saltwater fish die offs?

Question

i have a 55 gal saltwater tank goin that has been running for almost a year and we moved 3 months ago. all my fish and inverts were doing fine for about a month then all my fish suddenly died. the fish developed white sores on their sides and heads. i know it sounds like ich but ive had that before and even treated my tank with a general disease cure that effects most common ailments(including ich). my water quality is in perfect condition, and my temp is about 81 degrees(F). inverts are supposed to be touchier but all of mine are flourishing. ive put several damsels in since this happened and they all died of the same symptomes.. please help me

Answer 1

Doesn't sound like ich to me, ich would be white spots, not actual real sores. Do they look like injuries? You can get some vicious hitchhikers on liverock such as mantis shrimp that can injur your fish.
Or do they appear to be eaten away by some sort of fungus or bacterial infection?
SW fish are hardy when properly kept and are best left to themselves without adding any chemicals or what-have-you to treat minor issues, but when they are stressed or if the water conditions are poor, health can drop significantly.
Anyway, if its a white sore, I would think that it is a bacterial infection and I'm afraid that all I can suggest is for you to treat accordingly, and to refrain from purchasing new fish until the problem is solved.

Answer 2

Some fish are naturally school fish. They only feel comfortable in groups of 5 or more. If any of your fish are these then they will become stressed when alone or in groups of only 2 or 3. How you can tell if your fish is stressed is that the colors 'wash out' meaning that their colors aren't as bright. Cherub angelfish need variety in their diet. So much so it can be detrimental to their health without it. For the Midas Blenny death, in your tank you have many semi-aggressive fish. When put with fish like these, it often gets picked on because it is weak. Harrassed to death possibly? For the firefish, it needs to be more clear because there's a big difference in firefishes. Is it possible that it is a Firefish Goby? If so, unmated pairs are VERY territorial and often fight. Sometimes to death if they are both males. Hopefully that helped! Sorry I'm not an expert but good luck keeping the rest of them alive! Add details if any more of them die within the time. And you might want to try bringing the temperature down to 75 degrees, 80 is stressful to most of your fish. Good luck! :D

Answer 3

I don't really know, but the salties over at fishgeeks certainly would.