Engineerg Goby...Help Please!!

[FlyinggFish]

I've had my engineer goby for about a month and a half now. I added a nice pink skunk clown recently and a sixline wrasse that I had in my other tank for over a year.

Now my goby has white slime dots on him, the same as my last engineer goby, who died. This is really frustrating since I love that fish. Is there anything I can do? Could I put him in a 5 gallon bucket with an air pump and treat him? He eats all the time and always is out and about. IDK if they usually get this because they dig in the sand or if it is some kind of parasitic slime. Has anybody else had this problem? I will really be at a loss if something happens to him.

Thanks for your help and advice!

[FlyinggFish]

I don't think it's marine velvet or white spot disease. So what else could it be? The spots are velvety looking (like slime) but they are translucent white and not as small as the spots on a fish with white spot disease.

[unbreakable]

If you have a QT that's cycled and can fit all the fish in the QT comfortably, then take them out and treat them by doing hyposalinity..

i dont think the engineer gobies do well with copper, but most fish are sensitive to it. if you just keep adding fish without treating them and not leaving the tank fishless for at least for 2 months, theyre going to keep getting sick

what food are you giving them? try to vary their diet and feed them more to help them bring up their immnue system..not saying this will cure it all, but at least help the fish is a little

[FlyinggFish]

I feed them mysis shrimp mixed with those red little things that come in a frozen stick. I do have another tank but it is inhabited by a Slippery Dick Wrasse that's about 6 in and very mean and big. Could I possibly quarantine the fish in a 5 gallon bucket? And stick a bubble maker or power head in it? What's hypnosalinity?

[FlyinggFish]

Anyone, please?!? I need to know if I should take him out now? And if it is okay to put in a bucket with brand new water? And what it actually is? Please!

[unbreakable]

even if you save this one fish hell end up getting sick once you place him back in the tank. if you setup an emergency QT tank you realize youll have to change out the water daily in order to keep ammonia and nitrite levels as low as possible, right?

great sources to quickly read on diseases and treating:

http://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=127010

http://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=127007

[FlyinggFish]

I actually have a 10 gallon tank and a hang on filter system. I'm adding water to the 10 gallon right now. It will be okay to add the fish in today (the water is directly from the ocean , treated and gathered in the deep blue)

[FlyinggFish]

Does anybody what I can and cannot treat Engineer Goby's with since they are quite different then other fish (scaless, etc.)?

[FlyinggFish]

Can I set the QT now and acclimate the fish to the QT now? Or am I going to have to wait to add them to the tank (having the problem get worse for the fish by waiting)?

[FlyinggFish]

Can somebody please help me?

I have malachite green, rally and kanaplex. I just really don't know if it's even worth it to do all this work. Rally is copper free so I can add it directly to my main tank, but I don' t know if I want to do this. Please, anybody?

[unbreakable]

the links tell you everything you need to do, i dont know if you read them at all..

if you're going to setup a QT at least use water from your DT, but youre going to have to change the water out daily if its not cycled to reduce the amount of nitrites and ammonia

a 10g seems really small, but if its all you got then i suppose its ok. its really best if you take out those two fish you have from your DT and add them to the QT..

hyposalinity is used for ich, assuming that's what your fish have since i really dont know what it has without pictures..

i imagine with 2 fish in a 10g the ammonia will begin to elevate quickly, which is why a larger tank could help out more..

From the link i provided:

"You many also want to perform hyposalinity in the QT—regardless of the presence of parasites Marine Ich/Cryptocaryon irritans

A discussion of this parasite and the treatment options available. on fish. It can’t hurt to do it, can only benefit, but, then your QT time will be extended. You will need to reduce specific gravity/salinity over a 48-hr period, maintain the fish in hypo for 3 wks, then, over another 4-5 days bring the salinity back up to your main tank parameters. So, you are looking at another week in QT, in addition to the standard 3 wks. Hypo is a very precise process, however. You must get the specific gravity down to 1.009 and keep it there. It must not rise above that. To accomplish this, you need a refractometer or a salinity monitor to measure the salinity. Other instruments are not as precise, but you can also use a quality glass hydrometer."

I really encourage you to read the links on how to treat and how to setup a QT rather then waiting for someone to give you all the answers. All you need to know are in those two links..

[unbreakable]

"NOTE: This procedure can not be performed in an environment containing live rock, deep sand bed (DSB) or inverts [including crabs, snails, corals, etc.] If you have a strictly Fish-Only setup, then the treatment can be done within the display, otherwise, you will need to treat infected fish in a quarantine/hospital tank.

You will need: Refractometer or a glass hydrometer calibrated to tank temperatures, pH buffers, a tank or quarantine area for the infected fish that is adequately filtered.

Hyposalinity is a procedure involving lowering the salinity from normal tank levels to 14 ppt (1.009 Specific Gravity) over the course of 48 hours. This is done by doing a series of small water changes using fresh dechlorinated water. During the procedure, pH must be closely monitored as pH tends to drop as water become less saline. Fish are maintained in hyposaline conditions for three weeks after all symptoms are gone. Again, accurate measuring is essential, and the standard swing arm hydrometers are not going to work. A refractometer or large glass lab grade hydrometer calibrated to tank temperatures is needed. Once the fish have been asymptotic for three weeks, the salinity is then raised back to display tank levels over the course of a week. Fish can not tolerate rapid increases in salinity. Leave the fish in quarantine at display tank levels for another week.

Your display will now have been fishless for at least four weeks, sufficient time to allow the parasite’s life cycle to be interrupted. Crypto is an obligate parasite that requires a fish host. No fish=No host=No parasite. Ich is a fish-only parasite, it will not affect inverts.

Continue to monitor pH daily during the process and be prepared with buffers to address any pH problems. Also keep the water clean through proper filtration."

If you notice pH is getting too low I believe people recommend adding ALK to keep pH levels up.. ask in the chemistry forum on what you would need and what the effects are during hyposalinity..

[FlyinggFish]

I really really don't want to go through all of this. This happened to me last year when I set up a new tank and I spent a lot of money and time trying to bring the fish back to perfect health and they all died. My fish were in perfect health. I know my wrasse, for sure is not the cause as I've had him another tank for about a year.

I just set up my QT, added new water and water from the DT to the 10 gal, since its Thanksgiving I have no choice, nothing is open.

After doing that and dripping water all over my room I just got really frustrated and emptied out all the water I just put into the 10 gallon. This is really getting frustrating. I just really don't want to do this if its not going to work.

Here's hoping tomorrow's try will turn out a little better.