Biocube 29

Question
My boyfriend and I have a 29 gallon biocube. Its been running for at least a year now and he checks the perimeters pretty frequently. (I'm sorry I don't have that info but I know he just checked all the levels as recent as yesterday and everything was fine) My question is about the corals and fish.
The tank has stock lighting and he has the following inhabitants:

1 Watchman Goby, 1 Clown (small), 1 Bloodshrimp, Cleaner crew (nesarious snails,hermits and turbo snails). He also has a few different kinds of zoa's some zenias, a duncan (thats in great shape) something that looks like a brain coral too (this guy is not doing well at all). Also Kenya trees and lots of those. But for some reason fish and coral are dying. The clown just had tail rot and appears to be recovering slightly. But a six line wrasse just died in a very violent way. We found him slamming himself around the tank and he died shortly after. We also lost 2 scooter blennies in a similar fashion. Now our watchman goby is acting oddly. Same sort of behavior... bashing into things. The zoas never open either. He recently did a fresh water dip to see if it was some sort of nudie branch? (I am horribly misspelling these)

Do you know of any certain ailment that would cause all these symptoms? It just seems odd that the water quality is fine yet we are having so many issues. I should mention we seem to have a lot of red slime. It covers everything.
Could this be a reason? Any help would be much appreciated!


Answer
Hello Alice,

Please do not worry about spelling.  I am pretty good at spelling myself, but typo everything everywhere... so no problems...

Also, you are quite knowledgable buy yet you keep referring to everything as your boyfriends, tank, or his corals, or his fish...  Something tells me they are as much yours as they are his... hehehe

I am not sure i believe that all the parameters, (note spelling), are good.  Especially if you are having algae breakouts..  something needs to feed the algae...

Also, no amount of testing will reveal the presence of desease or other type of illness going on in the tank.  If this is the problem the only cure that i know of is to let the tank run without fish and livestock for about 2-3 months. so whatever is living off the fish will die without them..

I am also guesing that you are focusing or thinkiing about the stock light being part of the problem... I too think a better light will help with the corals, especially the corals that skeletons and lots of fleshy surfaces, (the brain/lobophyllia)

Fresh water dip for nudi-branch is good, but did he see any fall off when he did it??  (I am guessing not)

I really think that a 'restart' maybe necessary.  Take out all that you can, an djust do water changes and top-offs for a few months...

Try to get rid of the cyanno/red-slime, and try again.

To get rid of the red slime, (whether or not you remove everything isthe same)... Turn off your lights for 3 days... After three days, if you still see a lot, (more then 15%), then go another day of lights off...

If the cyanno is still not 100%, and i mean 100% gone, then add or use a red-slime remover, cyano treatment... They are all good, so your choice, just use/follow the directions, completely...


I hope this helps, please let me know how things work out for your boyfriend, :)


bill