Major crash among the fish population in my Solana 34

[Gort]

I did a 5-gallon water change on Saturday, and by Tuesday morning had lost 3 of the 4 fish in the tank. The inverts and corals seem to be okay as
does the surviving Pygmy Cherub. If the water tests out okay - should I suspect a disease or ?? Also, as part of the water change, I discovered the
decomposed remains of a Royal Gramma in the rear filtration section when I lifted out the skimmer. I isolated that rear section from the main tank &
siphoned it all out. Besides any trace products of decomposition - could that have been enough to kill fish?

Also wondering if it was a disease; could anything linger in the sandbed or live rock?

 

[TJL]

I'd be curious as to water quality but would think if that bad it would have affected at least some of the corals first. On disease, the only thing that I'm aware of that strikes that fast would be Marine Velvet but then again I'd think you would have noticed the powdered brown-sugar like parasites covering your fish...hmmm... Can you post up the water-test results and a good close-up pic of the Angel for us ?

Cheers, Todd

 

[Herefishyfishy]

What brand salt, how long allowed to mix, and how did you test the mix for temp, pH, and salinity?
Also, how much rock in the tank, and did you stir up the sand during the water change?

 

[Gort]

I use Brightwell NeoMarine, measure the temp with a thermometer and use a refractometer for salinity. I have Vida Rock in the tank, ammonia, nitrate and nitrite always test near zero.
I didn't stir the sandbed.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

I use Brightwell NeoMarine, measure the temp with a thermometer and use a refractometer for salinity. I have Vida Rock in the tank, ammonia, nitrate and nitrite always test near zero.
I didn't stir the sandbed.

Thanks.
How many pounds of rock, and how do you perform your tests?
When was the last time your refractometer was calibrated and how?
When was the last time you added a new fish or anything wet from another's tank?

 

[Gort]

Pounds of rock isn't actually applicable to the VidaRock - it's an extremely porous ceramic, plus it's shaped as a hollow grotto with lots of nooks and crannies. Bottom line is I feel that I have more than enough bacterial media surface. The refractometer is only a couple months old - I calibrated it with 1.000 solution when new. The Cherub was the last addition to the tank - over a month ago. I take a water sample to Barrier Reef every couple weeks for thorough testing, but I'll admit to not doing much at-home testing.

 

[seattlereef]

Sorry to hear about your crash. Looked up some info on the VidaRock and it looks intresting where did you pick it up from?

Given the amount of die off I would do a large Water change and wait to see if anything develops within the tank.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Pounds of rock isn't actually applicable...Bottom line is I feel that I have more than enough bacterial media surface.

When one already knows, it is hard to find answers...

Good luck, but I doubt what killed off the fish is something "new, mysterious and special."

 

[Gort]

When one already knows, it is hard to find answers...

Good luck, but I doubt what killed off the fish is something "new, mysterious and special."

I wasn't trying to be arrogant or know-it-all... exactly the opposite. That's why I posted here. I never considered it could be the rock, but I'm open to any input or suggestions. How would I gauge whether there is enough Vida Rock to support the needs / bacterial base for natural filtration? When I established the tank I let it cycle as I would with other "live rock" and didn't stock until the parms were "correct".
haven't noticed any spike in

 

[Herefishyfishy]

I am truly sorry if I came across wrong, have a habit of being brutally up front.
The more rock, the more buffering against any unforeseen changes. Can come from a bad salt mix, pH changes, stirring up something in or on the bottom, contaminants, etc.

"Enough rock" is very subjective and determined by quality, fish and feeding load, water change frequency, etc.. I have a 180 with probably 300 pounds

The man made rock looks great. I am sure it is better than any natural boulders but the fact remains that the more rock, the more stable the system. Something changed. A new disease introduced, broken equipment might have gone bad during the night, contaminants, etc.

When a die-off occurs, one needs to toss out any pre-conceived ideas on what "couldn't be the problem" and start looking with a critical eye.

I still suspect since this die off happened right after a water change, that the water was bad or something got stirred up that exceeded the buffering ability of the tank.

Massive water changes would help along with running some excellent carbon. Wouldn't hurt to do the water change with a different box of salt, just to be sure. Make sure the salt has had enough time or churning with air and water to be fully mixed with the pH and temp matching the display.