Anatomy of Our First Fish Quarantine Session
- Thread starter dougchambers
- Start date
ufchristyb
New member
OOPS!!
Last post was me. Hubby apparently hijacked my computer at some point and logged in under his account. How inconsiderate. He knows I'm trying to get my posts up.
--Christy
Last post was me. Hubby apparently hijacked my computer at some point and logged in under his account. How inconsiderate. He knows I'm trying to get my posts up.
--Christy
dougchambers
New member
Three if it lives, Five if it tanks.<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6964695#post6964695 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jeffbrig
LOL!!! I think in the shoe to fish conversion ratio, your goldrim tang is at least worth 3 new pairs of summer wedges for your wife.
How about HOUSE?
As for my avatar, I am working on it.
--Christy
The wife
dougchambers
New member
Day 4:
Welcome to day 4 and another water change to bring down the Sg level. As of right now, we are at 1.015 so by tomorrow night, we will be at the 1.009-1.010 target to start the clock. I figured out why the VB calculator I wrote was giving me bad values for the resulting Sg levels.
The fish is doing well and continues to eat like a pig. He is quite content in tearing every shred of Nori off the pipe but doesn't seem too interested in eating it. Perhaps it's to stale for his taste... However, he did eat a healthy portion of Brine and Formula 2 soaked in garlic tonight.
Key lesson learned today. Have your makeup water, in our case RO/DI, heated and ready to go. I'm so used to having a heater in the saltwater change bucket that I didn't think about pre-heating the RO/DI. Given our current temperatures, the storage water was a nice ~60Ã"šÃ‚°F which is far from the 78Ã"šÃ‚°F target of the QT. We really aren't seeing much change in the pH due to the RO/DI water and if finally clicked! You guys have been telling me to get the baking soda out, but I was watching for the pH to drop and not the Alk. Finally measured the Alk and it was at 2.1 meg/L which is too low. Added 1.25tsp of Reef Builder which should bring us back up to ~3.4meg/L.
We will make a water change on the main tank tomorrow night and start preparing a hypo mix for continued water changes in the QT.
Unfortunately, the fish STILL looks like a funny shaped blonde Naso with a cool blue rim on his fins. Not all bad, but not what he looked like at the LFS.
Temp: 76.6Ã"šÃ‚°F
pH: 8.35
Sg: ~1.015
Alk: 2.1meg/L (Adjusted after measurement)
-Doug
Welcome to day 4 and another water change to bring down the Sg level. As of right now, we are at 1.015 so by tomorrow night, we will be at the 1.009-1.010 target to start the clock. I figured out why the VB calculator I wrote was giving me bad values for the resulting Sg levels.
The fish is doing well and continues to eat like a pig. He is quite content in tearing every shred of Nori off the pipe but doesn't seem too interested in eating it. Perhaps it's to stale for his taste... However, he did eat a healthy portion of Brine and Formula 2 soaked in garlic tonight.
Key lesson learned today. Have your makeup water, in our case RO/DI, heated and ready to go. I'm so used to having a heater in the saltwater change bucket that I didn't think about pre-heating the RO/DI. Given our current temperatures, the storage water was a nice ~60Ã"šÃ‚°F which is far from the 78Ã"šÃ‚°F target of the QT. We really aren't seeing much change in the pH due to the RO/DI water and if finally clicked! You guys have been telling me to get the baking soda out, but I was watching for the pH to drop and not the Alk. Finally measured the Alk and it was at 2.1 meg/L which is too low. Added 1.25tsp of Reef Builder which should bring us back up to ~3.4meg/L.
We will make a water change on the main tank tomorrow night and start preparing a hypo mix for continued water changes in the QT.
Unfortunately, the fish STILL looks like a funny shaped blonde Naso with a cool blue rim on his fins. Not all bad, but not what he looked like at the LFS.
Temp: 76.6Ã"šÃ‚°F
pH: 8.35
Sg: ~1.015
Alk: 2.1meg/L (Adjusted after measurement)
-Doug
Last edited:
jeffbrig
Premium Member
Where I work, we'd make a crack about why the managers don't write code anymore......
Give the fish time, his color will improve with time, comfort, and good nutrition.
Also, don't worry tooooo much about the absolute alkalinity levels. A fish could really care less about the alk level, except as it pertains to a steady pH. I only buffer alkalinity to the extent that pH doesn't start dropping. Trying to chase natural sw levels isn't necessary, hypo isn't anything like natural sw.
dougchambers
New member
Too true! And you thought we just couldn't spell...<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6965395#post6965395 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jeffbrig
Where I work, we'd make a crack about why the managers don't write code anymore......
-Doug
ufchristyb
New member
Shall I buy you both pocket protectors?
--Christy
--Christy
ufchristyb
New member
Damn, I keep forgetting the smileys.
That, and if I double post, I'm that much closer to giving scooby the heave-ho!
That, and if I double post, I'm that much closer to giving scooby the heave-ho!
dougchambers
New member
Day 5:
The fish is settling in pretty well. I installed a small light over the quarantine tank to get a better view of him. Haven't seen any Ich or anything else I'm worried about yet so hopefully we are in the groove. I did note one strange thing when adding the last bit of water. He rubbed sideways against a piece of the PVC in the tank. Makes me think we may see something in the next few days so we will continue to watch closely.
Final water change tonight and we are sitting at 1.009 so start the clock... Gave the main tank a 15g water change and started a fresh batch of saltwater that will be at 1.009-1.010 for easy water changes.
The skimmer looks like it's about worthless at this Sg level. The bubbles are big and not really helping other than to collect floating Nori pieces that get sucked into the pump.
Temp: 78.3Ã"šÃ‚°F
pH: 8.36
Sg: 1.009-1.085
What's the bottom end of the Sg level before we need to be concerned? I'll make sure the hypo water changes are locked in, but I'm just curious.
Thanks,
Doug
The fish is settling in pretty well. I installed a small light over the quarantine tank to get a better view of him. Haven't seen any Ich or anything else I'm worried about yet so hopefully we are in the groove. I did note one strange thing when adding the last bit of water. He rubbed sideways against a piece of the PVC in the tank. Makes me think we may see something in the next few days so we will continue to watch closely.
Final water change tonight and we are sitting at 1.009 so start the clock... Gave the main tank a 15g water change and started a fresh batch of saltwater that will be at 1.009-1.010 for easy water changes.
The skimmer looks like it's about worthless at this Sg level. The bubbles are big and not really helping other than to collect floating Nori pieces that get sucked into the pump.
Temp: 78.3Ã"šÃ‚°F
pH: 8.36
Sg: 1.009-1.085
What's the bottom end of the Sg level before we need to be concerned? I'll make sure the hypo water changes are locked in, but I'm just curious.
Thanks,
Doug
ufchristyb
New member
Hi Doug,
1.009 is the lowest we generally go in our hypo. As for the scratching behavior, I wouldn't be too concerned if it is one isolated incident, but definitely keep your eye on it if he continues to do it.
--Christy
1.009 is the lowest we generally go in our hypo. As for the scratching behavior, I wouldn't be too concerned if it is one isolated incident, but definitely keep your eye on it if he continues to do it.
--Christy
jeffbrig
Premium Member
I was thinking the same thing last night when I started the remora on my QT, but today I found a little bit of brownish foam in the neck. It hasn't really pushed anything into the collection cup, but it does look like it's building a bit. Anything's better than nothing, right?
ufchristyb
New member
Doug, we checked the remora's collection cup today and found a few tablespoons of medium brown liquid skimmate in there. It's working, even at 1.009sg. Have you had any luck with yours yet?
dougchambers
New member
Christy - Not much in the collection cup, but I may need to tear down the pump head.
Day 6:
Not much new today. The fish is doing very well. Coloration is better in the mornings and when I'm not messing with the tank. He continued to eat like a pig. I've been throwing a little flake in before I leave in the mornings and doing a direct feed with a baster in the evenings.
The Sg drifted down a little overnight as the mix in the tank stabilized. The 25g hypo mix I started last night had WAY too much salt in it so I had to pull 10g out and dilute down with 10g of RO/DI.
Tomorrow I plan to vacuum everything out, dump the skimmer, rinse the filter, and move the chiller on the main tank to a different room. It really defeats the purpose of running a chiller if the heat you extract gets dumped back into the same room. the location was a temporary setup, but with the planned rain all weekend, it will be a good time to move it into the garage before we start working outside.
Temp: 78.3Ã"šÃ‚°F
pH: 8.33
Sg: ~1.008 (Bumped up to 1.009)
On to day 7 (Day 2 of Hypo)
-Doug
dougchambers
New member
Thanks Sparks... I tend to agree given the output I'm seeing, but I had it on the shelf and figured it couldn't hurt.
-Doug
ufchristyb
New member
Doug,
Everything going ok? Things are good on our end. The fish in our QT survived us being out of town and fed by our neighbor for the weekend. And, the flamehawk and pseudochromis seem to have settled in and are more comfortable with the big tangs now.
--Christy
Everything going ok? Things are good on our end. The fish in our QT survived us being out of town and fed by our neighbor for the weekend. And, the flamehawk and pseudochromis seem to have settled in and are more comfortable with the big tangs now.
--Christy
dougchambers
New member
Hi Christy,
Everything is good. I've been a little behind in the updates. We had to move out of the house for a couple of days while the flooring guys sanded and refinished some of the hardwood. We finally got back in tonight, but the place still stinks! The dreams should be entertaining tonight with the fumes still lingering. Not to mention the headache in the morning... I don't know how anyone with a reef tank that isn't sealed off from the main house gets their wood floors refinished.
Saturday we replumbed the chiller and moved it into the garage. It should be much more efficient there, but at only 1/4hp, it's smaller than it should be. While we were playing with water, I balanced out the 30g of hypo pre-mix right at 78Ã"šÃ‚°F and 1.009. We did a 25% water change and everthing still looks great. Starting to see a little bit of a film on the tank walls, but it's minimal. Added some larger pieces of PVC for the fish to swim through, but they tend to move around the tank more than I wanted. We should have bought the ABS pieces.
Wednesday night I'll do another water change and series of water tests. The pH is down a little bit to 8.26 so I'll watch that when we do the water change.
The Tang definitely has a food preference. The dark flakes and frozen Brine Shrimp are his favorites. He will take a bite of Formula 2 and promptly spit it out for more Brine.
Thanks for checking in...
-Doug
Everything is good. I've been a little behind in the updates. We had to move out of the house for a couple of days while the flooring guys sanded and refinished some of the hardwood. We finally got back in tonight, but the place still stinks! The dreams should be entertaining tonight with the fumes still lingering. Not to mention the headache in the morning... I don't know how anyone with a reef tank that isn't sealed off from the main house gets their wood floors refinished.
Saturday we replumbed the chiller and moved it into the garage. It should be much more efficient there, but at only 1/4hp, it's smaller than it should be. While we were playing with water, I balanced out the 30g of hypo pre-mix right at 78Ã"šÃ‚°F and 1.009. We did a 25% water change and everthing still looks great. Starting to see a little bit of a film on the tank walls, but it's minimal. Added some larger pieces of PVC for the fish to swim through, but they tend to move around the tank more than I wanted. We should have bought the ABS pieces.
Wednesday night I'll do another water change and series of water tests. The pH is down a little bit to 8.26 so I'll watch that when we do the water change.
The Tang definitely has a food preference. The dark flakes and frozen Brine Shrimp are his favorites. He will take a bite of Formula 2 and promptly spit it out for more Brine.
Thanks for checking in...
-Doug
ufchristyb
New member
Hey Doug,
Glad to hear things are going well. How did you seal off your tank to do the flooring? Our wood floor was water damaged in the hurricane, and I've given up on the idea of repairing it because of the tank. At the same time, I don't really want to do a whole floor replacement, although tile would probably be a better idea given the tank and all.
Our fish are well. The purple tang either still has some ich cysts, or just some skin damage from the ich, and I think that the yellow's HLLE is actually getting a little better, and her color is way improved. I can't wait to put her in the reef tank - she will be looking fabulous in no time.
By the way, regarding your tang and his eating habits, I've noticed with ours that the more greens they eat, the deeper their color. Our achilles has gotten at least two shades darker since we've put him in the main tank and I think its because of all the algae he's eating.
If the scum on the inside of your tank gets thick enough, you will likely start to see little fishy lip marks in it. When ours gets really bad in the QT, we use one of those magnet cleaners.
Keep us posted
--Christy
Glad to hear things are going well. How did you seal off your tank to do the flooring? Our wood floor was water damaged in the hurricane, and I've given up on the idea of repairing it because of the tank. At the same time, I don't really want to do a whole floor replacement, although tile would probably be a better idea given the tank and all.
Our fish are well. The purple tang either still has some ich cysts, or just some skin damage from the ich, and I think that the yellow's HLLE is actually getting a little better, and her color is way improved. I can't wait to put her in the reef tank - she will be looking fabulous in no time.
By the way, regarding your tang and his eating habits, I've noticed with ours that the more greens they eat, the deeper their color. Our achilles has gotten at least two shades darker since we've put him in the main tank and I think its because of all the algae he's eating.
If the scum on the inside of your tank gets thick enough, you will likely start to see little fishy lip marks in it.
When ours gets really bad in the QT, we use one of those magnet cleaners.Keep us posted
--Christy
ufchristyb
New member
Hey Doug,
Glad to hear things are going well. How did you seal off your tank to do the flooring? Our wood floor was water damaged in the hurricane, and I've given up on the idea of repairing it because of the tank. At the same time, I don't really want to do a whole floor replacement, although tile would probably be a better idea given the tank and all.
Our fish are well. The purple tang either still has some ich cysts, or just some skin damage from the ich, and I think that the yellow's HLLE is actually getting a little better, and her color is way improved. I can't wait to put her in the reef tank - she will be looking fabulous in no time.
By the way, regarding your tang and his eating habits, I've noticed with ours that the more greens they eat, the deeper their color. Our achilles has gotten at least two shades darker since we've put him in the main tank and I think its because of all the algae he's eating.
If the scum on the inside of your tank gets thick enough, you will likely start to see little fishy lip marks in it. When ours gets really bad in the QT, we use one of those magnet cleaners.
Keep us posted
--Christy
Glad to hear things are going well. How did you seal off your tank to do the flooring? Our wood floor was water damaged in the hurricane, and I've given up on the idea of repairing it because of the tank. At the same time, I don't really want to do a whole floor replacement, although tile would probably be a better idea given the tank and all.
Our fish are well. The purple tang either still has some ich cysts, or just some skin damage from the ich, and I think that the yellow's HLLE is actually getting a little better, and her color is way improved. I can't wait to put her in the reef tank - she will be looking fabulous in no time.
By the way, regarding your tang and his eating habits, I've noticed with ours that the more greens they eat, the deeper their color. Our achilles has gotten at least two shades darker since we've put him in the main tank and I think its because of all the algae he's eating.
If the scum on the inside of your tank gets thick enough, you will likely start to see little fishy lip marks in it.
When ours gets really bad in the QT, we use one of those magnet cleaners.Keep us posted
--Christy
