his powerhead on the surface of the water. I havent heard the results yet

 

[l Morphine]

And thanks for the suggestion. Will prazi pro affect the inverts?

 

[LongIslandAndy]

I think you should tell him to just keep inverts

 

[JPDUSSAN]

Anything plastic that might be releasing toxic into the water causing for the fish to die...

 

[Frankie Marble]

No prazi is safe if they follow the manufacture directions. Takes about 2 doses to get them all. Big water change between doses. But all coral & inverts will be fine

 

[Sharkbait420]

The bottle says that it is reef safe minus feather dusters. It has never harmed mine. I treat all my fish with prazi when I get them. I also treat my tank every few months. Most wild fish will have worms it is a good thing to do if it is the cause or not.

I will tell your friend to leave his tank empty for a few months or cook his rocks, get rid of the inverts and start over.

 

[Jc lover]

Where is he getting his fish from ?? That can be a problem to also is he acclimating the fish right ??

 

[lfsmarineguy]

First of all, how old is the system?

Why is he trying to put a tang in a 36 or even damsels for that matter (especially with just a HoB filter)?

What is his husbandry routine?

 

[Coral Theory]

Without seeing a fish fresh from death, it is kind of hard to determine cause of death. We can point and assume at multiple diseases all day long, but it can also be lack of oxygen, undetectable traces of chemicals, and other things that can affect death of fish.

Good luck with trying to assist your customer with his problems and diagnosing.