First major health challenge

Tony, hyposalinity works. I did hyposalinity on every fish I bought for my tank, going back over 18 months. Most showed ich the first few days in QT, then never again. Then I had to screw up and introduce it to the tank, so I'm doing hypo all over again.

The key is maintaining accurate salinity levels. Too low is harmful to the fish, too high won't be effective at killing ich. I target 1.009, and never let salinity climb higher than 1.010 for the duration. With such a narrow window, make sure you are using something that is dead-on accurate to measure salinity. A swing arm hydrometer, or a poorly calibrated refractometer could be problematic.
 
I'm using a refractometer, and I calibrate it daily with the Salifert 35 drops.

I find the swing-arm Instant Ocean hydrometer, is REALLY close to what the refractometer says, but I still use the R-meter for detail.

Gets hard to get these 40yo eyes to focus on those little tiny lines!


Tony
 
Great that you're calibrating with 35ppt fluid. Still, if there's a slope error in the refracto, it could be off when measuring hyposalinity levels. To see if this is the case, measure some RO/DI or distilled water. If you see something other than 0.000, that means you have some slope error in the refractometers prism. Keep in mind that roughly 2/3 of that error will apply at 1.009. Just figure that out and be sure to compensate whenever you take a reading.
 
Tony, I would like to try to help your fish with some food I have use very succesfuly in the past for this cases, I don't have any now, but if you are interested I will mix a small batch for you, Call me if you are interested and I will bring it over to you. 786-356-9728
 
Thanks, Roger - I appreciate all the help I can get!

Lost the Midas Blenny today, and for some reason, my green bubble-tip anemone decided to go under a rock, and die.

What a MESS getting it out, and the SMELL! Wow! I haven't smelled anything that foul in a LOOOOONG time!


Shame - they are absolutely breathtaking when happy, and open!


Tony
 
Checked the Tang again - Oh, they were still on the outside rim of the eyes.

Now, I'm no genius, or fish expert, but I assume ich on the eyes can cause blindness? My Tang appears to be bumping into things: the glass, PVC pipes, keeps bumping into the aerator stick...

Man - this is really heart-wrenching. You WISH you could do something to make it go away, and NOW!


Tony
 
whats on his eyes is not necessarily ich, but more than likely a secondary infection caused from the ich infestation and the tangs immune level dropping to low.
 
My half-and-half wrasse isn't looking so good...
lost all black, and looks basicall bleached out...

Anyone know what that's a sympton of?
He was normally silvery-white in front, black in back, yellow tail.

He is also hanging out near the top of the tank.
Last I saw him, when black, he didn;t have any cysts...

He is in a 15g tank, with a penguin 330, as well as an air pump, so there should be plenty of oxygen in the water.

No meds - all has been flushed out, so no formalin to suck out the oxygen.


Tony
 
i had all my fish look that way after my tank crash ( left a friend incharge while on vacation and he left the pumps off for over 12hrs). 1/2 of them died and the 14 left looked much like you described. I just left them in the tank and feed them heavy and after about a month or so of this the ich went away. Even my blue hippo was doing much better and went ich free.

In my past experience stressing the fish by putting him in a small inclosed QT with chemicals and changing water chemistry just made it worse.

Thats how i killed a chevron and yellow tang and i have yet to loose one by just keeping them in the display feeding them very very heavily with my own food ( dead knockoff of roggers food ) and letting it ride.
 
Shark..is the 15g used with established water?


If this water was new and you didn't even use the filter sponge to soak up the bacteria in your main display I would first check for any traces of ammonia... only if what I stated applies.

I am with rawbomb and others.....

QT has never worked for me..... Up until now I use the method of maintaining great water quality and feeding a variety of food soaked in garlic and vitachem... So far I have had healhty fish for over a year.

Nick
 
It is new water, but I'm doing about 25-35% water changes about every other day, matching salinity and pH.

I'm bringing them back up to main tank salinity, and waiting to hear from Rogger about his "Formula." He told me to bring them out of hyposalinity, and that we'd treat them in the main tank.


Tony
 
Well....Last 72 hours, lost 5 more fish:
Purple Tang
Both Ocellaris clowns
Goldenhead Sleeper Goby
Half-and-Half Wrasse

Left with the Foxface Lo, 2 Chromis, and a columbian shark.

This is REALLY frustrating. Starting to think, if I lose them all, I probably will NOT start it up again...

Tony
 
Hey Tony....sorry to hear about your latest lost.
At some point we take a hit...I have lost a few fishes and critters.
I am sure many other have lost sometihing at one time or another. Take it as a learning experience and keep your head high. Once this ich crisis is over, if you want help rebuilding....
I got your back!!!
 
Tony...we have all been there. I wiped out nearly an entire tank because of temp fluctuations several years ago. And again 2 years ago for an unknown reason. It happens and hurts when it does. I'll have your back too.

Bob
 
I 'ppreciate it. I'm too far in probably, too just quit.

Just frustrating to come home, do feed the fish, and find 3-4 stiff fish in the bottom of the tank, especially after all the time spent in maintaining them in that Q-Tank.

I got (2) Chromis and (1) Columbian shark that need a home.

These NEVER showed any signs, and have been in QT for 2.5 weeks.

Anyone interested? Free for asking.

I want to leave the tank w/out fish for a few more weeks, but don;t want to continue leaving these guys in QT.


Tony
 
Sorry to hear about these losses. Its rough losing your fish, especially if they've been with you for a while. I don't know whether it's better or worse that you found yours. I've had my favorite fish just disappear and never show up again. My Yellow Corris Wrasse dove into the sand to hide from me when I first brought my nano down to Boca, and I never saw him again, and I had had him since the beginning, the only fish I had when I bought the tank with 13 fish in it. Then my foxface that my mom picked out, and it was her fish, just disappeared last week, and hasn't been seen since. I've never seen a spike in nutrients, never ammonia, nothing.

Its all part of the gains and losses of this hobby. Sorry to hear about your losses. I'm sure with time everything will be back under control. Sometimes I wish I just kept coral.. (It would certainly make maintenance easier!)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Dr. Reef
Photographic guide to Fish disease, Parasites and common issues.
Replies
12
Views
61K
Jdub968
J
Back
Top