Disease ID for sharknose goby

[tifa]

Hi, all. An unfortunate first post as my sharknose goby has passed away. I bought the fish, which seemed healthy in quarantine at my LFS, last week, only for it to quickly decline and die five days later. The fish was in my DT with a small CUC of snails and a Duncan coral (all quarantined). I noticed small white spots on the fish two days after adding it to my tank, at first I presumed ich and turned on UV. I did not perform any treatments as I was unsure of what the disease was and did not want to incorrectly treat the fish. I also did some reading and contemplated if the goby had mucus plugs as it appeared mucus-y and was still perching on its rock and eating regularly (mysis, baby brine, and crushed pellet). However, before I could set up an emergency QT tank, the fish died, barely two days after the first indication of disease. Within an hour of dying, it was breathing heavily and perching on glass (usually stays on rock) before settling on the sand bed. Side note: my nassarius snails jumped the poor thing as it was dying—is this normal?

I'm currently letting the tank run fallow with only my snails and coral at 26.5 degrees. Before doing anything else, I'd like to figure out what killed my little goby—whether it was ich or something like velvet or brook. Any advice is much appreciated as I am new to the hobby and want to make sure my tank is disease-free before adding any new fish.

My tank is a one month old Fluval 13.5 gallon cycled with Caribsea live sand, dry life rock, and live rock. Parameters were fine with pH at 8.0, salinity at 1.025, no ammonia or nitrites, and temperature was at 25.5 degrees (now 26.5). I'm working on a QT tank as well, would've hated this happening with more than one fish in the tank.



First indication of disease


Day of death—two days later

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi, all. An unfortunate first post as my sharknose goby has passed away. I bought the fish, which seemed healthy in quarantine at my LFS, last week, only for it to quickly decline and die five days later. The fish was in my DT with a small CUC of snails and a Duncan coral (all quarantined). I noticed small white spots on the fish two days after adding it to my tank, at first I presumed ich and turned on UV. I did not perform any treatments as I was unsure of what the disease was and did not want to incorrectly treat the fish. I also did some reading and contemplated if the goby had mucus plugs as it appeared mucus-y and was still perching on its rock and eating regularly (mysis, baby brine, and crushed pellet). However, before I could set up an emergency QT tank, the fish died, barely two days after the first indication of disease. Within an hour of dying, it was breathing heavily and perching on glass (usually stays on rock) before settling on the sand bed. Side note: my nassarius snails jumped the poor thing as it was dying—is this normal?

I'm currently letting the tank run fallow with only my snails and coral at 26.5 degrees. Before doing anything else, I'd like to figure out what killed my little goby—whether it was ich or something like velvet or brook. Any advice is much appreciated as I am new to the hobby and want to make sure my tank is disease-free before adding any new fish.

My tank is a one month old Fluval 13.5 gallon cycled with Caribsea live sand, dry life rock, and live rock. Parameters were fine with pH at 8.0, salinity at 1.025, no ammonia or nitrites, and temperature was at 25.5 degrees (now 26.5). I'm working on a QT tank as well, would've hated this happening with more than one fish in the tank.


View attachment 3170435
First indication of disease

View attachment 3170436
Day of death—two days later

it does appear to be ich and The UV unit will have done nothing for it as UV unit address free floating parasites which pass thru the unit. Likely parasite got to gills hence the heavy breathing and overtook the fish. Are there other occupants in the tank, and are they too showing any dots?
You may have to leave display fishless for at least 6 weeks to assure no parasites have survived and have died off without a host fish.

 

[tifa]

it does appear to be ich and The UV unit will have done nothing for it as UV unit address free floating parasites which pass thru the unit. Likely parasite got to gills hence the heavy breathing and overtook the fish. Are there other occupants in the tank, and are they too showing any dots?
You may have to leave display fishless for at least 6 weeks to assure no parasites have survived and have died off without a host fish.

The goby was the only fish in my tank. I'd assumed ich but thought ich spots looked different—not as mucus-like. Could ich kill so quickly? Will corals and inverts survive a six week fallow period with raised temperature?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

The goby had ich. That typically doesn’t kill really quickly, and doesn’t cause rapid breathing until the very end. However, mixed infections do happen, so there may have been velvet going on as well.

Sorry!

Jay

 

[tifa]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

The goby had ich. That typically doesn’t kill really quickly, and doesn’t cause rapid breathing until the very end. However, mixed infections do happen, so there may have been velvet going on as well.

Sorry!

Jay

From my understanding, ich requires a 4-6 week fallow period at 26.5 degrees. Are there other precautions I need to take to eradicate velvet before adding fish from QT to DT?

 

[vetteguy53081]

From my understanding, ich requires a 4-6 week fallow period at 26.5 degrees. Are there other precautions I need to take to eradicate velvet before adding fish from QT to DT?

the fallow period is adequate

 

[vetteguy53081]

The goby was the only fish in my tank. I'd assumed ich but thought ich spots looked different—not as mucus-like. Could ich kill so quickly? Will corals and inverts survive a six week fallow period with raised temperature?

Not that it killed quickly but often its present or begins and by the time the protozoans reach the next stage, you then see it and its already done its damage.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

From my understanding, ich requires a 4-6 week fallow period at 26.5 degrees. Are there other precautions I need to take to eradicate velvet before adding fish from QT to DT?

I think 4 weeks is too short. The minimum I suggest is 45 days above 81 f, but 60 days is safer.
Jay

 

[tifa]

I think 4 weeks is too short. The minimum I suggest is 45 days above 81 f, but 60 days is safer.
Jay

Is it safe to do with snails and corals in tank?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Is it safe to do with snails and corals in tank?

It depends on your corals, some will stress out above 81 F. The trouble is, if you go with 79 F., you need to lengthen the time to at least 60 days, and many people opt for 75 days.

Jay

 

[AC1211]

Hi, all. An unfortunate first post as my sharknose goby has passed away. I bought the fish, which seemed healthy in quarantine at my LFS, last week, only for it to quickly decline and die five days later. The fish was in my DT with a small CUC of snails and a Duncan coral (all quarantined). I noticed small white spots on the fish two days after adding it to my tank, at first I presumed ich and turned on UV. I did not perform any treatments as I was unsure of what the disease was and did not want to incorrectly treat the fish. I also did some reading and contemplated if the goby had mucus plugs as it appeared mucus-y and was still perching on its rock and eating regularly (mysis, baby brine, and crushed pellet). However, before I could set up an emergency QT tank, the fish died, barely two days after the first indication of disease. Within an hour of dying, it was breathing heavily and perching on glass (usually stays on rock) before settling on the sand bed. Side note: my nassarius snails jumped the poor thing as it was dying—is this normal?

I'm currently letting the tank run fallow with only my snails and coral at 26.5 degrees. Before doing anything else, I'd like to figure out what killed my little goby—whether it was ich or something like velvet or brook. Any advice is much appreciated as I am new to the hobby and want to make sure my tank is disease-free before adding any new fish.

My tank is a one month old Fluval 13.5 gallon cycled with Caribsea live sand, dry life rock, and live rock. Parameters were fine with pH at 8.0, salinity at 1.025, no ammonia or nitrites, and temperature was at 25.5 degrees (now 26.5). I'm working on a QT tank as well, would've hated this happening with more than one fish in the tank.


View attachment 3170435
First indication of disease

View attachment 3170436
Day of death—two days later

Also in terms of your nassarius, in my experience nassarius snails do jump on fish as they are dying. I have also lost two cleaner shrimp to nassarius when both went for the same pellets. The nassarius smelled food in the water and the poor shrimp once a leg was caught couldn't get away. Initially I thought this was a fluke once in a lifetime event. I got a second shrimp. 3 months later and the same thing happened again. I even confirmed they were the generic nassarius snails. Shocking. Weirdly enought, this never happened with peppermint shrimp, just skunk cleaner shrimp.