x( help...fish dying

mcdonaldjosh7 · Oct 28, 2010

Agh. Just a post displaying my frustration.

I setup a QT tank, I moved the 2 gobies into the tank Monday, and the tang yesterday.

They have ich....

The tang sits vertically in the corner...though he seems fine other then that.

So one of the gobies will most likely be dead by morning...the other one seems fine so far...

Could the stress of moving them be enough to kill him 2 days later???
He is upside on the bottom of the tank, breathing extremely heavily.

And honestly its the situations like these, where you spend money to try to save things, and end up killing them, that make this hobby hard for me at times.

Is there anything I could do in this ASAP situation that could possibly help?

mcoomer · Oct 28, 2010

When you setup your QT, how did you do it? Did you move water from your main tank or did you start with new saltwater? If you started a new tank with fresh saltwater you're going to have to cycle the tank before it's fit for inhabitants. If so, take a few buckets of water from your main and do a water change. Also, what are you doing for filtration? In the future, always try to move the fish along with a good quantity of water from the main tank. This lessens the stress involved with the move because your introducing to a tank that has the same parameters as the one they just came out of. Also, keep some media for your filter in the sump of your main tank so that it's seeded and ready to go when you have to move fish to the QT.

As for the fish now...how are you treating the ich? I haven't had to deal with it for years and years but back in the day I used Cupramine, starting at a low dose and slowing building it to the levels called out on the box. This and time will break the life cycle of the parasite and allow your fish to recover. If they've got ich on their gills though, it's unlikely that they'll live long enough for the process to play out. In any event, from the conditions you're describing it sounds like you need to begin treatment immediately or risk losing all those fish. Finally, what did you add to the tank to cause the outbreak?

Mike

Herefishyfishy · Oct 28, 2010

A proper QT tank should not have cycle issues as no rock or sand . It is based on water changes to keep fresh. Using old water will not prevent a cycle, but can help keep Ph in balance between them and that is often the issue on tank change stress.
Please read the sticky on Lee's forum on how to set up a QT tank, and how to run hypo-salinity.

Mods, please move this to Lee's forum so they can get some guidance from a pro.

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27022
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27155
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50933

Krish · Oct 28, 2010

Moved to Lee's forum for his expert opinion as recommended...Good luck!

leebca · Oct 28, 2010

There are several possibilities as other posters have already mentioned.

Was the QT setup properly?
Were the fish acclimated to the QT properly?
What are the ammonia and nitrite readings in the QT? are other chemistries stable and where they should be?

If all the above is suitable, then the fish would not likely be dieing from the transfer, but from the disease/parasite. A transfer from DT to QT is usually no to very little stress at the outset. But if the QT is not running properly, stress from poisons can add to the stress of the parasites.

If there is a problem with the water quality, then what you can do is a huge water change daily or twice a day. Since it will be large, follow these guidelines and don't use water from the DT system: How to Make a Successful Water Change.

If you've diagnosed Marine Ich, then start treatment immediately. Read and follow this post: Curing fish of Marine Ich.

There are many stickies and posts in this forum you should become familiar with and read. This is a good list of those posts: Table of Contents and Link List. You'll want to learn more about acclimation, setting up a QT, water quality, and the quarantine of new marine life before they go into the DT system.

Good luck! If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask.

mcdonaldjosh7 · Oct 28, 2010

I read most your sticky's, and followed the guide you had posted when setting up the QT.

The tank was 50% DT water, 50% ro/di salt water.

So given the scenario, which treatment would be better? copper or hyposalinty?