Royal Gramma lived less than 18 hours

[TeamIM24]

Went to LFS on Saturday afternoon and purchased a juvenile RG. The fish appeared healthy and I have a lot of confidence in this LFS. Their tanks are always clean and they have a very good reputation. I took the RG home, floated the bag for 30 minutes and put in QT. Our water parameters are perfect (we checked them all on Friday) and the RG was swimming around normally. All we have in the QT is some PVC and simple filtration. All our other fish have done well in QT. We woke up Sunday morning around 7 and the RG was dead. Called the LFS (who were wonderful) and they asked me to bring the fish in one bag and a water sample in another. Went yesterday afternoon and they tested the water and said it was perfect. Store owner looked at the Gramma and said the tale had been bitten off. I told them the fish looked normal when we purchased it and seemed to have no trouble swimming in their DT or in our QT. Yet the tail was clearly missing. They looked at it under a microscope and couldn't find anything else. Again the owner of the LFS was great and offered me a credit. Still haven't figured out what happened to the RG. It was in with other fish at the LFS but it was swimming normally and they would never try to sell a fish without a tail.

 

I know no one will be able to explain the missing tail but I wondered if any of you have had a fish that looked healthy, live that briefly when your water is normal? There are no other fish or CUC or anything in our QT. Just filtration and PVC. We looked for the tail in the QT and haven't been able to find any pieces that would make us believe it came off in there.

[k4ndyk1ng]

I dont know, but I had a yellow tang for 6 months then it some how got jammed between 2 rocks and I found it dead, I thought he could just swim out of it

[Chungy]

Yep, I had a RG from the LFS last month to be the third fish in my biocube. It looked healthy when I bought it from the store, I chose that particular one because it was openly swimming rather than hiding like the others.

 

Although it dived right into a cave as soon as I put it in the tank, it was eating and swimming fine. I found it dead the second day about 30+ hours later. There was no bite mark on it, the only thing that was suspicious was that it hanged around a rock with an aiptasia about the size of a quarter, when I found the body, it had what appear to be a Creoland Isopod on it nomming. Water condition was perfect, I am still not quite sure what killed it.

[clownfitch]

You said you floated the bag for 30 minutes and then put it in. Did you perform any water acclimation first? In order to put the fish directly from the bag to the tank without acclimating it to your tanks parameters the LFS water and yours would need to be very close. A fish should really be drip acclimated before introducing in my opinion.

[Boggers]

Very odd indeed, do you have a Vortech powerhead or something of the sort? Turned off, fish swims in....turn on and fish attempts to make it out but losses tail. I am guessing as you said there isn't even a CUC to eat it off.

[TeamIM24]

You said you floated the bag for 30 minutes and then put it in. Did you perform any water acclimation first? In order to put the fish directly from the bag to the tank without acclimating it to your tanks parameters the LFS water and yours would need to be very close. A fish should really be drip acclimated before introducing in my opinion.

Our LFS doesn't recommend drip acclimating fish. They recommend 20-30 minute float and try to not get any of the LFS water into our tank since they run copper. LFS tested our water and said it was "perfect" so our parameters must be right in line with theirs.

 

Very odd indeed, do you have a Vortech powerhead or something of the sort? Turned off, fish swims in....turn on and fish attempts to make it out but losses tail. I am guessing as you said there isn't even a CUC to eat it off.

No powerhead or CUC in the QT.

 

Thanks to the others for their responses. I think it may just be one of those unsolved mysteries.

[clownfitch]

Our LFS doesn't recommend drip acclimating fish. They recommend 20-30 minute float and try to not get any of the LFS water into our tank since they run copper. LFS tested our water and said it was "perfect" so our parameters must be right in line with theirs.

Did you check the salinity of the lfs water and compare it to your tank? A few of my lfs's keep their salinity around the 1.020 mark and I maintain my tanks at 1.025 - 1.026. A sudden salinity spike to an otherwise already stressed fish would not fair well. Don't take my post wrong, definitely not pointing fingers here. Just trying to help find a likely COD.

[TeamIM24]

Did you check the salinity of the lfs water and compare it to your tank? A few of my lfs's keep their salinity around the 1.020 mark and I maintain my tanks at 1.025 - 1.026. A sudden salinity spike to an otherwise already stressed fish would not fair well. Don't take my post wrong, definitely not pointing fingers here. Just trying to help find a likely COD.

 

I don't mind the question at all. Salinity in both was 1.024. I was wondering the same thing but the water matched up.

[xXReeferXx]

I very rarely "drip" I do the same thing he does I float for shorter periods as well....I feel the longer you keep the fish in the bag the more it gets stressed and I have even done this with a torch that is thriving in my tank.I doubt that is the cause.Although maybe it is

[clownfitch]

I very rarely "drip" I do the same thing he does I float for shorter periods as well....I feel the longer you keep the fish in the bag the more it gets stressed and I have even done this with a torch that is thriving in my tank.I doubt that is the cause.Although maybe it is

 

I do not acclimate coral either other than temp (float bag). As far as the fish though, if all you do is temp acclimate a fish, take him out of a bag containing water with a salinity of 1.020 and alk of say 7.0 and drop him into your reef tank where the salinity could be as high as 1.026 to 1.027 and an alkalinity of 12.5ish you don't think that could lead to enough stress to kill the fish? I think it would be very risky. I drip any fish in a dark container for no less than 30 minutes regardless of the water differences and up to an hour and a half if there is a great disparity in the water parameters. That's just me though.

[Angel<3Nanos]

There is no need to float the bag for 30 mins. That's ridiculous, it's just to match the temp of the bag with your tank. It takes 5 mins.

 

So you QT (which is a longer process), but you don't drip acclimate a fish for 30 mins? Lol

 

I'm glad you QT, but perhaps next time you add the drip acclimation to you list. I prefer to be safe than sorry.

 

 

I do not acclimate coral either other than temp (float bag). As far as the fish though, if all you do is temp acclimate a fish, take him out of a bag containing water with a salinity of 1.020 and alk of say 7.0 and drop him into your reef tank where the salinity could be as high as 1.026 to 1.027 and an alkalinity of 12.5ish you don't think that could lead to enough stress to kill the fish? I think it would be very risky. I drip any fish in a dark container for no less than 30 minutes regardless of the water differences and up to an hour and a half if there is a great disparity in the water parameters. That's just me though.

1+ here

[TeamIM24]

It's a QT so we don't have the same salinity as our DT. We acclimate in the QT slowly over a number of days prior to moving fish to DT because of the higher salinity in our DT.

[PiscesFish]

Since you go to a LFS, it shouldnt be too long of a drive back home. I do a 30 minute acclimation. 10 minutes floating since it gets cold here, even in the car. 10 mins add tank water and 10 mins add tank water then use a net to put the fish in my tank. Reason being is that every fish has a different sensitivity to a jump in chemicals and can experience a shock, but the initial shock can easily kill a fish.

 

It doesnt matter if the water salinity is similar because it isnt just salinity you have to be careful of. Its everything together like Nitrates and nitrates and ammonia and etc.

[Tamberav]

I float the fish and in they go without acclimation. This is for fish I have shipped in though. The pH of water drops and converts ammonia to ammonium which isn't toxic....Once you open the bag and add tank water.... the pH rises and ammonia builds up so drip acclimating shipped fish is actually harmful.

 

In the rare case I buy something at the LFS and the salinity is vastly different, then I will float > add a 1/2 cup-ish every few min or I will lower the salinity in the QT to match. Since they have not been in the bag overnight, there shouldn't be a huge ph swing and a bunch of ammonia.

 

Even healthy fish will sometimes disappear, They are fragile creatures and observation can't tell us the whole story. Since it's tail was missing, something was probably wrong with it and not your acclimation.

[reefernanoman]

I had a Royal Gramma that lived for years with me in like 4 different tanks and two states until I had to give him away. They are very hardy fish. Weird.

[xXReeferXx]

 

I do not acclimate coral either other than temp (float bag). As far as the fish though, if all you do is temp acclimate a fish, take him out of a bag containing water with a salinity of 1.020 and alk of say 7.0 and drop him into your reef tank where the salinity could be as high as 1.026 to 1.027 and an alkalinity of 12.5ish you don't think that could lead to enough stress to kill the fish? I think it would be very risky. I drip any fish in a dark container for no less than 30 minutes regardless of the water differences and up to an hour and a half if there is a great disparity in the water parameters. That's just me though.

Yeah I see where you are coming from and I agree with you but in my case through my water changes I use the same water my LFS uses so we have a perfect(if not very close) parameter match.

[clownfitch]

I float the fish and in they go without acclimation. This is for fish I have shipped in though. The pH of water drops and converts ammonia to ammonium which isn't toxic....Once you open the bag and add tank water.... the pH rises and ammonia builds up so drip acclimating shipped fish is actually harmful.

 

Even healthy fish will sometimes disappear, They are fragile creatures and observation can't tell us the whole story. Since it's tail was missing, something was probably wrong with it and not your acclimation.

Very good points on fish that have been shipped to you and have been in a small amount of water for an extended period of time. I have never purchased fish online so that scenario never crossed my mind.

[IThas2Bme]

Had an RG for just about a month. Looked very healthy from LFS, all other tank mates (3) are healthy and friendly but after owning for about 3 days it took to cave hiding and stopped coming out to eat every day. Not seeing him for 3 days I eventually forced him out of a rock and set up a QT for him but he looks thin and not swimming. First experience with a fish acting fine and eating but then quickly turning bad. I was aware they like caves but I'll stay away from RGs in the future. In a nano, I want to at least see the things adding to my bioload.

[Tamberav]

Had an RG for just about a month. Looked very healthy from LFS, all other tank mates (3) are healthy and friendly but after owning for about 3 days it took to cave hiding and stopped coming out to eat every day. Not seeing him for 3 days I eventually forced him out of a rock and set up a QT for him but he looks thin and not swimming. First experience with a fish acting fine and eating but then quickly turning bad. I was aware they like caves but I'll stay away from RGs in the future. In a nano, I want to at least see the things adding to my bioload.

 

Sounds like something was wrong with him or someone was bullying him. Mine is out swimming as long as the lights are on.

[clownfitch]

Their behavior can be odd. Mine is social sometimes and then very skiddish and darty at other times. He always comes out at dinner time though.

[IThas2Bme]

There was definitely something wrong with mine. Similiar to the OP, not sure what or what I could have done different (no bullies in the tank).

 

And to have at least learned something: after a week of that I should have forced him from his cave and put him in QT. Maybe I could have saved him.