I'm this close to calling it quits.

I hear most of that. I can definatly set up a QT, I have many spare parts.
My problems are these.

1.) Catching the fish, this is no easy feat as they go into the cave and dont come out. That is why I typically treat the whole tank.
2.) Exactly identifying the sickness. This must be the hardest as many seem to have similare symptoms. So many types of medications which is right. One may never know.
3.) If you do a QT tank and leave the current inhabitants and tank, my theory is that it is still in there and needs to be dealt with.
4.) I am now so paranoid about losing them, any time I see a symptom I want to jump on it right away to try and save them.

Early going, I had a Ich or Velvet type attack and what would happen is that the fish would seem fine, then the next day I would notice the white spots, then die the next day. It would happen so fast there was no time to do anything. Granted this may have been extream but it has me so paranoid now.

I treat food with Garlic and VitaChem and also run UV through the CPR Skimmer, a mod from the Via Aqua, to try and help. For awhile, whell a month anyway, I was disease free and maybe jinxed myself, by hey, at least its not the deadly ich stuff this time. Now I am dealing with new stuff.

Somehow my Black Blenny has made it though all of this, he is one of my originals. "Knock on Wood"


My Damsel had this sore looking thing the other day and today actually looks better. Are we supposed to wait some times to see what happens ? Maybe thats all I need to do here. Or just wishful thinking, i dunno.


\Thanks for listening.

 

I feel for ya double2mk. May I make a suggestion, stop buying these fish from that LFS(if its the same LFS). In my 20+ yrs of being a reefer, I have never used meds for my tanks. I dont know if am just lucky or I have an awesome LFS. That doesnt mean I havent lost any livestock in the past, but the way I look at it, the ocean doesnt have God coming down and pouring Tetracyclin all over the sick fish. I just let it be. This might sound cruel, but thats the way it is in nature.

Just hang in there my friend, life is always going to be a roller coaster, sometimes your going to be up and sometimes down. The trick to life is, you gotta roll with the punches and keep on rolling. Keep us posted. Luna

 

good luck dude, i just got my first case of ich quite a bit ago, from what i understand a 15 min fw dip will do wonders, i can literally see the external paraites die and float away in the water, just a small helpful hint

 

ditto with no medications!!

 

I don't have my copy of the Martin Moe book, Marine Aqurium Handbook. He covers the 6 or 7 most common diseases and only 2 of them have the same treatment, meaning that coral reefer is right be careful before you start treatment that you are sure of what you are trying to treat. See if a LFS has it you can look it up there, borrow it, buy it or check it out of the library.

I went through the same thing with my 110 gal when I set it up, ick, fluke, parasites algae blooms...all of it was the first 2 years. I still have fish from those issues 6 yrs later. I screwed up and gave a fresh water dip to my $100 angel fish with flukes...forgot to declorinate the water DUH! He made it though and that book has been a bible for me. Once you read it it will help you sipher through some of the crap you hear from LFS and people like me

Don't get frustrated! My good friend moved to Texas and he can't find a place for his tank. BUMBS HIM OUT. He spends most of his time in town now in front of mine.

BTW the clear scales really sound like flukes, but read up and you'll get it. If I can get my book back I'll look it up.

 

I used to have loads of fish health problems. If it wasn't oodinium it was crypto. If it wasn't that it was something lse.

I made the decision to add a UV sterilizer. I don't if it did the trick or the diseases died themselves, but it seemed to work. I've never encountered another ill fish.

Give it some thought!

 

/SHRUG\ I have one...

 

how old is the bulb - dont forget they need changing every 6 months, and you must have one to suit the capacity of your tank.

 

Giving up on tank

I have a 46 gallon bow with 4 fish now. a pair of oscellaris, 1 mandarin and a fairy wrasse. A long time ago I had 5 fish high nitrates and they all got ick and died. I believe that yo have too many fish in your tank of that size. They are feeling stressed. I would remove a few of them and keep water parameters good and you should not have any problems requiring medication.
Adam

 

?? This is not the first I heard this, but seriously. I have less than 12" of fish here. The biggest one is maybe 2.5" 2 Chromis, 1 Damsel, 1 Blenny, 1 Flame Hawk, 1 Coral Beauty, 1 Clown Goby, If this is too much for a 46, then I might as well throw in the towell. As it is now , you look at my tank and think, man that is empty. I cant even imagine it with fewer fish. Might as well have a tank of water and bubbles.

Although I have struggled with my params, I have not sided with too many fish yet. As they were, always trace amounts, never really high. Today they are better than they have ever been.

In my 90 Cichlid, which even I think is over crowded, they have been fine for over a year. Water params are always perfect. Hell, I even had to cycle a tank full of Cichlids after an emergency, and they all made it fine.

Are SW just that much more delicate creatures ? maybe.

Unless stress is hidden, i just dont see it. They all seem to leave each other well alone. I am shooting myself now for getting rid of the snowflake as everyone said he was the source of stress. Well, he has been gone for two illnesses now. He was the healthiest of all.


The Damsel has already improved so maybe this will clear on its own.


Thanks