Panther Grouper is finished?

[Terminal]

I looked in my tank this morning an noticed my Panther Grouper laying on his side and seemingly gasping for breath. My water perameters are perfect and everything else in the tank is seemingly thriving. I dunno what is wrong with him or what I should do to help.

 

[Reefcherie]

How long have you had the fish? Any additions made recently to the tank?

 

[Terminal]

i have had him for 2 weeks with no other additions made. It has been eating healthly and showed no signs of anything wrong.

 

[Lord Voldemort]

Tank description says " 75 gallon live sand and rock, colloseum, pillars, plants, tetra 500 filter, undergravel filter with 4 breathers"
And from my experience, yes I HAVE kept SW fish for some time, undergravel filters aren't really good. And isn't tetra filter a FW filter? I think I have one for my FW tank.

 

[Torno]

If its a tetra HOB filter, it doesnt matter if you use it for fresh or salt water. HOB filters can be used on both, I have on on all three of my tanks...

 

[Terminal]

I know the undergravel is bad news but I havent had a chance to change it out right now. The Tetra works fine for a short term fix because I am currently building a sump for the tank.

 

[phoenix]

How long was the grouper at the store before you got him?

 

[Wolverine]

Panther groupers get way too big (and way too ugly) for a 75g tank.

Dave

 

[Terminal]

The grouper was in a store for about a week before I purchased it and then I had him for close to two weeks without problem. He was still a juvenile and only about the size of my tomato clown. I know they grow about 2 inches a month with proper feeding and also I know I am building about a 300 gallon tank in about 3 moths so I figured the 75 gallon would suffice until I got my big one built and cycled through.

 

[Wolverine]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7217324#post7217324 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Terminal
The grouper was in a store for about a week before I purchased it and then I had him for close to two weeks without problem. He was still a juvenile and only about the size of my tomato clown. I know they grow about 2 inches a month with proper feeding and also I know I am building about a 300 gallon tank in about 3 moths so I figured the 75 gallon would suffice until I got my big one built and cycled through.

Wait until the new tank's ready. I may be wrong, but I'd bet on it not being ready in 3 months. That's not an indictment of your skills, or dedication or anything like that. It's just based on the fact, IME, about 5% (at the most) of planned tank upgrades happen when planned. Few of them happen within a year of when they're originally planned. There will be other panther groupers.

Dave

 

[phoenix]

Sometimes cyanide caught fish will do this - appear healthy and then die suddenly. I am assuming that your water parameters are all ok. I have had panthers before and they are great fish. You may never figure what resulted in his demise and I would try again but check where your supplier gets their fish

 

[Patchy]

him being in a 75, or you using a Undergravel filter is not causing this in your fish.

Post you parameters, other tank mates and anything else you may help us help you

 

[Terminal]

My ammonia is around 0 my ph is 8.2, salinity is 1.024, temp 79.3 degrees, nitrates and nitrites are barely readable, I have a lawnmower blenny, tomato clown, several hermit crabs and snails, spiny urchin, chocolate chip starfish, and an anenome. I think he might have ran into it when the lights were down but I didnt see any contusions on his body and he was on the opposite side of the tank than the urchins. He barely left his little "territory" unless he was eating.

 

[LisaD]

How long has your tank been set up? Your ammonia and nitrites should be undetectable. They may be, but since you said ammonia is "around zero" and "nitrites are barely readable" I thought I'd ask.

Since you have other fish that I assume are ok, you probably are not having problems with your ug filter ...yet. But you need to really be careful! Undergravel filters can work fine with marine aquariums, but not with live rock and sand.

If you have live sand and live rock, how could it not be clogging your ug filter? If you run that filter any longer, try to get a reverse flow adapter, that is the only way an undergravel filter can function without getting hopelessly clogged (IMO) as live rock releases sediment that will clog it. And I didn't think you could even run an ug filter at all with any kind of sand, just coarse crushed coral or dolomite.

Can you describe your set-up in more detail?

Sorry for the loss of the panther grouper. I think the advice to wait until you have the larger tank was good.