MelbaToasty
New member
About a month ago, I had a bout with the ich in my 72G Bowfront DT. I went through a heavy cycle of cleansing with an herbal supplement (Micro Lift). I don't know if it was the ich or the herbal supplement, but one of the two took its toll on my Brownbanned Goby (Amblygobius phalaena). He turned up with a bloody legion between his eyes and his dorsal. On the advice of my LFS owner I took the following action and I am happy to report that he is heading back to the DT.
1.) I prepared a freshwater dip. There were no chemicals in this dip. I used baking soda to bring up the PH to match the DT with 1 gallon of spring water. I then heated the water to match the temp of my DT. I captured the goby and placed him in the fresh water for 3 minutes.
2.) Since he is a sand sifter, I prepared a 2.5G hospital tank with 50% crushed coral and 50% live sand. I mixed a batch of water to match the salinity of my DT. After his 3 minute dip I transferred him to the hospital tank.
3.) I used the prescribed amount of Formalin (5 drops) every other day followed by a 10% water change. The directions on the bottle call for a 25% water change, but I thought that was too risky/aggressive in a 2.5G tank.
While some of these measures may be controversial and/or old school, my goby looks better than he did the day I brought him home from the LFS.
I just thought I'd share this experience in case anyone else needs to hospitalize a sand-sifter/goby.
1.) I prepared a freshwater dip. There were no chemicals in this dip. I used baking soda to bring up the PH to match the DT with 1 gallon of spring water. I then heated the water to match the temp of my DT. I captured the goby and placed him in the fresh water for 3 minutes.
2.) Since he is a sand sifter, I prepared a 2.5G hospital tank with 50% crushed coral and 50% live sand. I mixed a batch of water to match the salinity of my DT. After his 3 minute dip I transferred him to the hospital tank.
3.) I used the prescribed amount of Formalin (5 drops) every other day followed by a 10% water change. The directions on the bottle call for a 25% water change, but I thought that was too risky/aggressive in a 2.5G tank.
While some of these measures may be controversial and/or old school, my goby looks better than he did the day I brought him home from the LFS.
I just thought I'd share this experience in case anyone else needs to hospitalize a sand-sifter/goby.
