Oh no! My Blue Chromis looks really sick!

[clbarton]

My poor little sweet Blue Chromis fish is dying I think. I just got him about 2.5 weeks ago, and he appeared to be perfectly fine last night. This morning he is confused and swimming sideways and upside down. Everyone else is okay, for now, but why would this happen suddenly? Are there typical causes for fish to die suddenly? I was supposed to get a couple more Chromis today to have a little school and keep the one little guy company. It is very sudden. Here are the tank specs:

Tank is 6 months old.
125 Gallon w/ 25 gallon sump.
2 Metal Halides 175 Watts, 10,000 K
2 Blue actinic strips
PH 8.2
Nitrate, Nitirite, Ammonia 0
Calcium 350 (will raise to 450)
Salinity 1023 (will raise to 1024).
Temp 80

Additives:
Calcium Buffer System, Potassium iodode, Strotium chloride, Coral Vital, Phytoplankton every other day. No direct feeding to corals.

Livestock (all small)
1 yellow tang, 1 Hippo Tang, I blue chromis, 1 yellow watchman goby, 1 sleeper goby, 2 clownfishes, 2 tiny firefish

1 green polyp coral (spreading like crazy), 1 mushroom coral (also spreading a lot), 1 brain coral, 1 tree/broccoli coral (growing like crazy), 1 hammer, 1 trumpet coral

[matrixnyc]

any sign of infection? where there any drastic temperature changes?

sudden change in a fish health may be caused by stress, from changes in the tanks enviorment, to other fish in the tank.

has he been eating?

[clbarton]

Thanks for the response, fellow New Yorker!

The only thing that has changed recently is I increased the salinity from 1020 to 1023 over 2 days. It had dropped to 1020 after doing a water change, and I didn't realize it immediately. I thought that making the adjustment over a couple days would be enough time - perhaps I am wrong? I also thought Blue Chromis fish were very hardy. I feel terrible! I liked him a lot.

[matrixnyc]

No problem :) anything for a fellow New Yorker.

Can I ask, where did you buy the fish, also has it shown any signs on it of infection?

[matrixnyc]

From Live Aquaria:

The Blue Chromis is a very peaceful Damselfish. It rarely survives alone, so a minimum of three fish should be kept. They should have a 30 gallon aquarium or larger. The Blue Chromis feeds on a variety of meaty items, herbivore preparations, and flaked food.

Quick Stats
Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons
Care Level: Easy
Tank Conditions: 72-78°F; sg 1.020-1.025; pH 8.1-8.4
Temperament: Peaceful
Max. Size In Aquarium: Up to 5"
Reef Compatible: Yes
Diet: Omnivore
Origin: Caribbean
Family: Pomacentridae

[clbarton]

I knew it. I actually 'rescued' this fish as he was the only Blue Chromis left at the store. I had the intention of buying more when the shipment came in, which was supposed to be today - a little late I think. Store was New World Aquarium.

[matrixnyc]

I didnt even know that, i guess it is a good rule of thumb to check if the fish you are buying can be alone.

New World Aquarium should have told you something when you bought it, but also they may have thought you had some already.

You can try to add the 2-3 others and see if he gets better, does it seem that he is really bad?

you can put him in a quarantine tank for now and introduce him back into the tank once the others are added.

[clbarton]

Maybe I will do that. But when they start swimming upside down, do you think there is any chance for recovery?

New World did mention something about it being nicer to have a achool, but this one guy was the only one they had left. It was them that ordered a shipment of new ones as well, knowing that I needed more. Too bad the little guy couldn't hold out for one more day. It's like he said 'okay, I give it two weeks, and if I dont see my buddies by then, I disappear.'.

Thanks for your help matrix.

[Zack]

I don't think he will live but doing try getting more