lots of symptoms

[toughtimes]

Been having problems wiyh my HANDY reef tank for the last week. It has been up for about 1.5 years. On April 16 I recieved a Flame angle, sally lightfoot, ricordia mushroom, umbrella mushroom, and coral banded shrimp from Saltwater fish.com and added them to my 55 gal tank after acclimating but without quaranteen. BAD MOVE! Two days later I noticed some skeleton broken or missing from the side of my Fox coral . The next day my open brain coral, which had been expanding for months, quit opening (excepy very minimully at night). Two days later my encrusting Gonipora? (it arrived on LR a year ago, a small specimen, and has trippled in size) failed to open except very minimully. Then to top it all off 3 days later (the 24th) I noticed a small white spot on the tail of the flame angle and a dusting of brown on my yellow Tang. Oh woe is me, what am I to do? Tank Inhabitants Yellow Tang Percula Clown Black-tailed Humbug Blue Damsel Jewel Damsel Fox Coral Aleveopra Coral Green Polyps 3 Ricordia mushroom Unbrella mushroom Flame Angle Yellow tail Damsel Coral banded shrimp Turbo snails Sally Lightfoot Hatian Anenome Scarlet leg hermit crabs Blue leg hermit crabs Open Brain Coral Emerald Crab The tank is a Jaubert style system,55 gal w Berlin hang on turbo skimmer, 2 powerheads, a hang on charcoal/floss filter. Lighting is a PC with 2-65watt 50/50 bulbs, and a double flourescent with 2-40watt daylight bulbs. Water parameters are NITRATE-0. nitrites-0, ammonia-0, PH-8.3, alkilinity-4, iron-0, KH-130, calcium-430, phosphate-.125.

 

[beth]

Immediately set up a QT that can hold your fish so they can be treated.
Is the dusting brown powder like? Are the fish gills swollen and are they breathing rapidly?
What are the water readings in your tank. You have to know that adding all those creatures at once to a tank [unless it is a very large tank] is not good.

 

[toughtimes]

All water parameters are the same as reported yesterday. The dusting of brown on the Tang is on the top front quarter 1 side, both sides just before the tail, and on the snout. All other fish seem normal, but the 2 corals are still not expanding. The salinity is 1.20 and the temp is 76.

 

[beth]

How is the fish breathing? Gills swollen, red? See what if you can use a magnifying glass to get a good look at the gills. Do you have copper on hand?

 

[toughtimes]

Today almost all brown gone on Tang. Got a good look at gills and not red or swollen and breathing normally. Angle still has 1 white spot on tail (cyst,ick?) and corals still not expanding. Water parameters are still fine....amm 0, nitrate 0, nitrite 0, ph 8.3, temp 76,

 

[beth]

Why are you keeping the salinity that low? I think the corals will do better at a salinity level that is within normal parameters--1.023-1.025---and probably better toward the higher end.
What are you using to measure salinity?
One parasite on fish is not likely ich. You can't treat fish in a reef tank anyway. I'd suggest that you start offering your fish garlic soaked foods. But not on flaked foods. Optimize quality of food and soak in garlic for 1 hr in the fridge before offering to fish.

 

[stcardoza]

Hi,
Is it possible that the angel is nipping at your corals which is making them receed? I know that pygmy angels are not generally considered reef safe, although there are exceptions, so you might want to watch for that as well.
-Steve