no luck with fish.

[misskeeter2766]

my yellow watchman goby is in QT right now... dying...


Im starting to question my fishkeeping abilities... I was great with freshwater... kept cichlids for 3 years without losing any...

just don't understand what Im doing wrong... the goby would not eat at all.... I tried garlic and everything...

I hate using a QT tank... no fish has seemed happy there..

 

[Zer0]

Did you make mix completely new water for this QT tank? Or do you still have water leftover from the main tank? Also, have you tested the water for Nitrates, Ammonia, and Nitrites?

 

[misskeeter2766]

I started it with water from the main tank since it was an emergency setup... but I've done 4 50% water changes and many smaller water changes since... Before I added the new fish, the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate were at 0.... havent checked since (its been 2 days)... I did do a water change today... I'm wondering if the saltwater I buy premade from the lfs is the problem... after I did the water change, my skin was burning... I'm wondering if it was freshly mixed from the lfs and they just didnt tell me...

This is why I've ordered an RO/DI unit for my house and I bought a big bucket of instant ocean salt mix today... I'm not trusting someone else with anything anymore.

 

[Mitchell0605]

It's quite possible that the Goby wasn't even healthy to start with.
Your skin was burning? That's weird. Maybe there is something going on there. Do you test that water straight from the bucket? Also for your QT fill it up with water from you Dt that has been taken out for water changes. This way there is never much difference and this causes much less fish stress.

 

[misskeeter2766]

yeah.. I already did a refund request through saltwaterfish.com.... they have a 15 day guarantee...

he wasn't eating... ever... even with garlic loaded food... got him on tuesday... starting yesterday he just sat there with his mouth open...

still a bummer... I've lost every fish so far... my inverts are all doing great... my zoas and xenia are already starting to grow... even my galaxea has a couple of tiny new specks... the fish are the part I love most though

 

[Mitchell0605]

Did you put him in the main at any point?

 

[misskeeter2766]

nope.. opened the shipping box... drip acclimated him for 2+hours for the qt... put him in qt... lights out the first day... lights on for a few hours the second day.

 

[Mitchell0605]

You've done everything right, there is no way that it is your fault. I think he may have just been a sick fish.

 

[misskeeter2766]

thats sad... he was cute...

his buddy the pistol shrimp (well.. I was hoping they'd be buddies) went into the display... and is doing fine, I think... He molted the first night (same thing both my other shrimp did- shed their shell on night one).... I haven't seen him, but the tunnel/cave is getting bigger...

 

[melosu58]

You might want to buy them at an LFS. That way you can see if they are healthy and if they are eating.

 

[iDream]

this is exactly what makes me fearful of buying online, though this doesn't speak for all instances, just little things scare me more and more, thankfully i have two great lfs that i can get whatever, whenever, and they'll order it if they don't have it =]

 

[misskeeter2766]

yeah I dont have a good lfs. I've purchased everything (that has survived) from saltwaterfish.com or a store 2 hours away from me... this is the first thing I've purchased online that has died... all the fish from my lfs died.

Maybe I'll just run with inverts only for a few months. I cant believe the fish are dying and the inverts and corals are happy as ever.

 

[misskeeter2766]

You might want to buy them at an LFS. That way you can see if they are healthy and if they are eating.

my only choices are Petco.. and a lfs that has tanks full of bubble algae, aiptaisa, and ich.... imo, the stuff at Petco is better than that... oh.. and neither place has any kind of guarantee on saltwater stuff... saltwaterfish.com has a 15 day guarantee... so at least Im getting credit for this death, where all the others from the lfs were money down the toilet... literally

the closest lfs that is any good is 2 hours away...

I might just buy stuff from them whenever we go down for one of my daughter's MANY doctor appointments though.. we go there once every two months minimum, so that may be the way to go... (she has Down syndrome and a list of health issues a mile long that go with it... all the pediatric docs are in the dfw area...)

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

You might want to do what I suggested in your other thread...

Empty out that QT, disinfect it, and let it dry. Then start over and re-cycle it. The fact that you were treating diseased fish in it, with Formalin, but have never broken it down since - even though you've done water changes - would be a big flashing light with warning bells in my book.

Sorry about your losses. If it makes you feel better, here is how my initial startup of my tank went (to the best of my memory).

1 clown fish - died in QT
1 clown fish - still alive in main tank
1 royal gramma - died in QT
1 royal gramma - died in QT
1 Bangaii cardinal - died in QT
1 Bangaii cardinal - died in QT
1 Bangaii cardinal - died in QT
- emptied and disinfected QT, threw out piece of live rock I'd put in the tank, recycled tank.
1 Bangaii cardinal - still alive in main tank
3 Chromis - still alive in main tank
1 yellow clown goby - still alive in main tank

As you can see, I didn't start out with a stellar record for keeping fish alive. Personally, I think the hunk of live rock I'd bought to put in my QT was the issue (copper maybe), but will never know. Point is though... this stuff happens.

 

[misskeeter2766]

okay... I feel better... I think I'll do that...

Im also going to wait a good month or two before I try to buy ANYTHING else.

 

[misskeeter2766]

okay... so I cant exactly break down the qt and dry everything until my display is fallow for 8 weeks ... so I guess I'll just see how the clownfish does... he isnt eating either, so I am worried about him (or her???)

 

[Mitchell0605]

What are you feeding?

 

[misskeeter2766]

aquadine flake... sometimes soaked with garlic... also tried algae sheets...

 

[Mitchell0605]

Try some mysis shrimp or vitamin enriched brine shrimp. Clowns love some meaty stuff.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

okay... so I cant exactly break down the qt and dry everything until my display is fallow for 8 weeks ... so I guess I'll just see how the clownfish does... he isnt eating either, so I am worried about him (or her???)

Sorry... I misread your post and thought that you didn't have anything left in the QT. Yeah - you're kind of stuck.

Agree with Mitch - get some frozen mysis shrimp and try that. I haven't found anything that ignores mysis. Even though clownfish are omnivores, they seem to fall more on the carnivore side of things. Mine just turns its nose up at seaweed. I've also had good luck with the Formula 1 and Formula 2 flake food by Ocean Nutrition. If you can get your hands on some "Rod's Food" (also frozen), that's also good for finicky eaters. It's expensive, but a little goes a long way.