Last chance at RG chronicles

[florida joe]

Well tomorrow will be one week my RG has survived in my care I do seem to have a problem with getting him to eat frozen food though he will eat it and then spit it out in a second or two I have heard of lion fish having a gullet problem and doing this and starving to death but my RG will eat live brine so I don’t think that is a prob. Also he is undergoing hypo watched him scratch now and then no spots thou and only at feeding time I know sixlines will do this as a way of dislodging food from the rock work so we shall see

 

[jpc763]

Originally Posted by florida joe
I go by the recommended 14ppt salinity I have never seen a refractometer that has the 1.009SG line up with 14PPT i use the PPT side
So you are actually Hypo'ing the fish during your QT? Without the presence of disease? Can't that cause the fish to stress out?
I ask this because I QT my fish and have done so for 4 fish thus far. The first fish died of a bacterial infection, the 2nd (firefish) & 3rd (RG) made it through great and the fourth showed ich parasites and died before I completed decreasing the salinity to 1.009 (I screwed it up).

 

[florida joe]

Yes I am I think the stress of hypo if any is less then the stress of the effects of ick on a fish if treatment is not started immediately remember we are not talking about a single parasite infecting our fish but the potential of a great many but I must say if I did not see any signs of scratching I would have held off

 

[jpc763]

Understood and it seems like a reasonable approach. I just had not done it that way and had I, my Flasher Wrasse might very well still be with us.

He was doing pretty well for a couple of days when I saw parasites on his body. I was not very well prepared and of course it was mid week so lowering the salinity was not very easy. As a result, the changes were too abrupt and he stressed out. I feel bad about it and now I might QT in hypo so that I can do it on a weekend.

 

[renogaw]

Originally Posted by florida joe
Oh then please explain to me exactly what the “I cant swim down there” syndrome is and how it relates to the later pics

doesn't matter with your tank, because you're on a flat table.
my qt is on a stand, like a regular tank, so the fish were able to look down, and it supposedly disorients them so they don't eat. that's why it's suggested to paint the bottom of the tank in my situation, not yours
EDIT: and i meant your earlier pics. i was looking at the rg in the closup pics, not the stand pics

 

[florida joe]

Well I have finally found something frozen that my RG will eat its Cyclopeeze it’s a start I will start mixing that with mysis and see how that goes

 

[srfisher17]

Joe, some of us are really attached to this fish & its progress...how's he doing? (Yeah, I know I need to get a life, my kids remind me daily.) Edit: I didn't even see page 2, seem to be doing great!

 

[srfisher17]

So Joe, how's he doing?

 

[florida joe]

Well I realize I have a long way to go but I have a feeling my RG will beat the odds and make it out of hypo which leads to my next big change introducing him into my DT I had a ruff time or I should say my false perc had a ruff time with my sixline they have a rather tenuous truce going but I don’t think the little RG will we able to take two days of it as the perc did and if he does I don’t think he will feel comfortable enough to compete for food so I am going to put the sixline in time out for two weeks in my QT now the hard part catching him I ordered a fish trap today my LFS has a loaner but I want to invest in my own I will take pics and post a chronicle on my attempts to catch him I will start baiting and feeding my fish once a day using the trap I want my sixline to get secure in getting food out of it they are pretty wily and knowing how S… happens I want to be able to try it a second time if necessary if the door on the trap hangs up below if a pic of the like sweetheart (the dot is on the glass not on the sixline)

 

[srfisher17]

Originally Posted by florida joe
Well I have finally found something frozen that my RG will eat its Cyclopeeze it’s a start I will start mixing that with mysis and see how that goes
Cyclopeze is great stuff, I often forget about it. Just a tiny pinch of this stuff will get my biggest fish into a frenzy; without any real food for them in the water. I also agree 100% with your decision to hypo. I just do not think this stresses fish much, if at all, when done properly. (same with copper, IMO) In any event, given the stress on all the fish in a system if an outbreak occurs, I think it's a good chance to take.

 

[jpc763]

Well good luck. My tank has 2 false percs as the oldest inhabitants and the sixline was next. I added a firefish 2 months ago and everything was great. Total harmony. I added my RG and for a week, the RG terrorized the firefish. He has since mellowed out and everybody is once again in harmony.
My sixline spends much of his time fighting his reflection in the glass

 

[florida joe]

Originally Posted by jpc763
Well good luck. My tank has 2 false percs as the oldest inhabitants and the sixline was next. I added a firefish 2 months ago and everything was great. Total harmony. I added my RG and for a week, the RG terrorized the firefish. He has since mellowed out and everybody is once again in harmony.
My sixline spends much of his time fighting his reflection in the glass

yes RG can be tuff and they can open their mouths wide when protecting there space but i dont think he would be a match for my sixline thats why the sixline has to go in time out for two weeks

 

[florida joe]

Well I had some short lived joy this morning I feed my RG a few mysis and he went at them like crazy gave him a few more and he would not take them at least he got a few down im thinking his first reaction was a feeding instinct then he realized they were not live and stopped I will continue to mix them in with the live brine

 

[renogaw]

have you tried mushing up some shrimp/clam/crab etc?

 

[florida joe]

Originally Posted by renogaw
have you tried mushing up some shrimp/clam/crab etc?
I must be reading your mind I just chopped up some shrimp, clam and squid and squeezed out the water soaked it in some garlic and formed a ball its in my freezer at tonight’s feeding I will run the ball over a cheese grater and add a few live brine and see how that goes

 

[metweezer]

Joe,
Glad to hear he is still hanging in there

Take Care,
Steve

 

[florida joe]

Originally Posted by metweezer
Joe,
Glad to hear he is still hanging in there

Take Care,
Steve
thanks steve i will be there when you get yours to keep my fingers crossed or give any other help you may need

 

[florida joe]

Well the latest development other then the reluctance to eat frozen food is that my RG is still scratching now and then, I have a big 6X magnifying glass and I do not see any spots on him where he would be reacting to Ick he is completely clean I find it hard to believe that he only has the parasite in his gills or in him mouth but I guess it is possible he is in hypo in any event anyone else have a fish other then a sixline that likes to scratch with out the presents of an irritant

 

[florida joe]

Well I guess it was inevitable tried to feed the RG tonight a mixture of frozen and live and he did not take a second look I added a little more live and same thing the only variable from when he was eating live like crazy it that he is undergoing hypo I wonder if the lower salinity has a affect on him I will go to a lfs that has ghost feeder shrimp and see if that works RGs

 

[florida joe]

well I tried live brine again this morning before getting some feeder shrimp and he still would not eat them I then tryed a little frozenCyclopeze and he eat them quickly I just dont get it one thing I think I have answered my own question about the salinity being the reason he was not eating