Need help quick, fish are dieing

[Palting]

You guys wanna pay up? That'll be 200 (fake) bucks.

It's only because I went through pretty much the exact same thing when I introduced a powder-brown tang. Seemed fine for a month or so, then over the course of 2 or so days he died, along with everything else in my tank besides a striped damsel. It can happen much quicker than you think.

And you don't always see white spots. When the ich is truly at its worst it attacks the fish's gills and isn't even visible externally.

Besides, what's going to kill the fish dead within a few hours but not bother inverts?

Alright. I think you called it. Owe you 100 bucks (fake) .

I still think something stressed the fish out so that the Ich reared it's ugly head and killed the fish. That's why they died so quick. I had and continue to have Ich in my tank, but none of my fish died.

Ok, Rayn. I have set-up a plan for myself to rid my tank of Ich, and I can modify my plan for you.

You only have 1 fish left in the 55 gal, a black and white clown, right? Set up a QT and put him in there. If you have EVER exchanged fish or live rock or coral between your 29 gal and your 55 gal, you have to quarantine the fish from the 29 gal as well, as they may harbor Ich but seem healthy, just like my fish.

Then, treat the quarantined fish with copper or Cupramine. I plan to treat mine with Cupramine and hyposalinity for at least a month

Leave your 55 gal (and your 29 gal if needed) free of fish for at least 6 weeks, or more. The Ich life cycle will proceed, but with no fish to act as host in one stage, they will all die out.

In 6 to 8 weeks , you should have an Ich free tank(s). Quarantine AND treat all future fish purchases.

Here's a link to how I came up with this plan: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1857369

 

[Tuscaquatics]

Alright. I think you called it. Owe you 100 bucks (fake) .

I still think something stressed the fish out so that the Ich reared it's ugly head and killed the fish. I had and continue to have Ich in my tank, but none of my fish died.

Ok, Rayn. I have set-up a plan for myself to rid my tank of Ich, and I can modify my plan for you.

You only have 1 fish left in the 55 gal, a black and white clown, right? Set up a QT and put him in there. If you have EVER exchanged fish or live rock or coral between your 29 gal and your 55 gal, you have to quarantine the fish from the 29 gal as well, as they may harbor Ich but seem healthy, just like my fish.

Then, treat the quarantined fish with copper or Cupramine. I plan to treat mine with Cupramine and hyposalinity for at least a month

Leave your 55 gal (and your 29 gal if needed) free of fish for at least 6 weeks, or more. The Ich life cycle will proceed, but with no fish to act as host in one stage, they will all die out.

In 6 to 8 weeks , you should have an Ich free tank(s). Quarantine AND treat all future fish purchases.

Here's a link to how I came up with this plan: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1857369

Sounds like a great plan. I'd go with this.

It's not what I did, but then again, I did it wrong. I left the damsel in, waited a few weeks then added a cinnamon clown, a very hearty fish. Then I fed garlic for a couple months and battled spots on the fish until they were finally gone. After that I went for another hearty fish, a lawnmower blenny. Since then I've had no problems.

But like I said, this is the wrong way to do it. You're best bet is to QT the clown and QT pretty much any fish you get from now on. Especially most tangs. In fact, with tangs, you might as well go ahead and treat the sucker in QT rather than just observe him, as most of them will quite possibly have something.

Since that issue I've moved my tank into a 75 gallon, and I added a Niger trigger, without QT. He's done fine and everything is well. It's been about 3 months since I've added any livestock. But after seeing what a friend went through with ich recently, I'm definitely QTing everything from now on.

 

[lisafoster]

That is really fast for all those fish to die from ich if they were not showing symptoms. I bet something found its way into your tank spray , lotion etc. this did not kill clown but stressed him enough to cause the ich. I just had a healthy 6 inch blue throat trigger. I do not know what happened but I had been in my tank alot adding equpitment corals etcc. Maybe my hands introduced something. I had an ich outbreak 8 months ago I did not leave my tank fallow I have not seen ich since . I think even if you leave it fallow the fish could go back in there could be a stressful event then bang its in your tank again. As your system matures it will be more stable to handle it

 

[rayn]

Good reading palting. I ventured into that thread when you started, but had nothing beneficial to add at the time. The two clowns in the 29 came from the 55, but were moved BEFORE the tang or black and whites were added, and as of now they are clean. I have a spare 29 sitting in wait for my 120 sump, but if I use it for copper it's toast as my sump. Maybe tomorrow I'll go looking for another tank to set up as my QT/HT and set it up.
I'm still racking my head as to what could have stressed them out to bring on the ich though. I have changed nothing in about three weeks except water. Which thinking about it, I was 'in their home'. As posted earlier the only test that was off is alk, and I got a buffer for that, but calcium is the only other thing I dose for.

 

[rayn]

Sounds like a great plan. I'd go with this.

It's not what I did, but then again, I did it wrong. I left the damsel in, waited a few weeks then added a cinnamon clown, a very hearty fish. Then I fed garlic for a couple months and battled spots on the fish until they were finally gone. After that I went for another hearty fish, a lawnmower blenny. Since then I've had no problems.

But like I said, this is the wrong way to do it. You're best bet is to QT the clown and QT pretty much any fish you get from now on. Especially most tangs. In fact, with tangs, you might as well go ahead and treat the sucker in QT rather than just observe him, as most of them will quite possibly have something.

Since that issue I've moved my tank into a 75 gallon, and I added a Niger trigger, without QT. He's done fine and everything is well. It's been about 3 months since I've added any livestock. But after seeing what a friend went through with ich recently, I'm definitely QTing everything from now on.

Things are coming together for my 120 as the bulkheads and drill bit have finally arrived. I don't neccesarily have my sump plans nailed down yet so I'm not really ready to get it going. Tank has been sitting for three weeks now with the factory sticker still in it and I don't want to rush this one at all. Do it once, do it right.

That being said, I on vacation this week and could get it going, not to move fish in, but LR and corals out of the 55. But if I go with paltings other thread and QT them for the 17 days as Capn states, then I might as well QT and leave my 55 fallow and let them stay where they are. Still undecided on the future of the 55 staying salt or going back fresh, but I like salt

As for the 120 I had planned on a powder blue tang, as the wife wants one. Everything I read on them says QT QT QT so I was getting ready for that anyway. This just stepped up my plans.

 

[Tuscaquatics]

That is really fast for all those fish to die from ich if they were not showing symptoms. I bet something found its way into your tank spray , lotion etc. this did not kill clown but stressed him enough to cause the ich. I just had a healthy 6 inch blue throat trigger. I do not know what happened but I had been in my tank alot adding equpitment corals etcc. Maybe my hands introduced something. I had an ich outbreak 8 months ago I did not leave my tank fallow I have not seen ich since . I think even if you leave it fallow the fish could go back in there could be a stressful event then bang its in your tank again. As your system matures it will be more stable to handle it

It seems like I'm going thread to thread and picking on you. LOL. Not the case.

But what could have gotten into the tank and killed otherwise healthy fish and not bothered corals and an anemone? Or his clean up crew?

 

[TripleT]

I feed half a frozen/thawed cube every other day. Well less now

Fish do not eat this way in nature. Feed 2-3 times a day if you want them healthy, and to help support their immune systems.

Variety is also important, so drop $10-$20 the next time you visit your LFS's freezer if you need to.

If this impacts your water quality, invest in a bigger and better protein skimmer.

If you want stress-free fish, double check the minimum tank size required for new purchases. Don't forget that many tangs look like dinner plates when full grown.

AquaClear hang on back filters work well for QT applications, and are pretty cheap. Don't hesitate to buy one size larger than you think you need... they are adjustable.

Good luck.

 

[lisafoster]

I don't know I had a perfectly healthy triggerfish one day he was fine next day went into hiding and died. I was fooling with equiptment and I had done a water change.I was talking to someone at my LFs He suggested maybe I had something on my hands lotion spray cleaner . I had my hands in the tank alot those two days I wish I knew what happened all my other fish are fine. The guy had said someone else had fish suddenly die water tested fine turned out he was putting lotion on his hands and not washing it off well. Sounds off the wall to me but who knows.

 

[rayn]

It is possible. I'm trying to weigh all posible problems here. However I do see ich on my solo clown now. There is always the possiblity that something got into the tank without my knowing too.
As far as the tang goes, he was always planned to go into my 120, never a staple in the 55. He was added now as a hopeful help to the HA i got going. Food was cut down to help combat the HA as well, I was advised to feed less to keep from promoting algea growth.

 

[TripleT]

I was advised to feed less to keep from promoting algea growth.

Good flow, an effective protein skimmer, and water changes will help most algae problems.

Add a powerhead if you don't have one. Point it at the worst algae in the tank.

I've had astraea snails that did wonders on eliminating existing algae. One snail cleaned a rock the size of a baseball in one day, to give you an idea. It was covered with dense 1/4 inch long hair algae. Although I think he was extra hungry that day.

 

[Tuscaquatics]

Good flow, an effective protein skimmer, and water changes will help most algae problems.

Add a powerhead if you don't have one. Point it at the worst algae in the tank.

I've had astraea snails that did wonders on eliminating existing algae. One snail cleaned a rock the size of a baseball in one day, to give you an idea. It was covered with dense 1/4 inch long hair algae. Although I think he was extra hungry that day.

Don't count on astrea snails to tear up a HA problem.

 

[TripleT]

1/4 hair algae, waving with the current...

A day later...

 

[Tuscaquatics]

You know what? I was wrong. Astreas are known for eating HA. I guess I was thinking of Turbos, which also eat it, just not as well. Either way, I wasn't necessarily saying they wouldn't eat it, just not to count on the results you had.

 

[steelhead77]

Just a thought before I go the in route, does someone have a good pic of a fish with ich so I can compare?

Here ya go:

This guy fully recovered and is healthy to this day.

 

[rayn]

Thanks steelhead! Mine isn't nearly that bad. So I don't get why they died. If yours can heal, but mine just get it and die?!

 

[Tuscaquatics]

Thanks steelhead! Mine isn't nearly that bad. So I don't get why they died. If yours can heal, but mine just get it and die?!

Because that fish was probably otherwise very healthy and stable. Having a fish for a month or two does not mean it's healthy. And that might have been a weaker strain of ich to begin with.

 

[rayn]

Gotchya. Then why did one still make it? Not trying to be smart, but lawnmower blenny was my oldest, followed by the tang, then both clowns at once. Every time I add anything I check water parameters and only add if everything is good. So why would just one clown, for the time being, make it? He could be no more stable or heathly then the other fish in my tank. This clown was even the smaller male I believe.

 

[steelhead77]

You guys wanna pay up? That'll be 200 (fake) bucks.

It's only because I went through pretty much the exact same thing when I introduced a powder-brown tang. Seemed fine for a month or so, then over the course of 2 or so days he died, along with everything else in my tank besides a striped damsel. It can happen much quicker than you think.

And you don't always see white spots. When the ich is truly at its worst it attacks the fish's gills and isn't even visible externally.

Besides, what's going to kill the fish dead within a few hours but not bother inverts?

I still have my doubts that it was ich that killed the fish, so I'm not ready to pay up quite yet. You know, hoofbeats and Zebras and all that.....I agree with the other poster who said that whatever killed your fish could have stressed out the Clown enough to bring on the ich. I believe that at least ONE fish would have shown at least some spots before succumbing to ich. I still stick with some foreign matter introduced into the sump.

 

[steelhead77]

Because that fish was probably otherwise very healthy and stable. Having a fish for a month or two does not mean it's healthy. And that might have been a weaker strain of ich to begin with.

Well, this is why I claim that if ich is left alone and the fish is otherwise healthy, swimming and eating, they more than likely will fight it off. This guy had this for well over two weeks. No other fish in my tank came down with this. I did not treat this outbreak with anything other than UV and garlic. I know some will disagree, but I believe that my tank is now ich free more than 1-1/2 years after this pic was taken.

This is also why I doubt that ich killed the rayn's fish so quickly without any signs.

 

[Tuscaquatics]

I lost a powder-brown tang, lawnmower blenny, two damsels and a mandarin within 2 days and didn't see a speck other than a couple on the tang.

Again, what would kill all of the fish and leave inverts alone other than ich?