My new emperor is now sick!!! I think????

[fishy pa guy]

2 days ago I took a picture and it looked like the first pic. Today I get home and it looks like the second pic. He is still eating fine and swimming around ok but does seem a little lethargic. I cant really tell why he has the white showing through like it is. He is the only angel in the tank and he not getting harassed.

 

[beth]

This is a symptom of stress. Is this a new fish? What are your water readings?

 

[ccampbell57]

defnitely stress. Your water parameters are out of whack!
I would go get a good test kit ASAP and ensure that you have everything online.
I would bet the house that your PH is low.

 

[sepulatian]

How long have you had the angel?

 

[fishy pa guy]

Here is what I am working with. I have a 92 corner and a 120 Oceanic Tech tank ( the only reason I have it was because I got it really cheap). I have them both plumbed together in the basement. I have the 92 going into a 40 fuge and the 120 is going into a 110 sump. The 40 fuge drains into the 110 and the water is pulled from there and pumped back up to the tanks. The skimmer is also run off of the the same pump. I have a Precision Marine Bullet 2 running and it seems to run pretty good. I am open to suggestions on making this setup better if possible. As far as Fiji rock goes I have 120 pounds ( my pound key is broke )

in my 92. The 120 has about 150 in it and there is another 100 downstairs.
I know this is not what either of your original questions were but I figured it may help a little.
I did the tests tonight and they are as follows. The trites 0 to .05, trates 15-20, PH reads 8.6, Phos 1-2, ammonia 0, and ALK 8-9. I use the red sea test kits and I don't like them very much even though before I never really had a problem with them. They seem to be too broad.
I have a powder blue, emperor, coral beauty, and a perc. I did have a nice healthy clown tang also until today. I added the emperor to the tank on Saturday along with the perc, cleaner wrasse (which is in my sump now) and the purple BTA. I had a problem with the cleaner wrasse chasing my powder and my powder getting pissed. I think this is what started it because my powder got stressed. There is nothing stressing the angel.
I have a perc, lavender tang, Mandarin, chromis, and a blenny in my other tank and they don't seem to be affected "yet". I have about 20 corals in the 92 and everything is wide open and looks great. I do have a small problem with my toadstool that I have in a different thread.
Should I treat the powder and the emperor with formalin 3? The coral beauty and the perc look fine with nothing on them. I have a 40 gallon set up downstairs that I can put them in.
I appreciate all the help that I can get. Thanks

 

[fishy pa guy]

I forgot to list that my salinity is @ 1.025

 

[ccampbell57]

I would say your PH is high. You need to have it at 8.2-8.4 max. Mine resides at 8.3. My emperor would get stress spots if it dipped below 8.2.
Your nitrates are ok, but emperor angels and most other angels do not like out of whack params.
You say that you "had" a clown tang? What happened? Did it die?
Your powder blue could be causing the spots. It could also be from nutrition.
Need more information on the emperor. What do you feed it? How long have you had it? Did you QT? What is it eating?

 

[fishy pa guy]

I just checked fresh mixed salt and the PH is at the same reading. I use reef crystals and RO water. I checked the fresh water before I mixed it and it was 7.4. The stupid colors on the test won't come up right? The colors are coming up blue and not purple which is the only color on there besides the yellow. Does anybody else use the Red Sea test kits? How do I lower the PH safely if that is the problem? I read somewhere to use seltzer water. What else would I notice being affected by a high PH as far as corals and inverts go?
I have a small coral beauty in the same tank and it looks great. Its very active and picks at the rocks all day.
The clown tang died last night and I had him for over a month with no problems.
How could my Powder cause the spots? Do you think it is bothering him? I never see them have any confrontations and they eat at the same time off of the algae clip.
I feed it a variety of Julian Purple Seaweed, Green Formula Two flakes, and some mysis shrimp dipped in garlic juice. I have had it for about a week. I did not QT it before I put him in. I was going to take him out but what should I treat him with?

 

[sprinter144]

pH shoudl be higher not lower. If it's really 7.4 it's way too low. You need to raise it by adding buffer. RO water and salt won't do it alone. Mine recently dropped to 7.9 after only a few water changes because I ran out of buffer. I've got it back to 8.2 now. Following this pH swing I now have a rabbitfish which is showing signs of stress which I pray doesn't die. You've already lost one fish, so I would be cautious about raising the pH too fast. I don't know what's considered safe. Maybe someone else knows. I hope this helps.

 

[sprinter144]

I think I may have read your post incorrectly. After reading it again you are trying to lower the pH. Sorry about that. If your salt and RO water mix are at 7.4 you would still need to add buffer.

 

[fishy pa guy]

Originally Posted by sprinter144
http:///forum/post/2600199
pH shoudl be higher not lower. If it's really 7.4 it's way too low. You need to raise it by adding buffer. RO water and salt won't do it alone. Mine recently dropped to 7.9 after only a few water changes because I ran out of buffer. I've got it back to 8.2 now. Following this pH swing I now have a rabbitfish which is showing signs of stress which I pray doesn't die. You've already lost one fish, so I would be cautious about raising the pH too fast. I don't know what's considered safe. Maybe someone else knows. I hope this helps.
If you read above my PH is way too high I think. The RO fresh water is at 7.4.

 

[fishy pa guy]

Any ideas?

 

[beth]

First off, you need to allow just mixed salt to mix thoroughly with a pump for 2 days at least...a week is better. Then take the pH readings. It should be within adequate parameters after that.

 

[rcreations]

Reef Crystals has a pH of 8.4 so I suspect your test kit is a little off. If I were you, I'd take a sample of water to your LFS and have them test it to make sure your readings are good.

 

[fishy pa guy]

Originally Posted by RCreations
http:///forum/post/2600638
Reef Crystals has a pH of 8.4 so I suspect your test kit is a little off. If I were you, I'd take a sample of water to your LFS and have them test it to make sure your readings are good.
I figured the PH shouldn't be too high. The color just comes up blue and not purple like the picture. The test kit is only about 3 weeks old. Which test kits are the best to use? I don't mind buying all new more accurate test kits. The reason I bought these is because I used to use them and have no problems.

 

[fishy pa guy]

Originally Posted by Beth
http:///forum/post/2600631
First off, you need to allow just mixed salt to mix thoroughly with a pump for 2 days at least...a week is better. Then take the pH readings. It should be within adequate parameters after that.
When I said fresh mixed, I meant salt that has not been in my tank. I useally have the salt mixed and up to temperature for atleast 3 days. I have 3 kids so it usually doesn't get done any quicker than that.

Sorry for the confusion. It still comes up as blue and not purple?

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by fishy PA guy
http:///forum/post/2601161
When I said fresh mixed, I meant salt that has not been in my tank. I useally have the salt mixed and up to temperature for atleast 3 days. I have 3 kids so it usually doesn't get done any quicker than that.

Sorry for the confusion. It still comes up as blue and not purple?
Have you brought it to the LFS to have it confirmed?

 

[fishy pa guy]

Not yet because the 3 kids and the fact that the closest LFS that I would trust is 45 minutes away on a friday night. I will try to get it confirmed tomorrow when the wife is off.

 

[rcreations]

It's very hard to use the color pH test kits because the color variations are so close together and the type of lighting in the room also affects how blue or purple it looks. I advise to get a digital pH meter. It's an investment but you'll have it for a long time and it gives accurate readings.

 

[fishy pa guy]

I was going to get one of those about a week ago but then I bought that emperor instead. I know what I should have got now but it was in the heat of the moment.