Please Help!

[mattGgator]

So, yesterday I bought two tangs, a Kole tang and a Powder Brown. Those are the two tangs my wife and I have been wanting for our new tank. They looked great at the LFS but this store is known to harbor some pretty nasty disease. So, we brought them home and put them in seperate QTs with PVC and two HOB filters. I also put a heater in each. They seemed to be adjusting ok and the Kole tang was swimming around a bit freaked out but seemed to calm down when I turned off the lights in the room. This morning, the Kole tang is dead as a doornail, looks battered on his sides (maybe just from dying). The powder brown is not eating, breathing hard, and listing to the sides so I have a feeling I'm going to lose him too. These fish showed no visible signs of anything and seemed healthy when I bought them. I knew I would likely have to treat them but I was keeping them under observation until I saw signs of something. No ammonia in the tank with the powder brown. I figured there would be some in the Koles tank since he died so I'm not checking. Is there any way to save the powder brown or will he die today too? I have class and work until this evening so I really can't do anything about the fish until later tonight. Thanks!

Also, I drip acclimated them and the water I used was cycled water.

 

[MrTuskfish]

Not much to go on. But, you probably answered your own question in your post and bought fish from a "store that was known to harbor some pretty nasty disease". I don't understand why you would buy there. If a store has obvious disease problems, I'm sure they have other problems too. There are other lfs; and online dealers are outstanding, IMO & IME. BTW, there is no such thing as "cycled water". A tank cycles when beneficial bacteria colonize the LR, substrate, filter media, etc. The tank is cycled, not the water. Although using water from your DT in the QT is usually a good idea, IMO.

 

[sandwi54]

If the fish looked ok in the store but died overnight, several things could be the cause.

1. acclimation - you said you drip acclimated them using "cycled" water. is this cycled water the water from the QT that the fish were going into? how long did you acclimate for?

2. salinity match - what were the salinities of the store water and your QT water? stores generally keep their salinities low to save cost. i've had one LFS that keeps at 1.014.

3. cyanide - it happens all the time. it helps to ask where the fish comes from in the future.

4. disease - velvet and brooklynella can kill fast, but if you did not see any signs of it at all, it's unlikely.

 

[hollister]

Was there a lid on this tank? And any powerheads in there. Salt water recieves oxygen through a gas exchange at the waters surface and low flow and or a lid will reduce this. They are already stressed from the move and need low light and good water flow and proper accululating to avoid over stressing.

 

[mattGgator]

Used water from my cycled display is what I meant. I drip acclimated using this water and matched salinities- around 1.020. No obvious signs of illness when I bought them. I bought them from this store because in G-ville, all the stores are about the same. I figured if I QT'ed and treated the fish, there would be no huge issues since there was no obvious sign of illness over night. I'm wondering if my tank was contaminated or something. Not quite sure what's happened. The powder brown is still alive, he's breathing very hard. I did a 50% WC today and added carbon to his QT HOB. There are no glass tops on the tank. I have a HOB filter on each tank that has some LR in it from my display.

 

[mattGgator]

Also, I don't want an ethics discussion or lecture. I want some possibilities for how to treat my powder brown. It's swimming nicely now around the QT tank but breathing hard. Will gill flukes cause this? Maybe it could just be stress?

 

[mattGgator]

Another thing, the white of the PB's face is getting a pinkish tint to it...I remember this means something but I can't remember what. Thanks!

 

[hollister]

Breathing hard usually means low oxygen. Add a powerhead to increase water flow and see if that helps..

 

[mattGgator]

Ok thanks!