How to Find and Kill Evil Hitchhikers

[dunl]

If the only sign of damage was puffy gills, I say it's not an animal. I know of no animal that kills others leaving puffy gills as the only evidence.

[mark]

Your test kits current, checking for the usual (NH3, Nitrates), salinity, no stray currents, no temp swings?

Checking the tank in the middle of the night with a red lensed light?

[Pier Pressure]

I am using two different test kits for the ammonia/nitrite thing, one is just about brand new, and they are reading nothing. The highest reading of those I got was after I found the dead fish and shrimp and then nitrite and nitrate was 0.3 so just above trace. Since then nothing. Salinity, PH, everything exact same that night as it was the next day and remaining steady.

I have to pick up a red lensed light this weekend and check out some night viewing. Where would a person get one of those?

After staring at the tank tonight until I am just about blind, I know for sure I have at least one of those gross bristle worm things. Red, about two inches long. Kinda looks like a centipede.

I am going to try the old bottle capture trick tonight and see what I come up with.

dunl, what DOES cause puffy gills? Any ideas?

This is a great site. Lots of support and lots of interest. Thank you!

[Canadbis]

It may take a few nights/weeks to catch something.
I still haven't caught these two crabs that I have found molts of.
I have given up.

[Johnny Reefer]

If the gills, and only the gills, were affected.....and since fish breathe through the gills by passing water over the gills.....it appears to me to be a water quality issue of one sort or another, be it a toxin or whatever. My guess is a toxin from the Sea Apple(s). To borrow a line from "Reef Invertebrates" by Calfo & Fenner: "Sea Apples (Cucumarids) are definitely more difficult to keep in captivity. They also include some of the few species in this class (Holothuroids) actually toxic enough under duress in practical applications to kill fishes (the toxin is harmful to few if any invertebrates). .......... It is very important to note that if the Cucumarid is ultimately stimulated to exude toxin, all fishes in the system are at risk of sudden death."
Sea apples are a big risk. Especially in a small system such as yours. I won't even keep one in my 180.

HTH and cheers,

[dunl]

Originally Posted by Roderick

dunl, what DOES cause puffy gills? Any ideas?

A little late getting here, and looks like everyone has already suggested ideas.

I seriously think it is a water quality issue, and not a hiker if there's no trauma. Missing fish, now that would also be concern for a hiker. But if no trauma and only bodies, water quality it has to be.

[Pier Pressure]

Thanks for the replies, guys.

Water test kits - one is Hagen and the other which is only a month or so old is Oceans. I can advise that the numbers did not change (I do not have the numbers with me) as I tested the day I put in the new corals and also the next morning after we found the dead fish. Only readings that were different were 0.3 for nitrite and nitrate. With dead fish in the tank that is not surprising.

As to the sea apples releasing toxins, three shrimp died as well and they are inverts. Not to mention I have a firefish that is fine. Are they immune to sea apple poison?

Quick update: Found a bristle worm so going to get a trap for that this weekend. Also going to set up a bottle trap and see what it comes up with. The firefish did not show his face at all last night. This is the first day since he came out of hiding that I have not seen him. He did not even come out to eat.

I will let you guys know what I come up with, or if anything changes.

[Murminator]

Here is the original thread to get the whole story to help solve the puzzle

http://albertaaquatica.com/index.php?showtopic=13105

**edit** fixed link

[Matt]

I'm going to chime in on the "not a hitch-hiker" theme. Any such deaths (crabs, mantis, bristleworm, etc) should be a predatory act, and should leave signs of that.

Red, puffy gills are a sign of a number of things I've never seen in my personal experience, including parasitic infection, introduced chemical irritants (including "hot" changewater, ammonia, chlorine, etc), overdosing with additives, heavy metals (unlikely here due to the relative effects on the inverts), bacterial infections, solvents (recent home renos, painting, etc?).

If it just started happening, it is likely something you did, or your water supplier did.

[Murminator]

Originally Posted by Murminator

Here is the original thread to get the whole story to help solve the puzzle

http://albertaaquatica.com/index.php?showforum=17

opps let me fix that

http://albertaaquatica.com/index.php?showtopic=13105