-=DISEASE=- in tank, HELP!!

[standup]

okay- heres the deal- i need help. i have a 40 gal tank w/ 35 lbs of live rock (precured from another site), w/ 10 hermit crabs, 2 perc clowns, 1 scooter blenny, 1 kole tang (r.i.p.) and 1 purple tang. a disease has taken over my tank.
it causes like white spots (but not ic) to form on the fishes body, and gets progressively worse every day, and it's fatal, because it just killed my kole tang, and now the purple tang is infected, and one of my clown fish is infected... and the clown fish and the blenny are too small to put into my dads tank because the puffer will inhale them, help!! i dont know if i can medicate the tank yet, i dont have any live corals or anything, just the rock, and i don't know what to do i feel so horrible that something would take over my tank and it's in my room so i can't even look at it because i can't help feeling that i did something wrong, and i feel so bad, what can i do to possibly help the situation? PLEASE HELP!!
thank you so much
-chris

 

[timsedwards]

Hi Chris,
Have you posted in Disease forum? Beth and Terry in there are experts when it comes to diseases.
Have you got a QT (Quaranteen tank). If not, doesnt really help your situation now, but set one up asap for next time and this can be avoided.
Are you sure it is not Ich? Does it look like sand/salt sprinkles?
Have you added/changed anything recently?
Tim.

 

[beth]

How do you know its not ich?? Sounds like ich to me. Are the fish gilling rapidly? Scratching on rocks? Heavy breathing? Darting around erratically? Swollen gills? Look they are covered in salt? Look like they are dusted with powder?
I would suggest taking out all the LR and placing it a holding tank, a rubbermaid will do with a powerhead. Then treat the fish in the main tank with hyposalinity. Check out the FAQ Thread in the Disease Forum.
I'll copy this over for you to the Disease Forum. Continue posting there.