Upset

Well after the initial advice no responses. But I still appreciate the original responses. Tonight our Hippo Tang succumbed to the Brooklynella and died. My Daughter cried - hate to see that.

I think we would have had a fighting chance, but the QT tank was right at the worst part of the cyclying process when I had no choice but to add the Hippo. High Ammonia, and High Nitrites. I did a 40-50% water change which helped lower the nitrites, and the yellow tang and clown are looking better.

Unfortunately we still have one fish left in the DT - a royal gramma. I can't catch him no matter what I try. Took all the live rock out and inspected each piece carefully, but he is an amazing hider. Also, I am torn between leaving him alone in the DT where his Brooklynella will get worse, and dumping him into the DT which is at a bad place in the cycle - thus stressing him even worse.

Its a tough situation. One fish and everything in our tank is at risk. Hoping for the best tomorrow and that the amonia levels at least will be down to zero so I can move the Royal Gramma in there.

 

It has been my experience that Brookynella kills much quicker, 2-3 days. Very common in clown fish but presents as a white coating on the entire body of the fish not spots that look like grains of salt which is usually marine ich.

Sometimes Royal Gramma will swim into the holes in the rock and you just remove that rock. That is the method I have used time and time again.

Sorry to hear of the frustrations but it will get better.

 

sorry for the lack of response, sometimes events get upped up here! Next time bump it up every now and then!

Sorry for the loss, but make it a learning experience for your daughter!

So at present, your QT is still amid a bad cycle/ can you get a guick cycle treatment, or add a ammonia treament like purigen to settle the spikes out! also Prime!

your royal gramma is still in the DT? are you sure?

 

Yep saw him this morning. He is covered in white film. I have watched him swim towards 2 rocks, pick them both up and very carefully inspect - but he is not there. But I had trouble finding him once in a nearly bare tank - later to find him bend and wedged in a 90 degree angle of the front corner. He is a magician - but I dont expect him to live long if I can't catch him. I'll keep trying today. But when he gets spooked he goes into some hole and it takes several hours for him to come out again.

 

Yellow Tang didn't make it. The clown is still hanging in there and actually might be improving a bit. He is in the QT tank, which despite 50% water changes has maintained high amonia and nitrites. I honestly thing the amonia and nitrites killed both the yellow tang and hippo - because they looked like they were improving a bit before they crashed. The clown is a hardier fish so he is putting up with the higher levels as the tank works through the cycle.

Learned a number of valuable lessons in this process:

1) Set up a quarantine tank - and run my hang on back filter for the QT off the main tank full time when Im not using the Qt to keep the bacteria up
2) Quarantine every fish before it goes in the DT - no exceptions
3) When getting into this hobby, I should have invested in the main medications for ich and brook - Copper and Formalin. I also should have had a few more heaters around to warm up water quickly for emergencies such as setting up a QT when the diseases were discovered. Lost valuable time waiting for water to heat
4) Have garlic and Selcon on hand


As a side note - my final fish, the royal gramma is still in the display tank and he actually looks like hes doing ok. Keeping my fingers crossed.