Sick Fish???

skibum1681 · 02/04/2008, 11:48 AM

I've had my tank up for about 3 months now. About 6 weeks ago i had some problems - lost two True Perc's and a Six Line within a week. I let my tank just run with my remaining 3 Green Chromis since and have not seen any problems. This weekend i bought a Coral Beauty. Started eating (flake food) the first day. Everything seemed fine. I woke up this morning and noticed small white specs on it (I'm thinking Ick). I'm hoping that it is just pieces of my substrate on him from swimming under my rock but after having lost the last 3 fish i put in it i doubt it will be that easy. What harm will Hyposalinity do to my rock? I know it will kill my snails and hermits but they are easy to get out.

I might be worried over nothing but i want a few ideas before i get home from work.

The specs on him dont show up on any pictures i can get of him.

Any help anyone can offer would be great.

Thanks.

Sk8r · 02/04/2008, 11:52 AM

Probably is ich. You need a quarantine/hospital tank, and now you need to catch everybody.

Hypo will also kill or damage your rock and sand and you might as well start over if you do that to your main tank, imho---I could be wrong, but if hypo explodes a simple creature like ich, I'm betting it can also mess up the osmotic balance in a simpler creature like a bacterium---which is how your tank stays alive.

Get a plain tank, a bucket, anything, put everybody in it except your inverts, and treat with hypo in there. After 6 weeks you can put everybody back into your tank and all should be well.

Next time you get a fish, use the qt tank first.

skibum1681 · 02/04/2008, 12:01 PM

What is the best method to keep the amonia levels down in a QT? 4 fish in a 10 or 20 gal tank seems a bit crowded. I have 3 extra Sponges floating in my DT (no sump yet) will that be enuff? bio filter to keep it stable allong with water changes say weekly?

Aquarist007 · 02/04/2008, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sk8r
Probably is ich. You need a quarantine/hospital tank, and now you need to catch everybody.

Hypo will also kill or damage your rock and sand and you might as well start over if you do that to your main tank, imho---I could be wrong, but if hypo explodes a simple creature like ich, I'm betting it can also mess up the osmotic balance in a simpler creature like a bacterium---which is how your tank stays alive.

Get a plain tank, a bucket, anything, put everybody in it except your inverts, and treat with hypo in there. After 6 weeks you can put everybody back into your tank and all should be well.

Next time you get a fish, use the qt tank first.

I agree with sk8r
but would like to add that the bacteria does recycle back once back in the main tank. So it is reusable

I would be really concerned if the live rock was used in a qt with a copper medication---IMHO--it is toast then

stingythingy45 · 02/04/2008, 12:09 PM

I just went through a hypo treatment with a pair of clowns a Chromis and a couple damsels.All were in a 20 long tank.I was able to keep ammonia levels low during the cycle and pull the fish through with no ill effects.Hypo for 7 weeks and they're back in the display now(fingers crossed).BTW....you could take your LR/inverts out and put it in a container with a heater and PH and treat in your display.

skibum1681 · 02/04/2008, 12:15 PM

I was thinking of treating in my display. I want to switch to live sand instead of the crushed coral. this may be a good oppurtunity to do that.

Any other thoughts on transfering my live rock to a "QT" for the 6 to 8 weeks, turning my DT to a "QT", getting rid of my crushed coral slowly and and making mt DT a temporary hospital tank?

It seems kinda odd to do it this way but with the tank so new this might work just as good as removing the fish.

stingythingy45 · 02/04/2008, 12:59 PM

Go for it.
Put your rock,crabs and such in a tote/tank with a heater and PH.
Just put some of that crushed coral in some nylon stockings.
Bury it half way into your new sand substate.Drop your salinity down to 1.009 SG over 3-4 days.Then run hypo for 6-8 weeks.The tank will mini-cycle during that time.Return the LR and inverts and presto.......Ich free tank!
Sounds easy but it will take constant testing and vigalence to keep the water parameters correct.PH drops quit fast in a hypo tank.Ammonia and nitrates can suddenly spike before the tank will stabalize.

skibum1681 · 02/04/2008, 01:36 PM

Will i benefit at all by taking all of the crushed coral out when i take out the rock and leaving my tank bare bottom durring the hypo? Whats the best way to keep the ph at 8.3 durring hypo - adding more buffer?

stingythingy45 · 02/04/2008, 02:46 PM

You could leave the CC or take it out before hypo.It's really up to you.Personally,if my fish had Ich I would want to stress them as little as possible.So I would most likely wait til after hypo to change out the substrate.I used baking soda,part 2 of Randy's 2 part.It also help to airate once in a while.I had a veturi hooked to a MJ powerhead that I turned on once in a while.Also picked up a Marineland ammonia badge.BTW...there's a guy going through something similar to this in the "Fish Disease"forum.He has a much larger tank and fish though.
Oh.....and you wont be able to maintain a high PH like that(8.4).
Most likely it will be around(7.8) with SG at 1.009.

02/04/2008, 11:48 AM	#1
skibum1681 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Depew, NY Posts: 180	Sick Fish??? I've had my tank up for about 3 months now. About 6 weeks ago i had some problems - lost two True Perc's and a Six Line within a week. I let my tank just run with my remaining 3 Green Chromis since and have not seen any problems. This weekend i bought a Coral Beauty. Started eating (flake food) the first day. Everything seemed fine. I woke up this morning and noticed small white specs on it (I'm thinking Ick). I'm hoping that it is just pieces of my substrate on him from swimming under my rock but after having lost the last 3 fish i put in it i doubt it will be that easy. What harm will Hyposalinity do to my rock? I know it will kill my snails and hermits but they are easy to get out. I might be worried over nothing but i want a few ideas before i get home from work. The specs on him dont show up on any pictures i can get of him. Any help anyone can offer would be great. Thanks.

02/04/2008, 11:52 AM	#2
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Probably is ich. You need a quarantine/hospital tank, and now you need to catch everybody. Hypo will also kill or damage your rock and sand and you might as well start over if you do that to your main tank, imho---I could be wrong, but if hypo explodes a simple creature like ich, I'm betting it can also mess up the osmotic balance in a simpler creature like a bacterium---which is how your tank stays alive. Get a plain tank, a bucket, anything, put everybody in it except your inverts, and treat with hypo in there. After 6 weeks you can put everybody back into your tank and all should be well. Next time you get a fish, use the qt tank first. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

02/04/2008, 12:09 PM	#5
stingythingy45 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: MA Posts: 3,296	I just went through a hypo treatment with a pair of clowns a Chromis and a couple damsels.All were in a 20 long tank.I was able to keep ammonia levels low during the cycle and pull the fish through with no ill effects.Hypo for 7 weeks and they're back in the display now(fingers crossed).BTW....you could take your LR/inverts out and put it in a container with a heater and PH and treat in your display. __________________ Bob Current Tank Info: 90 gallon,mixed Reef,2-250 watt Optix 3 pendants(Phoenix 14K)2-54 watt T5 Super actnics ,ASM G-2 Gate/recirc mods,70 gal. basement sump,20L ref

02/04/2008, 12:59 PM	#7
stingythingy45 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: MA Posts: 3,296	Go for it. Put your rock,crabs and such in a tote/tank with a heater and PH. Just put some of that crushed coral in some nylon stockings. Bury it half way into your new sand substate.Drop your salinity down to 1.009 SG over 3-4 days.Then run hypo for 6-8 weeks.The tank will mini-cycle during that time.Return the LR and inverts and presto.......Ich free tank! Sounds easy but it will take constant testing and vigalence to keep the water parameters correct.PH drops quit fast in a hypo tank.Ammonia and nitrates can suddenly spike before the tank will stabalize. __________________ Bob Current Tank Info: 90 gallon,mixed Reef,2-250 watt Optix 3 pendants(Phoenix 14K)2-54 watt T5 Super actnics ,ASM G-2 Gate/recirc mods,70 gal. basement sump,20L ref

02/04/2008, 02:46 PM	#9
stingythingy45 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: MA Posts: 3,296	You could leave the CC or take it out before hypo.It's really up to you.Personally,if my fish had Ich I would want to stress them as little as possible.So I would most likely wait til after hypo to change out the substrate.I used baking soda,part 2 of Randy's 2 part.It also help to airate once in a while.I had a veturi hooked to a MJ powerhead that I turned on once in a while.Also picked up a Marineland ammonia badge.BTW...there's a guy going through something similar to this in the "Fish Disease"forum.He has a much larger tank and fish though. Oh.....and you wont be able to maintain a high PH like that(8.4). Most likely it will be around(7.8) with SG at 1.009. __________________ Bob Current Tank Info: 90 gallon,mixed Reef,2-250 watt Optix 3 pendants(Phoenix 14K)2-54 watt T5 Super actnics ,ASM G-2 Gate/recirc mods,70 gal. basement sump,20L ref

02/04/2008, 12:01 PM	#3
skibum1681 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Depew, NY Posts: 180	What is the best method to keep the amonia levels down in a QT? 4 fish in a 10 or 20 gal tank seems a bit crowded. I have 3 extra Sponges floating in my DT (no sump yet) will that be enuff? bio filter to keep it stable allong with water changes say weekly?

02/04/2008, 12:15 PM	#6
skibum1681 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Depew, NY Posts: 180	I was thinking of treating in my display. I want to switch to live sand instead of the crushed coral. this may be a good oppurtunity to do that. Any other thoughts on transfering my live rock to a "QT" for the 6 to 8 weeks, turning my DT to a "QT", getting rid of my crushed coral slowly and and making mt DT a temporary hospital tank? It seems kinda odd to do it this way but with the tank so new this might work just as good as removing the fish.

02/04/2008, 01:36 PM	#8
skibum1681 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Depew, NY Posts: 180	Will i benefit at all by taking all of the crushed coral out when i take out the rock and leaving my tank bare bottom durring the hypo? Whats the best way to keep the ph at 8.3 durring hypo - adding more buffer?