Hello fish buddies! 
I'm a brand spanking new member and this is my first ever post. Primarily because I have a bit of a problem.... OK, it's a big problem for me. Before I get started, here is my tank info:
(2) 2.5" False Percula Clowns (They are the infected)
30 gal w/ over-the-side carbon and Nitra-zorb filter
Over-the-side protein skimmer w/ UV light
Propeller pump for flow
20+ pounds of very live rock (feather dusters, bristleworms, etc..)
Live sand w/ some sort of burrowing worms (not bristleworms)
Small coral polyp group (Likely diseased, as I lost a much larger group to some weird white fungus about 2 months ago)
(1) 3" Yellow Tang
(1) 2.5" Firefish Goby
(1) 2" Sixline Wrasse
(3) 1.5" Yellowtail Blue Damsels
(2) Peppermint shrimp
(5) Turbo snails
(2) Nasarius Snails
One of my Clownfish, had been acting somewhat strange. I watched it for awhile, and saw it begin to get worse over a period of about a week. Eventually, it was digging in the sand in one corner, then lying on its side and breathing extremely hard. I bought a 10 gal tank for a hospital tank, and filled it approximately 50% of the way with my DT water. I had also added some live sand to keep it like home(I realize now that I may have wasted my money there) and 2 pieces of live rock (complete with bristleworms). Since my Clowns were very close (the apparently healthy one was constantly nudging the sick one and trying to keep it moving!), I put both of them in the hospital tank. I treated the HT with Coppersafe and Nitrofurazone. Now I realize that I probably wasted some Coppersafe, and screwed up some sand and rock.... What can I say... I'm new....
Anyway, I have noticed that the first Clown to be infected is now obviously blind, and it has 2 tiny white spots on it. They could almost be grains of sand, except they have been there for too long. This fish was lying on the bottom gasping for breath and about to die before the Coppersafe started to work. Now it seems to be almost ok, after 3 days of treatment. Almost... It's blind and can't eat right, even though I can see that it wants to eat, and now is a little bit active even though it bumps into rocks and sometimes confuses the side of the tank for the bottom. Unfortunately, the "healthy" clown is starting to show white dots as well.
Here is my concern: I have many other fish which I want to keep safe, well, and healthy. I realize that I may very well have to hospitalize all of them for 8+ weeks and am ok with that. However, my big question is: How do I create a healthy environment in a new and uncycled tank? If I transfer some of the DT water to the HT, then it's infected. What should I do? Transfer water now and treat it with Coppersafe or Malachite Green/Formalin as long as I can before I see sickness in the rest of the fish? Do I have to worry about the "new" tank cycling?
I'm a brand spanking new member and this is my first ever post. Primarily because I have a bit of a problem.... OK, it's a big problem for me. Before I get started, here is my tank info:
(2) 2.5" False Percula Clowns (They are the infected)
30 gal w/ over-the-side carbon and Nitra-zorb filter
Over-the-side protein skimmer w/ UV light
Propeller pump for flow
20+ pounds of very live rock (feather dusters, bristleworms, etc..)
Live sand w/ some sort of burrowing worms (not bristleworms)
Small coral polyp group (Likely diseased, as I lost a much larger group to some weird white fungus about 2 months ago)
(1) 3" Yellow Tang
(1) 2.5" Firefish Goby
(1) 2" Sixline Wrasse
(3) 1.5" Yellowtail Blue Damsels
(2) Peppermint shrimp
(5) Turbo snails
(2) Nasarius Snails
One of my Clownfish, had been acting somewhat strange. I watched it for awhile, and saw it begin to get worse over a period of about a week. Eventually, it was digging in the sand in one corner, then lying on its side and breathing extremely hard. I bought a 10 gal tank for a hospital tank, and filled it approximately 50% of the way with my DT water. I had also added some live sand to keep it like home(I realize now that I may have wasted my money there) and 2 pieces of live rock (complete with bristleworms). Since my Clowns were very close (the apparently healthy one was constantly nudging the sick one and trying to keep it moving!), I put both of them in the hospital tank. I treated the HT with Coppersafe and Nitrofurazone. Now I realize that I probably wasted some Coppersafe, and screwed up some sand and rock.... What can I say... I'm new....
Anyway, I have noticed that the first Clown to be infected is now obviously blind, and it has 2 tiny white spots on it. They could almost be grains of sand, except they have been there for too long. This fish was lying on the bottom gasping for breath and about to die before the Coppersafe started to work. Now it seems to be almost ok, after 3 days of treatment. Almost... It's blind and can't eat right, even though I can see that it wants to eat, and now is a little bit active even though it bumps into rocks and sometimes confuses the side of the tank for the bottom. Unfortunately, the "healthy" clown is starting to show white dots as well.
Here is my concern: I have many other fish which I want to keep safe, well, and healthy. I realize that I may very well have to hospitalize all of them for 8+ weeks and am ok with that. However, my big question is: How do I create a healthy environment in a new and uncycled tank? If I transfer some of the DT water to the HT, then it's infected. What should I do? Transfer water now and treat it with Coppersafe or Malachite Green/Formalin as long as I can before I see sickness in the rest of the fish? Do I have to worry about the "new" tank cycling?
