One fish down, might lose another

[donnyda]

I came home tonight to find my kole tang laying down on the sand with labored breathing. After checking her response to stimulus, I moved her to the "hospital tank" Then I notice my blonde naso curled up under live rock in an unusual fashion also with labored breathing...after checking her responses, I realized she was disoriented and lethargic...I moved her to the hospital tank suspecting something contagious...Now my kole tang is dead and the naso is in the corner floor level with her nose in the corner...I dont want to stress her any further so I am leaving her alone. All my other fish seem fine.

What could this be?

Should I dose my naso with antibiotics? My main tank?

Any suggestions are appreciated!

Salinity: 1.022
Temp: 78
Nitrates: 40 PPM
Nitrites: 0
Ammonia: <.025

Donny

[Crazyeyes]

I would do a water change, to get levels of nitrates and ammonia down. If the naso starts swimming againg and eating, I would feed it garlic. Hope the naso lives.

[CoryDude]

Since you're detecting ammonia, is this a new setup? NO3 is a little high, but I get concerned anytime Ammonia becomes detectable.

[CoryDude]

I wouldn't start dosing meds on the main tank, especially since you not sure what's going on. How long have you had the tangs?

[donnyda]

I have had the kole tang now for about 6months and the b. naso for about 1 month. The b. naso was the last fish I have added. I normally never detect any ammonia, but I have been fighting nitrates since I stood the tank up in late june. Its 240g with about 300+ live rock in main tank...

I feed 2 - 3 times a day...just enough that they can eat it all within a very short period of time.

Formula 2 - 2x per day
Nori - 1-2 x per day
Mysis w/ spriulina everyother day

all the fish eat very well. I heard that the garlic only stimulates appetite.

[Kristy]

I would think the tank would be totally cycled since it has been set up since June. You do have a lot of rock, so it is possible that is still dying off and cycling, but since you said normally you do not have any ammonia reading, probably not.

Have you done an inventory and could you have anything else that could have died and be decomposing in the tank? What is your clean up crew like? Any issues with your macro, maybe going sexual and releasing nutrients into the tank? I am just brainstorming ideas, because something is causing the cycle/creating the ammonia.

***I would also hesitate to dose the tank with anything, since you do not really know what the problem is. Maybe vitamins in the fish food instead might bolster the fish.

Maybe the naso has some disease or parasitic infection it introduced to the tank, since you have only had it a month. Did you quarantine it? (We don't have a quarantine tank, so not getting preachy- we know it is a good idea, just don't have the set up for it.)

We were struggling with our nitrates and finally broke down and started doing weekly water changes. I do not think your higher nitrate levels would be affecting the fish that drastically. Any corals you have might not like it much, but I don't think it would be fatal to the fish.

Good luck, it is a bummer to lose those cool tangs and not be able to do anything. I just made about 25 gallons of RODI water if you need it, let us know.- Mike

[snfkotara]

How many fish do you have and how big are they? How much water flow? I found when I point one of my koralia up for oxygen exchange all my fish seem happier.

[CoryDude]

Did you notice any lateral line erosion on either? I had a scopas tang that would develop that anytime NO3 got too high.

[ErikH]

Feeding WAY too much.

[Bill S]

Feeding WAY too much.

Yup.

I'm guessing that you may also have an O2 level problem. Make sure you have plenty of surface movement. Do some large water changes - hard to do with that size tank - but that will help your nitrates too.

Feed nori to your tangs/angels once a day - only what they will eat right away. Soak it first, if you can. That will remove some of the phosphates.

Feed food only once per day.