All fish are gone... investigation is ongoing!!!

Had to think of a good title to catch everyone's attention! So here is the deal:
During the past couple months, I have slowly lost every fish that I have put in my tank. As of September give or take a month I have lost a sixline, mandarin, Foxface, White Cheek Tang, and the straw that broke the camel's back was my false perc a week ago. False perc's don't die unless something is wrong!! My parameters have been very stable except my SG slowly dropping from 1.024 to 1.023. That shouldn't be a problem, but I just finished bumping it up to 1.025. I was running only a hob filter with carbon, so I added a Remora HOB skimmer a couple days before the clown died. After Kogle, Otty and myself wracked our brains for a while the best idea with have came up with is that I work with paint for a living (painting roads, parking lots, airports etc.) and the one thing that goes with that is chemicals. Rarely if ever does a work day go by that I am not touching a chemical (Mineral Spirits, Tolulene, Brakleen, etc.) So our best guess is that a slow buildup of residue from my hands have caused this problem?? I have always been carefull to wash very well, but we don't think there is any way I could be sure of everything getting off of my hands.
This is our theory after a lot of consideration. My plan is to do 2 20 gallon water changes 2 days apart. I have armpit-length disposable gloves on order. Later this week a damsel will be put in to test things out. Any other ideas?? I know I've missed some info here but I don't want this post to get too long! Wish me luck!!:-/

 

SG 1.025
Nitrate 5
CA 450
mg 1500
ph 8.1
phos 0
kh 8.3

 

awwww that's sad to hear and I wish you Huge amounts of success with your redo!

 

chemicals could be the cause for sure. i work on cars and my hands rarley go into the tank and if they do i give myself 2 days of showers and scrub scrub srucb ontop of that is wear gloves. sorry to hear it.

 

That sucks big time. It makes sense about the slow build up. After I get home from work the first thing is a shower and will not even think of touching anything to do with my tanks because I also have to use chemicals at times. Sorry for your losses and hope it recovers. K+ for you.

 

Sorry to hear that man, that seems logical, do you keep any corals?

 

I was the Safety Officer/Parts Mgr at United Rentals General rentals orl. and we were taught that no matter how clean you thought you were, you always dragged some chemicals from work to home and they are hazardous to everyone around you. Never take home the clothes you work in and Never walk into your house with your work shoes on(if you work with any kinds of chemicals). leave them in the trunk or bed, if a truck, in a closing tool box just for them. I'm sure no one but me ever listened, but this shows me it does matter.....

You wear gloves now at work? I'd be wearing like body armor LOL

 

I would have the Alk up higher than 8.3 dKH. It may help with the algae too. If I remember right someone I trust said nuisance algea doesn't like higher alkalinity levels.

 

That does sound weird. Did you test for Nh3 and No2?( I know its a dumb Q, but I gotta ask) Try using double or even triple the amount of carbon that you normally use. Did you inspect the fish to see if they had some kind of fungus or parasite? Luna