Sailfin going down in QT...

rort

rort

Active member
I have a Sailfin and a Chocolate (mimic) tang in a QT (both very small).

The Chocolate was eating for yesturday while the Sailfin still hasnt. The first day the params where fine.

I checked today and the Ammonia is at .50!!!!!!!

I did a fast 25% water change. I come home and the Sailfin is doing even worse! The tips of his fins are shredding and he is losing all of his color. The Chocolate tang is getting a dark color around his gills...

And the Ammonia is now up to 1.00!!!!!

I don't get it. This is an established QT. I know they can be messy but that fast?

I plan to do a 100% water change tonight to try and save them!

Any ideas to save these fish?
 
I personally would take them out of qt and stick them in a established tank. I think thats the only way to save them. Keep us posted.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13344396#post13344396 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Spooky208
I personally would take them out of qt and stick them in a established tank. I think thats the only way to save them. Keep us posted.
Click to expand...

+1.

Interesting! The best environment you can provide?

;)
 
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it seems some times tangs just dont do well in qt tanks... my fish friend has a scopas tang i picked up for her when i was in another town fish shopping it was a beautiful fats healthy looking tang.. within a week in qt it was a skeleton and on its death bead.. she put it in the display out of desperation to try to save it... it improved by leaps on a daily basis and after a week it was healthy and fatter than it was when i got it.. still fat and happy a year latter and is her pride and joy who loves to be hand feed
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13344396#post13344396 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Spooky208
I personally would take them out of qt and stick them in a established tank. I think thats the only way to save them. Keep us posted.
Click to expand...

No doubt.

I really dont get why people insist on killing otherwise healthy fish in a QT tank.

Established or not, a bare tank cannot sustain two tang, or hardly any fish. It does not have the capability biologically.

More healthy fish die in QT systems than sick fish in reefs IMO.
 
Nope, never used that stuff on my tanks.

As an update, I have placed both tangs in my DT with hope that they will be in a more established tank and be able to survive in there. I guess if they do get sick I will have to take them out at a later time and treat them then!

I will update how they are doing tomorrow. Thanks
 
What sort of biological filtration were you running in the QT? The reason I ask is that folks will often throw a sponge filter in their display's sump that they can use for QT; however, you MUST actually run the sponge filter in the sump in order to have enough bacteria colonize it. Just sitting in the sump doesn't cut it.

Good luck and keep us posted.
 
this is my second QT setup. The first one I ran the small aquaclear sponge filter in the DT sump, on this setup I used sponge filters that where just sitting in my sump.

This is probably the reason for all this.

Stupid on my part...

Thanks Conesus
 
If they get sick in your display you have something wrong.

Fish dont die from ich in healthy systems, if thats what you are afraid of. If they get sick or stay sick, putting them back into the QT is a death sentence.
 
Time to upgrade your QT. I use a Whisper 40 on a 20 long. I wish I had bought a cyclone skimmer in addition, but I have had good success with the filter, live rock, bare bottom, and making sure I do not disturb the biological part of my filter system. A simple upgrade should make your QT successfull.
 
I have a 20 long QT as well with an AquaClear Sponge and cultured ring bio-filter that is made for a 30-50 gallon tank. I also have a Koralia 2 to get a little more water flow. I believe I have what I need to make this QT successful. I plan to leave out the LR in case I need to administer Hypo or Copper.

UPDATE!

The Sailfin is doing much better in the DT. He has taken a beating to his dorsal and anal fins... and some lost of color on his left side, but is swimming better and is more attentive.

On the other hand, my Chocolate Tang does not want to be found. He was doing a little better this morning but after being gone for a couple hours and returning home, he is no where to be found... Are chocolate (mimic) Tangs known to hide?

He was my favorite! I hope he shows up soon!
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13348408#post13348408 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SeeDemTails
Next time dont put them in QT first, please put them in the display asap.
Click to expand...

You even get bad advise from LFS employees online.:lol:
 
there is only a medium foxface and two Firefish in the tank... My porcupine puffer killed about 3 fish so I have a smaller stock.

And i'm sorry but the advice to never QT my Fish before putting them in the DT, ESPECIALLY tangs, is horrible advice.

I know that I messed up on this QT and feel terrible for that mistake to be the cause of the death of a fish, but I did not make a mistake on choosing to quaranting
 
You even get bad advise from LFS employees online.
Click to expand...

Sad, but true.

My qt tank is set up with live rock, live sand, a remora pro skimmer, maxijet 1200, heater and mini light. I don't think most fish do well thrown into bare qt tanks.

I also have a 10 gallon hospital tank for medicating.

Joyce
 
If you say so lol. I dont work at petco, I work at one of the nicest SPS reef shops in florida.

So Scott, what exactly are your trying to prevent by QTing a tang? Ich lol?

Most fish that die in QT tanks are perfectly healthy before entering the tank, only to develop ich or other signs of ammonia posioning at which point the noobish person says "boy I am glad I QTed that fish, it would have killed my whole tank!" and then they start the cycle over again, if only they had put the healthy fish in the established tank in the first place. I am sick of watching people kill fish.

The fish in this case as well as many others were ill from ammonia posioning, not because they has a disease and needed to be seperated.

Fish die of ich in QT because of tanks like the one in this thread. The fish gets stressed even more being in a tank with no algae and no capability to sustain the load of the fish.

What a coincidence that the fish is doing better in the DT tank. Has the other tang showed up yet or did you wait to long to remove it from the sewage water in your QT tank?

Ich doesnt kill fish in healthy tanks, end of story.

A tang needs algae to graze on and an established tank will give the fish a much better shot.

Good food and water will give almost any fish a better chance that a stressful amonia filled QT tank. You have no idea how many fish I have saved with nothing more than good food and water that people brought ot the shop because they were sure the fish was going to die....

Some of you are totally out of the loop. I dont read articles to learn what I know, I prefer experience.
 
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