Blonde Naso needs help

[anjelica912]

I need help, I don't know what else to do. I got a blonde naso and blue regal tang nine days ago. We were told we had to buy both together and introduce them to the tank at the same time. So thats what we did at first they were doing ok then I noticed white salt like things all over the blue regal the blonde naso was just breathing hard no spots. Long story short, it turns out they both have ich. So we the local fish store talked us into buying a red sea wrasse, we were told it will eat the parsites. Which the wrasse does but it wasn't really curing the ich. It just helped relieve some of the symptoms. So next, last night we did a fresh water dip on both fish. I know that doesn't cure ich either....but I heard it would help and hopefully the fish would over come this on their own. We don't have a QT tank, I know now this was a big mistake also. I didn't think the blue regal was going to make it last night after putting him back in the tank he sunk to the bottom and got real stiff, he was breathing hard and did'nt move all night. This moring when I got up he was swimming around having a good ol' time. The blonde naso, just lays behind the live rock and breathes hard, he won't swim around anymore, and worst of all he hasn't eaten in 4 days. I don't think the fresh water dip did much for him he has been acting like this for four days now. How long can he live without eating? AHHHH I know he's suffering, and the fresh water dip probally just caused more stress. We checked all the levels and the fish store rechecked them for us. Evrything was ok except nitrates were slightly elevated. We are even soaking the food in garlic. The only thing left is copper treatment or hyposalinity treatment. Is it even worth it? I know we would defiently have to set up a QT tank then. We have like rock, inverts and coral. I just need advice, should I just leave him alone? He won't eat the garlic doesn't help. Whats next? I just don't want to let him die if there is something I can do.

 

[sean48183]

Main thing here is to get him eating. Try feeding 2-3 small meals a day trying to get him to eat. Naso's are finicky eaters at first so this can be tricky. Mine only liked turnip greens(on a seaweed clip) from the grocery store and formula 2 flakes at first. Try this and live brine shrimp which most fish will go for. Usually feeding a little more than usual for me helps them get thru the ich.

 

[sulley]

size of the fish? size of tank? how long have u had them? no more freshwater dips! also try posting in the disease forums.

 

[anjelica912]

The blone naso didn't make it. This morning he wasn't breathing anymore.....
Like I mentioned before, we were STUPID and did not set up a QT. We put the two tangs right into the main tank. Before we new it they had ich. Our other fish were exposed. Now my maroon clown fish is acting strange and won't eat ( she always eats, more than her share) but she doesn't have the salty grainy white stuff all over her yet. The blue naso tang we purchased 10 days ago he's about 2.5 inches long. The maroon clown we've had maybe 4-5mos or longer. She's about 4 iches long. The tank is 55gal. I just tested the water Nitrates and nitrites are 0 the PH is 8.2 and the ammonia is at 0. The clown fish loves brine shrimp so we are picking some up from the local store tonight. Fresh water dips why no more? To stressful? If we do a QT tank with copper or hyposalinity can we do all the fish at once? We have two damsels, a valentine puffer, coral beauty, the clown and blue regal and the red sea wrasse. Can't do it in the main tank because of inverts, live sand and rock, and coral. I don't want to loose all my fish. What's next?

 

[rcreations]

First of all, don't listen to that LFS any more and if possible, don't go there. They're giving you bad advice, they want to make money. If your fish die, they make money because you have to go buy new ones. As soon as they recommended a naso tang in a 55gal, right then and there, you should have never gone to them anymore.
As for your current problem, I recommend buying a QT, getting it set up and cycled, then treat your fish in the QT with copper or hyposalinity. I recommend hypo in your case because puffers don't take copper very well.

 

[saka bra]

that totally sucks

, nasos are like the best tangs especially when males get the streamers.
-do you have a cleaner shrimp? my cleaner and fire shrimp do an awesome job of cleaning my tangs. My blue hippo will have a tiny bit of ick here and there every couple of weeks and then at night the shrimps clean him and he is all back to normal

 

[mr. limpid]

This my advise to you went thru the same problem lost 9 out of ten fish my 3 year old hipo tang. First read the articals in the disease forums very informitive. Second set up that QT tank a twenty gal. should do, move all fish to the tank ASAP, (be prepaired to change 50% of the water daily, because you are not cycled). I would do hypo, not a fan of copper more harmful to the fish, the reason for all the heavy breathing is because of the billion of ick babies in the main tanks water. A word of caution hypo must be done correctly to be effective and the main reason for failure wait I have read from this site is that peolple do not wait long enough to take there fish out of the hypo state. I have found it is better to add a week to hypo state and not rush it, hypo is not harmful to fish for 1 additional week but it will make sure that all ick is. Good luck hope you can save more of your fish then I did. Buy the way the only servivor is a doulble saddel back buuterfly, he is now going on three years old this March.

 

[geridoc]

With that fish load you are going to get an ammonia spike in your QT, and constant water changes will ony blunt that, not eliminate it, while further stressing the fish. I would put th efish into QT and buy a large bottle of Amquel Plus, which will control ammonia toxicity. Read and follow the directions carefully and you will be OK (your fish will be, too).

 

[anjelica912]

Thanks for all the input guys. We are going to set up the QT tonight. My clown still won't eat. I'm really worried! We are going to do copper..... risky I know. Right now only the clown and blue regal are infected. So should we just QT them two. If I realize another fish say later this week gets sick can we add it to the QT? Or should we just do all the fish at once? I think the QT is only a 10 gal. tank. Probally two small for all the fish, right?
One clown 4inch
2 damsels
1 coral beauty 3inch
1 valentine puffer
1 blue regal 3inch
What do you feed fish in a copper QT? Can I still add garlic to the food? Right now I am feeding formula two and prime reef.

 

[anjelica912]

So we set up the copper QT last night. Put all the fish in it. The blue regal tang was fine, he turned almost white but he was playing in the bubbles last night, he even ate......but this morning he was dead. Then this afternoon when I got home from work the clown was dead. I knew he wasn't going to make it, but I had high hopes still. I'm pretty bumbed out, super sad!!! I can't believe this is happening. It's a nightmare for sure! I WILL ALWAYS QT FROM NOW ON! All we have left is the coral beauty, the valentine puffer and two damsels. All the expensive fish went first. This totally sucks!

 

[mr. limpid]

Sorry to he of your loss. Live and learn to bad our fish pay the price. I learned the hard way too. If you leave your DT baren of fish for 8 weeks (Some will say 6 weeks) I may be a wory wort but after 9 out of ten fish died, better safe then sorry. Don't give up, they are most amazing to watch when your tank is full and free of ick.

 

[anjelica912]

This is a hard lesson to learn. We lost the coral beauty this morning. All that's left are the two damsels and valentine puffer. I think we are going to loose everyone! I can't believe we have to start all over again, every time I think about it, it makes me wanna cry.

We have them set up in the 10 gal QT but your right my ammonia is off the charts it's between .50 and 1.0 it's hard to tell. We did a 50% water change yesterday and it's still high today. How much water should we do? Do you think it's best to change the QT with DT water? We are going to take the red sea wrasse back to the LFS tonight and hopefully trade him in for some amquel plus.