Dying Blue/Green Chromis

[diddy2k]

Hey RC, it's been a while! Sorry for the long post, but I'm stuck between two diagnosis's, and the sticky said to put all the information we can so here goes. After successfully keeping a biocube14 and an aqueon evolve4 for the past few years I decided to pickup a complete 75 gallon setup used on craigslist to keep a few more fish. I kept the sand and live rock while I cleaned the tank and sump and built a new stand. The sand was kept in 5 gallon buckets with water from the tank and the LR was kept in 18 gallon totes with power heads and weekly water changes (3 weeks). I cleaned the tank, sump, and equipment with a vinegar soak/scrub and followed up the tank with a quick bleach soak followed by 3 fill and drains and ran for a week with activated carbon. When the stand was complete I rinsed the sand with the water from the LR totes and added sand +20lbs new premium reef live sand, rock and water to the tank. I had not plumbed the tank for the sump so I was using an AquaClear 70 ph with filter attachment in the tank. I began reading up on cycling tanks again and came across some people starting their cycle with blue/green chromis. I read of some successes and some failures and decided since I could get them for around $1 a piece I'd grab a few and give it a go. All my other tanks cycled for at least 4-6 weeks prior to addition of livestock. I let the tank run for a week before adding the fish. I did a water test prior and found no ammonia or nitrite, but there was about 10ppm nitrate. (Still wondering if re-using the sand/rock is why the nitrates are there as my water test tonight yielded the same results as last week). So I ordered 5 of the blue/green chromis. The place I was able to order through does not sell marine fish so when they came in I had to go pick them up sight unseen. 1 dead in the bag, 4 alive. Came home floated for 15 minutes and drip acclimated for an hour and put them in the tank. 3 seemed very happy and shoaled, one was yellow and dumb floating around in the current. The next day one of the happy blues was missing, found under a rock dead. Yellow guy swimming at the bottom corner. The next morning I found another of the happy school dead under the same rock I found the first. Both appeared to have been possibly nipped at. They would not eat when presented pellet, cyclopeeze, live brine, reef flakes so I thought maybe they were eating the dead ones?? Tonight I plumbed up the overflow and sump and tested the skimmer, still not running it yet as it freaks out with the stresszyme in the water. I decided to chase the oddball from the corner as the remaining healthy chromis began eating tonight (cyclopeeze). He grabbed a spot on a rock and doesn't swim among the water column, just stays in one spot (the corner of the tank or now a spot in the rock, possibly looks like he's heavily breathing but only slightly more so than the healthy one, color is better, but has this grayish lesion by the gills and pectoral fin. Can someone help me diagnose? I'm praying for lymphocytis but am afraid it's fish TB. I've used the same net to feed the live brine between all my tanks (3 salt 1 fresh) so I'm obviously overly paranoid at this point. Thanks so much for any help! And needless to say I'll be going back my standard fishless cycles and probably purchasing fish from the LFS or online retailer.

[hollister]

I dont see any powerheads for water flow. This is what draws oxygen into the water.

[diddy2k]

Originally Posted by hollister

I dont see any powerheads for water flow. This is what draws oxygen into the water.

There is an AquaClear 70 in the back right corner (dark in the picture) behind the rocks. It is mounted high in the tank for surface movement. Since that picture was taken I've plumbed the overflow to sump and return. Albeit, if low oxygen levels were the cause of reducing the fish's ability to fight off disease, I'm still concerned with the diagnosis. When I got the tank, the previous owners had a yelow tang, maroon clown, and a flame hawkfish. The maroon clown was in bad shape. The owners said it was from the yellow tang picking on it, but now that I'm looking at fish disease (forgive my ignorance, I've never had an issue up until now so I've never researched the diseases) it appears he may have been sick (fin rot, velvet). I'll have to call the LFS I dropped these fish off with to see what happened to the clown.

This chromis died overnight. Here is a picture of the lesion. Once he moved to the rocks it appeared he scraped off the grayish growth and just had the open sore. The last one remaining is eating well, and swimming around normally, even playing in the return and ph currents.



Salinity is kept at 1.022-1.023 with manual topoff (no ATO yet). I keep the house at 78 (Orlando, FL) but put a heater in when the fish went in to compensate for evening temp changes. I've read one thread that discusses fish going through cycling can have the same symptoms as TB.

All opinions are welcomed and appreciated!

If I start having problems in my other tanks then I'll know for sure. I'm going to let the cycle complete and add a couple more chromis (I ultimately wanted some smaller shoaling fish in there) and monitor how they do before adding my clowns from the biocube. This 75g was intended to be their upgrade, but now I'm scared to ever move them in there until I get a clear understanding of what this is/was.

[longranger]

I have had mediocre luck with green chromis and have no idea what killed yours. My biggest concern is that you are starting a new tank with fish from the LFS that were never QT and had a high probability of seeding your tank with ICH or worse. Please don't take this comment as snobbish criticism. I have done the same RECENTLY!!! My DT is fallow and the remaining fish are in cupramine.

[h2so4hurts]

I added 15 green chromis to my tank and over the last six months they have slowly beaten the crap out of each other. Now I have 2. I wouldn't worry about it. It was probably a secondary infection due to a fight injury.

[diddy2k]

Originally Posted by longranger

I have had mediocre luck with green chromis and have no idea what killed yours. My biggest concern is that you are starting a new tank with fish from the LFS that were never QT and had a high probability of seeding your tank with ICH or worse. Please don't take this comment as snobbish criticism. I have done the same RECENTLY!!! My DT is fallow and the remaining fish are in cupramine.

None taken I'll monitor the lone survivor closely for the next 4-6 weeks (if he lasts!) Lesson learned, the fishless cycle is the way to go. Shouldn't have deviated from my past successes. I've had 2 tiny green chromis in my daughters pico for months, they're best friends. Of course they came from the LFS from the same tank and had been through their QT and I cycled for 6 weeks. I recently acquired a free 20L, so I'll be setting up a QT prior to any additions in the future. I knew my good luck had to run out sooner or later! time to develop new habits.

Originally Posted by h2so4hurts

I added 15 green chromis to my tank and over the last six months they have slowly beaten the crap out of each other. Now I have 2. I wouldn't worry about it. It was probably a secondary infection due to a fight injury.

Thanks for the peace of mind! We are stoked to be finally starting a larger tank.

[h2so4hurts]

Mine were QT'd for 4 weeks though :P

[BBraker]

green chromis + quick death w/mouth open + lesion = Uronema (a.k.a. Redband disease).

Bill

[MrTuskfish]

Originally Posted by BBraker

green chromis + quick death w/mouth open + lesion = Uronema (a.k.a. Redband disease).

Bill

Very possible. Chromis used to be easy, peaceful little fish. Not any more. they are dying like flies and killing each other off when they do manage to survive. i have no idea why. I'd avoid them entirely.

[b0bab0ey]

Originally Posted by MrTuskfish

Very possible. Chromis used to be easy, peaceful little fish. Not any more. they are dying like flies and killing each other off when they do manage to survive. i have no idea why. I'd avoid them entirely.

Same here. I used to always keep large schools of Chromis, no problems. Now I can't keep any alive. No idea what is the deal with them.