How do I deal?????

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MACATUA

Aquarium Advice FINatic
Joined
Jul 23, 2003
Messages
973
Location
WOODSTOCK, GA
Sorry in advance for the long post.

I have had the worst experience in my 4 years of fish-keeping this week. It was time for a new fish and I went to my LFS to get a new fish. The same LFS that sold me a Harlequin Tusk that he says had been eating like a hog, even though he would not come out to eat around me, I thought he was a friend and trusted him. Never ate a bite in my tank. Anyway, I bought a red Coris Wrasse to replace the Lightning Wrasse I lost due to old age. Anyway. Quarantined for 2 weeks no signs of anything so I let him go. Every one is fine and dandy for a week. Then a sudden Ick and/or Velvet outbreak. Everyone is eating so I dont worry about it. Goes on about a week and I try some Rally and Kick Ich to help out. Everything clears up. I went out of town for a weekend come back and everyone is covered except the Wrasse. Next day my 6 month old PBT and my very expensive Zebra Swallowtail Angel are dead. Then the next day my two-year-old puffer! He was my favorite fish ever. DEAD! My last fish left is my Blue Throat Trigger who is almost twoyears old and he looks terrible. He will probobly die! Then I see the Wrasse swimming around, no signs of anything. He must be a host. I am sick to death. I have not been so sad in a very long time. I don't know what to do.

This LFS has sold me a bum Harlequin and a host Wrasse. I am so mad.

Help!

Make me feel better.
:cry:
 
not to sound harsh but the fault does not lie with the LFS. Your quarantine method is lacking. If the fish would have been in qtine for a month, this wouldnt have happened. Then the products you used to treat the ich are less then stellar, IMO.

I am sorry for your losses, it is a horrible thing you have gone through.
I have used kick ich and it was on a puffer that I had bought, it had ich when I bought it, I qtined and treated and the day after treatment started, the puffer started losing its flesh and died.

The bottom line is this is why it is suggested to qtine for a month.
 
Honestly I don't think a month would have sufficed. The fish has been in my tank for a onth now and still shows no signs of anything. The fish seems to be immune to the sickness and may never show any signs of it.

I could have done it for a month, but I don't think it would have changed the outcome.
 
If the fish got ich after a month of it being in your care, it is still not right to blame the LFS guy.
 
Nevermind, it doesn't matter. If you think I am at fault, you are entitled to your belief.

Thank you.
 
MACATUA said:
Then I see the Wrasse swimming around, no signs of anything. He must be a host.

Man sorry for your loss. :(

Your above statement makes no sense though...I have never heard of a fish being a host that shows no signs of the disease/parasite to begin with.

QT longer as suggested, but I am thinking something else causes the outbreak. Possible short temp temp swing or just stress form adding a new fish. Were ther any aggression issues?

There are enough bad LFS out there, but Blaming one for an ich outbreak a month after you purchased a fish seems a bit out there to me.

Possibly part of the grieving process though.

Best course of action now would be to remove all remain fish to QT for 6-8 weeks and let the tank go fallow. I do not believe in any of the magic cures in a bottle. The only way to get rid of ick is to remove the fish and treat them in QT.

Again, sorry yo hear about the loss.

Good Luck,
 
I am not saying you are at fault. I am saying the LFS guy is not, that is all.

Sometimes fish get ich, period. That is the way of things. There are things as no fault situations and I was just pointing out, in general terms, that 2 weeks in quarantine is not an effective quarantine.
 
I'm also thinking velvet since I believe it kills much faster than ick. Fine white spots. Look at the pec fins. See any "dusting"?

Checked the water params recently? As mentioned swings in salinity, ph, 'trates, temp, etc can lower immune systems and cause an onset of disease.
 
yea, i check parameters regularly and have had this tank up and going fine for 4 years. Nothing odd as of late. In fact the Angel was a recent addition and did just great upon accllimation.

I am also leaning toward velvet. I used Rally and Kick Ich, to cover all my bases.

Anyway, thanks.
 
Sorry to hear of your loss, MACATUA. :(

I don't know about SW ich, but in FW ich, raising the temperautre of the tank to around 87F (with adding extra aeration to compensate for loss of O2 with high temps) kills Ich very, very fast. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. It might be worth a try.
 
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