the dust has settled...

[stryder]

OK, so my life is ready to get back to normal I hope. I just lost 5 fish to a weird velvet ick type illness ( i think ). I could only get my lemon peel angel in the q tank and it looks fine. I do have a coral beauty in the reef tank (130g) that looks like it is still sick (hiding and white spotty) and I'm not sure what to do. Are these diseases (parasites) alive in the water or just on the beauty? should I take the beauty out of the main tank and qtank it, and put the lemon peel in the main tank or would I just be making a well fish sick.????

The main tank still contains:
-yellow headed goby
-mandarin dragonet
-2 chromis
all in seemably fine health
(as well as corals and hermit crabs,... oh and a sand star)

 

[steve-s]

OK, so my life is ready to get back to normal I hope.

Sorry to say, not even close. If the tank was infected by a parasitic protozoan, you are about 4-6 weeks from being in the clear. You must first determine what the cause for the death(s) were from. What was the last fish introduced and how long after where there signs?

Many parasites will have similar traits and the best shotgun cure would be hyposalinity if in doubt. It is affective against a wide range of protozoans including C. irritans, Amyloodinium and Brookynella Hostillis to name the most common. It must however be used only in a QT environment which presents a rather large problem. How large is the QT?

The main tank still contains:
-yellow headed goby
-mandarin dragonet
-2 chromis

The above listed fish will co-exist with one of the two angels but in a small environment like a QT, the two dwarfs will most likely kill each other in a short time. You will also need to be wary of the sleeper goby. If it eats prepared foods, you are fine but with the dragonet it will not. Dragonets are highly resistant to most types of protozoans but are not immune and can still become infected. As long as a fish remains in the main display tank while all others are in treatment, there is a very high probability the other fish willl become re-infected after they are returned.

I am not sure what you are able to do short of setting up a seperate QT for the other angel but the mandarin will still be an issue. Were all new fish QT'd before being introduced to the main tank and if so how long?

Cheers
Steve

 

[stryder]

wow. 8O

So what you suggest is to take out all the fish and qtank them. Will all the parasites die in the main tank?? (in 4-6 weeks). The goby and the mandarin are so at home in there and seem to be fine. The Goby eats everything and I'm sure would be fine but the mandarin eats a very small amount of brine shrimp. His diet is definately being supplimented by the pod life and don't think he could survive the qtank stretch. I have a UV sterilizer but I fear it's not powerful enough. Is there any meds I can add???

I'm sure that the sickness came in on a flame angel that I didn't quarantine.

YIKES

 

[steve-s]

So what you suggest is to take out all the fish and qtank them. Will all the parasites die in the main tank?? (in 4-6 weeks).

Yes to both questions. Unless you are able to properly identify the problem, 6 weeks would be a safer bet. Ich will be very obviuos and show small white dots the size of a grain of sugar. Velvet would be similar but smaller much like a dusting of salt & pepper. If velvet, nothing can stay in the main tank. If ich, the mandarin will still be a great risk and in all honesty would be better off in the QT with one of the dwarfs by themselves. If it accepts some brine now, that at least should sustain it while in the QT hopefully.

I have a UV sterilizer but I fear it's not powerful enough.

It won't matter how good the UV is. It will not cure a protozoan problem, only decrease the population somewhat and help rid the tank of it faster once the fish are removed. As long as a fish exists in the main tank, the parasite will have a food source and it's life cycle will continue.

Is there any meds I can add???

There are many hit and miss cures but none that are effective and truely "reef safe". Only copper or hyposalinity are sure cures unless brooklynella, which is better treated with hyposalinty.

I'm sure that the sickness came in on a flame angel that I didn't quarantine.

Even though you may think a fish is perfectly healthy, it is best never to place in the main display without quarantining for a minimum of 4 weeks first.

Cheers
Steve

 

[cj10488]

There is 1 med that I did try and was used pretty safely.. and it was Stop Parasite by Chem-Marin.. Its a Pepper based treatment..
Review
1 Thing is that you MUST keep a constant watch on pH as it effects it almost instantly and you need to buffer it very rapidly... I dont recommend using this in a display tank but I did use it and treated Ich very sucessfully.. I would only use this as a last resort

HTH,
James