Update and Prevention Questions

heithingi

heithingi

Member
Hello everyone,
Thought I would share that I THINK my two smaller tanks are coming around. Today, their testing results were as follows:
45 gallon 29 gallon
Ammonia .02 .01
Nitrite 0 0
Nitrate 10 20
PH 8.2 8.2
ALK 7.2 7.2
Phosphate .7 .8
Salinity 1.023 1.024
Going to do another big water change today, hope that will do it!
I am getting ready to set up a Qtank, because from all of my reading, due to the spiking of these two tanks, I should be expecting my fish to now develop white spot or ich, is this correct? I do not want to treat these two tanks directly if the fish do become ill, as I would like to eventually turn them both into reef tanks. When I get much more experience, that is!
Should I really begin to make preparations for this? Everything I have read indicates such a scenario is very likely with hig spiking of ammonia and nitrites. Anyway, thought I would share that my tanks are starting to get a bit better!
Thanks for all the help!
Lynda
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
Setting up [or at least have ready to setup] a QT is always a good idea. When fish are expossed to stress, you can expect they are susepticle to disease, so, in your senerio, your fish could well come down with a disease problem.
 
heithingi

heithingi

Member
Beth,
Thanks. I am going to get on it right away. All the fish have lived so far, even all the inverts, want to make sure they continue to do so!
About the Qtank, the thing that throws me off is you said if not set up, I should at least have it available? Right? Well....doesn't the Qtank have to cycle, too?
Also, would it be a good idea for me to put in a phosphate buffer into these two smaller tanks to help with the huge growth of algae I had, and am still having? I hesitate to add chemicals unless I am sure they are really necessary. From my reading, it is suggested to not do this until the phosphate measures at a 1. Any thoughts?
Thanks!
Lynda
 
gobylover

gobylover

Member
Hi Heithingi.I use greenex for prevention of ick in my tank.I have had good results from this.I started using it after I had an ick breakout.They haven't had it since.I know a lot of people don't like it but my lfs uses it and so do I.Another good thing would be a UV steralizer.Hope this helps with some suggestions to prevent that dreaded outbreak!! :D
 
heithingi

heithingi

Member
Hi gobylover,
Thanks for the input! Can you use that if you plan on ever having coral in your tank, do you know? I know one cannot use copper in such a situation. As for the UV, I had thought that those will kill both good and bad organisms within the tank, so from what I understood from my reading, it was better to avoid the use of one. Not correct?
Also, on the Aggressive Board, someone mentioned that maybe I have something called Toxic Tank Syndrome? What on earth might that be?
Thanks again, all. I cannot tell you how helpful you all have been through this very frusturating time for me. If I would have had to depend on my LFS solely, it would have been seriously ugly. Do not get me wrong, they have nice livestock usually...but as for upkeep and maintenance, well, that is a different issue altogether. Anyway, me and my fish thank you all, they are still alive! :D
Lynda
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
New tank syndrome is when a new tank is set up and stocked, then it suddenly "crashes" and all your fish die. This was a phrase developed a long time ago applicable to the FW hobby to describe what happens to new tanks---now we know why this happens. Fish die because the tank is not cycled.
The UV issue about whether to use it or not is debated. IMO, if you have fish, you need UV--even more so in a reef or LR setup. UV kills off parasites, some bacteria and some algae. In a reef or FOWLR setup, for the most part, you can't medicate sick fish in the main system...as you see with the problem you are now facing. The UV is a good "natural" defense against many fish illnesses, thus you can avoid [or cut down] on the need to medicate fish—especially handy in a reef tank! Some reefers feel that the UV and the reef tank are not compatible as the UV will kill-off the essential micro-organisms in the water needed by the reef. Other reefers use the UV with success. Its a matter of opinion.
What I mean when I say....have a QT at least available so that you can deal with this emergency is this: If you absolutely don't want to maintain a QT/hospital tank all the time, then, the next best thing would be to have the tank ready for when you do need it. Because it is a QT, very frequent water changes and constant vigil on water quality will suffice for the duration that fish are in isolation. For a QT, it is better to make it substrate-less, IMO.
Hope this helps.
:D
[ April 27, 2001: Message edited by: Beth ]
 
heithingi

heithingi

Member
Beth,
Thank you again. I had wondered how one cycled a Qtank without LS..you answered that for me! I will read up on the UV, and get the Qtank ready. From my reading tonight, sounds inevitable my fish will get ill, now. I will also go to the LFS and buy whatever medications are necessary, so I have them onhand just in case. I live way out in the middle of nowhere, better to be safe than sorry!
I certainly hope I do not have this syndrome! Both tanks are fairly new, about 3 to 3 1/2 months old. To the very best of my knowledge, I did everything by the book...LS, LR, one tank has a skilter and prizm, the other a sump...both have powerheads...introduced all the fish and inverts slowly...tested everyday for the first month, then about every 3 days..water changes done regularly...the only mistake I am aware I made, with the exception of this LR, of course, was the introduction of my baby yellow tang. I believe I should have waited for such a sensitive fish, even though he has been doing great!
I am sure I have unknowingly made more mistakes; one thing this hobby has been teaching me, the more I read and the more I learn, the less I know!
I guess time will tell with my two little tanks. Thanks for the clarification!
Lynda
 
jimi

jimi

Active Member
Lynda sounds like things are coming along fine. Beth did a great job of explaining things although some long term reefers would definately argue about u/v usage. If your fish made it this far They probably wont get sick. Now that your water is improving so is their chances for health. As Beth mentioned its a good idea to have a hospital tank ready if you dont want to cycle one and keep it running, you can just do small water changes when it is running to keep the ammonia down. The syndrome as you mentioned is as Beth mentioned it happens from puting livestock in an uncycled tank. The ammonia level climbs until it kills everything. This is not going to happen to you as your ammonia is already coming down.
 
heithingi

heithingi

Member
Hi Jimi and Gobylover,
Thanks! Jimi, you relieved me, I was starting to worry that I did indeed have this toxic tank syndrome! I hope you are right and my fish do not get ill, just dawned on me that if they did, I would need a Qtank bigger than a 45 gallon! LOL
I will also look into that greenex right away, but as for the UV, I really want to read up on that some more before I try it. I appreciate all the good advice, just want to make sure the pros outway the cons!
Getting ready to do yet another water change, am doing them twice a day. Last night around midnight, when I did my last one for the day, I noticed a potential problem in the 45. I was using a flashlight to watch my cowrie, and noticed that a very small section of my plenum in the very back of the tank was exposed!! I covered it up right away, but I wonder if that is not contributing to my problem. To be honest, I will never use a plenum again, very happy I only have one tank with one. Ok, back to playing with test kits and water! Thanks again!
Lynda
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
How did your plenum get exposed??? Yes, this could very well be the problem. How much substrate did you use to cover the plenum?
 
heithingi

heithingi

Member
Beth,
I have absolutely no idea how it got exposed. It was a section of about 1 inch by 2 inches. The only thing I can think of is either the checkerboard wrasse did it about a month ago when he was in there temporarily, OR the cucumber did it...seriously, I do not know! I covered it with about 2 inches of LS. However, my 29 does not have a plenum, thank goodness, and has all the same symptoms...so it must be the new LR. Maybe I inadvertently uncovered it myself when doing a water change. It is possible!
Good news, though! 45 gallon is now showing just a TAD over the 0 mark in ammonia, and the 29 is at .1. We are getting there!!
Thanks gobylover for the good wishes!
Lynda
 
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