My Foxface just died... help.

[jinsmurf]

My one-spot foxface just died all of a sudden.

I thought something was amiss, when at night, I observed him not swimming but just hovering between two rocks. Then, I saw a snail climb onto his side. Is this normal?

Anyways, next morning, poor foxface had died in that rock cave. I immediately removed him.

He had no sign of diseases like ich or other parasites. Although, in retrospect he has been showing signs of stress which I didn't recognize, such as pacing back and forth and doing short loop circles in one corner.

I have a 75g tank with a blenny and 2 clowns. They all got along well, especially the blenny. Water chemistry has been fine. Ammonia 0, nitrate 0, nitrite 0, trace phosphate, ph 8.0. I did dose some Seachem marine buffer to raise pH as instructed the night before.

Was the tank too small for him?

Did the marine buffer dose kill him?

Please help. My tank is 4 months old, and he has been in the tank for 2 months without problems. I keep wondering if I could have prevented his death.

[bluewater921]

no your tank is not to small .. was it eating ?? did it get stuck between the rocks .. was it beat up ...

[steri]

I agree with bluewter. The size of your tank should not have been the issue. How often was he eating? What was his breathing like the night before (strained, fast paced, ect)?

[David520]

What size of foxface did you have was he a juvenile? I have been successful in keeping a mature foxface in my 120 for 3-4 yrs and just die for no apparent reason, so after the second one passed I did a search on how long they last in captivity and for the most part was @5yrs.

[jinsmurf]

My foxface was about 3 to 3.5 inches in length when brought home from lfs.

His breathing was not unsual. Not supper fast or slow.

He ate every feeding, both mysis shrimp and marine flakes up to the day he died.

Maybe he never really adjusted well to my tank, as he liked to hide in rock caves and swam in quick bursts in open areas during feeding.

Also, I had a cyano outbreak couple of weeks ago. I saw the foxface grazing on the cyano. Is that toxic?

My lfs told me that foxface is a very hardy fish.
Now, I'm not so sure..

[Sk8r]

It's unusual. I wonder about a hidden predator, like a pistol shrimp---heard any clicking sounds in the evenings? Cyano is not a problem, and a foxface readily grazes on toxic caulerpa with no ill effects. I rather lean toward a predator, or a fish with an internal parasitic problem that wasn't evident. Was he fat or angular in body form? Ie, was he really eating? I've honestly never seen one touch cyano, and wonder if he had enough green food?

[A sea K]

Originally Posted by jinsmurf

My one-spot foxface just died all of a sudden.
I did dose some Seachem marine buffer to raise pH as instructed the night before.
Maybe he never really adjusted well to my tank, as he liked to hide in rock caves and swam in quick bursts in open areas during feeding.

How much did you raise your PH? A sharp rise in PH could put an already stressed fish over the edge.

[jinsmurf]

Originally Posted by A sea K

How much did you raise your PH? A sharp rise in PH could put an already stressed fish over the edge.

I dosed about 4 teaspoons of Seachem marine buffer. The instructions say to dose 1 teaspoon per 20 gallons. I have a 75g DT and 20g sump. It raised the pH from about 8.0 to 8.2, I think (my API pH test is rather poor).

Regarding sk8r suggestion of a predatior, i.e. pistol shrimp. I do sometimes hear some faint clicking at night, but I'm not sure if its a pistol shrimp or sounds from the overflow box.

Should the pistol shrimp's clicks be very obvious? How do I know for sure a pistol is present? Also, I thought pistols would not harm something as big as a foxface?

Thanks everyone for the helpful ideas.

[jinsmurf]

Originally Posted by A sea K

How much did you raise your PH? A sharp rise in PH could put an already stressed fish over the edge.

I dosed about 4 teaspoons of Seachem marine buffer. The instructions say to dose 1 teaspoon per 20 gallons. I have a 75g DT and 20g sump. It raised the pH from about 8.0 to 8.2, I think (my API pH test is rather poor).

Regarding sk8r's suggestion of a predatior, i.e. pistol shrimp. I do sometimes hear some faint clicking at night, but I'm not sure if its a pistol shrimp or sounds from the overflow box.

Should the pistol shrimp's clicks be very obvious? How do I know for sure a pistol is present? Also, I thought pistols would not harm something as big as a foxface?

Thanks everyone for the helpful ideas.

[ssgtgonzo]

Maybe not a pistol, but a mantis could definitely take a large fish out. Sorry for your loss.

Did he show any of the stress patterns like brown mottling and the face turning lighter? They are very quick to do that so it would have been obvious

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[bluewater921]

8.0 to 8.2 is not a big swing to harm it .. did it bump the rock and hurt his scales ? did you notice and damage to his body when you removed him ... that would be what i would be looking for is any bruises

[A sea K]

Not sure if the PH swing is your culprit or not. However, even 8.0 to 8.2 at the drop of a hat is not a good idea anyway. If you fear your test is not accurate then there is also a chance the swing could have been worse than what your test reveal.
As for the pistol shrimp, not likely at all. I have many small fish with a Tiger pistol of fair size and never an issue. As for a Mantis, possibly if large enough but again, not likely IMO. As a note, yes, you can definately hear them if you have one.
"He had no sign of diseases like ich or other parasites. Although, in retrospect he has been showing signs of stress which I didn't recognize, such as pacing back and forth and doing short loop circles in one corner." With no outward indications of trauma or disease then I'd look towards the possibility of internal parasites, the PH swing or likely a combination of both factors. One bad thing about fish losses is it's not always possible to determine a cause.