need urgent assistance

[photobug]

My brother's 75 gallon saltwater aquarium's been having some issues - it's got a spotted moray eel, a niger trigger, and was home to two lionfish and a blue lined grouper. The smaller lionfish didn't look right from the start, its spines were thinner after we introduced the bigger lionfish. Now both the smaller lionfish and the grouper have died, the grouper was pale and I'm worried it might've had ick. The bigger lionfish has a few white spots on it. He's set up a 10 gallon quarantine tank for now. I'm out of state on vacation, so I'm not there to help him figure out what's going on. Can't test the water from here, so I'm stumped. Anyone have any ideas what might be happening?

[onyzza]

If your brother needs help with his tank, have him post more details here or reach out to an experienced local hobbyist. Diagnosing remotely with limited info isn't ideal. However, it sounds like he's on the right track by setting up a QT tank, especially if the fish do have ich.

[photobug]

It's tough since he's away from me and only has a permit, but he's still driving anyway. His birthday's coming up in 2 weeks and he's worried about messing up his chances of getting a license. But things just got worse - the other lionfish and eel didn't make it. He told me the puffer and trigger seem fine and look healthy, though.

[onyzza]

If your brother has a computer and internet access, he should get online and seek help directly - there are plenty of resources available for aquarium issues. He could also consider reaching out to a local pet store or the place where the fish were purchased, they might be able to offer some advice over the phone. It seems like something serious happened in that tank, and it's crucial he figures out what went wrong before adding any new animals. If it was a disease, the tank might not be out of the woods yet - diseases like ich can be unpredictable due to the parasite's life cycle, so it's best to exercise caution.