fishfreak2009
Swimming in the School
So I am having some trouble with my quarantine. It's a 40 breeder with a HOB filter filled with live rock rubble, and a powerhead. Temp is a steady 77 degrees F. I perform 75% water changes 3x weekly on the tank with prepare saltwater heated to 77 degrees. pH is 8.2, S.G. is 1.022, Ammonia is 0, nitrite is 0, nitrate is 0. I also keep a steady level of copper sulfate (0.2ppm) and dosed praziquantel into the premade water following instructions on the bottle.
I have put 3 groups of fish through quarantine in this exact tank following this exact method so far with no problems, and all of the sudden I'm having a ton of issues.
First night and everyone was doing great, all the fish (3 juvenile Moorish idols, a baby flagfin angel, and a baby Watanabe angel) even ate around 30 minutes after acclimation (which was a 30 minute drip acclimation like I always do). The next morning everyone continued to do well. So I come home from class and the Watanabe angel is dead on the bottom looking bloated. It looked fat at the store but I figured it was just eating really well (which it did at the store). The other fish seemed fine, and still ate well. I did a 75% water change later that night and went to bed. Yesterday everyone continued to do great. So I came down this morning to check on them and one of the 3 Moorish idols is dead (not a mark or sign of disease on him, and nothing significant found on necropsy) and the baby flagfin is panting heavily. The other 2 Moorish idols are acting completely fine. I changed 75% of the water again with no change in condition on the baby flagfin, so I filled a 1 gallon aquarium I had laying around with water from my display and put him in there with the tiny filter and light that tank came with. He seems to be doing much better. My display has a pH of 8.2, S.G. of 1.023, no nitrite or ammonia, nitrate is 10-15ppm. I rechecked ammonia in the quarantine and it still reads 0.
Sorry for the rant, I'm just worried I am going to lose these guys. I have a flame angel in a separate 8 gallon quarantine who is doing great, and my fiancée's clown fish and staghorn damsel in a 10 gallon quarantine, while her tank at home sits fallow. Those fish are in the same water I use in the 40 gallon as well, and follow the same water change regiment. They are all doing fine. This isn't my first time quarantining fish, I'm just at a loss here as to what's going on.
I have put 3 groups of fish through quarantine in this exact tank following this exact method so far with no problems, and all of the sudden I'm having a ton of issues.
First night and everyone was doing great, all the fish (3 juvenile Moorish idols, a baby flagfin angel, and a baby Watanabe angel) even ate around 30 minutes after acclimation (which was a 30 minute drip acclimation like I always do). The next morning everyone continued to do well. So I come home from class and the Watanabe angel is dead on the bottom looking bloated. It looked fat at the store but I figured it was just eating really well (which it did at the store). The other fish seemed fine, and still ate well. I did a 75% water change later that night and went to bed. Yesterday everyone continued to do great. So I came down this morning to check on them and one of the 3 Moorish idols is dead (not a mark or sign of disease on him, and nothing significant found on necropsy) and the baby flagfin is panting heavily. The other 2 Moorish idols are acting completely fine. I changed 75% of the water again with no change in condition on the baby flagfin, so I filled a 1 gallon aquarium I had laying around with water from my display and put him in there with the tiny filter and light that tank came with. He seems to be doing much better. My display has a pH of 8.2, S.G. of 1.023, no nitrite or ammonia, nitrate is 10-15ppm. I rechecked ammonia in the quarantine and it still reads 0.
Sorry for the rant, I'm just worried I am going to lose these guys. I have a flame angel in a separate 8 gallon quarantine who is doing great, and my fiancée's clown fish and staghorn damsel in a 10 gallon quarantine, while her tank at home sits fallow. Those fish are in the same water I use in the 40 gallon as well, and follow the same water change regiment. They are all doing fine. This isn't my first time quarantining fish, I'm just at a loss here as to what's going on.
