sick royal gramma

[scottayy]

My royal gramma was lost all day, so I began searching around for him. I found him in a treasure chest decoration I have.

I poked the end of the algae sponge down near him and he swam around frantically and did a faceplant into the sand.

Then he floated down onto his side. I poked him again and he swam around frantically and found his home again inside the treasure chest.

My water parameters are

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: between 0-5
SG: 1.024
pH: 8.2
kh: 11

I think he might be starving? I researched it and it said they eat meaty food but I've only been feeding the pellets. I blame the LFS for that info.

I have seen him eat the pellets though, so he might not be starving.

Do you think that is it or could there be something else?

 

[Innovator]

Does it look emaciated? If so, then yes feed it more with a mixture of mysis, krill, blenderized shrimp, roe, etc. but don't blame the lfs for inadequate research.

 

[hackteck]

Does it look emaciated? If so, then yes feed it more with a mixture of mysis, krill, blenderized shrimp, roe, etc. but don't blame the lfs for inadequate research.

if you research and you see something online and your lfs tells you something else which advice do you expect someone new to the hobby to take? dont be so hasty to pass judgement on people

 

[scottayy]

but don't blame the lfs for inadequate research.

+1, my fault really. I was just upset.. and I guess I was human trying to pass blame. I should've researched.

It doesn't look emaciated, then again I've only had it a couple of weeks so I'm not sure I would know.

Pet store's not open till morning. Is there anything meaty around the house I could give him till then? (might be a weird question)

 

[Innovator]

Not a weird question at all. If you have any type of natural/raw fish or shrimp (unseasoned) you can mince it and feed it out.

 

[scottayy]

Not a weird question at all. If you have any type of natural/raw fish or shrimp (unseasoned) you can mince it and feed it out.

Thanks. I will look around, but it is unlikely we have that. I'm going to look because there may be a small possibility we have some frozen fish.

If I took a picture, would you guys be able to tell if he looks emaciated?

 

[Innovator]

If the pic is reasonably clear we should be able to tell. If the animal does accept the pellets then you can try feeding more of them to it.

 

[scottayy]

I have seen him eat pellets. I just put a few in the eye dropper thing and squirted them down there around him.

I can't get a decent picture of him right now, he is near the back of the tank almost all the way hidden between the rocks.

I'll wait and see if he moves to get a clear picture.

 

[scottayy]

going to set up a hospital tank just in case
if i use my current sand, and rocks, and water from the display tank, would that be good enough not to start a cycle?

 

[scottayy]

Think it's possible he was attacked by the azure damselfish? The LFS told me to watch him.. and I did and everything appeared peaceful.

But I suppose it is possible.

I don't see any wounds though.

 

[Jarrett]

yes deff a possibility i tryed putting a royal gramma in my tank with domino damsels and they just destroyed him honestly damsels suck some of them are pretty but they are just a mean fish and its just not worth it if i was you id get rid of them asap

 

[scottayy]

Yeah, probably going to do that. I had a green chromis come up dead when I was changing my substrate (i attributed it to that). But no other fish showed any symptoms of being unhealthy. I think my damsel might have got the green chromis. It is best for me to get rid of the azure damselfish.. he sure is pretty though.

Back to the royal gramma.. he was chowin' on a piece of frozen brine shrimp this morning but I haven't seen him since. He must be hiding in the rocks.

When he was eating he was still kind of on his side, up against a rock. Is this indicative of illness or attack?

 

[nxb161]

My royal gramma is not picky. He will eat pellets, flakes, frozen mysis, frozen plankton.....

 

[angiorn]

Funny Scott, I have tried several times to feed my royal meaty foods, blood worms, mysis...but he just spits it out. Usually snags 4-6 pellets every other day. Doesn't bother with flakes, either. Happy, active guy, but he's alone with a green chromis and a fire shrimp. Still trying to find my clowns...may have to special order from lfs...never have any left when I get there. Hope your buddy does all right

 

[scottayy]

Yep, it's definitely the damselfish. Now my other green chromis is missing for a couple days now. It seems to be only the fish that go back there in the rocks with him.

he's going back tomorrow

EDIT| I cannot find any traces of the royal gramma or green chromis. Surely he did not eat them? I moved the rocks around but didn't take them out. Unless they are hiding in some very small nook in a rock.. they are gone ???

 

[angiorn]

Scott, Do you have Koralia power heads? I lost a couple of chromis after a ph issue. Searched high and low and found them stuck to the underside of the power head...

 

[carey]

I don't see my gramma for days. They are excellent hiders. You mght have to move some rock. They like to hide way up into the crevices.

 

[scottayy]

Not stuck to the powerhead.

Royal gramma and green chromis now no trace of them.

Luckily I am still moving out my old rock during my aquascaping so today I will flip some rocks over. I don't expect any good news though.

 

[carey]

I'm holding out hope on the gramma. i totally wrote mine off 3 times and she was still around.

good luck, i'm pulling for ya'

 

[scottayy]

OK, bad news guys.

I took the azure damselfish back this morning. Didn't pay attention to the tank after feeding time because I was gone all day.

I removed a couple of rocks (for my aquascaping i'm still doing).. and decided to move all of the rocks to find my fish.

The royal gramma... is dead. Has been for a few days, his body fell apart when I scooped it up with the net.

The green chromis is also dead.

And to my shock horror, I also have a dead clownfish. If it was the damselfish, he must have got my clownfish last night or early this morning before I got up.

So now all I have left is one clownfish and my snails and crabs.

I am only a month and a half into saltwater fishkeeping. Maybe it is not for me? I don't know.. I feel sick to my stomach.

I then tested my water, even though I have tested it a lot while moving the rocks around. I decided I would be extra careful this time.

My ammonia is definitely zero.
My nitrite may be between 0 and 0.25 (it's not either of those, it is in between them)
My nitrate is between 10 and 20.
My pH is 8.2 (this is hard to read for me. 8.2 was my best guess.. it's definitely not lighter than 8.1 and definitely not darker than 8.3)
my KH is 9 (it used to be 11 - I don't even know what this is for but it dropped 2)
SG is at 1.024

Any thoughts? Was my azure damselfish definitely the killer or am I a terrible fishkeeper?

Perhaps I am the ladder anyways because I let him get my other fish before removing him.

heartbroken..