Help!

[rkmcewen]

Heres my problem i will try to explain the whole story!
I started a salt water aquarium months ago and every thing was good then i put in the live rock and let that cycle through when all the tests were good i added 2 australian clown fish they were eating and acting normal then after about 3 weeks i noticed white spots all over the one. So I looked at all my books and called the local marine fish store, so i was able to catch the one and give it a fresh water dip. that did not seem to help so i went and bought 2 neon gobys and i had to leave for a week when i came home they where fine and just swimming around i fed them in the morning and a hour later the clown fish BOTH were dead so i took them out and cleaned up the tank. a few days later one of my gobys had white spot i caought one and did a fresh dip after that night i never saw either on of them again this was 4 weeks ago. Im sure the are dead and i have a whole bunch of little critters in the tank now. So at this point im not sure if i should start with clown fish again because im worried the critters will attack them or even if this is the right thing to do i need advice because i dont know anyone else with any fish tanks.... Please help me!!

 

[roka64]

Ok, slow down and use puncuation. LOL! I think I almost had a heart attack reading the post.
It sounds like you have ick.
Since you have no fish in there now, you should let it remain fishless for 6-8 weeks. The ick will starve (they are parasites that live off the fluids of fish). I would keep feeding the tank with some food to keep the other critters alive (ich does not feed off of them).
I would also like to say a FW dip on an already stressed/diseased fish can possibly do more harm than good. Your best bet it to QT any new fish and watch for any diseases/parasites for at least 4 weeks. The QT will also serve as a hospital tank for future disease/parasite outbreaks.

 

[rkmcewen]

HAH sorry, I'm just very concerned. The critters that are in there right now are just hitchhikers from the live rock, and after my gobys dissappered these little shrimp came about, should I be concerned about them, or will other fish eat them when I do add them. Another question if you dont mind, should I start with clown fish or should I get somthing else? I need an experts opinion. after all this excitment I'm nervous about starting again.

 

[roka64]

I'm by no means an expert, but once you go fallow (fishless to kill the ich) you can stock slowly (remember the QT?), with what your tank size will allow (what sized tank do you have?).
How did you cycle your tank?
What are your water parameters?
Can you get a pic of the shrimp or any other hitch hikers you have (post in the SW ID section) and Fluff (who denies it, but I think she lives there) will probably be the one that can help (of course there are others that stop by and help....but don't live there). LOL!

 

[rkmcewen]

Well I have a 30g tank with 30lbs of live rock. Im not sure exactly what you been by "how" I cycled my tank. When I last tested my water Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite, were all 0 and my ph was 8.2 (whats the best way to get that to 8.4?)

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Agree with everything roka64 said... except for when he said he wasn't an expert!

After the 6-8 weeks of going fishless (if you cheat on the time frame, you'll be repeating this post because the ich will still be there) you can restock with whatever you want. But when adding fish, it's best to always start with the most docile/shy fish and work your way to the feistier ones. That lets the shy ones claim their "territory" first and make them feel like the boss when the more aggressive fish show up.

Also... a quarantine setup is the best way to avoid a lot of headaches in this hobby. Think you can understand that one now, so 'nuff said there.

I think the "little shrimp" you're talking about are probably amphipods. Do a google image search on them and I think you'll find that's what they are. They're good to have in your tank, and will provide an occasional snack to some of your future fish. There's also good little scavengers that help keep your tank clean.

Oh... and welcome to AquariumAdvice! Sorry it wasn't under better circumstances.

 

[rkmcewen]

they are amphipods for sure, and I found 2 snails, and what I belive are mysis shrimp, also have bristle worms, I think they are sponges (they look like tiny white pineapples) im sorry I tried to take pictures but they did not turn out well

 

[rkmcewen]

I Do have a QT setup but no one has ever told me how to use it properly, in reference to added new fish how long to keep them in? Do i change anything in the water? Its very difficult for me because Where i am from Marine tanks are very rare and only Rich people that can afford to hire help have them!

 

[roka64]

That's alright, a lot of us aren't rich, but we are free. You can use a simple 10G tank for a QT, cycle it and add a pinch of food once a week to keep the bacteria alive. Oh yeah, add some pieces of PVC so the fish can hide and feel safe.

 

[rkmcewen]

i have had my QT tank setup for over 2 months now and i have some live rock in it. What type of food should I be adding to keep the bacteria alive??

 

[roka64]

Any type of food, flakes, frozen. You want to keep a very small ammonia source for the bacteria to convert to nitrAtes.

 

[melosu58]

Already some good advice given. I just want to touch on one thing. Maybe your fish would have survived the ich or maybe not. We really dont know. But one thing I`m sure of is that the fresh water dip is what killed your fish. Fresh water dip of a stressed out and diseased fish is almost always lethal. In your future SW experience I would try to leave out the FW dips. Not really a good idea. BTW welcome to AA.

 

[rkmcewen]

Thanks, Now that it's explained im sure thats what happened. It's hard, the only resource I had was the local Fish store who told me FW dip would be the best thing to do. Now Im thinking thats how the make their money!

 

[melosu58]

That`s exactly it. The main thing is that we learn from our mistakes. If we do then we are making strides in this hobby. Good luck in the future. Also if you have a question you can ask your LFS but also ask us. We are not making money off you and we have some excellent people on this site.

 

[rkmcewen]

So on that note, Question! what should I start with in my tank? I've herd clown fish but also inverts?? I really have no clue!

 

[catmel]

As everyone posted, leave your tank without ANY fish for at least 6-8 weeks. My first fish I made the mistake of putting them directly into the tank. Ich followed. One clown died, the other got ich, I transferred it to a QT tank and treated for several weeks, but left it in for about 7 weeks to make sure ich was dead in my main tank. You MUST get a QT and QT all ( no exceptions!!!) new fish for 3-4 weeks. This makes sure you get a chance to see any diseases that may pop up and treat them before you put them in your main tank and lose everything.

When you CAN get started it just depends on what you're looking to have. Damsels are great, but very aggresive. Clowns are a pretty good, hardy fish for the most part to have ( true/ false perc) and maybe more fish later.. very slowly add inverts to the tank ( a ton at ta time they wont have enough to eat) several snails, maybe some hermits, and / or a shrimp or two

good luck! certainly ask if you need help with the ich treatment.