Hello and thanks for your help in advance !!! I setup a 55 gallon marine tank back in December of 2005. I used R/O water and set my salinity to 1.021 just because I wanted a fish only tank with snails, shrimp and crabs etc...I then bought 50 lbs. of live rock and live sand. After setting up the tank with salt, live rock and live sand, I bought 10 damsels to help cycle my tank. They all (except one) died anywhere from 2 ~ 40 days after I dropped them in. I continued to wait untill about 2 months before I added 20 blue leg crabs and 20 snails. Ok, all is well, snails, and crabs alive and well after two weeks and my water tested all good. Now, its about 2 1/2 months after the setup, I deceided to buy a few cheap fish just in case and 2 shrimp. I bought a small Powder Blue Tang, 2 clown fish and a carmel shrimp and cleaner shrimp. After 1 day I noticed the power blue started getting very small white dots but he was still eating and swimming about. On the third day he was a little worse but on the 4th day he got better so I though all was well !! Then, a few days later, he got worse so I bought some Kick-Ich which didn't do a damn thing so I went for the fresh water bath. After a 4 minute dip, he looked the same with no loss of parisites from what I can tell. Placed him back in the tank and he was dead the next day. Then, both clown fish started getting white dots and then died a day or two later. I went into my local pet store and asked for help. One guy said that parasites will die after 7 days in your tank without a host fish. Hearing this was great beacause the only fish I had left was the damsel which never got a spot on him. I waited 1 month until I bought fish again thinking that the parasites all must me dead because I don't have any fish in my tank except that one Damsel which never got a spot on him. I then bought a Bat fish. The very next day, bam ! Same thing !!! White dots starting to show up on him. I took him out and place him in a QT tank with copper added. He started getting bad after 24 hours so me thinking he was stressing out, I put him back into the main tank and he died the next day. Now I am ****ed because I waited one month and didn't have any fish with parasites except the damsel which is vary hardy and healthy. I did some research on the web and read that a U/V ligh will kill the parasites so the very next day, I went out a bought a 9 watt Turbo Twist U/V sterilizer and let it run for 3 seeks without buying any fish. The other day I fiqured I try it again and bough a cheap Coral Beauty. 2 days later, he has tiny white spots. I don't know what to do at this point. Please help!!! Thanks so much !!!
Mike
Mike