Purchasing an Established Tank. Help Needed!

[Au_ThatHurt]

Update here Everyone. The tank has been up and running in my house for a little over a week now. The nitrate levels are currently high and were imo "off the charts" when we first picked up the tank. The fish have been eating like champions and I have been hand feeding them once a day (a larger meal in the morning) but I am worried that the water parameters are not up to a good enough par for the fish and livestock to be happy.

I noticed a day after moving the tank into my house that the the male clown had a small white speck on his side (about the size of a grain of sand). The speck has since receded and is almost gone. It looked almost like a little dead scale coming off him which I thought could have been a result from the stressful move, but I noticed another white speck on the female clown which popped up today on the tip of her anal fin (best pics I could get of it below) and I immediately became worried at the possibility of lymphocystis after researching about clownfish diseases. I learned that lymphocystis usually appears to be more wart-like but as these specks are so small, it is impossible for me to determine the structure of the specks. The clowns seem to be doing great as they have been eating out of my hand with a voracious appetite and have been doing their mating dance with the male seizin out. Do you guys have an idea what the speck could be?

I also took two pictures of my ammonia test in two different lights which I could use some help with in reading the comparisons to the color card.

 

[oldbones]

I wouldn't be too worried about a single white spot or lump on your clown. Not to say it couldn't be the plague, but it might be nothing as well.

My female recently developed a big, white, pimple looking lump high on her side. By the very next day, it was all but gone and I wouldn't even have noticed the off colored spot in it's place if I hadn't been looking for it. That was a month ago, and no problems before or since.

I know you've heard this before, but hear it again because it's true. Those API kits are notoriously unreliable. The ammonia test in particular is unreliable down around zero. Do yourself a favor and think about replacing all that API stuff as funds become available. That being said, that test looks like it's just off zero, which may very well be zero. I wouldn't sweat that Ammonia test result.

Tank is looking good! Try as hard as you can to leave it alone for a couple more weeks. However, if you're like most of the rest of us and just can't do it, then go pick out an inexpensive Zoa frag or two. Make sure you pick up something like CoralRX or maybe Bayer (look it up) so you can dip those new frags for pests.

Have fun!!!

 

[Au_ThatHurt]

I wouldn't be too worried about a single white spot or lump on your clown. Not to say it couldn't be the plague, but it might be nothing as well.

My female recently developed a big, white, pimple looking lump high on her side. By the very next day, it was all but gone and I wouldn't even have noticed the off colored spot in it's place if I hadn't been looking for it. That was a month ago, and no problems before or since.

I know you've heard this before, but hear it again because it's true. Those API kits are notoriously unreliable. The ammonia test in particular is unreliable down around zero. Do yourself a favor and think about replacing all that API stuff as funds become available. That being said, that test looks like it's just off zero, which may very well be zero. I wouldn't sweat that Ammonia test result.

Tank is looking good! Try as hard as you can to leave it alone for a couple more weeks. However, if you're like most of the rest of us and just can't do it, then go pick out an inexpensive Zoa frag or two. Make sure you pick up something like CoralRX or maybe Bayer (look it up) so you can dip those new frags for pests.

Have fun!!!

Hey oldbones! thanks for the kind words. I actually woke up today to an inflamed left gill (you can see a pic on my other recent post) on my yellowtail damsel so I ended up putting the fish in QT and have begun a copper treatment. I am now in this situation for the next 10 to 12 weeks in case it was the dreaded ich. Man today was rough though :headwalls: It will be all worth it once they are happy and in the DT though!