No Idea What Happened- Please help :(

[Hazel6880]

Hi Everyone,

I've been reading the posts and articles on this site for a while and have learned a lot. I've tried figuring this one out on my own but maybe i'm just too new at the hobby to get it. Here's my problem:
Black Ocellaris had tiny fuzzy white spot by his mouth. Goby had the white fuzzy stuff in small patches over his body. LFS said my temp was too high (82F- 86F) and it might be fungus. Suggested I used Melafix. Did a 10% water change and turned off skimmer per directions on Melafix label. Next day I came home and my other ocellaris, who showed NO signs of sickness, was dead. My black ocellaris was swimming a little lopsided and kind of frantic, so I did another 10% water change, stopped adding the Melafix and started running the Skimmer again. I'm really upset b/c they were a cute pair and I have no idea what happened or how to prevent it from happening again. The fungus is gone and I have been running a fan on the tank to try to bring the temperature down. Can anyone help me figure out what happened?
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrates 2
Salinity 1.021
Temp is 82F

I really appreciate it!

[leebca]

WELCOEM TO REEFLAND and your first post here!

Sorry to hear of your loss.

A post mortem is usually the best way to answer the 'what happened' question. So the best I can do is guess from the information you have provided. ;;

Have you read the post:
Melafix and Pimafix - How They Work and Don't Work

What I know about these medications I have learned from the manufacturer of them, at a large convention in Europe. What I do know is that IF the fish had a fungal infection, the proper product of theirs to use would have been Pimafix. Pimafix is primarily for fungus infections; Melafix is primarily for bacterial infections. The two are often used together (see why below).

I also know that the makers of Melafix and Pimafix do not know what organisms they kill/affect. They do know that some conditions and infections can be cured by their product. If the fish is sick, their product may cure or help them if the causal agent is one their product will kill. But like I wrote, they don't know all they affect and the aquarist doesn't know if the 'right organism' is in their tank that the product will kill. Overall the luck of the product working is not a high percentage of likelihood.

Next, the makers of these chemicals have not tested the chemicals on all fishes nor all reef inhabitants. They are using generalities in their statements about the safety of the products. This isn't necessarily bad, since many medication manufacturers do the same thing. But, when dealing with the off-the-shelf reef safe cures, there is a greater risk of losing livestock than by using medications that veterinarians have been using with success for decades. There's studies and a good article on this to support what I just wrote, if you're interested.

Sadly, another part of the 'equation' has to do with profit. The LFS makes more money selling Melafix and Pimafix than almost any other medication. No surprise they make this recommendation so often.

Everyone has to make up their minds about whether to use these treatments, or not, and whether or not to risk the lives of their fish on them. I use (and promote the use of) the tried and true chemicals with a higher probability of success when dealing with my pets.

I do know that a fungal infection is not related to the temperature of the aquarium as much as it is related to the health of the fish and the aquarium condition, in general.

I do know that fungal infections are very contagious. If it was a fungal infection, it would spread relatively quickly. I also know that fungal infections are quite often fatal unless the treatment begins very soon after the first symptoms are noted.

Most likely scenario: The fish had a bacterial and fungal infection. One was secondary to the other. Usually, the fungal infection comes in after a bacterial infection has set in.

All medications work on a single principle: Weaken the organism doing the damage enough so the fish can fight it off. You may want to consider reading something more technical on that topic:
Stress - A More Technical Discussion

I would work on prevention. If the matter began as a bacterial infection, then there was/is something going on with either nutritional or environmental matters. The post hear addresses nutrition:
Feeding Marine Fish and Fish Nutrition

Your chemistry and water parameters look good, but everything the aquarist can check for doesn't mean they are the only important constituents in the water. Paint fumes, tap water (or source water contamination), poisoning from metals or system, and dozens of other possibles exist without being able to check for them.

As for temperature, yours isn't a problem so long as there is enough oxygen in the water and enough water surface movement for the water to release carbon dioxide, and the tank is in a room that is ventilated. There are oxygen test kits, believe it or not, if you doubt the condition of your water's oxygen content.

So, we look for other signs of tank concerns. If you want to go through those for us to review your system, I can ask most of the right questions. But before I and others invest that kind of time into this, I'd want to know if you're interested in digging deeper than the information provided above. This then increases (but doesn't guarantee) better insight into the tragedy you've experienced.