Sick Fish Help!

[coralfarmer84]

Now I'm in big trouble.... yesterday i noticed my achilles wasn't looking so hot (my favorite fish) so i set up a freshwater dip... while i was waiting for the water to become same temp as tank i fed fish and he ate, i go into bathroom and when i come out he is completely dead I had him for just over 3 months now and he was completely healthy until i put in the idols..... now my chevron tang is looking much the same way but i can't catch him and my cleaner seems to not be helping the matter... any suggestions. P.S every other fish in the tank looks fine, no signs of disease, why would one tang have it and not the hippo, yellow, and naso?? I've already lost 2 hundred dollars worth of fish someone please help.

 

[doody]

Sorry bout the loss man.

 

[STACKER]

You'll kill $2,000.00 if you don't stop and listen to those of us who have already been there. When I started this there was no such thing as the internet (for public use) and the LFS were all but clueless. Laugh all you want but experience in these matters will beat all you think you already know. Read the other post for my suggestions to save your other fish.

Rules of thumb, no fish for 30 days.

1 lb. min. per gal. LR (2 if you are a BB person)

After 30 days 1 snail per 10 gal. + 3 scrap fish
(dip in low gravity SW w/ FW exit and parasite treatment after acclimating)

20% waterchange weekly, skim wet

After another 30 days decrease waterchanges to 10%

Add one quality fish, and hermits. (acclimate for 2 hrs. then dip)

Aait atleast 1 week before adding anything else.

Deal with diatom and green algae bloom (these WILL happen period).

Add full cleanup crew of shrimps, crabs, stars, cukes, (pods if necessary).

Think about corals and compatibility for atleast 30 days.

If going with Softies, add one piece weekly and continue water changes.

If going SPS decide on a lighting. flow, and dosing program and iron out all workings before you start adding corals and frags. (ya, this is where a shortcut will cost you the loss everything!)

In short, mother nature cannot be rushed, establishing a viable system takes 1 yr. min. before a stabile condition is reached. bigger is not better, only bigger and a bit slower to react.

That's about it for now

 

[coralfarmer84]

All that information would be great stack if i didn't already have my system up and running for about 9 months now with over 30 corals and 12 fish in which i added over time. I have sps pieces bigger than our heads and i have never lost a coral since the setup. I value your infortmation and listen to all people with current setups, i just have an unexpected problem here... yes i should have passed on the idols but for 30 bucks for a pair could you really have said no? the only reason I didn't QT is because i didn't feel a 20 gallon tank would be big enough for two idols to survive comfortablely and not stress out and die otherwise... I understand that and now i am paying the price for trying to save money. Its just a good thing i didn't get a crosshatch trigger like i could have for 160 bucks, that would have been a lot more money down the tube.

Heres what i learned. NEVER buy a fish that you haven't already seen eat. I'm saving my money now let the system recover for a while, maybe i'll get another cleaner, i have one now, because when i finally get down to florida i have a job at the local fish store waiting for me 10 bucks an hour and items at cost. So the tank will be full of more LR than walt smiths tank himself :lol:

 

[STACKER]

You're the boss... <my hands in the air>

As I've said before "I was you" 20 years, thousands of dollars and even more thousands of hrs. ago. I'll forgo any advice in the future since you seem to have it all at hand already.

 

[coralfarmer84]

I never said that... all I said was that how does some of things about tank setup apply to me lol. Don't worry Stack I take everything you say seriously
:smokin:

 

[coralfarmer84]

I never said that... all I said was that how does some of things about tank setup apply to me lol. Don't worry Stack I take everything you say seriously
:smokin:

 

[mfabrizio75]

for the amount of fish coral farmer kills we could have an all you can eat buffet

 

[coralfarmer84]

mike for someone who spends every waking minute on the computer i'd figure you for more than 24 posts.... then again i bet its hard to type with only one hand on the keyboard :strooper:

 

[XeniaMania]

Maybe it's because the other tangs stress out the other ones.

 

[coralfarmer84]

they never pick on each other... just for a day or two when first introduced then they all end up schooling and foraging for food together. If anything my damsel is the biggest bully in the tank.

 

[coralfarmer84]

I hope the situation is under control now... all of the sick fish have died off and none of the remaining fish seem to be showing any signs of disease. I'm gonna give some credit to my UV sterilizer for this just because it was expensive lol. I'll let you know if anything changes as of right now I'm down to 10 fish.
Yellow, hippo, naso w/streamers tangs, 3 bicolor anthias, diamond goby, mandarin, gold stripe maroon clown, and the stupid damsel that never dies