HELP! I AM GETTING SOOO DISCOURAGED RIGHT NOW. JUST LOST 2 CLOWNS N 2 DAYS.

scootywoot

scootywoot

New Member
UGGGHHH...here goes.
I have a 55 gallon setup. My first ever, There is about 40lbs of live sand and 50 lbs of live rock. I have a hang on back filter as well as a 10gal DIY sump. The sump has some rock, algae, and return pump. (No skimmer yet) Its been up for about 4 1/2 months. The sump was added a month ago.
I have
1 yellow tang
2 yellow tail damsels
2 pajama cardinals
1 blue devil damsel
1 arrow crab
10 baby hermits
1 sand sifting star
Mkay there were also 2 common clownfish in there as well but I have lost them both in the last 2 days. The first one died 2 days ago. He was in the tank the longest of all the fish (3 months) and I figured he would be the last to die on me. The second was added 3 weeks ago and just died yesterday. They were fine up until last week when i noticed they were laying on the sand more than usual. I also noticed white strings coming from their underside. (which I have learned were parasites) I feel sooo stupid. I thought it was normal only because they didnt seem to be in any discomfort. I didnt know they were parasites until after the first one died.
Anyways after discovering that I decided to try to save the second little guy by giving him a freshwater dip. I read to do that somewhere. I dont have a QT tank but I had to try something. While in the freshwater he didnt seem to be too stressed. (actually looked comfortable) I put him back in the display tank and havent seen him since. I fear the worst. (However his name is Whodini) I hope that he will pop up but I doubt it.
I have two concerns.
1. If he is dead and I cant find him, will that harm the system?
2. Should I put anymore clowns in the tank. I would hate for them to meet the same fate.
Also, all the other fish look better than ever, which is also confusing the hell out of me!!!
 
gemmy

gemmy

Active Member
Honestly, I would not add anymore fish to your system. Your tank is at is max and you have some really aggressive fish in there. I would recommend that you test your water parameters to ensure that your water quality is at its best. I would also reconsider the stocking choices for the tank. The tang gets large and will exhibit signs of stress and aggression as time progresses. The damsels are aggressive and can bully the other fish.
 
scootywoot

scootywoot

New Member
thanks. I only got them because I loved their bold color. I must say though....they are getting along just find for now. At first there was some bickering going on and now everyone is getting along fine. (as far as I know) Im gonna donate my pajamas back to the store if I get more clowns. BUT I STILL DONT KNOW IF I SHOULD! Sorry, i wasnt yelling at you....
 
gemmy

gemmy

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by scootywoot http:///t/388254/help-i-am-getting-sooo-discouraged-right-now-just-lost-2-clowns-n-2-days#post_3422969
thanks. I only got them because I loved their bold color. I must say though....they are getting along just find for now. At first there was some bickering going on and now everyone is getting along fine. (as far as I know) Im gonna donate my pajamas back to the store if I get more clowns. BUT I STILL DONT KNOW IF I SHOULD! Sorry, i wasnt yelling at you....
I would get rid of some of the damsels before the pj cardinals. Damsels are a deceiving fish that seem like they are innocent, but then they turn on you and the tank inhabitants. Mine even started attacking me and drawing blood. That is when I decided they needed to go. Even if you got rid of the cardinals, I would not add another fish to the tank since it is stocked to the max with the choice of inhabitants.
 
scootywoot

scootywoot

New Member
AYYYYEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Its the return of Whodini. He just popped up out of nowhere looking like hes at about 70%. Much better than he looked before the freshwater dip. he still has a little bit of the white string hanging from him but not nearly as much. What should my next plan of action be. Should I just wait and monitor his progress, or just give him another dip tomorrow sometime........
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Hi,
Welcome to the site....
First if a parasite is on one fish...it will infect the entire population in the tank. Catching and freshwater dipping is stressful and will cause the fish to fall into ill health and die anyway. So first identify the parasite, that is your very first chore. Then proceed with what you need to do to address that problem.
Clowns are very hardy fish, but what worries me is that you are adding fish recklessly. I agree damsels are beautiful, but remember there is truely plenty of fish in the sea. The damsels are babies now, and they grow and become truely evil when mature. They will kill every fish less timid than themselves including each other and bite you, drawing blood. My advice is to get rid of the tang, the damsels and not get anymore fish until you have a QT set up and the cardinals and clown quarantined and being treated to make sure there are no more parasites. Then always use a QT so you won't lose fish in the future.
Now...once you have cleared the tank of parasites. Instead of damsels, get a dwarf angelfish... they are flashy and beautiful. Only per tank but they are active and very bright colored...and as an added bonus they eat hair algae and nip the rocks all day keeping them clean.
Another really nice fish with bright colors for your size tank, would be a royal Gramma or an orchid dottyback, one or the other not both. They are beautiful fish. Then finish with a fairy wrasse...a jaw dropping beautiful fish (but you must cover your tank with a mesh to keep it...they jump really bad.
That would be about it for your tank....You might also be able to add a foxface, a nice bright yellow fish and algae eater.
I wish that LFS would warn folks about damsels, I know when I was young and had freshwater tanks, that aggressive fish were marked so we knew they were a problem to keep type of fish. Beginners seem to just be drawn to them, not only are they pretty but cheap...it really won't do any good to go cheap and have it kill hundreds of dollars worth of other fish. So do yourself a favor and unload them now.
 
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