elegance coral
They call me EC
Why don't you take the hippo back to the store so it doesn't have to die?
Metal halides, "thriving LTA" anda new Yellow Anemone
- Thread starter jacobzking
- Start date
jacobzking
New member
who's to say it won't die in the store, or in the hands of its next owner? after giving him a freshwater bath last night, he's been a totally different fish; swimming all over the place and eating a little.
i did go back to the LFS yesterday and the first hippo that i bought was still in the tank with ich all over now
i think I'll give him more care and attention than the LFS and there's no telling who might buy it next if I take it back. at least I'm taking several measures to try and nurse it back to health.
SwampyBill
New member
Good luck with the hippo tang--they're notorious Ich magnets. It's too bad that you've had an awful lot of issues & deaths with sick livestock since you set up your tank. It must be frustrating. Instead of adding more fish or equipment like a UV sterilizer (which isn't a cure-all for ICH), how about setting up a 15 or 20 gal QT (& a lot less money)?
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SwampyBill
New member
daily update:
1. lights are awesome (is 12 hours too much?)
2. yellow nem moved back around the rock that he's on in the above photo, but still easily visible (man that yellow contrasts well with the 20k halides)
3. i think that yellow nem is hosting my regal tang
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuQ487JOM4Y
1...Yes, 12 hrs. is too much light from halides. 8 hrs. is plenty, with 1 or 2 hrs. actinics before/after. & less the halides are on for, water won't get as heated.
2...Anemone is moving; probably trying to get away from being blasted with so much light. Are you acclimating them to your new halides? Toddrtrex has a thread on acclimating anemones to lighting.
3...Wrong...The regal tang is clearly wanting to hide from the sailfin trying to attack it. One of the tangs should probably go back to LFS.
btw, gorgeous yellow anemone...Good luck with it!
elegance coral
They call me EC
Your hippo will die if kept in the tank with the sailfin. Fish don't deal with stress as well as we do. The only hope that fish has, is to get out of that tank. It will surely die if left there. Sure, it may die in another tank. We all die. At least the fish has a chance in a different tank.
You are throwing your money away on garlic, UV, and magic potions. The only sure way to get ich out of your tank is to move the fish to a hospital tank, medicate them, and leave the tank fishless for about six weeks.
SkullV
They Got My Number
jacobzking
New member
what's the safest low for SG that won't overly stress the nems? i'm just trying EVERYTHING that I can to get rid of the ich. I bought some copper to add to the fresh water dips and added a cleaner wrasse.
IF I set up a QT tank, I have some questions:
1. will 10 gal be enough
2. can I leave my big Perc in the display tank since he doesnt seem to be affected by the ich, what about my 2 nems?
3. how do you prevent the new QT tank from cycling and causing ammonia?
4. are the fish (hippo, sailfin, cleaner wrasse and perc) all going to do ok for a whole 6-8 weeks in a small tank like that?
5. other than some PVC for hiding, should there be anything else in the tank... some live rock for example?
IF I set up a QT tank, I have some questions:
1. will 10 gal be enough
2. can I leave my big Perc in the display tank since he doesnt seem to be affected by the ich, what about my 2 nems?
3. how do you prevent the new QT tank from cycling and causing ammonia?
4. are the fish (hippo, sailfin, cleaner wrasse and perc) all going to do ok for a whole 6-8 weeks in a small tank like that?
5. other than some PVC for hiding, should there be anything else in the tank... some live rock for example?
SwampyBill
New member
You added still another fish to the ich mix...? Sometimes LFS have a 'hospital tank' they can treat fish in (for customers w/o QT tanks of their own). Otherwise, do you have a reefing buddy with a QT tank that could treat your fish ASAP? By the time you set up a QT tank, it'll prolly be too late for your fish...
Sometimes LFS have a 'hospital tank' they can treat fish in (for customers w/o QT tanks of their own). Otherwise, do you have a reefing buddy with a QT tank that could treat your fish ASAP? By the time you set up a QT tank, it'll prolly be too late for your fish...
Korrine
You could get a ticket!!
If you don't have a qt tank you can let the fish be. Keep treating the food with garlic and selcon. Keep in mind ich will always be in your tank and can break out and show up again if/when the fish are stressed again. Keep in mind that any new additions are also going to go through an ich battle. It is essential to acquire the healthiest fish you can.
That sailfin is TOTALLY pinning your blue tang in his spot. Please do take that blue back to the store. Fish in a tank with stress are MUCH LESS likely to recover from ich.
That sailfin is TOTALLY pinning your blue tang in his spot. Please do take that blue back to the store. Fish in a tank with stress are MUCH LESS likely to recover from ich.
elegance coral
They call me EC
1 Try to get something a little bigger. Remember, the fish has to stay there for about six weeks.
2 No. Ich can attach to the gills where you would never see it. The parasite must not have a host in the tank.
3 Post a thread in the fish disease forum about this one. I know how I set mine up, but it probably wasn't text book style.
4 See answer number 1
5 See answer number 3
HTH
EC
jacobzking
New member
my Regal seems to be eating a little, is finally out of his corner and out swimming more (not all the time but better than being pinned in the corner 24/7) and his Ich seems to be 95% better (maybe 99% better).
sailfin shows no sign of ich.
I've come to the conclusion that instead of trying to get rid of Ich completely, I'd be better off with healthy fish that can just fight off the ich, which knock on wood, seems to be the case. especially considering the fact that ich could easily be reintroduced in to the tank.
lastly. here's my 11" LTA looking a nice dark brown...
PS: I am slowly raising my SG back up top 1.025 (1.022 now), temp 79, ammo 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 5ish, KH 8.5, Calcium 440, treating daily with Ich Attack, added 18w UV sterilizer on 110gal pump and added 2 cleaner shrimp ($25 a shrimp, ***?).
sailfin shows no sign of ich.
I've come to the conclusion that instead of trying to get rid of Ich completely, I'd be better off with healthy fish that can just fight off the ich, which knock on wood, seems to be the case. especially considering the fact that ich could easily be reintroduced in to the tank.
lastly. here's my 11" LTA looking a nice dark brown...
PS: I am slowly raising my SG back up top 1.025 (1.022 now), temp 79, ammo 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 5ish, KH 8.5, Calcium 440, treating daily with Ich Attack, added 18w UV sterilizer on 110gal pump and added 2 cleaner shrimp ($25 a shrimp, ***?).
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jacobzking
New member
nope, 100% in sand. i just made a cove around him so that when a ray is added they're not competing for sand space.
looks much better from day one huh (seems double in size)?
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SwampyBill
New member
At 125 gal, your tank is too small for a ray. & while the anemones love the halide lighting, a ray requires lower lighting...Wasn't this all brought up a few weeks ago when your previous ray & shark died & the anemone was at deaths door...? Yet you're going to add another ray? That's just irresponsible reefkeeping, IMO.
Seems like you need to slow it down a bit & deal with the ich in your tank at the moment. In the meantime read up on all the requirements your potential stock list needs; then let your tank mature before even thinking about adding more size appropriate livestock. Just my .02...
Big E
Premium Member
I agree.............slow down. This is so typical of new hobbyists.....you're exited & want to add new animals without any thought of being patient & doing things right. I went through the same thing 20 years ago. With the access to information & advice now there is no excuse not do things the correct way.
Leave the tank be for at least 2 months & don't add anything else.
Leave the tank be for at least 2 months & don't add anything else.
OrionN
Moved on
I agree. Certain animals are just not meant to keep together in an aquarium. Rays are not fish for reef aquarium while clown fish hosting anemones are just not for fish only tank. Don't do it. Check requirement of the animals you purchase and make sure you can provide for them prior to buying them.
jeffreylesser
New member
FWIW, I have never owned sharks or rays, but the Conscientious Marine Aquarist has a section on them. And it seems to coincide with what I have seen at public aquariums.
To Quote from the Conscientious Marine Aquarist:
"Habitat. The bigger the tank, the better. you need to have a high-flow-rate filtration system, with its full volume turning over at least five times per hour. The tank shape should be flat and shallow, ideally with rounded corners to provide turning radii. Minimize the physical barriers to swimming. Optimize surface area...At the minimum, the size of the system should be twice as wide and four times the length of your specimen at its calculated maximum size. (For an 18-inch bamboo shark, this would equate to a tank at least 36 inches front to back, and 72 inches long or approximately 200 to 300 gallons, depending on depth). Even bigger would be better...a good foam fractioner is an absolute necessity for a closed system. For efficient metabolic conversion here, I would consider wet/dry filters or fluidized bed systems...Finally restrict aquascaping to the central area and keep the swimming perimeter clear...A poorly chosen shark or ray species may last less than a month in the home aquarium. Most succumb to the effects of being housed in too small a space, mishandling, or misguided treatment for disease."
To summarize MINIMUM (Cortez rays are roughly 18" grown out as well):
200 to 300 gallons 3'x6' footprint
No 90 degree corners (sharks/rays hate corners)
Wet/Dry Filtration (1000 to 1500 gph)
Over sized Skimmer
No rock work on the edges
I would use your current tank to simply learn and understand how to take care of marine animals before moving on to something as demanding as a shark/ray tank. Your current tank is insufficient.
jacobzking
New member
have already found a 240 gal, 8ft long, i think that should suffice for a cortez ray. i don't see the lighting being "too much" for the ray, but I can't find much documentation on it either.
