Lost My Swimmers

[Joncelone]

Interesting subject I know, but here is what happened:

I have a filterless 24g nano. It has been working perfectly for the past 4 months. Then about a week ago, I went out and bought a sand sifting starfish to keep up with my sand. (Deep sand bed) All of a sudden, last Thursday evening I got home from work and my black and white heniocus, and my two maroon clowns were dead. This was incredibly strange because when I turned on their lights at 7:30AM that morning like always, they were swimming just fine and no signs of anything wrong.

Immediately I checked water parameters and salinity levels, everything was still perfect. That meant two things two me:
1. Must have been a recent death because my tank didn't crash when I took them out.
2. I'm perplexed as to what could have killed them without showing any signs of their fins nipped at or anything.

What perplexes this even further, I have a scooter blenny and a yellow watchman goby that survived whatever happened and to this day are still healthy and happy looking. PLUS, all my corals are doing great.


Any idea what could have killed by baby black and white and my maroon clowns?

 

[dixonallred]

Any chance you had a power outage?

 

[hardaur]

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) being released from the DSB by the SS Star? Only enough to kill those near before dispersion or those more senstive?

Gerald

 

[Joncelone]

No power outage, but very possible on the Hydrogen Sulfide. I only say that because for a while, my starfish was hanging out on the upper glass portion of the tank and went to the sand only at night. Now he is constantly in the sand since the fish have been dead. I haven't seen him on the glass at all.

Any way to prevent that in the future when I decide to get more fish? Is it possible that when I add new fish it will do it again?

 

[bimmerzs]

@Joncelone wrote:

I would remove the starfish. Aside from a possible repeat, a sandsifting star will quickly decimate the sandbed in a 24G. I would suggest a cuke, nassarrious snail's or conch's to keep your sandbed healthy.

Cheers,