I have 2 sick fish

Ben34105 · 01/19/2010, 04:51 PM

I walked by my tank today and I have a sick clown and a yellow tang. Both are sitting on the bottom semi upright heavily breathing. They have been in the DT for 3 days now. Both are juvies.

SG - 1.026
nitrates - 0
ammonia - 0
phosphates - 0
temp - 80

Other inhabitants - 1 foxface, 1 rabbit fish, 2 other clowns, 2 starfish, 2 shrimp (pep and cleaner), 12 hermits, 3 emeralds, handful of snails, tons of pods and 3 btas. All others look just fine.

It's a 150g with 20g sump and 200lbs live rock. I have a 220 Coralife skimmer that I now have skimming wet, a 40W UV sterilizer with 300gph flow and a 100 micron filter sock. I have a fluval FX5 running carbon and phosban. Sump is running a mag 5. I have mixing eductors on all returns. Tanks been set up since October.

What's happening to my fish?

rgonzalez · 01/19/2010, 05:02 PM

DId you QT them? How old is your DT?

bertoni · 01/19/2010, 07:03 PM

There are a lot of diseases with that presentation. Without a hospital tank running, I suppose you could try a freshwater dip, to see whether any parasites drop off the fish. The dip can be stressful, though.

jarrett · 01/19/2010, 07:04 PM

how long have u had them and what is there color like now and when u bought them

Tylt33 · 01/19/2010, 07:17 PM

It sounds like they could be on their way out. Two foxfaces/rabbits in your tank? Could be some bullying, leading to stressors...

Playa-1 · 01/19/2010, 07:24 PM

Are you dosing anything?
What is your pH?
How much flow do you have in the tank?

Tylt33 · 01/19/2010, 07:31 PM

And a little more info about your clowns? Are the two in there currently a pair? If so, they could be bullying the third... a trio of clowns is a hard thing to establish if you already have a pair.

Ben34105 · 01/19/2010, 09:52 PM

I'm sad to say the fish have passed on to the big reef in the sky. They were fine last night and dead by dinner time today. The other fish still look good.

To answer the questions, no I did not QT this last batch. I know better, not sure why I didn't do it.

The tank has been running since October.

I brought the fish home Sunday. They maintained their color and did not show signs of abuse. The fish almost seemed to be paralyzed and had some issues swimming.

I am not dosing anything. PH was a little low on Sunday when I had my water tested so I added some buffer Sunday night. I can't remember the exact number.

The FX5 has 925gph and I have a mag 5 which is 500 before head loss. Both have 1 to 5 eductors.

All clowns are juvies and not mated pairs. I have 3 because 2 were orange and one is black. I was waiting for the second black one to arrive this week.

pco1988 · 01/20/2010, 12:54 AM

To me shock looks like to be a major factor here. I wonder what the parameters of the LFS water was and how long they had the fish in there system.

Playa-1 · 01/20/2010, 07:26 AM

You may have a gas exchange issue. What are you using for circulation or flow within the tank? Have you tested Alk after you used the buffer?
Is the FX5 hooked up to the DT?

Ben34105 · 01/20/2010, 09:00 AM

Shock could be a factor. I know the clowns were newer, but the small tang was in the store for a few weeks. I remember looking at it everytime I went in because it was so much smaller then the other tangs they always have.

I have the FX5 in the DT along with a powerhead to circulate a dead spot in the corner. The Mag 5 also returns to the DT. The surface of the water has movement from the sump return and skimmer. The FX5 returns are a little lower and slightly angled downward to help stir up the bottom. My tank is 30" deep.

I woke up today and my second orange clown is missing. I'm hoping he comes out of hiding or that means 3 dead fish in under 12 hours.

I have not tested ALK yet. I looked at my reef test kit and didn't see a test for it. I typically take my water to the LFS weekly for a full make up and use mine as an emergency back up incase something goes wrong. I'll buy an ALK kit today.

01/19/2010, 04:51 PM	#1
Ben34105 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Naples, FL Posts: 159	I have 2 sick fish I walked by my tank today and I have a sick clown and a yellow tang. Both are sitting on the bottom semi upright heavily breathing. They have been in the DT for 3 days now. Both are juvies. SG - 1.026 nitrates - 0 ammonia - 0 phosphates - 0 temp - 80 Other inhabitants - 1 foxface, 1 rabbit fish, 2 other clowns, 2 starfish, 2 shrimp (pep and cleaner), 12 hermits, 3 emeralds, handful of snails, tons of pods and 3 btas. All others look just fine. It's a 150g with 20g sump and 200lbs live rock. I have a 220 Coralife skimmer that I now have skimming wet, a 40W UV sterilizer with 300gph flow and a 100 micron filter sock. I have a fluval FX5 running carbon and phosban. Sump is running a mag 5. I have mixing eductors on all returns. Tanks been set up since October. What's happening to my fish?

01/19/2010, 05:02 PM	#2
rgonzalez Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Scottsdale Posts: 892	DId you QT them? How old is your DT? __________________ DSA 105 Current Tank Info: 105 DSA

01/19/2010, 07:03 PM	#3
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	There are a lot of diseases with that presentation. Without a hospital tank running, I suppose you could try a freshwater dip, to see whether any parasites drop off the fish. The dip can be stressful, though. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

01/19/2010, 07:04 PM	#4
jarrett Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 231	how long have u had them and what is there color like now and when u bought them __________________ we cant stop here this is bat country!! Current Tank Info: 90g mixed reef. 45g sump

01/20/2010, 12:54 AM	#9
pco1988 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Annapolis, MD Posts: 302	To me shock looks like to be a major factor here. I wonder what the parameters of the LFS water was and how long they had the fish in there system. __________________ Philip There are two types of people in this hobby: "The ones who have had a tank crash, and the ones that are going to have a tank crash" Current Tank Info: 11gal Nano Reef

01/19/2010, 07:17 PM	#5
Tylt33 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Chico, California Posts: 1,755	It sounds like they could be on their way out. Two foxfaces/rabbits in your tank? Could be some bullying, leading to stressors...

01/19/2010, 07:24 PM	#6
Playa-1 Moved On Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Laguna Niguel, CA Posts: 7,497	Are you dosing anything? What is your pH? How much flow do you have in the tank?

01/19/2010, 07:31 PM	#7
Tylt33 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Chico, California Posts: 1,755	And a little more info about your clowns? Are the two in there currently a pair? If so, they could be bullying the third... a trio of clowns is a hard thing to establish if you already have a pair.

01/19/2010, 09:52 PM	#8
Ben34105 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Naples, FL Posts: 159	I'm sad to say the fish have passed on to the big reef in the sky. They were fine last night and dead by dinner time today. The other fish still look good. To answer the questions, no I did not QT this last batch. I know better, not sure why I didn't do it. The tank has been running since October. I brought the fish home Sunday. They maintained their color and did not show signs of abuse. The fish almost seemed to be paralyzed and had some issues swimming. I am not dosing anything. PH was a little low on Sunday when I had my water tested so I added some buffer Sunday night. I can't remember the exact number. The FX5 has 925gph and I have a mag 5 which is 500 before head loss. Both have 1 to 5 eductors. All clowns are juvies and not mated pairs. I have 3 because 2 were orange and one is black. I was waiting for the second black one to arrive this week.

01/20/2010, 07:26 AM	#10
Playa-1 Moved On Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Laguna Niguel, CA Posts: 7,497	You may have a gas exchange issue. What are you using for circulation or flow within the tank? Have you tested Alk after you used the buffer? Is the FX5 hooked up to the DT?

01/20/2010, 09:00 AM	#11
Ben34105 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Naples, FL Posts: 159	Shock could be a factor. I know the clowns were newer, but the small tang was in the store for a few weeks. I remember looking at it everytime I went in because it was so much smaller then the other tangs they always have. I have the FX5 in the DT along with a powerhead to circulate a dead spot in the corner. The Mag 5 also returns to the DT. The surface of the water has movement from the sump return and skimmer. The FX5 returns are a little lower and slightly angled downward to help stir up the bottom. My tank is 30" deep. I woke up today and my second orange clown is missing. I'm hoping he comes out of hiding or that means 3 dead fish in under 12 hours. I have not tested ALK yet. I looked at my reef test kit and didn't see a test for it. I typically take my water to the LFS weekly for a full make up and use mine as an emergency back up incase something goes wrong. I'll buy an ALK kit today.