Sad day, here. Multiple fish and shrimp deaths. Help me think this through.

About an hour ago my son called upstairs that something was wrong with my tank. Went down to find dead and dying fish. /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default/emoticons/sad.gif


So far I have lost a clown and a shrimp for sure and have them out of the tank. The midas blenny, and the purple tang were all showing distress, laying on the rocks and gasping. I was able to catch them and get them into another tank, as well as the remaining cleaner shrimp. I can't catch the remaining clown or find the mandarin or the watchman goby. Midas and tang appear to be in a little less distress after 10 minutes, but that could be wishful thinking.


After transferring the two fish and the shrimp and finaly giving up on catching the others, I hooked up the RODI and am making water. Freaking out a little so stepping back for a minute to think things through.


Corals looks fine. Great, in fact. Anemones are fine. Snails seem fine. Red star fish seems fine. (Cant see any of the brittles right now.) Crabs seem fine, but are maybe sluggish. Water temp is 78, right where it always is. Power did not go out. There is no stray voltage.


I will test parameters in a minute.


Don't really want to tear everything apart, risking corals to get these three fish. Willing to lose them, if it comes down to risking them or risking corals and anemones.


History:


Last night: Fed corals and fish same foods I feed every two days. Everything ate fine. No new packages. Washed my hands and rinsed well before putting them in tank to right a coral that had gotten knocked over.


Day before yesterday: Did 30% water change, water was RODI, aged 48 hours after mixing in salt (not a new bucket), matching temp and matching salinity of .025. Sand bed was not disturbed. (This same batch of water also did water changes on two other tanks that are totally fine.)


Day before that: Fed and then later cleaned up the glass, cleaned powerheads, changed out chemipure bag, changed filter floss, changed Phos guard and Puirgen bag. (Here is where the only difference occurs.... I did put in a smidge more Phosguard and Purigen than I normally do, but not enough more that it should make a difference, I wouldn't think.)


The three days before that: nothing out of the ordinary.


A week ago: changed all my bulbs.


I have no parameters to report for that week. I didn't test because I have been crazy busy with a remodeling project and was going to do a water change on Thursday night regardless. Prior to that, nothing unusual parameter-wise.


No hair algae in this tank, no diatoms, there has been a bit of cyano lately in the top back corner at waterlevel where circulation isn't the greatest.


Going down to test parameters now.

 

I don't get it. Parameters are perfect . Checked everything twice with Hannah checkers and the stupid API kit. And now mandarin, watchman goby and sixline (forgot about him) are swimming around looking better. Clown still looks a little shocky, though.


Crabs are fine and now that I have had time to calmly look, I see tiny brittle stars are fine. (Still can't locate the big one.)


Tang and midas that were moved to the other tank look MUCH better.


What could suddenly make fish and shrimp sick enough to kill them or leave them extremely shocky, (but they recover in same tank) but leave corals other inverts in perfect condition?


A small cuke dying? I know I had a teensy blackish green one. A sponge?


Could a temporary stray electrical current do that, leaving corals unharmed? I am sure it is not disease, given the suddenness of mass onset and recovery. Fairly sure it is not some toxin in the water given apparent recovery, unless it was something the chemipure could remove.


Color me confused.

 

That is what I am wondering. I was working on the floor prior to feeding last night. Grouting between tiles. But I made such a point to wash and dry my hands. I wonder if there was some grout dust in the bowl I thawed the food in..... So strange that corals would be just fine though. SPS have good polyp extension and everything.


ugh! Hate this.


Losing fish is something that is going to happen to every fish keeper, I guess, but not knowing and not being able to learn from it makes it 10x worse in my opinion.

 

Newest fish is the blennie and I have had him for months. Always qt.

 

Sumpless with DSB + ATS. No controllers. Timers only on lights.



Everything was running this morning when I checked it. Nothing was tripped or unplugged and digital clocks showed no sign of having lost power.

 

I wondered about that, too. Could stray voltage hurt the fish, but not the corals? There isn't currently any stray voltage in tank. I checked. Could stray voltage happen temporarily? All equipment seems to be in good working order. I am kicking myself for not getting that grounding probe sitting in the closet installed yet.