Trouble in Paradise...

N

Neptune 555

New member
I have two clown fish and one yellow goby in my 10 gallon QT tank. The salinity is at 1.008 and the fish have been located here for 4 weeks while my DT is fallow. The goby has not been happy the entire time he has been in QT... I suspected b/c I had PVC piping for him not sand bottom. TODAY I witnessed the smaller of the percula clown fish biting the tail of my goby. I just caught the goby and placed him in a smaller box attached to the inside of the tank.

Now what? Will Goby make it? I am going to try and feed him right now... I cant keep him in the box for another month? I don't really want yet another QT tank?

I had never witnessed ich on either of these fish... but the DT did have ich. I was trying to keep it fallow for 10 weeks - 3 months. I have had the DT fallow for 4 weeks that is not long enough to eradicate ich? To make it worse the goby is my daughters favorite fish always has been. His eyes are cloudy?

Suggestions?

Neptune
 
Is your salinity 1.008 or 1.028? If it's 1.008, to my understanding that alone could be the reason for such discontent out of your goby. I know most LFS's don't let their salinity drop below 1.021 as that is considered the lowest you can let your tank go before you're in danger. If this is in fact the measure of your tank, do not raise it fast at all. Raise it slowly, maybe 1-2 points a day at the most. What is the reason for not having the fish in the DT? Ich?
 
Last edited:
lrs183 said:
Is your salinity 1.008 or 1.028? If it's 1.008, to my understanding that alone could be the reason for such discontent out of your goby. I know most LFS's don't let their salinity drop below 1.021 as that is considered the lowest you can let your tank go before you're in danger. If this is in fact the measure of your tank, do not raise it fast at all. Raise it slowly, maybe 1-2 points a day at the most. What is the reason for not having the fish in the DT? Ich?
Click to expand...

putting fish thru a qt regimen should be standard practice for all...
many of us don't add any fish to our dt until they have spent a min of 8-10 weeks in our qts...
running a qt with sg that low, or hyposalinty, is a gentle way and one used by many to help fight ich...
copper should never be used when using the hypo menthod...
 
Yeah I have been doing some reading after making that post and I see the hyposalinity method associated with it. So my apologies. 8-10 weeks seems like a long time, even for the full life cycle of the ich (which seems to be 3-4 weeks). I wish I could do that practice of doing a QT before DT, but I can't afford a QT tank right now unless they don't have any special requirements.

I know I am relating it to my freshwater tank, but I had ich at one point and the fish get very funky when they have it. It's really a hard thing for them to go through. Like a poster said earlier I'd just try to make the environment as normal as possible for them and perhaps that will help. Or maybe even purchase a divider for the tank? That may be better than putting the goby in a small box.
 
yes I am running to LFS to get a divider... Funny I have never used one before and it did not occur to me. I am also going to add a bowl of sand for my goby to hide in. Yes they are in QT before going into my DT. THis is my new protocal given my last ICH outbreak 4 weeks ago. NEVER AGAIN.

Thanks for suggestions... the bowl idea never occurred to me either. I had been keeping it bare bottom in hopes to vacuum up the ich after it falls off. That being said.. I never saw ich on any of these 3 fish BUT my DT did have it and I lost several other fish.

THANKS!

Neptune...
 
Update...

So I purchased the divider and separated the fish in QT. I was really considering just putting the poor goby guy back into the DT. Humaguy I liked your idea of adding a bowl of sand so he could hide... **Big mistake on my implementation but very illuminating!!!!!

I took some sand from my DT that has been fallow for 4+ weeks. I added that to my QT tank... and sadly this morning my goby now has ich!! I am 100% sure that yesterday he was beat up and unhappy but had no signs of ich. Today his has ich oh him. My conclusion is YES you need to keep DT gallow for 10+ weeks to ensure the ich dies. It has also confirmed to me that you can have an ICH free tank. That goby was stressed out before and unhappy but no ICH. I re-introduced the ich from the sand in the DT and bingo he know has an outbreak. Before no ich... just unhappy. Now he has ich.

So he is already in QT and I just lowered the salinity again.. from 1.010 to 1.009 and am hoping to see him clear up in the next 4 days. I am trying to feed him w/ garlic soaked food. I hope he makes it! But it has proven to me that you do need to keep DT fallow for the 10+ weeks to kill that parasite!

Neptune
 
My clown has done this to my goby quite a few times. I believe your issue is that the goby has no where to escape to.
 
Its imposible that you can take sand out of a tank yesterday that had ich and a fish gets it today. Do some reading up on the life cycle and you will see.
 
the tank should really be fish less for 12 weeks to be sure it is ich free. Read the stickies in the disease forum, I remember seeing a link to an excellent article on ich, it's a 2 parter & extremely informative on the life cycle
 
So my Goby has ich... and he is in Hypo divided from the clown fish and has PVC piping to hide in. I am testing water a few times a day to keep it at 1.008. What if I get it wrong and my salinity goes to 1.007? What point do they die from to low salinity?

My goby looks pretty bad however I am confident that the ich will die b/c he is already in QT? Would a freshwater dip be worth the stress? I am feeding frozen foods soaked in garlic he has not eaten in two days... maybe a tiny tiny mouthful. Would baby brine shrimp help? I can start making some?

Trinidiver... the ich could also have always been from the fish itself... he was in his 10 day of HYPO tho? Maybe the salinity was not low enough for a bit and some trophets were free swimming?

Neptune
 
However, from a post in a different forum, I am guessing from the additional information provided that you are dealing with velvet (oodinium). Please read the stickies.
 
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