White Patches on Majestic Angel       5/3/15 Hi again gang. Need your help please. Just got a majestic angel <... not usually aq. hardy... the ones from Bali a little bit better> from a local fish store several weeks ago and just today noticed it has developed white patches on its head and body. <... bad> This is not ich, or at least I don't believe it is, as it is not a peppery covering. Please see the attached picture and advise your thoughts? <Reading and quick... What sorts of preventative measures have you taken? Dips, baths, isolation...?> Fish is currently swimming and eating normally <Oh; good> and other fish in tank or behaving and look normal as well. Possibly Brooklynella? <Can only distinguish Protozoans, other single celled life via sampling and microscopic examination... SEE/READ on WWM re Euxiphipops species en toto... this is an environmental issue> I am personally stumped and unsure how to treat. Thanks! Jamie <Bob Fenner>

Some BGA influence now!

Re: White Patches on Majestic Angel          5/7/15 Thanks, appreciate the info. Sending this as a follow up on the current conditions of the fish. <Ah, good> Did more reading and research after receiving your response. Found some information on "blanching" of marine Angels as it relates to their overall level of stress and comfort in their environment. <Yes... and yours... the BGA... toxified....> In due process saw a posting mentioning an example with the water being too warm from a faulty heater. Having already checked the water parameters in my tank and verified that they were within ideal parameters, I opened my cabinet to find the thermometer showing 83 degrees. My tank always runs in the 75-76 degree range so I knew my heater was malfunctioning. That said, I unplugged and removed and have monitored the fish closely ever since. It has continued to swim and behave normally, including eating anything and everything I offer....dried Nori, frozen angelfish food and also mysis shrimp (both soaked in vita chem for several minutes prior to feeding). Good news is now, 3 days later, the fish continues to behave and eat normally AND all of his color is seemingly returning to normal. Good signs and I will continue to feed and monitor closely. Jamie <So far, so good... DO read at least on WWM re reversing the Cyanobacteria situation. THIS is likely a major contributor to the environmental stress, blanching here. Bob Fenner>

Dying Naso tang... Dead Diodontid in sys.        2/5/15 Hi, I had a porcupine puffer fish die on me as he got stuck down my overflow pipe, <Should have been screened> I don't know how he managed to get in the overflow box and sucked into the pipe but I tried my best he was eating last night when he got stuck despite having been blown around the tank moments earlier. He had visible injury signs and I couldn't bring myself to euthanise him in the hope he may live. <Likely poisoned the system (as Diodontids can/do); I'd change out most all the water, add chemical filtrants... you've read on WWM re?> Anyway, this morning I woke up to find my Naso tang stuck up against a rock near where the puffer lay dead. I immediately fished the puffer out (we're talking about 6 hours since he last ate and I went to bed) he also got stuck to the power head but is swimming about well every now and then between breaks. I tried to feed seaweed and Spirulina but no luck. His tail has gone a funny colour at the end. Can you see how it has gone black as well as yellow? <Yes> All the other fish are fine at present, <At present> a similar sized yellow tang is fine as well as the smaller fish. Do you think maybe the Naso has picked at the puffers corpse and become poisoned? <Not picked up... the toxin is in the water. ALL are being poisoned> Thanks for your time Matt <READ, understand, act. Bob Fenner>

Re: Dying Naso tang       2/6/15 Hi Bob thanks for your prompt reply as always. As a small follow up Id just like to let you know today's progress as it's confusing me. All the other fish are still fine, no signs of stress and they are eating well. The Naso was dead this morning but it's whole body was brown like a bruised banana! <Tangs are more sensitive than other groups of fishes... to some types of poisoning, low DO...> Excuse the coffee cup, it's all I had to hand and I had panicked. I have added carbon in a filter sock in bags and put them directly under my return pipes. <Good> I also did a 10% water change, I know it should be more if its tetrodotoxin but it's all the water I had to hand. I plan to do more today. <Also good> Very confused because one fish died so rapidly and the rest are 100% fine still. <Happens> Maybe just a one off thing? <Ah yes> Anyway I trust that I took the appropriate action by using carbon and w/c? <Yes> Thanks for your quick help in these crisis times Bob I appreciate that you're busy. Matt <Mmm; we all have about the same amount of time. Am happy to spend mine as I do. Cheers, Bob Fenner>

Tank crashing       6/23/14
I have a 55 gallon bow-front that seems to be crashing.
<No fun>
Nine days ago I added a Brain coral (might be relevant i.e. allelopathy?), otherwise there is nothing different going on: same feeding and maintenance regimen.
3 days ago everything looked and measured great.
2 days ago my hammer coral started shriveling,
1 day ago my Acan Lord started shriveling and my Florida Ricordea started shriveling. I did a 15 gallon water change and changed my Chemi-pure and Purigen.
<Good moves>
Today the three corals mentioned look worse and my Hairy Mushroom has started shriveling. All other corals and live stock seems fine.
It's been a beautiful aquarium for the better part of a year, can you
help?
<... Do you have other system/s to move these animals to? I would move
them>
The tank is a 55 Gallon, corner, with no skimmer, but I run Purigen and
Chemi-pure changed monthly with 5 gallon WC weekly.
Corals:
* Ricordea florida,
* Acanthastrea,
* Bicolor Hammer (Euphyllia parancora)
* Red Goniopora,
* Torch Coral (Euphyllia glabrescens)
* A few Leaf Plate Montiporas,
* Pagoda Cup Coral (Turbinaria peltata),
* Montipora Digitata
* Purple Tree Gorgonian (Eunicea Sp.)
* Trachyphyllia added 9 days ago
* Acropora millepora
7 Fish:
* A Sailfin and a Kole Yellow Eye Tang (I will re-home one and/or
both when they become too large or begin to show aggression or distress),
* Mandarin Goby,
* Yellow & Purple Wrasse (Halichoeres leucoxanthus),
* 2 Ocellaris Clownfish
* Royal Gramma Basslet
Parameters, as measured by Salifert test-kits:
* Ammonia and Nitrites: 0
* Nitrates: 0.2 but I suspect I have higher concentrations that
feed algae which feed the tangs
<I do hope so... the lack of nutrient may have triggered this collapse>
* Ca: 460
* KH: 7.8 - 8.0
* Mg: 1380
* Temp: 78F - 80F, mostly 79F, I have a chiller and heater which
keeps it in a pretty narrow range
<Let's refer you to our collapse archive:
http://wetwebmedia.com/toxictkendof.htm
and: http://wetwebmedia.com/toxicwipeoutf.htm
Bob Fenner>
Re: Tank crashing       6/23/14
Bob,
<Jim>
Thank you as usual for the reply. I do not have access to another tank; so I shall do 10 gallon water changes every day for 7 days and change the carbon every 3 days (unless you have a better idea)... And I will read.
<All sounds good>
I did have a question about my nitrate levels as I would like to rule out insufficient nutrients as a cause. You point out that .2 ppm is too low, and I understand that. My question is do you think it's possible that even though my test measures nitrate as .2, it is actually (sufficiently) higher but simply being taken out of the water column?
<Mmm; doubtful... but will concede that this is still possible>
I have green algae on all 3 walls ( Kole Tang and snails grazing ground)
- I need to scrape the front daily, I have bubble algae - not much, but enough to keep me occupied for about 5 minutes every week, I have a hand full of herbivorous snails that are happy and growing, and up until now my corals have been growing and splitting / dropping new colonies.
<All good signs.>
I also have 7 fish and no protein skimmer. My reasoning is that the nitrates are fueling the algae and coral growth with very little left over in the water column. Am I fooling myself?
<I don't think so. With the added info. here I agree w/ your observation/guess. Cheers, BobF>
Re: Tank crashing       6/23/14
Hey Bob, something just occurred to me: I accidentally severed a few tips of my hammer coral, about eight days ago, when I was scraping algae - the hammer was the first to shrivel . Could this carelessness have triggered the cascading event I'm experiencing?
<Of a certainty; yes. Euphylliids are very common instigators of such
cascade events. B>