Chromis Disease Question

malx · 01/16/2017, 03:55 PM

Hi, All.

My Blue-Green Chromis seemed to have suddenly died in my SPS dominated tank. He was fine one day, than the next day, the spot appeared on him. The day after that, he was breathing heavy. I left for a few hours came back, he was basically a skeleton. I'm assuming he died and my snails/crabs had a field day.

I tested the water and no nutrients in the tank that seem to have been the cause. All of the other fish seem fine, same with my SPS.

The spot looked like this http://www.wetwebmedia.com/DiseasePI...%20Chromis.png
and he had a retracted dorsal fin.

Anyway, I really liked his color so I plan to get another. Before I do, I want to understand what happened so that I can properly deal with it.

Thanks,
Joey

CrayolaViolence · 01/16/2017, 04:24 PM

Because it's difficult to correctly diagnose anything based on photos alone, my suggestion would be to QT your next fish and treat it as if it were diseased. Worm it, CP it, then after thirty days move it to the DT. But be aware if the first fish had something it is in your display or was already in the display and it took advantage of the new fish and its stressed immune system. To be completely covered, you'd be ahead to assume contamination, remove all the fish, treat them all, and while that goes on let the tank sit fallow for at least 90 days, preferably 120. I realize that might not be logistically possible for most people, but thought I would toss it out there.

malx · 01/16/2017, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrayolaViolence

Because it's difficult to correctly diagnose anything based on photos alone, my suggestion would be to QT your next fish and treat it as if it were diseased. Worm it, CP it, then after thirty days move it to the DT. But be aware if the first fish had something it is in your display or was already in the display and it took advantage of the new fish and its stressed immune system. To be completely covered, you'd be ahead to assume contamination, remove all the fish, treat them all, and while that goes on let the tank sit fallow for at least 90 days, preferably 120. I realize that might not be logistically possible for most people, but thought I would toss it out there.

Hi, Crayola.

Thanks for the tips. Actually there was a bit of information I left out. Before this fish went to my SPS Display Tank, it was QTed for 6 weeks. Every other fish was QTed for 30-45 days as well except for one fish which I bought from a trusted friend of mine a few weeks ago (which is also doing very well). This Chromis has been in the display for four weeks total. My instinct is that maybe it was picked on, stressed and died, but just want to be safe.

I will pay close attention to the other fish and if I see even a spec on them, rip them out and treat.

ericarenee · 01/16/2017, 04:46 PM

I Have had this happen to Reef Chromis . Starts off as a tiny red spot , it will often get better.especially having only one in your tank where they are not picking on each other. This is usually caused by low water quality.If you have sps dominate tank i would amost assume its not the case.

I have always had reef chromis in my tanks and we actually lost one a few days ago to this exact thing. We still have 5 of them . 4 tangs , royal gramma blenny and a few other fish that are all fine.... ours are all about 4 inches and 6-7 years old if i remember correctly.
Its drives me Flipping crazy sometimes.

My assumption is that it get the red spot issue and just did not heal
How long have you had the chromis?

is this the only one you have ?

sk8r will prob chime in with better explanation to my post She seems to be a Expert on damsel fish ..

malx · 01/16/2017, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericarenee

I Have had this happen to Reef Chromis . Starts off as a tiny red spot , it will often get better.especially having only one in your tank where they are not picking on each other. This is usually caused by low water quality.If you have sps dominate tank i would amost assume its not the case.

I have always had reef chromis in my tanks and we actually lost one a few days ago to this exact thing. We still have 5 of them . 4 tangs , royal gramma blenny and a few other fish that are all fine.... ours are all about 4 inches and 6-7 years old if i remember correctly.
Its drives me Flipping crazy sometimes.

My assumption is that it get the red spot issue and just did not heal
How long have you had the chromis?

is this the only one you have ?

sk8r will prob chime in with better explanation to my post She seems to be a Expert on damsel fish ..

Had him about 3 months total including a QT period and only one for that nipping reason. With that said, sometimes my Cinnamon clowns like to bully the other fish. I don't see them doing that often, maybe once or twice a week I catch them. I feed often and yes, my nitrate are near zero. In fact, I have trouble maintaining the 5ppm nitrate without it slipping to near zero and my phosphates are usually 0.

Total fish stock is:
2 Cinnamon Clowns
1 Yellow Watchman Goby
1 Fireball Angel
1 Midas Blenny
1 PJ Cardinal
1 Royal Gramma

The fish seem to leave each other alone for the most part.

ericarenee · 01/16/2017, 05:01 PM

I always blame my Clown fish.. She was picking on my Chromis before i moved her and her mate to another tank for different reasons.She had bitten me and drawn blood.Especially when they have eggs.

To me it appears the Red spot disease .I know its prob not random but it does seem like it is.
Chromis are tough fish mine Pick on each other all the time.when they are not swimming together ..

Sk8r · 01/16/2017, 05:09 PM

Got a pistol shrimp? Otherwise, uronema marinum, maybe.

malx · 01/16/2017, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sk8r

Got a pistol shrimp? Otherwise, uronema marinum, maybe.

I do have a pistol shrimp. Why? He's tiny :P

anthonys51 · 01/16/2017, 08:21 PM

do you medicate in qt or just observe.

malx · 01/16/2017, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anthonys51

do you medicate in qt or just observe.

Just observe.

CrayolaViolence · 01/17/2017, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by malx

Hi, Crayola.

Thanks for the tips. Actually there was a bit of information I left out. Before this fish went to my SPS Display Tank, it was QTed for 6 weeks. Every other fish was QTed for 30-45 days as well except for one fish which I bought from a trusted friend of mine a few weeks ago (which is also doing very well). This Chromis has been in the display for four weeks total. My instinct is that maybe it was picked on, stressed and died, but just want to be safe.

I will pay close attention to the other fish and if I see even a spec on them, rip them out and treat.

When you say it was QTd, did you QT it and treat it? Or just keep it isolated? Many parasites, bacteria, viruses, etc can remain dormant in a fish for months. Ich and marine velvet (per some articles I've read) have been seen to remain dormant in a fish for up to 6 months. If the disease is inside the fish it's impenetrable to any kind of medication. But treating the fish with medication can often kill the parasite should it emerge. It's the only way to kill it pretty much. Certain species of marine velvet have no problems existing in bracken water or near fresh water conditions.

CrayolaViolence · 01/17/2017, 10:54 AM

Oops, other person got the answer. IMHO, if you just observe the fish, you might as well not be QTing at all. Watching them doesn't rid them of what they could and will be carrying. Marine velvet, ich, and various other parasites are a normal part of the oceans water column and all fish are exposed to them at some point in their life (unless it's tank raised and kept isolated). The trick is most fish simply develop an immune response to the parasite and keep it in check. So fish with a strong immune system may never get sick and appear healthy, when in fact they are carrying a myriad of parasites and disease.

Sk8r · 01/17/2017, 11:18 AM

A tiger pistol in my tank took out his shrimp partner, a max-sized YWG at 3+ inches, plus firefish and I suspect him in the demise of one other fish about the same size, only symptom being a red spot just north of midway on the fish. Just sayin'.

malx · 01/17/2017, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sk8r

A tiger pistol in my tank took out his shrimp partner, a max-sized YWG at 3+ inches, plus firefish and I suspect him in the demise of one other fish about the same size, only symptom being a red spot just north of midway on the fish. Just sayin'.

I have a Randall pistol that's about 1". The chromis is never near him, he was always at the tip, who knows!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

malx · 01/17/2017, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrayolaViolence

Oops, other person got the answer. IMHO, if you just observe the fish, you might as well not be QTing at all. Watching them doesn't rid them of what they could and will be carrying. Marine velvet, ich, and various other parasites are a normal part of the oceans water column and all fish are exposed to them at some point in their life (unless it's tank raised and kept isolated). The trick is most fish simply develop an immune response to the parasite and keep it in check. So fish with a strong immune system may never get sick and appear healthy, when in fact they are carrying a myriad of parasites and disease.

Good to know. So when I QT my next wave of fish, what do you recommend as per preventative medications?

I plan on adding:
Another chromis
Leapord wrasse
Bristletooth tang

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

01/16/2017, 03:55 PM	#1
malx Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 1,324	Chromis Disease Question Hi, All. My Blue-Green Chromis seemed to have suddenly died in my SPS dominated tank. He was fine one day, than the next day, the spot appeared on him. The day after that, he was breathing heavy. I left for a few hours came back, he was basically a skeleton. I'm assuming he died and my snails/crabs had a field day. I tested the water and no nutrients in the tank that seem to have been the cause. All of the other fish seem fine, same with my SPS. The spot looked like this http://www.wetwebmedia.com/DiseasePI...%20Chromis.png and he had a retracted dorsal fin. Anyway, I really liked his color so I plan to get another. Before I do, I want to understand what happened so that I can properly deal with it. Thanks, Joey

01/16/2017, 04:24 PM	#2
CrayolaViolence Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: North Carolina Posts: 1,867	Because it's difficult to correctly diagnose anything based on photos alone, my suggestion would be to QT your next fish and treat it as if it were diseased. Worm it, CP it, then after thirty days move it to the DT. But be aware if the first fish had something it is in your display or was already in the display and it took advantage of the new fish and its stressed immune system. To be completely covered, you'd be ahead to assume contamination, remove all the fish, treat them all, and while that goes on let the tank sit fallow for at least 90 days, preferably 120. I realize that might not be logistically possible for most people, but thought I would toss it out there. __________________ "The good thing about science is that it's true whether you believe it or not." Neil deGrasse Tyson Current Tank Info: 90 gallon reef tank

01/16/2017, 04:46 PM	#4
ericarenee Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Louisville Kentucky Posts: 3,110	I Have had this happen to Reef Chromis . Starts off as a tiny red spot , it will often get better.especially having only one in your tank where they are not picking on each other. This is usually caused by low water quality.If you have sps dominate tank i would amost assume its not the case. I have always had reef chromis in my tanks and we actually lost one a few days ago to this exact thing. We still have 5 of them . 4 tangs , royal gramma blenny and a few other fish that are all fine.... ours are all about 4 inches and 6-7 years old if i remember correctly. Its drives me Flipping crazy sometimes. My assumption is that it get the red spot issue and just did not heal How long have you had the chromis? is this the only one you have ? sk8r will prob chime in with better explanation to my post She seems to be a Expert on damsel fish .. __________________ 240+G Mixed BB Reef tank.. 350 G Marine Pond. And the expensive stuff that runs it. Chic's are for Chic's You silly men Go Fishing or something... Current Tank Info: 240= gal Reef /550 Gallon Saltwater pond 72 G Bay front Tropical aquarium

01/16/2017, 05:01 PM	#6
ericarenee Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Louisville Kentucky Posts: 3,110	I always blame my Clown fish.. She was picking on my Chromis before i moved her and her mate to another tank for different reasons.She had bitten me and drawn blood.Especially when they have eggs. To me it appears the Red spot disease .I know its prob not random but it does seem like it is. Chromis are tough fish mine Pick on each other all the time.when they are not swimming together .. __________________ 240+G Mixed BB Reef tank.. 350 G Marine Pond. And the expensive stuff that runs it. Chic's are for Chic's You silly men Go Fishing or something... Current Tank Info: 240= gal Reef /550 Gallon Saltwater pond 72 G Bay front Tropical aquarium

01/16/2017, 05:09 PM	#7
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Got a pistol shrimp? Otherwise, uronema marinum, maybe. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

01/16/2017, 08:21 PM	#9
anthonys51 Registered Member. Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Kings Park, NY Posts: 2,789	do you medicate in qt or just observe.

01/17/2017, 10:54 AM	#12
CrayolaViolence Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: North Carolina Posts: 1,867	Oops, other person got the answer. IMHO, if you just observe the fish, you might as well not be QTing at all. Watching them doesn't rid them of what they could and will be carrying. Marine velvet, ich, and various other parasites are a normal part of the oceans water column and all fish are exposed to them at some point in their life (unless it's tank raised and kept isolated). The trick is most fish simply develop an immune response to the parasite and keep it in check. So fish with a strong immune system may never get sick and appear healthy, when in fact they are carrying a myriad of parasites and disease. __________________ "The good thing about science is that it's true whether you believe it or not." Neil deGrasse Tyson Current Tank Info: 90 gallon reef tank

01/17/2017, 11:18 AM	#13
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	A tiger pistol in my tank took out his shrimp partner, a max-sized YWG at 3+ inches, plus firefish and I suspect him in the demise of one other fish about the same size, only symptom being a red spot just north of midway on the fish. Just sayin'. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.