My tank is freaking out!

[WooReefer94]

So 2 weeks ago i purchased a longnose butterfly fish and about a 2weeks ago he died from a parasite that he had but did not show till about 2 days before he died, but along with him he took my valentini puffer fish, and today my percula clown fish): for the past week i thought i had a ich problem so ive raised my temp from 78 to now about 81, and have lowered my salinity from 1.023 to 1.020 , and have been adding some minced garlic juices to my frozen food, this has been going on for about a week now, but i awoke this morning to both my clown fish very very sick, my smaller percula looks like his fins were just shredding off or like his fin was cut perfectly straight, the very clear white part at the end of his tail was completely gone... my other clown fish however is better then the other that just died about 5 minutes ago.. his fins are looking like they are falling apart but he is still swimming around and eating, but looks as if he still is suffering from ich... what I'm thinking is maybe i was adding to much garlic to my food and it was throwing my parameters all around?? my nitrate and nitrite and ammonia all went up just over a period of about 2 days like crazy, before this my parameters were perfect, ammonia zero, and everything... im new to this hobby and my tank only about 5 months old however right now I'm honestly freaking out!! i have no clue what to do): i have changed about 10 gallons of water about 2 hours ago. btw my tank is a 75 gallon fowlr. i will take any help what so over and is greatly appreciated .

[xtremenub]

edit: sorry posted in wring thread

[greech]

If ammonia gets high enough it can do external damage to fins. If you have any ammonia at 5 months, something is definitely wrong and I would point to that being the issue. Anything big die and unaccounted for? How much garlic are we talking about? When you say minced to you mean the stuff you get from the grocery store? Did you drain the food before adding the juice to the tank? Not sure if store bought garlic is safe but would imagine that could cause some spikes if you added a lot over time. Sounds like you have had quite a few fish. Maybe stocking too quick?

[WooReefer94]

Originally Posted by greech

If ammonia gets high enough it can do external damage to fins. If you have any ammonia at 5 months, something is definitely wrong and I would point to that being the issue. Anything big die and unaccounted for? How much garlic are we talking about? When you say minced to you mean the stuff you get from the grocery store? Did you drain the food before adding the juice to the tank? Not sure if store bought garlic is safe but would imagine that could cause some spikes if you added a lot over time. Sounds like you have had quite a few fish. Maybe stocking too quick?

i have not found my little puffer after he died.... that was a thought in my mind to. & only a few drops of garlic oil on the food, & i did this because this was what the LFS recommended to me. & my whole aquarium consisted of 1 brittle star, 2 damsel, 2 percula clowns, 1 valentini puffer & the longnose butterfly fish that started all this trouble.

[SushiGirl]

Does this tank have live sand and rock in it? If so, you shouldn't be lowering your salinity in it to take care of the ich or you're going to kill all the bacteria that converts ammonia. Lowering salinity to 1.020 isn't going to kill off ich anyway.

[D. Winter]

I feel your pain, and I offer my condolences. As to how this situation was created I really have no input, but I did notice that you mentioned a 10 gallon water change on a 75 gallon tank...you are on the right track but I would bump that up to closer to 20 or 30 gallons, in the attempt to get your paramaters back in line. I am sure with all of the knowledge on here someone can help you out, but I thought I would put my two cents in and get you back up to the top. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

[Sport507]

How long was your tank cycled before adding live stock? How long have you had it set up?

Sorry for the losses.

[WooReefer94]

Originally Posted by Sport507

How long was your tank cycled before adding live stock? How long have you had it set up?

Sorry for the losses.

i actually let my tank cycle with live rock and crushed coral and damsels for about 7 weeks before i added any other fish to my tank.

[WooReefer94]

Originally Posted by SushiGirl

Does this tank have live sand and rock in it? If so, you shouldn't be lowering your salinity in it to take care of the ich or you're going to kill all the bacteria that converts ammonia. Lowering salinity to 1.020 isn't going to kill off ich anyway.

Looks like the knowledge of my LFS really screwed me over on this.... i did all that because thats what i was told to do.

[bundybear1981]

Originally Posted by WooReefer94

i actually let my tank cycle with live rock and crushed coral and damsels for about 7 weeks before i added any other fish to my tank.

We would also recommend against cycling with live fish, its a cruel and unnecessary step. It is recommended to cycle with a shrimp or similar.

[Chris27]

Originally Posted by WooReefer94

Looks like the knowledge of my LFS really screwed me over on this.... i did all that because thats what i was told to do.

They didn't screw you, doing what they told you wouldn't cause the problems you're currently encountering. Adding a garlic to the food enhances the flavor which can help the fish eat more (important when they are sick). Lowering the salinity slightly also helps the fish have more energy because they don't have to work so hard to process the salt. More energy can help the fish fight off sickness.

What did screw you was that you didn't quarantine your livestock properly before adding the new fish to the display. You added a sick fish and it in turn infected the rest of your livestock.

At this point it would be a good idea to remove what fish are left and treat them for whatever it is they have.