Emporer Not Doing Well

[hogcr8]

Anyone Help......
I just received a juvi Emporer from a quarntine tank. He looked absoutly beautiful. I acclimated him for 3+hours to my tank before adding him. He was eating like a champ and then all of a sudden yesterday he seemed to not be eating nearly as much. He picks at the rock so he is getting some food and he has developed what I hate to say is (ICK) but for lack of a better word he now has small white dots on his tail and fins. Nothing major at thie time but am wondering what to do next. I have tried Angel Food (frozen) and (flake), brine and even put a mussell in the tank. He seems to just look at it and pick it just a little. I am wondering if this is anything to be worried about and just keep trying to feed he or take another route. Any help would be appriciated.
Thanks
Cory

 

[hogcr8]

By the way, on Beths advice in the post she just put up I am going to check all of my water vitals and will post them once I hve the info. Thanks Beth.

 

[hogcr8]

Here's the outcome
Ammo. Maybe 1 ppm
Nitrate None
Nitrite 1-5 PPM
Sal 1.026
PH 8.2
Phos can't tell probably an old kit.
The only thing I don't have a kit for is Alk.
Any suggestions????????????
Thanks
Cory

 

[unleashed]

nge get those levels down to no higher than .20 closer to 0 is best you can however treat your tank with prime theis will nutrilize the toxins caused by ammonia making it more tolerable while doing water changes.it would also be helpful to use a vit suppliment such as selcon dosed directly to the tank to help boost all of your fishes imune system to help fight infestation.I also dose my tank with garlic extreme. and soak all frozen prepaired food in these before feeding to my fish

 

[hogcr8]

Thanks Unleashed. Someone else had to me about Selcon. I plan on getting some tomorrow. When I feed, he just swims around in the food but doesn't take and in. I hope this works. Got a lot invested in the tank and this one fish.
thanks again.......

 

[unleashed]

try the thera+A foods by spectum its a non medicated antiparesitic forumla my fish go nuts for this food and is highly nutritous for all fish.my lfs couldnt get my coral beauty to eat for 4 days when it arrived so i took it home i gave it the thera+A pellets on hr after it was in my tank it ate like a pig she wont touch the flaked foods but loves them pellets

 

[sleasia]

Ammonia and Nitrites should be 0...Try and get them down with water change and also throw in some more live bacteria if possible. Bio Spira marine is expensive but works good. Try the pellets unleashed told you about...you can also soak frozen mysis in a small amount of tank water and drop or two of garlic before feeding

 

[beth]

Ok, ammonia and nitrite are definite dangers. Why do you have these levels? Is this a new setup?

 

[hogcr8]

After making the first post I found one of my pacu. clowns dead. All of the other fish seem to be fine. I added about 4 gallons of fresh water to the tank last night and am doing a 20% water change tonight. Once that is done I will the Selcon and Pellets.
Thanks for the info........
Cory

 

[peter1215]

how long has this tank been set up? if youre getting nitrite levels then you dont have enough bacteria to convert to nitrate fast enough.

 

[scubadoo]

Hog....You need to fight the battle on several fronts. Diet is only one factor to a healthy fish. Emperors in general require water parameters to remain within acceptable limits for the species. From what you have posted you have a defintie water quality issue.
Poor water quality, stress 9MANY contributors) , poor diet, constant temp flucs of greater than 2 degrees, and overcrowding can all lead to a disease outbreak if dieseae is present in the system .
Do not focus only on diet....you have other contributors to your problem.
If you do have ich you may need to relocate the fish to a QT tank and treat with hypo. The so-called reef safe cures do not work.

 

[unleashed]

Originally Posted by ScubaDoo
Hog....You need to fight the battle on several fronts. Diet is only one factor to a healthy fish. Emperors in general require water parameters to remain within acceptable limits for the species. From what you have posted you have a defintie water quality issue.
Poor water quality, stress 9MANY contributors) , poor diet, constant temp flucs of greater than 2 degrees, and overcrowding can all lead to a disease outbreak if dieseae is present in the system .
Do not focus only on diet....you have other contributors to your problem.
If you do have ich you may need to relocate the fish to a QT tank and treat with hypo. The so-called reef safe cures do not work.
agreed

 

[hogcr8]

I believe you are right about the reef safe cures. The only thing I have tried was Kick ICK and of course it was a waste of money. I did a 20 gallon water change last night plus did a fresh water dip. There is no temp flux in the tank so even though the other fish seem to be fine you are probably right about the water quality. I am in the process of making more water and try like H*ll to bring the quality up. After the fresh water dip and the water change I didn't think he was going to make it but after about 2 hours almost all of the white spots (ICK) where gone. I peeked in on him this morning before coming to work and he seems to be getting color back. Can't tell yet about any white spots. I will be able to tell more when the lights come on. I want to say a big THANK YOU to all of you. This process has been stressful not only for the fish but for me as well......The next couple of days will tell.
Thanks again

 

[scsinet]

I assume you have this fish in a FO system. Once you get this problem with your angel licked, you might consider slowly (read: SLOWLY, like over a week or two) reducing your SG to maybe 1.020 to 1.021. FO systems usually don't need such a high SG.
Baddie bacteria, etc have a harder time surviving in it. You'll save money on salt too. I've heard of FO systems running as low as 1.014, but I personally think that takes guts.
Just stretch acclimation time out longer on new arrivals and you should be okay.

 

[hogcr8]

That is acctually a good idea. I use to run at 1.021 - 1.023 but haven't kept up with the evaperation and adding in fresh RO water. But I will plan on doing that.
Thanks.

 

[sleasia]

Hog I didn't realize this was a new fish...This might have been a problem of acclimating him from a low salinity QT tank to your high salinity home tank of 1.026....The usual 2-3 hour acclimation is way to fast for a change in salinity from say 1.020 to 1.026. Many stores keep their fish in low salinity for the reasons the other member just explained. Unknowing we bring them home and try to acclimate them to our reef or FOWLR and invert tanks with sp gr which are 1.024-1.026....Fish can not go from low to high salinity quickly (in a couple of hours) without ill effects. But you also should not have any nitrites. So either your tank is over fed, overcrowded, or not finished cycling.

 

[hogcr8]

OK, at this point I think I need a

[hr]
and a couple of stiff drinks. In my second post I stated that the Nitrites were 1 -5 PPM. I read the blasted thing wrong and should have put .1 - .5 PPM. I now have him in a QT and used water from the 90, I keep an extra sponge filter and a piece of rock in my sump for just such an occasion so there is plenty of bactria. He swims a little then hides in the rock. I have just re-tested and this is what I have now.
Ammo. -0
Nitrites - 0
Sal - 1.125
We are going on 4 days without eating. I put a little Angel Formula soaked in galic in there in chunks so they can be removed if he doesn't eat it. The ICK is not nearly as bad since I did the fresh water dip yesterday but a little has come back. I am just at the point were I am feeling sorry for the poor little bast**d. I'd be pretty damn stressed too after going thru all of this.
Any ideas what to do next. PRAY!!!!! not a bad idea.........I know there is something I can add to give him some nutriants (SP), but am not sure what to get.........As well how much of a water change do I need to do each day to keep the water fresh?????I know it's not much since he is the only one in the QT
Once again I would like to say THANKS to all for reading my saga and assisting.....
Cory

 

[unleashed]

i add selcon and garlic extreme into my tanks

 

[hogcr8]

Thanks Unleashed. I will plan on getting some tomorrow. Hopefully he will still be swimming. This place it the BEST........
Cory

 

[hogcr8]

OMG......After 3 hours in the QT he is picking at the rock and eating Flake......
THANKS ALL..... I was afraid I was going to lose him....Still might but at least he's taking in a little food now..........