Help my fish are sick

[MrChico]

I have 120 gal. with 55 fuge the tank has been up since 12-1-05 and all parameters are 0, salinity is 1.026 the ph is 8.2 and temp is 79 steady I feed them 1 frozen cube of a variety type mix (thawed of course)

1-25-06 1 clown died without warning
1-26-06 2nd clown died
1-29-06 blue-eyed cardinal died
1-31-06 yellow tailed damsel died
2-2-06 sail fin went awol (still looking)

2 engineer gobies doing just fine
1 foxface is doing some heavy breathing for 3 days now
1 8-line wrase doing great
corals are all growing
crabs and snails doing just fine

a couple days before each death they get whiteish/unclear areas on the clear parts of their fins and do heavy breathing

I have 2 hob filters without any filter pads and move 400 gph from the fuge to the main tank

A few weeks back I did not top off daily and then added 5 gal. all at once the salinity went from 1.027 to 1.024 then my problems started.

I am getting very discouraged and dont know why my fish are dieing and would like to treat them but I dont know what I am fighting.

[dchao]

You must keep both salinity and temperture constant all the time. 5 gallon of top of was too much all at once, you could cause a lareg swing in both salinity and temp. at the same time.

Did you measure the chlorine and chloramines in the top-off water before the large addition?

[MrChico]

I just bought the RO/DI water filter but I have been dechlorinating the water so far

[dchao]

Maybe you forgot to put dechlorinator into the 5 gallon top-off?

[MrChico]

Well, its possible but not likely... I wish it was that simple

I was thinking that this is a disease that someone could identify and tell me how to treat it, my next step will be to take some water down to the LFS and have them test it to see if maybe my readings are off.

I can't replace the fish I have lost until I am sure that what ever is causing it is done/gone and that it wont come back.

[bertoni]

I think you should check in the fish disease forum. That might be some sort of bacterial disease.

I wouldn't change the SG by more than about 0.001 units every other day. An autotopoff system might help keep your SG more stable.

[TippyToeX]

Just based on the description it sounds like Brooklynellosis

[BTTRFLYGRL]

Were any of your fish new? If so did you qt?
If you added a new fish without qt it also could have been velvet [Amyloodium]

[dchao]

It could be brook or it could be velvet, it's impossible to diagnose without a microscope. But if these fish were not put under stress to begin with, non of this should have happened. The point is good quality water is the best prevention.

[MrChico]

I went to the LFS and had them test my water they said that the water is "perfect" and said that it sounded like a fungus to him, and sold me some Nelafix, then told me to treat for 7 days and to leave the skimmer off duing that time then do a 25% water change he also sold me some carbon for after the treatment.

have I been given some good advice?

[MrChico]

no, I did not qt, and and yes, every week for the past 4 weeks I have added a fish or 2 I'm sure that 1 of these fish brought the illness with them

[dchao]

Originally posted by MrChico
no, I did not qt, and and yes, every week for the past 4 weeks I have added a fish or 2

that a little bit too fast, one per week maximum. I would leave the gap even a bit longer.

I'm sure that 1 of these fish brought the illness with them

Possibly, but as I've said it before, clean water is most important. If the addition of fish has not been so fast and the nitrification bacteria have more time to develop, the fish should be strong enough to fight it off.

Many people have good quality water and just toss the new fish in, and never had any problem. Similarly, many people quarantine new fish and still get parasites in the display.

[TippyToeX]

I think it's very poor advice to recommend a treatment not knowing what the illness is. Not only that but to treat in your main tank! That is a big no-no.

Move the infected fish to a QT tank. Allow the main tank to be fallow. Once we know for sure what is wrong with the fish then you can medicate as needed. Did you look up Amyloodium & Brooklynellosis to see if that is what it might be?

[dchao]

Fish store only trying to selling you medication, and make some money off you.

[Daytymer]

Be careful with Melafix. Packaging says it's made from "natural" ingredients but it's very strong and if too much is used it will kill. My bad experience was an accident and was with a freshwater tank but I try and tell everyone to be careful with it. I personally believe it should be mentioned on the label not to overdose.

[dchao]

no medication should go into the main tank, no matter how safe the box says.

[Daytymer]

agreed. no med's in main tank. Hospital tank only.

[MrChico]

I looked up both diseases and it could be either one.

I dont have a QT tank except a 10 gal. sitting in the storage room empty.

If I set the 10 gal. up it would cycle with the 5 fish in it and stress them out even more?

So, would it be better to not treat with the meds? or set-up the 10 gal. tank then treat there?

[dchao]

It's impossible to setup a QT and expect it to be able to cope with 5 fish on day one. I normally keep a sponge (so it is covered with live bacteria) in the sump so the QT can be setup very quickly.

IMO, you should keep changing the water, keep water parameters (pH, Salinity, temp) as constant as possible. Monitor ammonia and NO3. No new fish for 4 weeks. Your remaining 5 fish should be able to pull through.

But no meds in the main tank.

[MrChico]

Sounds like a good plan of attack.

I recognize that the poor fish have have to pay for my ignorance with their life, and that makes alot of people very upset and I thankyou for the attention that you have given me and not turning this into a flame-fest as it very well could have given the lack of due dilligence that I have shown to the fish to this point.

I hate being so "hat in hand" in a hobby that I really enjoy and thankyou for the help that you have given me.