My entire 52g tank wiped out - Anemone Toxins - 7/26/07
<Hi Kimmy>
I have 3 saltwater aquariums: one 52g, a 40g hexagon, and a small hospital tank.<Okay>
Recently, something went through and wiped out my entire tank. <I’m so sorry to hear that!> Not sure what it was, and hoping I might find some answers from you all. <Hope so!>
My 52g was set up as a non-aggressive fish only tank. I had a Valentini puffer, 2 mated Clowns, a Longnose butterfly, a blue tang <needs a larger tank>, a Hawkfish, and a high hat fish in there. I also had a pink tip Haitian anemone, a sea slug, cleaner shrimp, and a red legged hermit crab.
My problems seem to have started with getting a chocolate chip starfish. I know that sounds crazy, <Not at all> but that's when they started. It was a very large star with quite an appetite. Needless to say, it ate my sea slug, and part of my anemone. <Yep, chocolate chip stars/Protoreastor nodosus are attractive, but have big appetites – for just about anything.>
Thinking that the anemone could regenerate itself, we left it in there. <Risky> It seemed for the first day to do just that, but it soon after, just died. <Recovery depends on how much damage was done, overall health prior to, and would need pristine water conditions.> It shriveled up and turned to mush. <Not good at all> We removed the starfish and put him into my hospital tank, by itself, hoping to save anything else from being eaten. Apparently, the shrimp we were feeding it wasn't enough. <Agreed>
It was then that my fish began dying. First to go was the Longnose butterfly. Next was the blue tang. These were followed by the Hawkfish, the mated <clown> pair (one and then the other), and lastly the high hat. The only one that didn't die was the Valentini puffer. <Tough little dude> He was taken out and placed in with the starfish in the hospital tank because I thought there must be something wrong with the water in the 52g. <Definitely> Needless to say, the Valentini ate and killed my starfish. <The sea star wasn’t the only creature with a big appetite> I swear if it's not one thing it's another! <It sure seems that way sometimes, doesn’t it, but hang in there!> We then placed the cleaner shrimp and the red legged hermit crab over into the hospital tank...woke up this morning, and the darn Valentini ate my cleaner shrimp too! I found that really strange because they were both the best of friends in the 52g. Weird huh?
<You don’t mention what size hospital tank they were all in, but considering a puffer’s appetite, if it’s pretty small tank/not a lot of hiding spaces, then that’s not too surprising.>
Anyhow, the water in the 52g has been tested repeatedly and tests fine. <even ammonia?> The tank looks great. Not sure what could have killed all of my fish. I do have a theory on this, let me share it with you. <Sure> All of this seems to have started after the star killed my anemone. <Yes indeed> I read someplace that the anemone has some sort of ink <?> in them which is poisonous. <Hmmm, nothing ink-like in an anemone> Do you think that maybe when the star ate the anemone, it released some of that poison into the water which could have killed all those fish?
<I do believe that the death of the anemone was the factor here. Unfortunately, when one dies, it can pollute a tank very quickly.>
Should we have removed it right away?
< In hindsight (always 20/20!), we’d both say “Yes!”, but it’s understandable that you’d have wanted to give it a chance to survive (especially if you were unaware of the possible consequences of it dying). The way I see a situation like this is that although it’s very hard on an already stressed anemone to remove it, if you think it’s failing, it’s best to take it out. It’s just not worth the risk.>
It seemed as if all the fish who died had a really hard time breathing prior to their passing. <Have read of the same thing happening following anemone deaths.>
The one who had it the worst was the blue tang...it even turned colors. <Yep, majorly stressed> I felt so bad about that! <Understandable!> I couldn't think of what to do to help it. We put it into the hospital tank <That's what you do!> and it seemed to help, but not much, and it died anyhow.
<I’m so sorry. It must have been past the point of no return, and/or couldn't deal with the additional stress of capture/relocation.>
The fish who died all seemed a bit disoriented and all acted strange prior to their passing. Have you ever heard of anything like that?
<Not about being disoriented, but acting strangely, labored breathing - yes.>
Any suggestions?
<As for anemones in general, as stated earlier, they can cause real problems in a tank when they die. That's the sort of thing that's good to know ahead of time, and where researching the animals you plan to keep comes in handy. A complication with anemones is that with all that soft tissue, once they do die, decomposition can progress pretty rapidly. Please see WWM FAQ’s for more on incidents like this (starting here):
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/anemhlthfaq6.htm >
Should we empty the tank, clean it, and start completely over with it?
<You can if you want, but I don’t think it’s necessary. I’d do several (at least three) large (at least 50%) water changes, run carbon, monitor water chemistry, and let the tank go fallow for about a month.>
Is there something I can put in the water to make it ok for fish? <Unfortunately, no> Tests o.k.'s I dunno...unless it's that poison from the anemone. <My guess as well> Can't think of what else it would be. I hate thinking about having to empty it completely and start over when there is so much money into that tank already, <Agreed> it's been cycled and looks great.
One thing I noticed too, after the star ate the anemone, the tank became so clean. <Hmmm> Prior to, we had a brown algae problem which was being handled by the turbo snails and the sea slug, the cleaner shrimp, and the red legged crab...but then BAM white clean. Almost like everything was bleached clean, but no bleach was near that tank. I can assure you that. Weird huh? <Mmmm, yes. Not sure what the deal was there>
Another thing that caught my attention, and I thought maybe could have started this: During one of our last visits to the fish store, we picked up some more turbo snails for the tank. One of the snails had some green stuff on its back which we assumed was algae and thought not a lot about. That green stuff turned into bubbles of sorts. It looked really gross. Any idea what that stuff might have been? <Was it slimy? It sounds like Cyano/BGA - tons of info at WWM about this stuff.> Could it have been responsible for killing off my tank? <No>
Be aware, during all of this, my water levels showed great. so I just haven't a clue what happened. <I’m surprised that the ammonia levels weren’t elevated, but ??>
Please help,
Kimmy
<Hope the above info helps. Again, sorry for your loss! Take care - Lynn)

Dead Cowfish  - 04/23/2006
Hello,
<Hi Justin with you today.>
  I had a Small Long horned Cowfish (1 inch) die Sometime last night. This morning I woke up to find My Yellow tang breathing really heavily. My clowns and Gramma seem OK right now. I did a 10% water change. Should I move all My fish to a Quarantine? It is only a ten gallon since I am 13 And don't have very much extra money.
<Your cowfish probably released its tetradotoxin poison when it died.  Please be VERY careful, and do a water change of about 30% of the tank.  Wear gloves as well.  Continue to do 30% water changes for the week and you should be fine.  If your fish seems even more ill, do a 80% water change ASAP.>
Great Site
Chad
<Write back and let us know if you need more help.>
<Justin (Jager)>
 

Emp. Angel not eating -dying fish from a fan?-  - 5/7/2006 Hello, <Mike> First I admittedly made a terrible mistake in collecting from my local beach (San Diego) a small gorgonian fan and added it to my established (2yrs) fish only tank with the following: 125 Gallons with Live Rock and Live Sand. 1) Russell's Lion (8in) 1) Clown Trigger (6in) 1) Fiji Puffer (3in) 1) Cow Fish (5in) 1) Zebra Moray (20 in) 1) Yellow Tang (deceased) 1) Christmas Tree Wrasse (deceased) <Too many fish for this system> 1 month after introducing the fan to my tank the yellow tang went on a hunger strike and passed away.  Shortly after, I acquired a 4 inch Emperor Angel.  3 Weeks ago the wrasse also would not eat and passed away last week.  While the other fish still appear to have appetites, the Angel has now stopped eating. <I do NOT believe this is from the fan you added to the tank, while it may have had contaminants and or pollutants on it, Your stocking list of fish seems to be the culprit here.  You have one of the most nasty tempered triggers maybe even the nastiest fish period (the clown trigger) in with a cowfish, one of the few fish in the world that not only carries Tetrodotoxin (the most potent toxin on the planet) but the cowfish can release that poison as a deterrent to predators or due to stress.  In a home system such as yours, it can kill everything.> Could the fan, now back in the Pacific, have been the culprit?  Bacteria, internal parasites? The angel has gone a little over a week without eating.  He still appears to be active, color is good, no noticeable rubbing on the sand or rocks, no visible signs of disease (As with the tang and wrasse).  I have tried Angel formula 1 and 2, frozen krill, flakes and brown algae. <My hunch is that the clown trigger is either harassing the angel, or harassing the cowfish and has made the cowfish release enough poison to seriously injure the other fish.  I would pull the clown trigger immediately and re-home it to another tank, and do the same with the cowfish.  If you do not want to re-home them, setup a tank for the clown trigger by itself, and one for the cowfish by itself as well.  If you decide not to move the cowfish, you will still need a 240 gallon or bigger tank to handle the puffer (gets 12-15") the lionfish (18"+ without fins and is very venomous) the 15+" angel and the 8-10" cowfish.  The clown trigger will hit 2 -15" or more as well and will become a holy terror to tankmates as it ages.> My water parameters are .22 SPG, Nitrites 0, Ammonia 0, Nitrates b/n 20 - 40 ppm.  I maintain a strict regiment in conducting 12% water changes every other week.  Is there anything that I can do to help this little guy?  I started with a 30% water change yesterday and gave the angel a fresh water dip for 4 min.s.  Please advise. <Try setting up another tank for the angel to live stress free for now, and remove the aggressors as above to ensure it is not harassed.> Thank you, Mike Ferrante <Please re-home and remove fish, as this mix will result in death for more if not all of your fish.> <Justin (Jager)> -Dying fish from a fan part 2-  - 05/09/06 Thank you for your quick reply. What I had left out of my previous email was that I had noticed some long white feces, which from what I have read in Mr Fenner's book,  could indicate an internal parasite.  This is what triggered my suspicion that it might be something internal.  Could toxins do that?  My local fish store suggested that I use Pimafix?  I'm a bit reluctant to try chemicals right now. <Yes internal parasites do seem to be one issue here, There is a food supplement that is parasite medicine, but it may be hard to get the angel to eat it.  But you should dose it for them ASAP.> I will take your advise and move the Angel immediately to another tank so he can recover.  I purchased an all inclusive and very basic "beginner tank" 10 gallons to use for quarantine.  Would this, and what I suspect comes with a very basic filter, be sufficient for a few weeks? <Do daily water changes of at LEAST 70% from your main tank while the angel is in the ten.> I assume that I should use water from my main tank to supply it? <Correct> Last but not least, when I do remove the Cow, Trigger and Lion, could you give me a list of options and quantity that I may want to consider for re-stocking.  I'd like to keep the angel, assuming that he will pull through. <Most wrasses, tangs, gobies, a butterfly fish, Anthias, there are quite a few choices.  please see WWM and www.fishbase.org for what's available.> Thank you for your time and help. Mike Ferrante <Justin (Jager)>

Ptereleotris evides (black Dartfish)  immunity to Porcupine Poison?   7/16/06
Hi,
<Hello there>
the question I have is short, the reason is not. I will add the reason just in case I am on the wrong track.
<Okay>
Q. Having trawled around the Web & your as always excellent site I cannot confirm a suspicion, If the Black Dartfish (Ptereleotris evides) is known
at all, to be resilient or immune to the Porcupine Puffer's toxin (released when stressed)?
<Mmm, don't know>
The reason for this question is that this morning I woke up to a tank of dead fish. The porcupine puffer was stressed but the two black Dartfish were fine.
<Interesting... could be that they were the smallest... had/have the largest percentage gill surface area... more sedentary/less need for dissolved oxygen...>
Tank:
90ukgal - 3 year old
Filters Fluval 404 on spray bar, Fluval 304 & LAC 828
Vecton UV15 sterilizer
Deltec MCE 600 (considering changing due to bearing noise problem)
Lid houses 2 T5 lights & Marine blue
Live rock, 3/4" to 1" sand, no corals
RO changes
Water quality spot on bar 1mg/l Phosphate (before water change)
Fish established 1- 3 Years:
5" Pink tail Trigger - RIP
Cleaner Wrasse - RIP
4.5" Blue Cheek Goby - RIP
Two 4" Monos - RIP
4" Sailfin Tang - RIP
5" Birdnose Wrasse in final transition from female to male - RIP
5" Porcupine Puffer - now RIP
Two 3.5"-4" Black Dartfish - fine (now, just incase, in other marine tank)
Circumstance:
On light feeding last night I noticed two light rocks out of position (dislodged) - so I repositioned.
This morning I awoke & found all but the puffer & Dartfish dead (Pinktail was floating). At 80 degrees F & a topped up water level to the spray bar,
<He's likely the one who was "bothering" the puffer>
I initially wondered about oxygen depravation.
<Me too>
After a couple of phone calls once the dead were removed, I setup a hasty water change & did 30% approximately 40 min.s later.
<Good move>
As my one available QT tank was set for freshwater due to an ongoing ammonia problem in my Discus tank (due to a piece of wood in the inlet tube of my Eheim Wet/Dry making it run low - still awaiting it to cycle as do daily water changes) & the other QT tank is rearing toadfish; I shot
down to my LFS and got some more carbon media.
When I left the Porcupine was still stressed, when I got back he was slightly puffed up & RIP. On removal he was coated in slime (I assume another toxin release) & the same rocks were dislodged again.
<Strange about the rocks...>
So far I assume a toxin release (some of the RIP fish were agape - & fairly quick after feeding last night as two out of 4 defrosted frozen shrimp were still left; a big oddity), but to my amazement the Dartfish were fine/happy???
Taking no chances (I do anything to help my fish) I transferred them into my reef tank (open topped with 6" rise above the water, I will be watching for jumps till I can be sure of the other tank).
<Good>
I am told the carbon should clear up the toxin now, but still wonder about the tough little Black Dartfish.
<Me too>
Any input would be greatly welcome/appreciated.
Ed
<It may well be that microdesmids are more "immune" to tetradotoxins... or perhaps it was/is something to do with gaseous exchange at play here. If it were me, mine, I would likely change about all the water out of the contaminated system... for general purposes. Bob Fenner>

Re: Ptereleotris evides (black Dartfish)  immunity to Porcupine Poison?  7/18/06
Hi Bob Fenner,
<Ed>
Cheers for the reply. Water is being changed + new carbon (again) & new PolyFilter (told it would be a good idea - certainly no harm).
<Agreed. Bob Fenner>
Thanks    Ed

Dead Anemone Residue...Mushrooms Vacating  - 07/03/04
Hi Guys,
<Hello Nancy>
I had a medium bubble anemone for over a year who was home to a tomato clown.  A few months ago it moved to the underside of a rock and slowly withered away and left a cottony white layer where it's base had been.  Not knowing if the anemone would grow back from this I left it in place.  I now have a large covering of this on an adjacent rock and the resident mushrooms are vacating the rock (which they used to cover).  Is this something I want to eradicate or is it a friendly unknown species who has taken up residence.  This is a 75 gal tank with a deep sand bed that has been up and running without incident for 2+ years, (initially set up in 98 but had a severe algae problem and I had to tear down, scrub and redo to get rid of it all.).  H2O parameters seem ok, fish are happy, very little algae, VHO lights + Moonlights.  I will attempt to attach a pic but I am digitally challenged, sorry if it doesn't work.
<Pic was sent with no problem. <<But not saved for posting... RMF>>  Nancy, any residue left by a dead anemone should definitely be removed.  This can be quite toxic to the rest of the inhabitants.  Probably why your mushrooms are heading west.>
Thanks,
<You're welcome.  James (Salty Dog)>
Nancy D

Sea cucumber disaster   8/8/06
I don't really have a question for you, just a cautionary tale you might share with your other readers.
<Please do>
I went to the LFS this past Saturday afternoon to get an easy-to-care-for fish of some kind, saw a pink and green sea cucumber, and made an impulsive last minute change to my plan.  Big mistake.  HUGE mistake.  I later paid your site a visit for a refresher on Cukes.  I had forgotten all about them expelling their guts into the water and pondered whether or not I wanted to take it back and see about an exchange  It made that decision for me early this morning when it went nuclear and killed all my fish, though the other inverts seem ok.  I did a 30% water change this morning and will do a couple more in the next day or so.  I'm hitting it with some new charcoal as well.  This is a small tank, so it was only three fish.  No real real financial loss, but it is definitely irritating and embarrassing.  I know 99% of the blame falls on me, but I really wish LFS had said something about a critter that dangerous.  The money they made on the Cuke is much less than the money they lost by losing me as a customer.
<...>
As strongly worded as your warning against Cukes is, maybe you should put some skulls and crossbones and biological hazard symbols on it as well.  Thanks for maintaining such a great site.  It really comes in handy, especially if used prior to a purchase.
Thanks,
Ty
<Thank you for this. Bob Fenner>

Urchin question   8/20/06
Hello WWM Crew,
<Sara>  
  I have a few of questions regarding a Lytechinus variegatus urchin ( I was able to id from your site), I hope you can help me out with. My first question is if a Lytechinus variegatus urchin is in the process of dying, or not doing very well, is there any chance it could release toxins in to my tank?
<Mmm... yes... this species is a member of the Family Toxopneustidae... toxic to even the touch... to fishes, humans>
Should I remove this urchin from my main tank?
<Unless it were very large (hundreds of gallons), exceedingly well circulated and filtered I would not introduce a member of this family>
  I had noticed that my urchin had been losing spines at an alarming rate recently and had stopped moving around the tank. When I turned him over there was a brown/tan worm on him. This worm was not a bristle worm, rather it looked more like a common earth worm (only much, much smaller.) It had small bristles on it's side, but the bristles were not near as large as a bristle worm's.
<There are actually thousands of different species...>
I also have noticed that there are deep red spots on the outside of the urchin it almost looks like blood.
  After I removed the worm from the urchin he immediately improved and began to slowly move around the tank again.
  So, I guess my main questions are should I remove this urchin from my tank and quarantine him?
<Yes, I would. Don't use your hands in contact... scoop into a container... i.e., don't expose to the air...>
Is there any risk he will poison my tank if he dies or is dying?
<Again, yes>
Lastly, are there any know worms that are parasitic to urchins, or was this worm just a result of him dying/not doing well?
<Could be either/both>   
  Thank you so much for your help,
  Sara
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Toxicity of Cyanobacteria... can be extreme   8/27/06
Hi Crew,
<Thomas/Tom>
I have developed what I believe to be a Cyanobacteria problem in a 30 gallon with 2 Gobies,  2 soft corals, and 1 Fireshrimp. This algae is purplish in color and sort of thread-like, forming masses that hold together reasonably well.
<Is likely a BGA>
  I have found several suggestions on your site about how to go about correcting this problem, which I will get to work on.  But I still have a question.
Prior to water changes, I have been attempting to break up this algae to syphon at least some of it out during those changes.  I have noticed my Fireshrimp suffering after water changes (looks bad, like he might not survive).  In today's change, I noticed that he looked bad, before the new water goes in, which is why I started to suspect this had something to do with what I was doing to the algae.
<Mmm, either this and/or some part/aspect(s) of the new water... Both very common>
So, can disturbing Cyanobacteria release toxics into the water that serious affect a Fireshrimp, but not Gobies or soft corals?
<Oh yes. Bob Fenner, touching on this subject today at a presentation to the NJRC in Pt. Pleasant, NJ>
Thanks,
Tom

Deadly toxin?  9/5/05
Hello WetWebMedia crew members,
<Alex>
I have a 72 gal. tank that has been running for almost 2 years now. About 2 months ago something terrible happened, I fed my fish (at that time, pair of tomato clowns, hippo tang, 4 stripe damsel and green spotted puffer) early in the morning as usual and everything was normal and good but by lunch time the puffer, the tang and the male tomato were dead. All the inverts and corals were ok. I double checked parameters and everything was good (zeros for ammonia, nitrite and nitrates, PH steady at 8.2, Calcium at 420 ppm, density steady at 1.024, etc.) I immediately did a 50% water change and replaced the carbon in the canister filter.
<Good>
Unfortunately the 4 stripe damsel and the female tomato died slowly over the next 2 days. The problem
is that ever since, every fish that I have tried to add and that seem healthy (quarantined for at least 2 weeks at my LFS and properly acclimated) die within one hour !!!! Symptoms include paralysis along with rapid breathing, but they only show up about 5 to 15 minutes before the fish dies.
The corals in the tank (mushrooms, bubble, pumping xenia and finger leather) and inverts (mainly Astrea and turbo snails) are still doing fine. I have kept doing the regular maintenance that include  top off and 10% weekly water changes and 20% monthly water changes, carbon replaced weekly, skimmer emptied daily, adding trace elements, etc. yet I just lost a Naso tang today. I have no idea what can be causing this and I’m almost ready to give up due to the frustration, sadness and money wasting situation my tank has been in for the past couple of months. I think it might be a toxin of some kind.
<Agreed>
I’m thinking about nuking the tank and starting over from scratch.
<This is, ultimately, your best shot...>
  I don’t think any of the corals I have can produce enough quantities of a powerful toxin like that, right?
<Correct>
If so, is it possible that it might be impregnated and accumulating in the live rock? And why it’s not affecting
the snails and corals, just the fish? Thanks in advance for your help.
Alex.
<Something very toxic, and persistent here... most likely microbial in nature... but might be related to the puffer... as you state, the best approach is to drain, clean everything and re-set-up... the cnidarians can be moved, the current LR rinsed in freshwater... and placed in the tank again. Sorry to read of your situation. These "wipe-out syndromes" are less common in recent years, but still troubling. Bob Fenner>

Blue tang sick......please help   2/9/06
I purchased a blue tang from a very large and reputable  LFS about 2 weeks ago and since I bought him he just keeps getting worse! In my  almost 2 month old 150 gallon tank I have
    *   Yellow moray ( 3  feet)
    *   Zebra eel ( 4  feet)
    *   Miniatus Grouper ( 5  inches)
    *   Marine Betta ( 5  inches)
    *   Maroon clown (3 inches)   
    *   Large bubble tip  anemone
    *   Naso tang ( 6  inches)
    *   Yellow tang ( 3  inches)
    *   Blue hippo tang ( 5 inches. very  sick!)
    *   15 large soft  corals
I have VHOs with more than enough lighting (just below  requirement for frags) and 160 pounds of live rock. All my parameters are in  check although just yesterday I did get a nitrate spike (in safe levels however)
<Numbers please>
  but everything is fine now¦ anyway on to the sad part. For about 2 days he swam  around (the hippo) and shook while swimming occasionally swimming on his side  although he definitely did not do this in the LFS! Anyway after that he hid in  the rocks and pretty much stayed there since now¦.. about 2 weeks (no eating,  swimming, hardly any activity whatsoever) he dame up today leaning on my snail  on the glass not moving and I caught him with my net
<Must be sick!>
and made a protective  plastic sanctuary at the top of my tank with a cut laundry basket with a little  home
from shade from the light and etc. Now that I see him he has transformed  from the beautiful fish I bought, into a fish with faded blue spots and his  yellow tail looks like a beat up feather duster and is off white from the bright yellow it used to be. There is also a cluster of tiny red spots oh his tail which I have no idea what it is. He looks awful please help me I have read over 200 inputs with no real definitive answer and am blue in the face with  no progress. It would be a shame if he didn't make  it
Thanks so much  
<Very likely this new fish is reacting to a chemical "soup" situation your other fishes have become classically "adapted" to... their combined wastes, the soft corals... If you want to save this fish it needs to be moved to other quarters pronto... The overstocked situation in your 150... I'd stick to what you have. Bob Fenner>

Urchin mysterious death-poisoning of tank  02-05-06
Dear Crew,
   <Dawn>
  My tank recently crashed. Most everyone was saved, except the fish, who perished very quickly.  It happened while I was at work;  my housemate reported tank looked great at 3pm. It was cloudy / milky by the time I got home 3.5 hours later, fish were dead, and most everything else was severely stressed.    
  I suspect the death of a Diadema setosum or Antillarum (not quite sure which it was) is what triggered the crash.
<Could, yes>
I think it died, (it hadn't been well for some time, it had dropped it's spines 3 times in recent months), and in turn created a toxic soup that caused tank crash.   
  I do not have good facts for this, just my suspicions.  I've been researching for info re: toxicity of urchins in the tank once they die, but having very little success.     
  I did find this on WWM, but little else in the Urchin articles and FAQs - "There are no absolutely reef safe urchin species IMO... too much chance of mysterious death-poisoning of the system" ~ Bob Fenner.     
  My questions:   
  What leads Mr. Fenner to the above conclusion?
  What can you all tell me about the death of sea urchins poisoning a tank?
  Could you point me in the direction of additional information?
     Thanks in advance and kind regards,   
  Dawn
<http://www.google.com/custom?q=urchin+poisoning&sitesearch=wetwebmedia.com
Bob Fenner>

Sea slug Toxin? Oh yes  02-05-06
Morning guys!
<Too cheerful...!>
Just found your web sight and it's now booked marked!
<And the site too?>
I've been searching all over the web trying to find an answer to my problem! About a month ago I purchased a beautiful sea slug. A week later I found it dead, caught in my filter.
<Yikes... am trying to put away the pix from the last trip... and am on to the Opisthobranchs... and reading re just how toxic some of them are... no wonder they can be so gorgeously colored and not predated, eh?>
A week later all my fish except for one damsel were dead! ( Niger Trigger, reef beauty, Butterflyfish, cardinal, yellow tang) I forgot to mention that my tank is a combo reef/fish 50 gallon. My soft coals and one Anemone were not affected nor were the cleaner shrimp, hermit crabs and turbo-snails. I immediately suspected the death of the sea slug and sure enough read that these slugs secret a defensive toxin.
<Yes... but not so much a secret to the fishes they're found with... just in the confines of an aquarium...>
I performed a 50% water change and replaced all my filters. I let the tank "stand" for 3 weeks then introduced one blenny to the tank. Within 36 hours it died! It's skin was sloughing off and fins looked as if they were dissolving.
<Yep>
My question is; should I completely start over with new live sand and live rock??? ( the rock is still very purple in color) or let the tank recycle for a longer period of time???? HELP!
Great sight,
Jim
<Mmm, if it were me, mine I'd try adding a good quantity, quality of activated carbon in your filter flow path, let another few weeks go by and try some other "test fishes". Bob Fenner>