phantom killer

[cichlidchic]

this afternoon about 3PM, my ob peacock (purchased 4 months ago from fish gallery) turned up dead of no apparent reasons. no wounds, no cloudiness, swimming along just fine, then walk in and it's dead. although peculiar, i flushed her and thought on it, ran test, everything is registering normal, no ammonia or nitrites, nitrates between 20-40, ph 7.8, temp 80, alkalenity 180, everything ideal.

her mate, just died. same thing. last fish added to this tank was today i switched a figure 8 puffer to this tank. I also added 2 small male peacocks from fishland.

what gives? i want to replace them tomorrow when i go to fish gallery (was already planning the trip), but not if there is something wrong in the tank. someone suggested the puffer could be toxic. is it possible they are trying to eat him and it's killing them?

[fishlady]

your problem is the "puffer"...you can't keep other fish with a puffer....they will kill other tank mates....also you should be aware that those puffers are fine in freshwater when little but have to be acclimated to brackish or full marine as they get older, for them to sustain health....

[cichlidchic]

ok, but how? these fish showed absolutely no signs of aggression! full unnipped finns, no loose or missing scales, just limp, dead open mouthed on the bottom. puffer was in there 4 hours. can it happen that fast?

[fishlady]

i've watched puffers attack other fish from the side...not leaving any damage....but stressing them so much they do die.....
i would remove any tankmates that you have with the puffer....and remember you'll need to bring the water to brackish or full marine over time.......

[CichlidFan]

I have lost a few frontosa in the same manner, no visible sign of injury or disease, but non the less, the fish died....There was no obvious reason or cause that I could think of, but there could be something to the "stress" factor when fish are housed with other species or even within a colony of their own....

It's hard to say for sure.....

Best of Luck in the future...

CF

[aggrofishkeeper]

nitrates at 20-40 is terrible...

there could a number of things why your fish died. check around for clues as far as equipment, and do you wash your hands before you put your hands in the aquarium, what filtration method are you using?

[cichlidchic]

it's been a week since my last water change, and it never hits 40. on the strip (lets face it i coudln't find the test kit cause hubby moved it) it was barely darker than 20 and thats really nit picking at it too. i've ruled everything else out, it's got to be the puffer. although noone else died and he seems to have chilled out. setting him up a 10 till i can figure this out. he's only an inch and a half long. that way i can start acclamating him to brackish too. thanks guys.

[Mzungu]

I also added 2 small male peacocks from fishland.

How long before the fish died did you add these guys?

Try to ALWAYS quarantine any new fish.

[Zulaab]

Dead with Open Mouth usually means something got to the gills.. or lack of O2... are the other fish breeding hard ? Increase oxygen in the tank. I would take the temp with another thermometer and make sure that the tank is between 78-80 degree's.
Good water movement at the surface ?
... and like MB said... QT ALL NEW FISH!!!! -- specially when they come from a fish store.

[cichlidchic]

new guys were present 4 hours prior to the deaths. lost one more today, but he was looking rough before anything changed in the tank, again, died open mouth. i have a mag 18 pulling from 2 separate 2in bulkheads in this tank, with the return aimed up to disturb the surface and it's aimed at the glass to not create too much of a current and stress the fish. there are tiny air bubbles rising all over the tank, and it feels like it's about 80, mildly cool, but not cold or warm. cooler than room temp.

[Zulaab]

As long as there is constant water movement and with a MAG18 you have for sure enough O2 in the system. You need to look for something else to have entered into the water coloum. I recommend to do a good size water change.. Sounds like something got into the water that should not have happened.. did the best control guy stop by ?

[Mzungu]

lost one more today, but he was looking rough before anything changed in the tank, again, died open mouth.

How was he looking rough?

cooler than room temp.

Room temp is pretty cool...do you have a heater in the tank? Do you have a thermometer?

[cichlidchic]

negative on pest control guy, and the guy i use is sensative to tanks. been using him for YEARS and my parents used him before that so he uses stuff that is all natural and pet friendly, but also not "airborn" (ie granuals are often used near tanks). looking rough as in inactivity, hiding more than usual, sluggish, some lack of color (not much but almost fading) and he was an older fish. He was sick when i bought him more than 9 months ago, nursed him back, and like i said it just didn't surprise me for him. the only potential contaminant would have to enter through the sump. would a mouse be capable of doing that? we recently caught 2 mice in the house (we live near a field it's an issue in droughts) In regards to the mag 18 it's on a 125 gallon tank, so i figured i had the flow taken care of lol. I did the water change, and the puffer is gone, he's now occupying my tank at work because the kids were all like "OMG A PUFFER IS SO COOL!!! MRS HEATHER GET A PUFFER" it just worked. gave one of my co-workers the angels, moved the smaller plattys to a 10, and the puffer now has his own 29 (he's a figure 8 ).

only strange thing about the one that died last night is his organs and abdominal cavity had been emptied. like completely gutted and eaten. only bottom feeders i have are 3 plecos and a couple clown loaches. but he was under a huge rock with the opening down. mouth open but not gasping open just a tiny bit open, and that may have been from me having to dig him out of that hole he was in. no other obvious brutality to him (no fin damage etc.)

only other change is that i changed my light bulbs out from 10,000k to 18,000k. the old ones were getting yellowed out and going to fail soon. but no other changes. food is the same, oh the temp - i have a thermometer stuck to the outside of the tank, that has been reading between 80-82 on the tank. lowest it drops to is 78 in the mornings. no heater on the tank currently, because i keep the room at 80. we put the tanks in the warmest room in the house. come winter / late fall, i'll get a heater for it, just in case. but we haven't needed one, because like i said it's about 80 in the tank. i bought a drop in thermometer, and it was reading the same as the one that is stuck to the outside of the glass.