Losing my fish and can't figure it out.

[FuzzyToaster]

I have an oceanic biocube. 29 gallon. Yesterday our scooter blenny was fine, swimming around and taunting the green chromis, eating well, normal. Today he is almost stiff. Not swimming, not really eating, he's just there. (Take that back, hes gone. Just died) We lost a clown fish about 5 days ago. I suspected ich, but LFS thought maybe brooklynella. Gave us metrinadizole (no idea how to spell that, sorry!). Told us to mix 1/2 a scoop with frozen food everyday for 14 days. We are on day 5. All of our levels are good, we checked them and took a water sample to the LFS and they checked them. We have the green chromis and a hi fin goby that so far seem ok. But so did the clown and scooter until the day they died.

We have white spots, I don't notice any film on the fish. White spots are not abundant. I have no idea what else to look for or what to do. Any insight would be more than appreciated. Things to look for, things to do, anything. We do not have a QT. not that I could catch the hi fin anyways.

 

[jkoot]

White spots typically indicate Ich.

>jason

 

[FuzzyToaster]

That is what I thought. Is there anything I can do with having coral and inverts in the tank.

 

[Deinonych]

Sorry for your losses. You will need to remove all fish from the display tank and treat in a quarantine tank (QT). Copper, tank transfer and hyposalinity are the three recommended treatment options for cryptocaryon (ich). You also will need to leave your display tank fishless for 10-12 weeks.

 

[FuzzyToaster]

I don't have a QT. I will see what we can get set up this weekend. What is the smallest tank we could do with the two fish? The high fin is not quiet 2 inches long and the green chromis is maybe an inch in length. If we can do something tiny like a 3-5 gallon I could just use water from my existing tank and be ok as far a cycles go, right?

 

[Deinonych]

I personally wouldn't go smaller than 10g for a QT. I like to use fresh saltwater in my QT since DT water tends to be pretty nutrient rich. You will need to keep a close eye on your parameters sine the QT will not be cycled. If you choose to use copper for treatment, you won't be able to use ammonia detoxifiers like Prime.

 

[Dapg8gt]

At the top of this forum that you posted in is numerous threads with a wealth of knowledge on not only identifying what it is but the standard course of action and what options you have.. They are all labeled sticky before the thread..

All I can say is read till you can't read... Then read some more lol.. You can and will get conflicting info on what it is, what to do etc.. The sticky is there to wade through the opinions and experiences and give you somewhat facts on what has worked for most to all, not just some if that makes sense .. ( not saying anyone has in this thread FWIW..

I would also spend some time in the new to the hobby section and read sk8tr stickies if you haven't done so already.. Puts reefing for beginners into an easy to grasp concept to get you started on the basics, like scooter blennies (mostly) only eat live food (pods) and have a poor survival rate in new tanks especially smaller tanks due to the amount of pods needed to sustain one and most end up slowly starving and suffering.

Not trying to preach and maybe you already know all this and I just wasted 5 mins =) but QT and treatment is the only way or tank transfer method but the reef has to be fallow for 10-12 weeks. And to be sure it doesn't happen again all fish coming in should be QT'd. Good luck and welcome to reef central and your most likely new addiction.... I mean hobby.

 

[FuzzyToaster]

We were told that scooters only pick at pods and mostly eat what you feed the tank.

I've read the illness sticky and can't figure it out. He just seemed SO stiff. He never rubbed on anything that I saw.

 

[Deinonych]

We were told that scooters only pick at pods and mostly eat what you feed the tank.

I wouldn't trust the LFS who gave you that advice, then. Scooter blennies are not blennies at all - they are dragonets. Dragonets have very specific dietary needs (copepods), unless you can train them to eat frozen or pelleted foods.

 

[scubaprashant]

Ich on your scooter seems unlikely as they are bottom dwellers and probably have a stronger resistance to the ich parasite. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's what I've read..

 

[FuzzyToaster]

I wouldn't trust the LFS who gave you that advice, then. Scooter blennies are not blennies at all - they are dragonets. Dragonets have very specific dietary needs (copepods), unless you can train them to eat frozen or pelleted foods.

He ate frozen brine. Though I'm not sure how much and if it was enough. I'm really sad to hear that though. He was my favorite fish ever and I loved watching him. Especially loved it when he would hide in the sand with just his eyes poking out.

Now what about the hi fin goby? He seems to eat the brine and rods pretty well. Should I be doing something else for him?

 

[MrTuskfish]

I wouldn't trust the LFS who gave you that advice, then. Scooter blennies are not blennies at all - they are dragonets. Dragonets have very specific dietary needs (copepods), unless you can train them to eat frozen or pelleted foods.

This is the LFS who gave you an antibiotic for brooklynella, a protozoan parasite.
This is like trying to kill head lice with penicillin. The folks at the LFSs used to be good sources of info, not anymore.

 

[Deinonych]

He ate frozen brine. Though I'm not sure how much and if it was enough. I'm really sad to hear that though. He was my favorite fish ever and I loved watching him. Especially loved it when he would hide in the sand with just his eyes poking out.

Now what about the hi fin goby? He seems to eat the brine and rods pretty well. Should I be doing something else for him?

Brine shrimp are not very nutritious; I personally don't feed them to my fish. Mine eat Rod's, Emerald Entree, Cyclop-eeze, NLS pellets and mysis (not all at once, of course). Occasionally they get Omega marine flakes. Assuming you are talking about Stonogobiops nematodes, they are carnivores. I would just add more variety to their diet.

 

[MrTuskfish]

I don't have a QT. I will see what we can get set up this weekend. What is the smallest tank we could do with the two fish? The high fin is not quiet 2 inches long and the green chromis is maybe an inch in length. If we can do something tiny like a 3-5 gallon I could just use water from my existing tank and be ok as far a cycles go, right?

Water doesn't cycle, the tank does. There is nothing in the water to eliminate ammonia, etc. We just measure it in the water column. I'd sure follow Dapg8gt's advice about reading and get a QT. (Try Craigslist). If you don't have a QT?
/HT; this is not going to be a long-lasting hobby for you. They are essential. One more negative comment; (sorry) don't take any advice from your LFS, they're clueless.

 

[Deinonych]

If you don't have a QT/HT; this is not going to be a long-lasting hobby for you. They are essential.

This +1000.

I've lost a couple fish to flukes in QT, and who knows how many would have brought in ich if they hadn't been treated first. It's a little extra work to QT, but the long-term benefit well outweighs the work. Many of the fish I keep have the potential to live decades with proper care. What's 6 weeks of extra precaution in the grand scheme of things?

 

[FuzzyToaster]

We are working on figuring out a QT location. And getting the tank. I had no clue that I should have one, lesson learned on my part.

Thank you all for the help. I'll definitely be a LOT research on my own before adding any fish again.

Is it safe to add corals straight to the tank? And inverts?