Fish Death or Murder?

[Idaho ken]

Hi all,

 

I've got a mystery on my hands. First, the tank:

 

Biocube 29, up for 6 months. Current Water Params:

 

Sal - 1.025 (Checked with calibrated Milwaukee)

PH - 8

Nitrates .05

Phosphates - 0

Ammonia and Nitrites at 0

Temp = 78.8 to 79.3

Weekly water changes of 2.5 gallons, using Instant Ocean Reef

ATO topping off with RODI water

 

Current Stock

 

2 Porcelain Crabs - 3 weeks old

1 Pom Pom - 4 months

1 Orange Stripe Goby/Pistol Shrimp Combo - 4 months old

1 Strawberry Crab - 5 months old

1 Cleaner Shrimp - 3 Months old

2 small hermits

10 snails

 

2 Zoa frags

2 mushroom frags

1 birds nest

1 Candy Cane (2 heads)

 

My corals are all doing great.

 

I had 2 B. Cardinals 2 months ago, one died. The other mysteriously dissapeared 3 weeks ago...I found it under a rock, almost all ate up.....my Pom Pom was doing the eating. The day before I found it, it was swimming fine, fat n happy, eating good...then one night....boom....gone. I ended up replacing my fish with a Flame angle.....quarantined it for about a month....last Friday I introduced it to my cube....all was good, a little skiddish in the new tank, but it was eating good, no signs of distress.....wake up today, gone......where did I find it? Under the same rock as my cardinal, same guy eating it...pom pom crab.

 

I read that all the crabs I have (strawberry, pom pom, porcelain) are supposed to be friendly, non fish eating.....I do understand they are all scavengers....and will eat whatever they find....but, what could be killing my fish? Seemingly over night? I thought maybe it is the pistol, but, he's got a goby to guide and protect....

 

Oh, I also just tested for stray voltage....none to be measured. No invert deaths, no coral deaths....just fish.

 

Any hints or tips? At this point I'm afraid to spend money on the fishy's if I'm secretly feeding something in the tank.

[Astinus]

Bobbit Worm?

[fishfreak0114]

Sorry to hear of your bad luck Could you have a mantis and not have noticed the clicking because of the pistol? Though you'd think it would go after a pistol.

[Tamberav]

Did you get all the fish from the same LFS? Could be a coincidence.

 

Were the cardinals wild caught? I haven't owned one for awhile now but I had betetr luck with tank bred cardinals due to the iridovirus. Not sure if that is still an issue.

 

[Preybilly]

How is your surface agitation? I know oxygenation can be more of a problem for fish than small inverts, which could explain why inverts are tolerating tank just fine and the fish not so much? The goby isn't as much of a swimmer as the other fish, so probably has lower oxygen demands. I'm just pot-shotting here and have no level of experience to back up my statement, just thinking from a pathophysiologic point of view.

[Idaho ken]

I really appreciate all your questions! The rock in my tank wasn't "live" when I started the tank, so there were no "hitch hikers" present. I have put two small pieces in the tank since then, so, who knows if I have some kind of worm or other? I have not seen anything at night during my "spy" times....the fish have come from different locations...the angle was a purchase from live aquaria....so the shipping may have been just to much for it to handle? The Cardinal was from my local lfs, and I'm not sure if it was wild or bread. I hear no clicking at all, never have, so I can't be sure I have something other than the pistol.

 

As far as surface agitation, my wave maker (WR-4) is at the top, making good water movement on the surface and down....and I have no lid on the cube, so there are no trapped gasses.

 

I'll let the tank go fish-less for a couple of weeks while I'm on the road, then try again.....maybe a cheapo clown fish....they are usually pretty hardy!

 

Thanks again all!