i think i have a problem......

wex man

New Member
had a long night!
I'm still learning about marine fish, and have had a 29 gal tank for over a year... I just recently set up a 55 gal tank, cycled it w/ damsels, acclimated my older fish and all was well... here's my problem... bought a new yellow tang, acclimated him, and put him in the new tank... he never behaved well... totally afraid of anyone on the outide of the tank... really shy... he ate fine though, so I figured he was just getting used to the tank... well my coral banded shrimp and him just didn't get along.. so I'm thinking that I picked a bad choice for the addition, but yesterday, guess what I found on hime.... ICK!!.. he was in the early stages, and died overnight.. I think the shrimp helped the process... now, I don't know if the rest of my tank is screwed or what! everyone else seems fine and dandy... help please!
 

nicetry

Active Member
Ich does not kill that quickly. Depending on when you added the tang to the tank, it may have already been sick but had no visible symptoms. What all else is in the tank at present (fish/inverts/live rock). Do you still have the 29 and is it still set up? You may need to use it for a quarantine tank. It's really important to quarantine all new fish for 3-4 weeks before placing them in the main tank. Doing so will dramatically reduce your chance of introducing illness into your system.
 

wex man

New Member
lets see.. the 29 is still set up... i did use the 29 though for the tang to sit for like 3 days, then i moved him over... i didnt realize i should have waited longer then that... im still learning...
heres what i have in the 55... around 30 lbs of liverock.... a coral banded shrimp, a brittle star, 2 damsels left over from the cycling, and a percula clown... ough...
 

beth

Administrator
Staff member
wex, 3 weeks is the min appropriate time to QT fish. If you have other fish, then they have been exposed and may well be compromised. Do daily water changes over the next several days and feed your fish with food soaked in fresh garlic (as detailed in the FAQ Thread).
Its a wait and see game now.
 

wex man

New Member
so just put them in another tank, and thats it? i guess, could you spell it out for me?
im sorry, but i jsut want to do the best i can.....
 

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by wex man
so just put them in another tank, and thats it? i guess, could you spell it out for me?
im sorry, but i jsut want to do the best i can.....
If the 29 is still set up and running, then yes, move all of your fish over there. The treatent is called hyposalinity. It is the process of lowering the SG (specific gravity) of the tank down to 1.009. Please look in the Common Treatments FAQ at the top of disease and treatment for full directions. If you cannot find it, just tell us and we will give you the link. Read that and let us know what other questions you have. What are you using to measure salinity?
 

wex man

New Member
so i move them to the 29 and lower the salinity... what about my main tank.... do i have to do anything there? plus, my inverts cant handle the lower salinity in my qt tank... leave them in the big one?
 

wattsupdoc

Active Member

Originally Posted by wex man
so i move them to the 29 and lower the salinity... what about my main tank.... do i have to do anything there? plus, my inverts cant handle the lower salinity in my qt tank... leave them in the big one?
You're going to need to hypo the fish in the 29, also you willneed to let the 55 run Fallow(fishless) for at least 6 weeks. When your done with the 6 week wait, then leave the 29 set up for a QT and QT EVERYTHING you get for at least 3 weeks before adding to the 55. Be sure when adjusting the SG down, to adjust your PH inthe RO water you add as you go. If you havent allready, read Beth's post on hypo listed in the links at the top of this section. Follow them exactly!
Be sure to use a recfratometer or medical(lab grade) hydrometer to lower the SG. The swing arm types are not acurate and you can either not do the hypo correctly or risk injury to your fish.
Good luck to you.
 

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by wex man
so i move them to the 29 and lower the salinity... what about my main tank.... do i have to do anything there? plus, my inverts cant handle the lower salinity in my qt tank... leave them in the big one?
Yes, leave the inverts in your display tank.
 
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