ICK.........YUK...please help

Jay · 11-07-2004, 06:11 AM

Ok this might be my own fault.

I had 2 fish 1 Coral beauty 1 Bi-Angel. They both died last month in my display tank. I had not set up a quaranteen tank. That was on the 24th last month.
I went to the LFS and talked to the guys there and they said that I would probably be ok to add fish now. I bought 1 Yellow Tang, 1 Flame Angel, 1 Clown and another Bi Colered Angel. They had no signs of ICK at the lfs but their tanks are connected and I saw some powder tangs with bad ick there. I acclimated them slowly and let them go in my display tank. Not having any fish in there to infect I figured that this was ok. I had my lights off for 2 hours then turned on the actinics and the Yellow tang has some spots...about 5 or 6. My question is did this ICK come from my tank or was it with the tang? And what to do now? I have a 35 gallon I can make a quaranteen tank. Also the Bi angel looked great and everyone was eating as soon as they entered the tank but this morning the Bi angel was just kinda being pushed around by the power heads and not really swimming much...he even got stuck on the power head intake once. But has since recovered and is merrily grazing mt liverock.

I am really getting discouraged. I seem to have the worst luck with this tank, Heating problems because the halides. Then a scum on the surface, Then dying fish and algea problems. Now this. I also have 20 green hermits 5 scarlet reef hermits 1 brittle star and snails. They are all doing great and I fixed the heat problem and the surface film.

Please anyone help with this. I am thinking about giving up on fish in this tank completly and just have corals and inverts.

Jay

Jason McKenzie · 11-07-2004, 06:51 AM

First I would have to say you are adding too many fish at one time. 2 angels and a Tang in a 60G is extreme. It would be my first guess that the ick is stress related. I would say that a Yellow Tang needs a minimum of 75G and the angels are recommended for 30G. The combo of these three fish in a 60G is likely stressing them out.

Jason

Jay · 11-07-2004, 07:18 AM

They are all small right now and I will be getting a bigger tank when I move next year. Like 200 gallons.
So you DONT think the ICK could be from my tank .....infect my tang and show spots within 3 hours?

Thanks for the help

Jay

Jay · 11-07-2004, 07:20 AM

Oh yea the reason I got this many fish is the LFS is not at all local its 80 miles away to the nearest salt tank with for sale items. I dont get there often so when I do I kinda go overboard.

Jay

Filling the 35 octogon with RO/DI water as we speak incase someone says remove him.

Birdlady · 11-07-2004, 08:56 AM

What are your water parameters?

Jay · 11-07-2004, 09:31 AM

I dont think this is the problem as all the fish are grazing and swimming happily. This tank is fairly new like 2.5 months but has came along great and has more life than I have seen in a salt tank. the other night I was doing some maintenance and had all pumps off and all the copapods rose up in the water colume...I bet there is 200 pods per cup. At 1 time at night there were soo many pods in 1 corner that they were 1/32 inch deep on the sand and covered the glass with probbly 200 oer inch. all 20 crabs were crammed in that corner side by side just chowing down without even the normal bickering that you see between them. Man what a site that was. I also have about 3 kinds of organisms growing on the glass..white curly calcerous tubes, What look like fat pieces of rice with a hole on the top( filters I think) and then there ate these translucent egg looking sacks with yellow centers. This appears to be a thriving tank. I have plenty of bad algea problems but all water parameters look great and always have. Accept low ph ocationally.

Does this info help?
Jay

Nitrites-0
Nitrats-0
Cal-440-450
Alk---did not test but it has been right on the nose
PH 8.1

Jay · 11-07-2004, 09:35 AM

Mabey the tank is 3 months....anyway it has been cycled for a long time it seems.

Jay

Birdlady · 11-07-2004, 06:16 PM

I get low pH at times also. 80 miles away....for the LFS, are they putting oxygen in the bags? Does the temp stay stable for the drive? Do you watch for Ammonia when you put the fish in....that is an awful lot of fish at one time.

I have a 58 gallon and never do more that 1 fish at at time. Fish contribute most heavily to the bioload of the tank (from what I can gather)

In addition, most inverts are more sensitive to water conditions than fish are. Of course there are exceptions...but generally speaking....

reiple · 11-07-2004, 06:43 PM

guys and gals ..... problem seems to be

"I had not set up a quaranteen tank."

unless you do this, the never ending story of ich death will continue. Some lucky people are actually just waiting for time until ich kills weakened fishes (for whatever caused them to weaken).

so quarantine before placing anything into a display tank.

JohnO · 11-07-2004, 06:59 PM

Jay,

Have to agree with Jason, far too many fish all at once, regardless of water conditions, quarantine or anything else :-) Go slow............ remember that :-)

I would think the ICH, if that's what it is, would have come with the fish, but now that you have it in the tank you will need to catch and quarantine and treat all the fish. There is a lot written about that on 3reef and a quick search will set you right.

I would also take some rock out of your tank and put it in the quarantine tank to hasten the cycle. Just make sure that you do NOT put it back after the treatment. :-)

John