Help, my new flame angel is dying

S

saltyhopefull

New member
I don't even know where to start. I have a newly established tank (2months) and all of the parameters have been perfect. ammonia 0, nitrates 0, nitrites 0, ph 8.7, salinity 1.024. We started out two weeks ago with a longnose hawkfish & a royal gama. And still, all parameters good. Last night we added a yellow tang & flame angel. All the other fish are doing great except the angel. It is laying on it's side & breathing heavy. It seems to have lost a lot of it's brilliant orange color & is now almost white in the stomach/back area. Right now it's laying on the sand & not moving. Is there any thing that I can do to help it?
 
Do you see any white spots? I would take it out of tank and use a hospital tank, how long you accilimate it for? Did you use drip method or?
 
Always add a fish to a hospital tank not your main tank, if the fish is diseased it will affect your main tank and if it's a reef tank it can be very damaging especially Ich.
 
I have just experienced my first loss. It's a brutally painful experience to see something so beautiful & peaceful end up gone within a day. I have doubts that I will try another flame for a long time. The cost of the fish pales in comparison to the life and beauty that no longer exists. Your compassion & wisdom as to why this may have happened are welcome & appreciated. Thank you
 
How did you Accilmate it? I always use the Drip Method until my Saltinity Matches then I add it to my Hospital Tank wait 10 days then if ok add to my main.

Are you using a hydrometer or refractometer? if this is a reef tank it should be at 1.026 not 1.024 no big deal but Calcium Levels are better at 1.026
 
Well use drip method it works better, get yourself a 2.5 gallon tank and air stone for hospital tank, does the LFS have a guarantee?
 
No the low salinity will not affect fish it will corals though as calcium levels should be between 400-450, 1.026 should be for reef, when your water evaporates make a mixture of salt at 1.026 instead of freshwater gradually will raise your salinity, doesthat make sense? you dont want to raise it more then 1 point per day, evaporation probably 1 gal a day?
 
Low salinity won't affect FISH too much as most LFS keep their salinity in the fish tanks around 1.018. If you're going to raise, raise it slowly. You can top off with salt water instead of fresh.

Also, if you're using the floating bag method and adding water to it every 5mins, it's best to do it with the lights off so the water in the bag doesn't get too hot and make sure you dump 1/4-1/2 of the water from the bag and then start adding tank water.

Good luck, hope your flame angel pulls through.

oh and Welcome to Reef Central.
 
No guarantees. I am going to take the fish & a sample of water in tomorrow to lfs to see if they can shed any light. Can you direct me to a site that shows more precisely how to do the drip method and how to set up a qt?
 
Again eiher get a 10 gallon or 2.5 gallon tank and when a fish is sick or when your getting new fish you can put it in there for at least a week all you will need in tank is Air and waer from your main display, and use the drip method and check salinity in bucket if its the same as your tank you can add the fish
 
Sucks man. Flames can be a bit tweeky to begin with. Research to figure out what went wrong and adjust your practices as needed in the future to give any new fish the best chance possible. That said, even when you do everything perfect some fish will still die. They've been thru so much stress by the time they get to us, all you can do is your best and hope for the best. Sorry for your loss.
 
Thanks for the kind words & the help, but as mentioned above, our angel didn't make it.

I used the bag method with the lights off. I will have to invest in a qt for my next fish.
 
Drip method is easy, you get a bucket with airhose and attach a tee valve and drip it slowly 3 drops per second thats what I do, wait at least a hour then check salinty if its the same as your tank then add it to QT tank

QT Tank Setup just need some sort of water movement Air pump and air stone on mine also heater, water from your tank . I use a 2.5 gallon with Mini Heater and air stone
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14701694#post14701694 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by drillsar
Drip method is easy, you get a bucket with airhose and attach a tee valve and drip it slowly 3 drops per second thats what I do, wait at least a hour then check salinty if its the same as your tank then add it to QT tank

QT Tank Setup just need some sort of water movement Air pump and air stone on mine also heater, water from your tank . I use a 2.5 gallon with Mini Heater and air stone
Click to expand...

Yep, it's as easy as that. If you don't have a tee valve, you can just tie a knot or two in the air line tubing until you have a steady 2-3 drops per second. Doing that for about an 1-1.5hrs should be good. Make sure the container you use can hold the fish and the bag water entirely. The fish should be be able to swim around easily in the bucket.
 
Couple of things, IMO your tank is very young for a flame and the tang. I would have waited longer. Not that I haven't added questionable fish this early cause I have. Also I only add one fish at a time. I have a feeling the flame was doomed from the start. Did you see it eating at the lfs. My guess is he wasn't healthy from the start. Acclimation is very important, I myself don't quarentine.
I don't believe that a smaller tank (most times considerably smaller) with less than adequate equiptment(most times) and very little refuge is less stressful than the display tank.
I believe that adding HEALTY fish is the key to success. One at a time weeks apart. Passive fish first, make a list of prospects in advance. Larger more aggressive last. Also buy your fish small they will grow. Less of an impact on the biological filter. This gives the system more time to catch up.
FYI I'm no expert and I've made all the mistakes this is just my opinion. Sorry about your loss. Best of luck!
 
I have learned a very difficult lesson very early on. Do you think that the rest of my fish will be ok? So far they are swimming & eating well. Cross your fingers.
QT & drip method here I come.
I don't have a lot of local resources. The internet is my main source of information and I never know what to trust & what not to. I know I will be using RC a lot more often.
Thanks again
 
I saw both fish eat when I bought them. With only 1 LFS in town the pickins are slim & you get what you can when you can. I'm not brave enough to shop on line yet. Both fish were just brought in yesterday were probably stressed ... to death, in one case :(

I'm off to bed but I will check this thread in the morning. Thanks again for all of your help. I'll post the LFS water readings & opinion of the fish.
Have a good night.
 
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