Need advice before adding more live stock.

[Grimreaperz]

Okay so here so my dilemma.
I purchased my first and only fish August 4th.

Put it (Firefish) through TTM
1 week rest.
1week Prazipro
1 week rest
1 week Prazipro
2 week rest.

Into DT.

Within 2 weeks it was dead....I noticed it got lethargic and wouldn't come out of its hole for 2 days. Then on day 3. It was out front flashing and looked like it had bristles on its face.....

I suspected my bristle worm got it....but also was told it may be Flukes. So did a triple dose of Prazipro. Added a bubbler and turned off lights for a couple days....

After the day I dosed Prazipro I never saw him again...

The Prazipro treatment didn't harm any inverts or feather dusters....I have also yet to find his body....(haven't removed rockwork yet to look)

I did a bunch of water tests today and they were as follows.

Ammonia 0
Nitrate 0
Nitrite 0
Phosphate 0
PH 8.2/3
Cal 380
Mag 1380-1410
kH 130 mg/l or 7.28 dH

I am using Hagen master test kit for everything except Cal and Mag.

My tank is on day 157. Fish was put in on day 129.

My question is before I go adding more 20-40$ fish and my picasso clown pair I would like to get something along with the next fish I am getting to use as sort of a guinea pig.

My next fish will be a Purple Firefish...

Necessary requirements:

Able to TTM/QT with firefish.
ReefSafe
Small (36g DT)
Be cheap....5-10
And readily available most anywhere

My not so LFS recommended black bar chromis

But not sure how this will fair when I get my clown Juvies.

Just looking for ideas. Sorry for the long write up as always. And thank so much for advice on this situation.

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[Half Vaped]

I would suspect the triple dose of Prazi-pro is what did it in. My fish get bristled all the time and recover on their own with no intervention.

Plus, I think your schedule for dosing Prazi-pro two weeks apart is less than ideal. I get best results by following its instructions; three doses, about four or five days between doses. It more closely follows the life cycle of the parasites.

 

[Grimreaperz]

I would suspect the triple dose of Prazi-pro is what did it in. My fish get bristled all the time and recover on their own with no intervention.

Plus, I think your schedule for dosing Prazi-pro two weeks apart is less than ideal. I get best results by following its instructions; three doses, about four or five days between doses. It more closely follows the life cycle of the parasites.

Yeah I was following instructions then got some advice on here telling me to double/triple dose....and sorry. I did only treat for 4-5 days max. Then would do carbon. Then dose then introduce carbon...5days = business week... I just may have not done water change till day 7

But regardless I don't think my QT regiment killed it....I am pretty sure something in my DT did. I took out some of the bigger bristle worms. And he only got struck a few days after being lethargic....any advice on a good guinea pig fish as requested? I do want to keep trying at this but font want to keep losing 20-100$ fish would rather get a cheap nice looking fish and start there.

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[vhuang168]

Tank is 157 days old. Is there anything else in it besides rock n water n sand?


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[Grimreaperz]

Inverts. Zoas. And a frogspawn
Inverts are as follows.

Brittle stars.
Trochus Snails
Bumblebee Snails
Bristle worms
Cleaner shrimp

He was the first fish I added to the tank.

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[Half Vaped]

Firefish are generally hardy, but can be finicky with certain tankmates. Some cheap and hardy fish you most likely won't regret throwing in your tank include Tail-spot Blenny, Royal Gramma, Banggai Cardinal and Watchman Goby.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

I would suspect the triple dose of Prazi-pro is what did it in. My fish get bristled all the time and recover on their own with no intervention.

Plus, I think your schedule for dosing Prazi-pro two weeks apart is less than ideal. I get best results by following its instructions; three doses, about four or five days between doses. It more closely follows the life cycle of the parasites.

Yeah I was following instructions then got some advice on here telling me to double/triple dose....and sorry. I did only treat for 4-5 days max. Then would do carbon. Then dose then introduce carbon...5days = business week... I just may have not done water change till day 7

But regardless I don't think my QT regiment killed it....I am pretty sure something in my DT did. I took out some of the bigger bristle worms. And he only got struck a few days after being lethargic....any advice on a good guinea pig fish as requested? I do want to keep trying at this but font want to keep losing 20-100$ fish would rather get a cheap nice looking fish and start there.

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I doubt the triple dose of Prazi killed your fish, UNLESS it was so loaded with flukes it choked and suffocated from having so many. The Prazi itself will not kill fish even if more than triple dosed. It's certain flukes that have to have a triple dose or they will not die.

I triple dose my tank every 4-6 months no to make sure my fish are parasite free. They do usually have a few flukes, but not nearly as bad as they did the first time. My Female Mocha Clown puked up so many I thought she was going to die, so did my McCosker's wrasse. The McCosker's wrasse turned all white nearly dead in my tank during the first treatment and disappeared in the rocks. He emerged three days later just fine accept for being a bit hungry.

I agree with the Royal Gramma, they're awesome fish and a great addition to any tank. Cheap too. I would stay away from any damsels or chromis IMO

I wanted to add that with treating Prazi you need to triple dose the tank all at once, then let it stay in your tank without skimmer or carbon being run for 5-7 days. Then need to do a larger WC of about 50% and wait 4 days then repeat the triple treatment. This allows enough time for the eggs to hatch but not enough time for the larvae to become adult and reproducing eggs. Very important to follow the timeline if you wish to get rid of them. Just remember that pretty much all fish have parasites of one kind or another. I also treat new fish with Formalin.

 

[Grimreaperz]

I doubt the triple dose of Prazi killed your fish, UNLESS it was so loaded with flukes it choked and suffocated from having so many. The Prazi itself will not kill fish even if more than triple dosed. It's certain flukes that have to have a triple dose or they will not die.

I triple dose my tank every 4-6 months no to make sure my fish are parasite free. They do usually have a few flukes, but not nearly as bad as they did the first time. My Female Mocha Clown puked up so many I thought she was going to die, so did my McCosker's wrasse. The McCosker's wrasse turned all white nearly dead in my tank during the first treatment and disappeared in the rocks. He emerged three days later just fine accept for being a bit hungry.

I agree with the Royal Gramma, they're awesome fish and a great addition to any tank. Cheap too. I would stay away from any damsels or chromis IMO

I wanted to add that with treating Prazi you need to triple dose the tank all at once, then let it stay in your tank without skimmer or carbon being run for 5-7 days. Then need to do a larger WC of about 50% and wait 4 days then repeat the triple treatment. This allows enough time for the eggs to hatch but not enough time for the larvae to become adult and reproducing eggs. Very important to follow the timeline if you wish to get rid of them. Just remember that pretty much all fish have parasites of one kind or another. I also treat new fish with Formalin.

Yeah thank you so much!!! I will be looking around...that is what I did in my DT triple dosed all at once turned off lights and skimmer. Let run for 5 days. Did a 35% water change. I didn't do a second treatment on my DT though...I am thinking I should as I am still seeing flatworms on my glass...

I will check prices on these fish. My firefish cost 21 and bangai are like 45 here so that definitely won't be an option. Can't Royal gammas be aggressive? Thank you so much for the advice...in retrospect I should have taken him out of the DT and into a QT the day I saw him out front. But live and learn. I will be triple dosing my DT again before I put fish in and I will follow your time line.

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[Grimreaperz]

What about Royal Dottyback?
Any experience with those. They are like $12

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[Half Vaped]

Royal Gramma can be a little aggressive, but usually not overly so. Royal Dottybacks are more aggressive. Only Chromis, Damsels and Firefish are commonly available for under $20 where I'm at. For saltwater, I consider any fish below $40 to be a cheap fish.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

The most aggression you'll see out of a Royal Gramma is it opening it's mouth wide so it's saying "I've got a big mouth and I'm going to eat you if you don't stop and go away" :lmao: Other than that they're fine.

Now that dottyback is horrible aggressive, well most of them are anyway. I would never get any dottyback, chromis or damsel with one exception. The Starkii Damsel.

 

[Half Vaped]

My Orchid Dottyback is fairly well behaved. The Orchid is about the friendliest Dottyback one can get.