Urgent help please... Maroons look like they are dying.

[hodge_williams]

hi all
I havent seen my clowns eat for a week although sometimes I can see their excretions which says to me they are.

I have a 3X1.5X1.5 (200ltr) approx 8 weeks old with a biofilter skimmer, 2500 powerhead, 25kg of live rock, 10inches of marble chip substrate, 3 flouros (2X20w daylight, 1x20w attinct) BTA & mushroom leather (both introduced same time as clowns) which have rapidly grown and are eating well, and a yellow tang recently introduced.
Test as follows;
1.026 salinity
0 Nitrites
0 Ammonia
25 Nitrates
430 Calcium
7 KH
25 degrees celcius

Apparently the light may be a problem for BTA's but as I said before it is floroushing.

They get on well with the tang so I know its not it. The clowns used to hang out in (i mean all the time) the BTA but of recent few days do not enter in to it.

They are gulping very vigorously and the female looks as though she is really struggling to swim. Whats mors is her fins have been eating by something.

I do not think she will survive much longer and whats worse is I think the male may go down the same path!

Please help me with what I can do... I don't want them to die!

 

[stykthyn]

how long have you had them?

I would remove to a QT tank immediately and start a maracyn II treatment. the maracyn is an antibiotic and vitamin cocktail that is absorbed through the gills so even if the fish arent eating they will be getting some nutrition.

post pics if you can.

 

[hodge_williams]

thanks for the post... I do not have a QT... what damage will maracyn II treatment do if I add it to my DT?

had the fish for about 3.5 weeks now. when I got them they were eating fine, no problems... Will see it I can take pics and post them...

 

[stykthyn]

go to walmart and get a 10 gallon tank or a rubbermaid tub. both options are under 10 dollars and I promise in this hobby you will use them over and over again. I highly recommend against using any meds in a display tank.

 

[Slakker]

You need to scramble together quarantine equipment. Never, and I do mean NEVER, treat illness in your display tank. The medication (whatever you use) will almost assuredly soak into your liverock and substrate and leach back out over time, in many cases making it impossible for you to keep any kind of invert.

Your tank is also substantially too young for an anemone, but that's not the main concern right now.

You will need to treat ALL of the fish in your display; the yellow tang too, so a large enough QT tank to fit all of them will be beneficial. For the QT you'll need little more than a heater, a pump for water movement, and if you've got one a HoB filter for running some carbon (in accordance with medication instructions, of course) would be nice too. Don't worry about lighting or anything fancy, just pick up some nice big PVC fittings for hiding places, your fish will appreciate the added privacy. I've always covered the sides and back of my QT tanks in black paper (leaving the front pane open only). I just feel like it makes the fish feel safer in there...couldn't hurt, anyways.

Might be helpful to put some white paper underneath the bottom to make it easier to siphon out waste, too. Water quality is going to be very important while they're in QT, you'll need to do water changes every couple of days until things stabilize a bit.

 

[hodge_williams]

Thanks for all of your help....

I put the female into a smaller tank that I had (thoroughly cleaned with r/o then s/w NO SOAP). I had a small p/h (500 l/h) and a heater... She unfortunately did not make it though the night... I feel really miserable! what was really interesting was she had a mark down the side of her like something has had a swipe at her...

I am completely angry with my LFS. I asked them for help and they provided non! They never advised me to use any treatments nor to use a QT.

As per your advice slakker I am going to place all fish in the QT and give mediation to them. I will keep posted on the recovery and hopefully no more fatalities...