Frustrated

[Phoenix19]

I'm not really sure exactly how this happens, but I bought a very small pygmy, or cherub angel. Absolutely gorgeous and started eating right away. I quarantined her for over a week with Marine Lifeguard and Quick Cure (Formalin and Malachite Green) on day eight she was covered in ich. How is that possible? She was being treated for it. Anyway, she stopped eating on day nine and died on day ten.

Needless to say I am very frustrated. I have had freshwater tanks for years 10+ and haven't had ich since the fifth grade....grrrr And now every saltwater fish I get seems to get some sort of malady and die... I have lost a clown to ich, her mate got brookynella, then ich, and now has a fungus I am trying to cure, and now the poor pygmy.

What am I doing wrong? (That's a rhetorical question. You don't have to answer it, although if you have anything suggestions I'm all ears, or eyes.)

 

[stingythingy45]

"I quarantined her for over a week with Marine Lifeguard and Quick Cure (Formalin and Malachite Green) on day eight she was covered in ich".

Sorry to hear about you problem with Ich/brook.Anyways is there any reason why you treated with the about meds if the fish showed no sign of problems?Could you explain your QT tank,how it's set up.Has there been any fish in that QT tank that were sick before?Are you taking the time to acclimate the fish to your QT before introducing?I'm just popping a bunch of questions here.......but we might hit one that could be the problem.
Also,have you tried a different store.The LFS that you're getting livestock could have a problem with Ich.It doesn't have to be showing to be there when you get the fish.Also,be thankful that you are taking the time to QT.It can be nasty if it make it into your display.

 

[Phoenix19]

#1. Well I thought it would be a good idea to treat her and knock it out if she had it at all. She didn't have any when I bought her though. Perhaps I should have just left her down there without medicine.

#2. My current QT tank is a 5 1/2 gallon with a sponge filter. It has a "cave" and three silk plants in it for cover. It does have a top and an incandescent light. My salinity is around 1.023 so I have considered dropping it and doing a hyposalinity qt.

#3. Yes, both of the clownfish were in the tank previously; however I did a 75% water change or so on the tank when they came out.

#4. Yes definitely.

#5. We have two lfs where I live. One I refuse to by any fish from. Almost every one of them has some sort of disease. Usually ich, although the last time I stopped by to have a look, cloudy eye, pop eye and a few other diseases were quite common. Fortunately his invert tanks are on a completely different system so occasionally I get some frags from him or a snail. That's were I got the strawberry crab. The other lfs is the one I have worked at for a year, in March. I fish are in much better health if I do say so myself, and we actively quarantine and medicate fish if any problems arise. So I don't think the lfs is the problem. I watch the fish for several days and make sure they are eating before I buy them.

 

[rlcline76]

I do not know about that Quick Cure stuff and its effectiveness on Marine fish. I like copper, myself. Make sure, while this is all going on, that your fish are getting a good diet. Fish with a well-balanced diet and a garlic supplement (especially for that fungal issue you are having probably stemmed from a bacterial infection) seem to have better immune systems.
Ich takes time. Once you see it, you start the treatment...and then there is a decent chance that a week after there are no visable signs, you will see it again. I like to leave my fish in QT symptom free for 2 weeks...sometimes more, depending on what kind of ailment they might have had coming in.

 

[amike5]

Your QT is kind of small to hold most any fish in. I found a 10 gallon too small for even the smallest of fish.

I would not rely solely on formalin and melachite green for exterminating a parasite quickly. I use these for immediate degradation of a disease but use copper or hyposalinity afterwards for six weeks to ensure erradication.