Help for Heniouchus!!

three boys

three boys

Member
I'm currently acclimating a heniouchus. I floated the bag for 15 min then cut the top off the bag & am adding 1/4cup tank water to the bag every 15 minutes. Talked to the LFS just now & he's saying that's the wrong way that I should float the bag for 3 hrs then with the bag still floating, poke a hole at the top of the bag to slowly let the tank water in. I don't see any difference??? Any help would be appreciated! Also will this fish be ok in my 20 gal QT tank for 1 week before I add it to my display tank??
 
dogstar

dogstar

Active Member
Sure its way to late now but the way you said you were doing it is fine...
I dont know how big the bannerfish is so I guess the 20g will have to do.
 
hot883

hot883

Active Member
Originally Posted by Three boys
I'm currently acclimating a heniouchus. I floated the bag for 15 min then cut the top off the bag & am adding 1/4cup tank water to the bag every 15 minutes. Talked to the LFS just now & he's saying that's the wrong way that I should float the bag for 3 hrs then with the bag still floating, poke a hole at the top of the bag to slowly let the tank water in. I don't see any difference??? Any help would be appreciated! Also will this fish be ok in my 20 gal QT tank for 1 week before I add it to my display tank??
Yeah, they told you wrong. You had it right. One week in QT will not do much as 4-6 weeks is recommended. This will get argumenative, because some people don't believe in QT at all.
 
bunnyl99

bunnyl99

Member
Hot 883 I agree, but I've lost hundreds of dollars in fish from a disease introduced into my tank. I recently bought at 20 gal to QT them in. I want this fish in my display tank b4 Christmas! I know that's kind of squeezing it, but I have about 50 people coming here & kind of want to show it off. It kicks butt!!
I love it! Thanks for the help! I was wondering if anyone was going to respond
 
bunnyl99

bunnyl99

Member
Everyone here has been so good to me! I believe I acclimated the fish properly & am learning not to listen to the LFS because the info I get on here is normally 99% correct!
 
J

jcrim

Guest
If you're only going to qt for a week, you may want to treat with copper during the week... just in case. Also, do you know how long this fish was at the lfs?
 
hot883

hot883

Active Member
Originally Posted by bunnyl99
I noticed 2 white spots on the back fin of this fish yesterday?? Anyone help me?
Could be ICH, do not put in display for Christmas, I know how bad you want to show it off. When you see the same people at New Years Eve and they ask about the tank; you do not want to be in the position to tell them everything died so you could please them at Christmas time. Ha! I wouldn't rush it out of QT. Just my $.02
 
merredeth

merredeth

Active Member
You could definitely be dealing with Ich. I wouldn't put the Heni in your display tank for nothing right now. I'd keep in QT'ed for several weeks.
These are nervous fish to begin with and like swimming space, so I hope your display tank is big enough (I believe 75 gallon minimum) to house the fish because these fish can get up to about 10 inches.
If I were you, I'd incorporate a UV in my main tank because tangs and henis in my opinion appear to have ich problems. A UV is a small investment if you want to keep the ich problem at bay. There is debate in the hobbiest world about the usefulness of UVs but I believe in them after using one the only bout of ich I've had.
Denise M.
 
merredeth

merredeth

Active Member
Originally Posted by bunnyl99
What is a UV?
UV Sterlizer. It is an ultraviolet sterilizing light source that water passes through. They are anywhere from $120.00 here to $260.00 plus shipping on this site and well worth the money in my opinion.
UVs perform the process of eliminating biological contamination, namely parasite fungus and bacteria by altering the DNA. Two types are commercially available, both in tube size. Generally the one containing a wet bulb - at which the water passes directly past the UV bulb- is cheaper.
The dry bulb process has a protective quartz tube around the bulb. Both work on the same principle.
If you are medicating a tank (and you shouldn't medicate your display tank) turn off the UV light as it can render the medication useless since the DNA of pathogens are altered by gluing them together. Since DNA of pathogens are altered (making them unable to reproduce) medication is altered as well and will most likely become useless.
You should replace the bulbs about every six months as they do lose their effectiveness. The bulbs just don't burn out, rather they fade out first. Bulbs for mine run about $30.00 each - and I have two different brands of UV sterlizers on two different tanks.
With reef tanks there is extra considerations you may want to read up about as there is evidence that points to microscopic critters beneficial to reefs could suffer. Read up on it before you invest in one for a reef and make your own determination for reef usage.
Hope this information helps you out.
Denise M.
 
bunnyl99

bunnyl99

Member
I know what they are ,but didn't think they were used unless you had algae blooms in the water. Will that cure the ich on this fish?
 
merredeth

merredeth

Active Member

Originally Posted by bunnyl99
I know what they are ,but didn't think they were used unless you had algae blooms in the water. Will that cure the ich on this fish?
Hypo is the best way to get rid of ich on a fish that already has it.
However, my experience is why I became a believe in UV lights. I performed hypo on the fish in the QT tank and used the UV in the display.
After a few weeks I put the fish back in the tank and there was no ich in the tank. Keep in mind ich need fish to live and they have about a six week life cycle.
Below is a cut and paste compliments of Beth on how to perform Hyposalinity properly.
NOTE: This procedure can not be performed in an environment containing live rock, live sand or inverts [including crabs, snails, corals, etc.] If you have a strictly Fish-Only setup, then the treatment can be done within the display, otherwise, you will need to treat infected fish in a quarantine/hospital tank.
You will need: Refractometer or a glass hydrometer calibrated to tank temperatures, pH buffers, a tank or quarantine area for the infected fish that is adequately filtered.
Hyposalinity is a procedure involving lowering the salinity from normal tank levels to 14 ppt (1.009 Specific Gravity) over the course of 48 hours. This is done by doing a series of small water changes using fresh dechlorinated water. During the procedure, pH must be closely monitored as pH tends to drop as water become less saline. Fish are maintained in hyposaline conditions for three weeks after all symptoms are gone. Again, accurate measuring is essential, and the standard swing arm hydrometers are not going to work. A refractometer or large glass lab grade hydrometer calibrated to tank temperatures is needed. Once the fish have been asymptotic for three weeks, the salinity is then raised back to display tank levels over the course of a week. Fish can not tolerate rapid increases in salinity. Leave the fish in quarantine at display tank levels for another week.
Your display will now have been fishless for at least four weeks, sufficient time to allow the parasite’s life cycle to be interrupted. ****** is an obligate parasite that requires a fish host. No fish=No host=No parasite. Ich is a fish-only parasite, it will not affect inverts.
Continue to monitor pH daily during the process and be prepared with buffers to address any pH problems. Also keep the water clean through proper filtration.
I hope this helps you out.
Denise M.
 
bunnyl99

bunnyl99

Member
found out tonight----not ich, just stress! Isn't everyone feeling it around the holidays??? Anyways--any thought?
 
merredeth

merredeth

Active Member
Originally Posted by bunnyl99
found out tonight----not ich, just stress! Isn't everyone feeling it around the holidays??? Anyways--any thought?
Who told you it was stress? Ich starts out with just a couple of spots.
Personally, I believe if you saw it, I'd rather prvent the ich problem with the investment of a UV light and hypo.
That's my 2¢ advice for what it is worth.
Denise M.
 
bunnyl99

bunnyl99

Member
My LFS guy said it was stress. He came to my house to look at it. We're good friends. The spots are gone now and the fish seems happy???
 
merredeth

merredeth

Active Member
Fish do get stressed and with stress comes impairment of the immune system. If you haven't been quarantining your fish, you could be holding up a green flag and begging for problems.
I did a google search with the key words "causes of ich in aquarium" awhile back and went to see if the article is still there. It is still there. I refer you to the fifth link and think it is well worth the reading.
If it is ich, you might want to consider the following I found:
Does stress cause "Ich"?
Stress and poor water conditions do not cause marine "Ich", although they will lower a fish's resistance to infection and impair their immune system. If C. irritans is not present in a tank, it doesn't matter what how stressed a fish may be, it cannot get infected. In a tank where parasites are present, stressed fish are more likely to show signs of "Ich" before more healthy fish, but the healthy fish are just as likely to become infected as the numbers of parasites increase. Those fish species that are less susceptible to "Ich" or those individuals that have an acquired immunity, may show no signs and may not get infected.
To aid in the prevention of ich, I have been a combination of soaking food in fresh garlic juice and a marine garlic product. Garlic Extreme is one a lot of people use.
Probably the number one thing you need to do though is quarantine new fish and not introduce them into your display tank immediately upon purchase or trade. Within the six week time frame, one can generally get a good idea about the overall health of the new addition.
There is also great debate over UV sterilizers with mixed reviews. I can tell you I use one in every tank I have since I believe altering the DNA in the ich prevents any existing population within my aquariums. Like I said though, there is great debate over whether they are effective. I believe that spending a few extra dollars is not going to hurt my fish nor is it going to break the bank considering the thousands of dollars I have invested in my tanks. If nothing else, I pay for peace of mind while the debate continues knowing I have done everything I can to insure the health of my aquariums.
Denise M.
 
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