Fish keep dying

[kamikaze483]

Please reply with any suggestions or advice. I've had my tank for over two years, with one problem after another. Tank crashed- all died- more than once.

Lets just look at the last 4 months.

Four months ago, I had to start over after almost everything died. I was left with a flame hawk, flame angel, and mated pair of maroon clowns (along with all corals and inverts) in my 180g.

That's where I was 4 months ago. I've always used the same LFS with one exception. About a year ago I bought a Niger Trigger from another store who took a flying leap of death out of my tank within a week.

Other than that everything I have in there was from the same LFS. Over four months, I have bought 9 fish. All died, mostly from ich within a couple of weeks of getting them.

The last round was small regal tang, red goat fish, and kole tang. All dead within 10 days of putting them in my tank. Everyone had ich- including the ones who had been in there, but the new ones died. The ones that I had in the tank survived and are doing fine.

Everything I buy from her dies. And I'm new and willing to take all advice- I pay them to maintain my tank biweekly. All parameters perfect. Fish were well acclimated to the best I know how to do.

They think I am doing something wrong but they can't help me figure out what. I'm leaning toward thinking there is something wrong with THEIR fish. I know that they treat constantly with antibiotics and trace copper, which I don't do.

Should I be pumping new fish with antibiotics just as a preventative? Should I find a new fish store. I like these guys but its very expensive to continue losing fish.

 

[Rover88]

..... Yeah, they are doing something wrong. If they are dying from Ich, there is the problem. You need to start quarantining anything you buy in a seperate tank before it goes into the main tank.

Look up the Tank Transfer Method. They REALLY need to do something if everything they sell has Ich as you've said. But its also on you to quarantine the fish and treat them appropriately. There are treatments you can give for Ich, but not if its in your main display with corals/inverts, you need to do it seperately.

 

[Cymonous]

If they are treating constantly with trace copper, you need to find a new LFS. Taking a fish straight out from a tank with copper and in to a tank without copper is stressful on a fish.

Like Rover said, no matter the LFS or other source of getting fish, you need to quarantine any new fish. Your current display tank now has to be fishless for the next 10-12 weeks to allow for the Ich to die off. The best way in my opinion to handle new fish is to first do the Tank Transfer method, then quarantine after the tank transfer method for an additional 4 weeks. You can handle both the display, TT method and quarantine at the same time. The fish would have to stay in quarantine till your display fishless period is over though. Or, wait a month after you start your fishless period and then get a fish to start TT and quarantine.

 

[sde1500]

Read the stickies, both in this section, and fish disease treatment. ICH is not a bacteria, so antibiotics do nothing. You need to treat the ich, and Quaratine fish before you put them in your tank. Stickies go into this in detail.

 

[Shamous113]

a lot of fish stores use trace copper to mask problems, they never actually treat/qt properly.

I'd start by removing the fish you have and treat them for ich and leave your tank fallow for at least 72 days. ttm is the best if you have the space, or chloroquine phosphate but use with caution some fish don't take well to this treatment. Their are some great threads on this form about cp read them before you use this method. all new fish should be run thru a qt before they go in to your dt. I also dip and QT all frags for 72 days before they go in to my dt.

 

[Uncle99]

Either you or your source, or both, have a serious problem.
-Ick, will easily wipe out most if not all fish in your tank....tangs are especially prone to this parasite. Whether it came from the LFS dies nit matter now. When Ick presents itself, the tank must go fish less for at least 8-10 weeks. With no fish, the parasite will die. That's all you have to do fir the DT

Fish must be removed and put in a hospital tank and treated with either cupramine or hypo salinity, since you have tangs, I would go hypo as it is easier on the fish. Fish remain here until at least 1 month has passed after you notice no more spots.

Any inhabitant for any store should be In QT for 30 days where they can be easily treated should a problem surface.

I don't remember if you said what size the tank was but if it's not 6 feet long, tangs will be a continuous problem. Not sure about your water but if it's not on point, diease can follow as the inhabitant struggles.

Have a look in the stick notes for some details on the above, but one thing for sure, you need to come to stabilization before spending to much more...

 

[HBtank]

Sadly we are often in a position of “fish recovery” and have to treat stressed and diseased fish back from health after a long journey to your tank. Some people have tanks that can seemingly resist disease, but many can’t, or eventually meet their match.

Finding a new source may be needed, but you should also equip yourself to treat/QT new fish and then you are actually in a position of being able to heal fish, and take in any you want.

TBH I have never found a perfect LFS, but 100% is obviously a problem!