Majestic Angel is dead too! Im about to give up...

[courtneyclv]

Ok, good advice. BF knows that his trigger didnt kill anyone (because wouldnt he have picked on the smallest, most peaceful fire fish?) And he knows that no more stressful aggressive fish will ever be in the tank regardless. Whew..finally got to him!

Soooo...
I will return the aggressive fish that I have. What about my firefish and clownfish. Can I keep them or should I take them out too so my tank can stabalize?

What about my live rock and inverts (snails and brittles)
Take them out too?

Let the tank sit for awhile (about a 6-8 weeks)
At this time can I add more LR if I find some or no?

Thanks for all the help guys!

 

[roka64]

Cool, I'm glad he is listening!

I will return the aggressive fish that I have.

Good idea.
Now for these questions. Why are you thinking about taking them all back?

What about my firefish and clownfish.

I would leave them in there. Unless you know you had ich.

What about my live rock and inverts (snails and brittles)

They will be safe, as long as your water parameters are stable and readings are at 0.

At this time can I add more LR if I find some or no?

You can add as much as you like.

 

[courtneyclv]

Ok, then that is what I will do. Return the trigger and damsels..when I catch them. Leave the clownfish, firefish and inverts. Stock up on my LR, maybe some inverts.

Everyone else think this is the best tactic to get my tank back to normal if it had ich or a parasite? (and my tank just sitting without new fish for over a month will be the way to 'fix' it)

Should I maybe do a 50% water change too?

 

[roka64]

if it had ich or a parasite?

We aren't exactly sure you do have ich. If that is the case, you should leave the tank fallow for 6-8 weeks.

Should I maybe do a 50% water change too?

If your water parameters are in order, all 0s, I don't see any reason to do a PWC that large. If you think you have ich a 50% PWC won't get rid of it.

 

[ntswift]

I will return the aggressive fish that I have. What about my firefish and clownfish. Can I keep them or should I take them out too so my tank can stabalize?

Roka is right about not taking them back unless you know you have ich. However I would much rather be safe than sorry in this case. You maybe killing more and more fish trying to figure out what is killing your fish when it's as simple as going fallow (no fish) for 6-8 weeks. IMHO I would take everything back just to be safe. Do you really need to? I dont know for sure. I could be wrong but that is just my opinion. I really hope its not ich though. Its a pain in the butt to deal with. Good luck!

 

[No_Floaters]

Be careful about adding more liverock. Unless it's cured, you'll risk starting another cycle.

 

[afilter]

I agree with most of what is posted above. I also responded in this thread:

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=86270

I would like to see you update your "my info." with more details. In addition to having a huge bio load for a new tank I question if you have adequate filtration with only 40lbs of LR and..."Canister filter and power filter" without knowing what kind of filters. Are you running a protien shimmer? The type of fish you have can be messy and I would recommend it down the road.

As for returning fish I agree that the agressive fish can go and possibly all if you truly have ich. My question is what LFS is going to take back fish that may or may not have ich? Do you have a QT tank? A QT tank may be the better route long term. You can proberly QT your current fish you plan to keep and then QT furutre purchases and not run the risk of reintroducing disease. For the cost of a bare bottom 20g and extra HOB with sponge it is worth the investement vs. the hassle of treating the main once it is infected.

Suggest you do some more research on the fish you want and develop a wish list. Fish should be added in a certain order from least aggressive (not necessarily the smallest) to most aggressive.

Don't give up, just slow down. Even with a 80 gallon tank you are limited on the amount of fish and if the filtration is less than adequate you may be even more limited.

Keep us posted on what you decide.

Good luck,

 

[courtneyclv]

Well I checked the water today and nitrite went up a bit (for the first time ever i swear)..sorry dont know the numbers. I am doing a PWC today of 20-30 gallons. Taking back the three damsels and the trigger and clownfish to have LFS look after. (I can hear trigger nipping at clown right now!)

I will also try to siphon out any remains of past animals that have died. I removed my angel but the the gramma got eaten. May be bones left. and I will check on brittles.

So...if I let my tank sit for 6-8 weeks...the ich will go away, any parasites..etc will go away. They will not attach to my inverts? I just want to make sure becaue this is my plan.

I am also planning on no more aggressive fish..just semi. good?

Is there anywhere I can get my new batch of fish so I know they won't have anything wrong with them? Online at liveaquaria?

 

[ntswift]

So...if I let my tank sit for 6-8 weeks...the ich will go away, any parasites..etc will go away. They will not attach to my inverts? I just want to make sure becaue this is my plan.

Yes, the ich will be gone. Just remember to qt your new fish so that it doesnt get introduced into your tank again.

Is there anywhere I can get my new batch of fish so I know they won't have anything wrong with them? Online at liveaquaria?

There is no way of knowing whether or not the fish that you are getting online will have ich or not. They move the fish in and out of the online stores so fast I doubt they would even know. However they do offer a 14 day guarantee!

 

[afilter]

The real issue is to take it slow and properly QT new fish. You can leave your tank empty for 2 months and kill any current parasites, but as soon as you intorduce a new fish without proper QT and it gets stressed th process can start all over.

The key is getting the tank stabilized (consistent good wter quality over time) and properly QT new fish otherwise you are taking a gamble.

Even if ich is present most fish will fight it off if they are healthy and not stressed. I have had fish die of ich and no others in the same tank become infected if they are healthy.

Some key things that stress fish include:

Sudden change in water temp
Deteriorating water quality
Sudden spikes in water quality
Being picked on by more aggressive fish
Territorial battles that do not stop
Shipping/transfer process to a new environment

This is just a few things that come to mind, I am sure there are many more. It is our job to try to reduce as much of the stress as possible by providing a good home that minimizes these factors.

Good Luck,

 

[courtneyclv]

Ok..just got finished.

I did a PWC of about 20 gallons. (not sure exactly) removed all of the fish I could catch with removing most of my live rock. I got the trigger and two damsels. I felt bad for the clown because he is all torn up...barely any fins and Im afraid LFS wouldnt want him. So he is in there and firefish. Firefish has always done great in my tank, he hid in a hole in my LR couldnt get him..tried to take out the LR but he was in there.
Used ro/di water with salt added from the LFS. Will test tomorrow.

I siphoned the water from the bottom to get rid of the crap that always comes off my LR..but moving it made more crap and debris come off..? Anything to do about that?

So I want to do MAJOR planning now with my new stock list in a couple of months and will only get the fish I want if they are available..no impulse buying just because they look cute! And I will get my QT put together.

I like these fish but know some arent reef safe (I may go that route with some corals) ..what do you suggest and in what order..or any suggestions?

powder blue tang

pair of clownfish when I can get them with an anemone (when i do my lighing upgrade)

another tang if they get along?

butterfly fish or angelfish

 

[roka64]

I felt bad for the clown because he is all torn up

Watch those maroons, they have cheekspines and should not be caught in a net.

 

[courtneyclv]

K. What do you think about my possible list? Pushing it?

 

[ntswift]

The list looks good except for the powder blue tang. It requires at least a 100 gal tank. I've never had one before so maybe someone with some experience with them can hook you up with some info on them. I dont know if your tank is the same length as a 100 gal. I know with tangs, its the swimming room that really matters. Just remember to qt them once you get them. Add them very slowly too. I'd only put one fish in a month, if that. But remember if you are going with no fish right now to get rid of the ich, make sure you go the whole 8 weeks to be safe. Tangs are very prone to ich, so you will have to be very careful. Most butterfly's and angels aren't reef safe if you wanted to go that route. There are a few exceptions and there are a few that people get lucky with.

I siphoned the water from the bottom to get rid of the crap that always comes off my LR..but moving it made more crap and debris come off..? Anything to do about that?

There isn't much you can do about it. If you scrubbed it off when you first put it in and its just now starting to fall off, you may want to pull it out and scrub it one more time really good. Other than that just keep on vacuuming it up.

 

[it512]

Maybe those fish that died could have something to do with the way the LFS or wholesaler collected them???? Asked the store how there fish are collected?

Here is what I've noticed.
I've purchased fish from PETCO at different times and all but 1 survived Then I started buying my fish at a different pet store and everything has survived.
After seeing this I believe were you buy the fish is the #1 most important thing.

Petco fish:
coral beauty angle - Dead
butterfly - Dead
Damsel - Dead
Maroon clown - Dead
anemone – Dead
All have died over night, One day there doing fine the next there dead.
O clown - alive

Aqua touch
yellow eye tang - Alive
2 C Clowns - alive
anemone - alive
shrimp - alive
snails + Crabs - alive.

 

[courtneyclv]

Haha, how funny! I have gotten all of my fish at all reputable fish stores..not petco. I got only one of them at petco, my firefish..and he is the happiest out of anyone! The other stores though..I have to do more research on...they came from 3 different stores.

So, about the crap that comes off of my live rock...I thought that if I scrubbed it when I got it, the live bacteria and goodies would come off. I rinsed it throughouly. But now if I move it, more crap falls off. I tried to siphon it but ended up removing 20 gallons of water too! Should I use a smaller hose?

 

[ntswift]

You could try using a smaller hose. If you scrub your LR some of the goodies will come off, but from what I've noticed on my LR is that the stuff that you are scrubbing off will eventually die anyway during the cycle. I had some GSP's on a piece of LR that I got that I just left alone because I wanted to see if they would make it. Well about two weeks later they were starting to disolve in my tank and I had this purple stuff floating all around in my tank. I wish I would have scrubbed it off when I first got it because that was one of my bottom rocks and it just made an even bigger mess when I pulled it out to get the rest off. The bacteria wont fall off if you scrub your rocks. There will still be plenty in your tank to replenish your rock after you scrub it if you are still worried about it. If you do have some goodies that you see and you want to see if they will make it just scrub around them. I still got tons of cool stuff on my LR after it was all said and done.

 

[good11s]

Patience is always a virtue. I am a noob too; but what little I have learned; patience was the best. If you tank was mine; I would get rid of the damsels, and the trigger then stop. Do you weekly PWC and continue to test frequently; other than that, wait.

My tank has caused me fits. Massive die offs, high no3, algae blooms, you name it. But ever since I stopped fussing, and just focused on maintaining and enjoying what I have; things have improved.

I am sure there are much smarter, more experienced folks here that have sage advice, and I would suggest listening to them all. I just wanted to give my .02.

Good luck.

 

[courtneyclv]

Yes, I got rid of the trigger and damsels. All I have left now is a clown that is going to die tomorrow of ich, and a domino damsel (that I couldnt catch ) that now has ich and is scratching. So...after I get them out..I am letting my tank sit.

I am adding inverts and LR to my tank (got some today) BUT then someone on another site said that Ich can attach to LR and shells too! I am so confused!!!

Is there anything I can add, medication wise, that wont hurt my LR or inverts that will kill ich and parasites/diseases. The LFS had some today and I didnt buy some. Wanted to get some info first.

wbs

Courtney

 

[afilter]

Do not Medicate the main with LR and inverts in them. I do not care how many so called experts at the LFS say you can, remember they are trying to sell stuff as part of their job.


The only place medication should be used is a smaller hospital tank (can also be the QT tank). If you di medicate the main you will risk killing all your LR and inverts. Also, the rock will likely absorb some of the meds and it will never leave your system. Not to mention how costly it might be to try and medicate an 80g tank.

If you believe you have ich then best course is to remove all fish and leave the tank fishless for 6-8 weeks. Ich cannot survice for long without a host, and ineverts and LR do not host the parasite.

Then start over slowly with fish that you have properly QT.

If you set up a QT tank now abou the time your first fish are ready.

HTH,