Need advice already lost all fish

[BROTHERSPIZZERIA]

I purchased a 135 gallon established reef tank about 6 weeks ago. The tank was about 3 years old and doing very well. Mostly aggressive fish like a lion, two triggers undelated and picasso, domino damsel, and two groupers most fish fairly large and very healthy. Very large rocks with star polyps and some other soft corrals that the fish did not bother. So I get the tank home set it back up within a couple hours. Corrals are doing great actually growing very rapidly. I have been out of the hobby for about five years so a little rusty to say the least. All fish were eating very well the first couple weeks. I noticed fish starting to get white spots and rubbing the rocks really bad. First sign of it I set up a qt tank which is not fully cycles yet so i cant put the fish in it for medication. After about the first week all fish were hanging at the top of the tank like they were trying to get out. Them there fins were dissapearing like they were being eaten but they were not. Now that I omly have snails, starfish, hermits, and a lobster left what is the best thing to do and how lomg to wait before looking at fish again. It will not be aggressive fish again and what is the best way to cycle the qt tank so all new fish can be treated before going into the big tank. My main tank is a 135 and qt is a 90 gallon bare bottom with some old dried out life rock from years ago.

 

[BROTHERSPIZZERIA]

Sorry about the mispellings using a cell phone isn't the best way to type all this. I realize I should have thought way ahead and had the qt tank ready before the purchase so i now have to live with the mistakes I have already made and make sure it doesn't happen again.

 

[sandwi54]

First of all, did the fish come with the tank you bought? Or did you buy those fish yourself and put them straight into the tank without QT?

From your description, your fish had either ich or velvet. From the timeline of death, and the fact that the entire tank was wiped out, I'd learn towards velvet. If all of the fish were purchased with the tank, you should go back to the seller and ask for part of the money back. If you added new fish without QT, then I guess just cut your losses and learn the lesson to QT all new fish and prophylactically treat with cupramine + prazipro.

You will have to leave the DT fallow for 10 weeks. You can also cycle the QT with a piece of raw shrimp.

 

[BROTHERSPIZZERIA]

The fish did come with the tank and weee very healthy. Please explain the piece of shrimp.

 

[sandwi54]

I'm really sorry for your loss. Like I said, I would be very mad of the seller for knowingly selling a velvet-infested tank and would ask for some of the money back.

All you need to do to cycle the QT is to put a piece of table shrimp inside the tank to generate bio-load. Monitor ammonia/nitrite every few days to a week, and when both of them read zero, you're done with cycling and can remove the shrimp and buy a fish.

 

[BROTHERSPIZZERIA]

Anything I need to do to the main tank other then let it sit for 9 or 10 weeks? Also I would like to add more corals is that ok during the fallow process?

 

[BROTHERSPIZZERIA]

It really sucks. My miniatus grouper was about 12 to 14 inches and my panther was bigger than that. They were extremely healthy when I got them home and ate very well for about two weeks and then everyone went south very quick. I set the qt tank up immediately but there wasn't enough time to cycle it and put the fish in. I assumed with all the same rock and substrate they would be fine moving the tank but obviously was not the case. I am pretty sure it was a combination of ick and velvet. My puffer was the worst thing I've ever seen on any fish. I was helpless I tried freshwater dip as a last resort but it didn't do anything other than stress them more and make it worse. How long does it typically take to cycle the qt tank and how long should I leave all new specimens in it for?

 

[BROTHERSPIZZERIA]

By the way I really appreciate all the advice as I won't make the same mistake twice. I have a new uv light not in use should I put that on the main tank to help rid the parasites and such?

 

[sandwi54]

I understand your feelings. Losing fish always sucks.

You don't have to do anything to your DT other than leaving it fallow for 10 weeks. As for the QT, how long it takes to cycle depends on how much bacteria you started with. If there is none at all, from my experience it would take close to two months to finish cycling.

You don't really need a UV at all. Most of the time it does nothing to the parasites.

 

[BROTHERSPIZZERIA]

What about adding coral?

 

[sandwi54]

If you want to be ultra-conservative, reset the 10-week clock after the last coral is added.