I think I have a problem...

mikeyv

mikeyv

New Member
also if you can post some more information on your tanks and water parameters it will be helpful.
Mike
Michael I thank you for moving my post to the appropriate area, Im sorry I dont know how I missed this section... Here are my numbers from yesterday.
It's a 55 gallon tank with live rock and coral
Temp - 76.5
PH - 8.4
Alk Meg/L - 3.66
Nitrate - 20
Nitrite - 0.2
Amm - .25
KH dKH - 10.2
Phos - .25
Spec Grav - 1.022
Thanks Again
Nitrite
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Welcome to the boards!! How long has this tank been set up? Your foxface has Hyper-melaninization, which is a reaction to coral stings. Unfortunately, with the tang having ich, all of your fish have been exposed and they all need to be treated. What other fish do you have? Do you have a quarantine tank?
Your water readings are off. You have ammonia and nitrite, the SG is low, and the temp is a shade low. How did you cycle this tank?
 
mikeyv

mikeyv

New Member
Originally Posted by sepulatian
http:///forum/post/2606292
Welcome to the boards!! How long has this tank been set up? Your foxface has Hyper-melaninization, which is a reaction to coral stings. Unfortunately, with the tang having ich, all of your fish have been exposed and they all need to be treated. What other fish do you have? Do you have a quarantine tank?
Your water readings are off. You have ammonia and nitrite, the SG is low, and the temp is a shade low. How did you cycle this tank?
The tank was filled 3-15-2008 and cycled for 5.5 weeks with a bio wheel, damsels and live rock. The bio wheel has since been removed and a sump installed. I have been chasing the numbers a bit with water changes and I am very slowly raising the SG. I have a Osc. clown, Midas Blenny, two jawfish a gobie and a flame angel. The flame angel might be showing signs of ick too. I am in the process (a little bit late) of setting up my quarantine tank today lol. I keep my temp low based on some reading I have done about lower temps slowing the growth of parasitic diseases, but of course, ask two people get 11 opinions lol. Today, I note no sign of ick on the tang and the pic was taken late last night...
Thanks so much for your welcome and help!
BTW, if you culdnt tell, this is my first dive into SW trops and coral, Iv'e had small freshwater tanks in the past
 
crimzy

crimzy

Active Member
Originally Posted by MikeyV
http:///forum/post/2606345
The tank was filled 3-15-2008 and cycled for 5.5 weeks with a bio wheel, damsels and live rock. The bio wheel has since been removed and a sump installed. I have been chasing the numbers a bit with water changes and I am very slowly raising the SG. I have a Osc. clown, Midas Blenny, two jawfish a gobie and a flame angel. The flame angel might be showing signs of ick too. I am in the process (a little bit late) of setting up my quarantine tank today lol. I keep my temp low based on some reading I have done about lower temps slowing the growth of parasitic diseases, but of course, ask two people get 11 opinions lol. Today, I note no sign of ick on the tang and the pic was taken late last night...
Thanks so much for your welcome and help!
BTW, if you culdnt tell, this is my first dive into SW trops and coral, Iv'e had small freshwater tanks in the past
Part of the problem is your stocking habits. If your cycle was done approx 4/22, then that means that you have added 7 fish in the last 3 weeks. And you already had some damsels in the tank prior to that. Even if your cycle was complete then adding all those fish within a short timespan overloaded your biological capacity. Adding the sump was a good move but it did destabilize your biological filter. I'd have suggested keeping the hang-on for a month or two along with the sump.
Slow down a bit... your tank is now going through another mini-cycle, which tends to happen when the fish waste is too much for your established bacteria to break down. You want stability in the tank. I personally wouldn't add more than one fish every 2 - 4 weeks. This is your first tough lesson in this hobby.
 
mikeyv

mikeyv

New Member
Originally Posted by crimzy
http:///forum/post/2606362
Part of the problem is your stocking habits. If your cycle was done approx 4/22, then that means that you have added 7 fish in the last 3 weeks. And you already had some damsels in the tank prior to that. Even if your cycle was complete then adding all those fish within a short timespan overloaded your biological capacity. Adding the sump was a good move but it did destabilize your biological filter. I'd have suggested keeping the hang-on for a month or two along with the sump.
Slow down a bit... your tank is now going through another mini-cycle, which tends to happen when the fish waste is too much for your established bacteria to break down. You want stability in the tank. I personally wouldn't add more than one fish every 2 - 4 weeks. This is your first tough lesson in this hobby.

You are 100% correct, although just for clarity, damsels all gave their lives for the cycling process, but I get your point and its well taken. The fish and coral are all generally healthy, except for the ick, well I guess that's like saying my house is in great shape except for the raging fire lol. Any thoughts on not seeing any signs today? I read someplace that somebody mistook ick for air bubbles?
 
crimzy

crimzy

Active Member
Originally Posted by MikeyV
http:///forum/post/2606405
You are 100% correct, although just for clarity, damsels all gave their lives for the cycling process, but I get your point and its well taken. The fish and coral are all generally healthy, except for the ick, well I guess that's like saying my house is in great shape except for the raging fire lol. Any thoughts on not seeing any signs today? I read someplace that somebody mistook ick for air bubbles?
Often fish can fight off the visible symptoms of ich but the parasite is still present, albeit dormant, in a tank. To be honest, the ammonia and nitrite is a much larger problem than the ich. If I were you I would do daily water changes until those numbers are down to zero. And feed lightly for now.
 
mikeyv

mikeyv

New Member
Originally Posted by crimzy
http:///forum/post/2606441
Often fish can fight off the visible symptoms of ich but the parasite is still present, albeit dormant, in a tank. To be honest, the ammonia and nitrite is a much larger problem than the ich. If I were you I would do daily water changes until those numbers are down to zero. And feed lightly for now.
Agreed on the daily water changes... Percentage suggestion? I should still iso my ick patient, correct?
How do you feel about low salinity in a hospital tank?
 
crimzy

crimzy

Active Member
Originally Posted by MikeyV
http:///forum/post/2606449
Agreed on the daily water changes... Percentage suggestion? I should still iso my ick patient, correct?
How do you feel about low salinity in a hospital tank?
If you are going to QT then you might as well QT all your fish for 4 weeks or so and let the tank run without fish. Remeber to continue to feed the tank during this time to maintain your bacteria. If your tang has ich then most people suggest treating it with hypo-salinity, meaning that you lower the salinity to 1.009-1.010. The parasite cannot survive at this salinity. Another way to cure ich is to use copper but this can only be done in QT because it will kill all inverts and liverock.
Personally I do not use a QT and have treated the parasite in my tank the 2 times I have had a fish with symptoms. There are meds on the market that are effective treatments to the symptoms but are not absolute cures. There are a couple different ways to go depending on your situation.
For you I'd be concerned that to QT all those fish would be too much for a smaller tank.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
What size is your QT? There are reef safe meds that some people have success with. They help keep ich off of the fish. Some still are able to host and multiply. In a lightly stocked reef, it wouldn't be a bad idea. However, your tank is not lightly stocked and the fish already have a compromised immune system because of the water quality.
 
mikeyv

mikeyv

New Member
QT is 29 gallons
As far as daily water changes for my water problem, I was considering just changing the water in my sump, approx 15 gallons. This will keep my amount constant and I am thinking stress the fish a little less. Any thoughts?
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by MikeyV
http:///forum/post/2606667
QT is 29 gallons
As far as daily water changes for my water problem, I was considering just changing the water in my sump, approx 15 gallons. This will keep my amount constant and I am thinking stress the fish a little less. Any thoughts?
I would remove the fish and perform hyposalinity personally. Get the ich taken care of. Once the fish are out, the tank will finish cycling. There is another possibility. What corals do you have and how much rock?
 
crimzy

crimzy

Active Member
Originally Posted by sepulatian
http:///forum/post/2606902
I would remove the fish and perform hyposalinity personally. Get the ich taken care of. Once the fish are out, the tank will finish cycling. There is another possibility. What corals do you have and how much rock?
Like I said there are a couple of different ways to go. The problem you'll have is that if you do remove all those already weakened fish and put them in QT, then do hypo, I will virtually guarantee that some, if not all, will die from the process. However sepulation is right that this will take care of ich for the long term future of the tank.
It's a tough call. You may leave the fish in there and still lose a few. If it were me I'd ask the lfs to hold the foxface and kole tang until you treat the rest of the fish in QT. Then after that treatment you could pick up those two. If the lfs wouldn't hold those two then you may just want to give them up to (hopefully) save them and treat the rest. JMO.
 
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