new fish in trouble...help ASAP

[nightfire]

hey guys im posting here cause a friend said i might find more help,i usually stick to our local club here is the deal......i have a brand new 10g QT...new HOB filter on it......a power head with sponge....that im having to switch back and forth to do water changes (leaving the sponge ofcourse) a new heater.....none have been used before......i had bought fish from an online store and from the get go they looked ok until i noticed once starting to scratch but no spots or such that i saw.......it came and went anyways now two of em are kinda bad (2 clowns and a blenny) the blenny is starting to get it bad i think because he keeps scratching on the bottom of the tank and nibbling his own tail....i cant seem to see spots on them and on a sailfin blenny thats like impossible almost. they breath a tad hard and thats mostly due in part of me because i need to change my rodi membrane and di because its at 50ppm and in that is ammonia and nitrate but im doing water changes on it everyday to make sure it stays as low as possible....they all eat and the blenny is a pig at it...when this all started i didnt have copper and a club member gave me some herbtana to use on them......its been almost 10 day treatment for them as it states ya should do and today i find them scratching more.....i have some copper now and this is it here http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/images/graphics/apquickcure.jpg should i just go ahead and use it and be done with it? i though of maybe doing half dose, so instead of 10 drops in the morning i would do say 5 in the morning and 5 later on in the day to lower any stress......not too sure which is the best way to dose this and if so then do i want to not use any carbon at all through out the treatment and stick to my 1-2 gallon a day water change.... also i dont have it filled completely to the 10g that it is.......would it be as affective if i just did 7 or so drops a day and not 10? ill state now i do not have a copper test kit....no refractometer..and all my other test kits are crap.....i think my ph and ammonia ones are ok....i dont want any leactures just help,i know what i need stock wise but life happens and sometimes we dont have the money..... anyways these guys i wanted to buy...i like them and they cost me 30 bucks...id like to not lose them and need help here please.... THANKS GUYS/GALS and hope your tank is doing better then mine

 

[VacavilleFC3S]

the problem is you have 2 clownfish and a blenny in a 10g tank.

there completely stressed out, you need atleast a 30g tank to keep them happy

 

[nightfire]

so all i got is this one resonce? lol dang slow day on the main forums i guess lol

 

[RBU1]

OK you are fine in the 10 gallon for a QT. Just make sure because everything is new you are not getting amonnia. As far as the scratching goes....If they are eating and you don't see anything for now I would just continue to feed then good and do as large of a water change as you can at least weekly. After you have had the fish for a couple weeks then I would look at some treatment options. I would probably suggest you use Cupramine and a Seachem copper test kit.

 

[nightfire]

well guys the fish look awesome today,the blennys fins are all open for the first time ever and i havent seen any of them scratching. i've left them in the QT for tonight, did another water change and put some more copper in it for one last treatment.......if they look good tomorrow too then i will put them into the display YAY!!!! one question i have is how should i put them into the display....drip method or just dump them in after i see that salinity,temp match up....im thinking drip but what do ya guys think?

 

[RBU1]

How long have they been in QT? You should be keeping them in there for at least 4 weeks at full strengh copper.

 

[nightfire]

this is like day 5 with copper

 

[nightfire]

HAHA looks like ya guys were right and i had to leave them in QT, the blenny started scratching again and the clown was trying to fling something off its fin.....maybe i killed the first wave and this is the second?

 

[RBU1]

this is like day 5 with copper

4 weeks at a minimum. If you had them in your main tank then leave that without fish for 8 to 10 weeks.

 

[nightfire]

UPDATE: the stuff i bought works....its the tablets that walmart sells and yes they are for fresh and saltwater, took 3 of them to lower it to what reads 0ppm, i might put in 4 just to make sure lol so now i'll give it time to sit and i will do a good size water change to the QT and lower its ammonia