iwishtofish
Active member
How do I get it ready for the next victim...er...fish? Can I just dry it out for a while, or do I have to run it with freshwater and bleach, or anything like that? Help appreciated.
When a fish dies in QT
- Thread starter iwishtofish
- Start date
Daniel Reef
New member
Sorry to hear about your loss. Was it the Kole tang?
Reefing Newbie
New member
Just remove the body and do a decent sized water change. My male clown died in QT with the female who killed him by being a little rough and very good at competing for food. No I'll effects from just removing and changing some water. Sorry for the loss.
iwishtofish
Active member
Well, I woke up this morning, and the fish was swimming back and forth across the tank. I have lighting low, so I had to look hard. Then it lay on its side for a second before going upside down. It was breathing super fast. I went away for a bit, and when I came back, it was spinning on its side in the swirl from the powerhead. I assumed it had not long.
When I looked a few minutes ago, it was meandering upright. So, I'm still assuming it's on its way out.
MrTuskfish
Team RC
If I had a fish die and had no idea why, I'd do a complete WC. Assuming a healthy DT, water from the DT is fine to use in the QT and do a WC in the DT at the same time. We always talk about parasites; but who knows what bacteria, viruses, etc a new fish can carry? Catching some of this mystery stuff is a big part of using a QT, IMO.
iwishtofish
Active member
Thank you. I was just worried about free-form ich, or something like that, remaining in residual water if it were not sanitized.
MrTuskfish
Team RC
Sure, forms of ich can live in any amount of water for as much as a few months. A complete drying of everything wet in the tank will eliminate that possibility.
iwishtofish
Active member
Ok, If (when?) the tang dies, I'll just dry it all out. I'll take the powerhead apart, too, so it can dry. I guess the HOB filter is another story. Perhaps running it in a bucket of bleach and water.
29reef
It's all about the flow
A possible alternative would be to remove the carbon filter from the HOB and run they tank at a hypo salt level, while also using a large dose of copper. At the end of two weeks I would expect the tank to be "safe", then preform a 50% water change and add a fresh carbon filter to the tank.
iwishtofish
Active member
Makes sense to me!
Why not just freshwater? Doesn't hypo put a hit on nitrifying bacteria, anyway? I guess without copper, one would have to wait longer...
I'm trying to avoid copper, if I can. With my luck, I wouldn't be able to keep the "contaminated" equipment separate from the reef equipment.
MrTuskfish
Team RC
I prefer to just throw the media away and air-dry the filter; most HOB filter media is cheap and, if using carbon, no telling what the carbon has absorbed (like bleach). there is really no reason to use carbon in a QT anyway, except to remove meds. I really like Aqua Clear filters for a QT, their sponges are huge and separate from the carbon. If you keep a spare sponge somewhere in the flow of your DT; it will seed with bacteria and instantly a HT/QT when needed.
MrTuskfish
Team RC
Why all this work? Air-drying will take care of any parasite. I like to do this outside, sunlight is a great disinfectant....or its nice to think that way.
Reefing Newbie
New member
I would maybe dry and fill with a water vingar solution to kill anything that could have possibly killed your fish. I was originally thinking you knew what killed it. Or you could use isotopyl alcohal(sorry not sure exactly how to spell it) and do a nice rub now. Won't harm your future fish at a because it evaporates quickly.
iwishtofish
Active member
Drying sounds easiest to me, indeed.
The fish isn't dead yet. I just expect it to die, regardless of the fact that it just started eating and I will do everything I can to get it through salinity shock, pH shock, and major stress!
