fish dieing
- Thread starter vada48
- Start date
elfdoctors
Active Member
Welcome to the Boards!
Is this a new tank? If so, you may be adding too much life to your tank too quickly. The primary tests only measure nitrogenous wastes, but many other waste products are generated by the cycle.
Do you quarantine? Diseases are MUCH less likely if you do (and it forces you not too add too much life at once to a new tank).
Is this a new tank? If so, you may be adding too much life to your tank too quickly. The primary tests only measure nitrogenous wastes, but many other waste products are generated by the cycle.
Do you quarantine? Diseases are MUCH less likely if you do (and it forces you not too add too much life at once to a new tank).
vada48
New Member
I started this hobby in late December. I have purchased the tank and everything else since then. I do not quarantine. Although I think I understand the concept, I'm not sure about the process. I have the help of an owner of a saltwater fish store who has been in the business for 20 years and I have done everything at his direction. I,ll discuss your comments with him.Thanks For your reply.
elfdoctors
Active Member
Good Luck! Most people on these boards tend to be skeptical of what LFS owners tend to recommend. They usually go for the quick (and profitable) way of building up a tank and treating diseases. They will often sell you bottles of snake oil of questionable quality. Many of them started out in freshwater and then branched out to saltwater when it became popular but their expertise is really in freshwater tanks.
I went through the same experience. My LFS owner did not know the difference between freshwater and saltwater ich and recommended a treatment that would only work for freshwater. Most people on these boards (myself included) get no financial benefit from giving advice. You have to take everyone's advice with a grain of salt, but the majority of the advice on these boards in good.
Quarantining is not hard. It involves setting up a different and usually smaller tank (often with leftover equipment). You then add 1 or 2 new fish at a time and watch them closely for a period of at least three weeks. If you are sure they are healthy, they can go into the display tank. If a disease shows up you only have to treat the infected fish.
Quarantining is so effective that I am actually considering taking my tank down. It took longer to get my display tank established, but now everything in that tank is healthy. I have had no deaths in my tank for over 6 months. Some LFS owners know this so they would rather sell you something that only masks symptoms, yet still stresses your fish so you have to keep buying new ones.
I went through the same experience. My LFS owner did not know the difference between freshwater and saltwater ich and recommended a treatment that would only work for freshwater. Most people on these boards (myself included) get no financial benefit from giving advice. You have to take everyone's advice with a grain of salt, but the majority of the advice on these boards in good.
Quarantining is not hard. It involves setting up a different and usually smaller tank (often with leftover equipment). You then add 1 or 2 new fish at a time and watch them closely for a period of at least three weeks. If you are sure they are healthy, they can go into the display tank. If a disease shows up you only have to treat the infected fish.
Quarantining is so effective that I am actually considering taking my tank down. It took longer to get my display tank established, but now everything in that tank is healthy. I have had no deaths in my tank for over 6 months. Some LFS owners know this so they would rather sell you something that only masks symptoms, yet still stresses your fish so you have to keep buying new ones.