My fish are dissolving

[8220]

Hi
I was a way on holiday and my neighbor watched my fish. The electricity went out for a no know time and when I came back some of my Anthias looks like this.:deadhorse1:

I have done the following:
My UV is on.
Salinity lowered slowly.
Giving food with a lot of vitamins and garlic

The rest of my fish are somewhat okay, eating and swimming around.
Lost my Achilles also :=(

Please Help me

 

[maymania6]

Looks like Brooklynella to me.

ETA: You need to treat ALL of your fish IMMEDIATELY if this is indeed brooklynella. They will all perish very rapidly, like in a day or two.

 

[b0bab0ey]

Man, it looks like you've got multiple things going on there! But a UV/lowered salinity/vitamins & garlic isn't going to help with any of it. It almost looks like your Anthias has Brook in that first pic, but I'm by no means 100% certain of that. I would first try administering formalin dips and see if he starts looking better. But he looks pretty far gone already.

 

[8220]

I have some more pix here

 

[Sk8r]

All fish to qt for treatment.

 

[b0bab0ey]

All fish to qt for treatment.

+1 QT and treat with Formalin ASAP

 

[sandwi54]

Definitely brooklynella, coupled with fin rot from secondary infection. Treatment needs to start now otherwise fish won't make it.

Did you add new fish recently without QT? Power outage won't "cause" brooklynella, though it will manifest it quicker by degrading water quality.

 

[8220]

Definitely brooklynella, coupled with fin rot from secondary infection. Treatment needs to start now otherwise fish won't make it.

Did you add new fish recently without QT? Power outage won't "cause" brooklynella, though it will manifest it quicker by degrading water quality.

I had a Achilles which was in quarantine at my LFS for 2,5 weeks. Nice:headwalls:

But other than that, I have not had new for fish for 2 months plus

 

[sandwi54]

Yeah that's the problem then. LFS don't "quarantine" their fish the way we hobbyists do, and you simply cannot trust their "quarantine." There is no way a LFS has the resource to quarantine every fish and isolate it in its own system, you will need to quarantine every new fish yourself for 4-6 weeks and treat for diseases. Otherwise disaster happens like you're going through right now.

Diseases are easy to treat in a quarantine tank but incredibly difficult in a display tank, and that's why we recommend QT every new fish until you're absolutely sure it has no disease.

 

[8220]

A Q-Tank is on the shopping list. I hate it when my animals are sick. Do you always treat your fish first?

 

[MrTuskfish]

Sorry for what you're going through. Although every good book & magazine on our hobby, every columnist, every online dealer, certainly every forum; strongly tell every hobbyist to QT every thing, most LFS don't. Imo; a QT is as important as a filtration system or lights. IMO, a QT is a requirement for long-term success in this great/hobby; not just an accessory. There is tremendous turnover in this hobby, and I'll bet not having and using a QT is the #1 reason why. On the plus side: the high turnover lets you buy everything you need for a Qt at a great price on Craig's list. Anything wet can bring parasites and other diseases into your tank. BTW, how big is this tank, just curious?

 

[sandwi54]

^^^ echoing MrTusk. QT is in my opinion the single most important piece of equipment for this hobby, and unfortunately also the most understated one as well.

i usually prophylactically treat new fish with prazipro and cupramine, and then hold them for a couple more weeks to see if any other disease creeps up.

 

[8220]

MRTuskFish my tank is 250G.
Nobody where I'm from use a quarantine (no excuse). But I defiantly see the point of it now :=(

I am going to order one asap, any pointer on what a good QT should have?
I have a RSM 250 running which I will put the sick fish in, they are extremely difficult to catch at the moment though. I do not wanna stress them to much.

Is there any treatment I can use in the tank itself instead of fishing everybody up?

 

[sandwi54]

Most hobbyists don't use QT. Some people luck out and don't come down with diseases, while others experience armageddon. we now all know that to have 100% success rate, a QT is an absolute must.

A DT needs to have all the fancy equipment for good long-term care, but a QT does not. All it needs is a tank that doesn't leak, a HOB filter, heater, and power head/airstone for oxygenation. just like how you keep freshwater fish. you can pick up a used 29g glass tank on craigslist for like $20. in fact, you should be able to obtain everything for < $50 total.

there are no treatments that can be dosed in the DT. you will need to catch every fish and do formalin dip. do this quickly. usually when a fish displays brook symptoms, it's only hours to a couple of days away from death.

 

[snorvich]

Definitely brooklynella, coupled with fin rot from secondary infection. Treatment needs to start now otherwise fish won't make it.

Absolutely

Did you add new fish recently without QT? Power outage won't "cause" brooklynella, though it will manifest it quicker by degrading water quality.

Agreed. What was added to the tank?

 

[snorvich]

Most hobbyists don't use QT. Some people luck out and don't come down with diseases, while others experience armageddon. we now all know that to have 100% success rate, a QT is an absolute must.

A DT needs to have all the fancy equipment for good long-term care, but a QT does not. All it needs is a tank that doesn't leak, a HOB filter, heater, and power head/airstone for oxygenation. just like how you keep freshwater fish. you can pick up a used 29g glass tank on craigslist for like $20. in fact, you should be able to obtain everything for < $50 total.

there are no treatments that can be dosed in the DT. you will need to catch every fish and do formalin dip. do this quickly. usually when a fish displays brook symptoms, it's only hours to a couple of days away from death.

Excellent advice. See my blog for information on quarantine.

 

[snorvich]

I had a Achilles which was in quarantine at my LFS for 2,5 weeks. Nice:headwalls:

LFS do not quarantine, they have fish systems that share water. Whatever any fish has, all fish will have eventually. 2.5 weeks even if done properly is not sufficient.

 

[snorvich]

MRTuskFish my tank is 250G.
Nobody where I'm from use a quarantine (no excuse). But I defiantly see the point of it now :=(

I am going to order one asap, any pointer on what a good QT should have?
I have a RSM 250 running which I will put the sick fish in, they are extremely difficult to catch at the moment though. I do not wanna stress them to much.

Is there any treatment I can use in the tank itself instead of fishing everybody up?

Quarantine (my opinion)

Q: Should I quarantine all fish?

A: Yes. Four weeks is a good window for observation of disease and parasites. All newly acquired fish will benefit from 4 weeks of time by themselves in the quarantine tank to recover from shipping/handling stress and to acclimate to your feeding regime.

Q: What about corals, inverts, algae, and live rock?

A: Set up a separate QT for them. That tank must never see copper or any medications that may be harmful to corals and inverts. It doesn't need to be large, doesn't necessarily need a skimmer, but will need adequate light and water movement. 4 weeks of observation should help spot any unwanted hitch hikers and pests and to provide a fallow period for cryptocaryon irritans and oodinium


Q. How big of a Quarantine Tank (QT) do I need?
A. Ideally large enough to permanently meet the needs of the largest fish you can expect to acquire. Realistically, as close to that size as you have room for.

Q: What filtration do I need for my QT?

A: The more the better. A skimmer is beneficial for oxygenating the water and in some cases can be run with medication in the water. A HOB filter adds more surface for bacteria to colonize as well as a place to run filter pads and carbon. A ball of chaetomorpha is a good idea provided there is light available. There's no substitute for live rock but keep in mind that copper as well as other medications will contaminate the rock permanently (never use it with inverts); I prefer to have live rock in my quarantine tank but you obviously cannot do so for a hospital tank. Bottom line; use water changes to maintain water quality regardless of the filtration methods in place. I believe that a quarantine tank and hospital tank for treatment should be different tanks.

Q: How often should I change the water?
A: As often as necessary to maintain excellent water quality. Spend $5 and get an ammonia alert indicator so you're not caught off guard by an ammonia spike.


Q: How many fish can I keep in my QT?
A: There is no magic number but I prefer one fish by itself unless the fish come as a group such as a shoal of Apogon parvulus. Do your homework to understand which fish are compatible with each other, make sure there are enough hiding spaces for all fish to shelter in, and don't overload your filtration. Stress from fish interaction is highly undesirable during a quarantine period.


Q: How long should the quarantine process last?
A: Four weeks for observation is ample as it exceeds the life cycle of most parasites. If treatment beyond that is required it will depend on the treatment; usually 2-8 weeks. Technically speaking a QT would strictly be used for observation and rest period whereas a "Hospital Tank" would be used for treatment. As such the QT would more closely resemble an established tank, while the hospital tank would be very sterile with no surface that a parasite can attach to.

Q: Should I proceed with any treatments even if I don't see signs of disease?
A: Prophylactic treatment is a personal decision; I treat only if I see a problem. The primary reason for this is that hypo or copper is effective for ich but is not effective for other parasites such as oodinium. (I usually treat with Praziquantel (Prazipro) regardless of whether or not I see signs of parasites)

Q: How soon should I begin treatment?

A: Have the fish eating before starting treatment if possible. If there are signs of disease or parasites you may need to start treatment right away. Otherwise I wait until disease evidences itself before treating. But Oodinium and Brook require immediate treatment.

Q: How far in advance should I have the QT cycled an ready?
A: I keep an established QT constantly available. If a hospital tank has to be set up on short notice to treat a sick fish, use water from an established display tank.

Q: What equipment do I need to setup a QT?
A:

* Tank
* Heater
* Powerhead(s)
* Thermometer
* Ammonia Alert Indicator and/or Nitrate & Nitrite test kits
* PVC pipe segments or other hiding places for fish
* Live Rock (QT only not hospital)
* Light (optional for fish-only)
* Skimmer (optional)
* HOB Filter (optional)

Q: What are some medications I should have on hand?
A:

* Copper or Chloroquine - for ich and other external parasites
* Praziquantel - for flukes and worms
* nitrofurazone - for open wounds or sores
* Metronidazole - for intestinal and other protozoa
* Formalin - for brook and other external parasites
* Erythromycin and Minocycline - for bacterial prevention/treatment
* Food enhancers such as Selcon, Vitality, and Eco Garlic but these are NOT for treating, they are for getting new fish eating

 

[8220]

Hi Guys
Thank you so much for all your replies and not the least for all the constructive replies.
I am fairly new in this magnificent hobby and still have a lot to learn. I am really grateful for all the advice and not the least for you Steve for the superb Q &A and shopping list. That is extremely helpful in a time like this. Decease like this can be a bit stressful so I really appreciate this.
I just hope I can get all the medicine here in Europe, none of the web shops seams to carry Formalin or that many types of medicine.
Sandwi54 also thank you for all your posts and for your quick diagnoses.

Now the race begins to save the fishes"¦.

 

[8220]

Update

Death toll so far.
1 Achilles
4 Pseudanthias pleurotaenia
2 Goby
1 Pseudanthias squamipinnis

80% of my fish caught and got a freshwater dip. I started of by giving them 3 min but some of the stronger ones could withstand up to 6 min no problem.

Formalin 37 % is illegal for private persons to have, so I have to get it thru a Vet, the ones i talked to, didn't know anything about fish, so could not prescribe anything. I tried searching the net, no net shops in EU has Formalin and I called all pet shops in driving distance and nobody had any kind of medications. Great.

I have now ordered the Formalin at Aqua cave and hope it will go smooth thru customs.

I will continue with giving freshwater dips and keep the fish at low salinity until I can get my hands on Formalin.

It does not look good.

QT from now on for me :headwally:

How long do you do Freshwater dips?