Help. Fish in QT shaking/seizing

[Wrench]

I have an achilles tang in my QT system now. Everything has been fine for two weeks. I fed the tank this morning and the fish ate pellets, flake and blackworms. A little while ago I noticed the fish darting across the tank. I walked over and observed it laying horizontally and shaking very rapidly, almost vibrating. It was also breathing heavily. The shaking stopped but it was still laying on the bottom. I then moved the fish into a breeder basket hanging in my frag tank. He seems better now.

What is the reason for the shaking? There are three other fish in the same QT tank and they are not exhibiting any of these symptoms. The tank is currently being treated with copper at a level of .5ppm and this is the 4th day of the treatment. I immediately ran water tests. Below are the results.

NH3 0ppm (using API kit)
Nitrite 0ppm (seachem)
Nitrate 10ppm (seachem)
Temp 78* (glass thermometer)
pH 8.3 (neptune probe)
SG 1.025 (refractometer)

 

[levischilz]

copper can generally make the ammonia test kits not work you need to check ammonia with a alert badge seachem makes one that sticks on the glass and monitors ammonia

 

[Wrench]

Got two of them in the tank. Both are still yellow, zero NH3.

 

[snorvich]

Tank size? Water movement?

 

[MrTuskfish]

I'm assuming you're using Cupramine copper, based on the .5ppm comment. . If using Cupramine, IMO, their recommended dose of .5ppm is often too high. Although I've never had a tang that couldn't tolerate it. Cupramine at .35 will handle parasites easily. I'd back off the copper an see if .35 helps. An API test kit will not measure ammonia properly with Cupramine. The little Ammonia Alert badges work well. What brand of Cu test are you using?
I assume this is a new fish; Achilles are very hard fish to acclimate and the problem could easily be something we know nothing about. Here's some great info on Cupramine and also their tech support number, they can be a real help. (888-seachem, I think). The FAQ on the web site has a lot of good info. http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/Cupramine.html

 

[Wrench]

Tank size? Water movement?

55g, two Koralia 4's, two air stones and a big marineland HOB filter.

 

[Wrench]

I'm assuming you're using Cupramine copper, based on the .5ppm comment. . If using Cupramine, IMO, their recommended dose of .5ppm is often too high. Although I've never had a tang that couldn't tolerate it. Cupramine at .35 will handle parasites easily. I'd back off the copper an see if .35 helps. An API test kit will not measure ammonia properly with Cupramine. The little Ammonia Alert badges work well. What brand of Cu test are you using?
I assume this is a new fish; Achilles are very hard fish to acclimate and the problem could easily be something we know nothing about. Here's some great info on Cupramine and also their tech support number, they can be a real help. (888-seachem, I think). The FAQ on the web site has a lot of good info. http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/Cupramine.html

Thanks.

Yes I'm using Cupramine. I am doing a water change later today so I will use that as an opportunity to lower the level of copper. I have two of the Seachem Ammonia Alert badges in the tank and they are both still reading zero.

I've had this Achilles for three weeks. It eats well and shows no signs of any infection. I've never seen a fish shake like this before. I would compare it to the way a male anemone fish shakes during courting. Since I couldn't find any problems with the QT system I returned the achilles and it's doing just fine which is why I'm puzzled.

 

[Wrench]

Anyone?

I'm sure this is a sign of something but don't know what. I'd like to nail it down before adding the fish to my system.

 

[MrTuskfish]

Anyone?

I'm sure this is a sign of something but don't know what. I'd like to nail it down before adding the fish to my system.

Loss of appetite is almost always the 1st sign of copper-sensitivity; so I doubt its the copper.
Sure, its a sign of something. But I don't think you'll ever know what, it sure doesn't sound like anything contagious. There are a few fish health issues we can diagnose, and a whole lot more that we can't. Diagnosing something like this is pure guess-work, at best. It's not like diagnosing a cell phone problem. I just posted this somewhere else, but it applies. Bob Fenner had a great catch-all for unknown seizures, manic behavior, etc.: ''Poor Collection Syndrome".
Second thoughts , because this is a Hawaiian caught fish; even that probably wouldn't apply. But, Achilles are very difficult fish and many just don't acclimate.

 

[snorvich]

I agree with MrTuskfish. How is it's swimming behavior? What is frequency of this occurrence?

 

[Wrench]

It's happened twice in the past week. Between these instances everything is fine. Appetite, breathing and swimming behavior are all fine.

On a side note, I did find today that the Koralia powerhead was leaking voltage into the tank. I believe that was the problem because both times the fish acted this way were when I first put my hand into the tank. My hypothesis is that I completed the circuit to ground and "zapped" the fish. What do you guys think?

 

[hollister]

2 k 4,s sounds a little much but dought it the reason. Sounds like low oxygen levels.
Air stones do no good in a salt water tank. Salt water recieves its oxygen from a gas transfer at the surface. It breaths like us. Out with the bad in with the good.

If you have a lid on this tank then it cant breath and oxygen could be low.

 

[Wrench]

There's no lid on the tank. The powerheads are pointed towards the surface to create turbulence at the surface. Also, the water level is kept low so the output of the HOB filter is allowed to 'splash' into the tank.

 

[hollister]

You want to place PH so the water curculates through out from top to bottom and you dont need to leave water level low to splash the HOB filter. Your salt water will recieve gas and remove gas from a good flow .

 

[Wrench]

An update for those who search in the future-

The fish hasn't exhibited this behavior since I removed the powerhead that was leaking electrical current into the water. So if you have a fish that is shaking, vibrating, seizing, etc., it is likely being electrocuted!

A silly mistake made me lose my mind and almost a fish.