Fish Might Be Sick ?? Help Please

[FishyReef]

I worry that even if you QT them it won't necessarily prevent them from getting ill again, in part because I think they are getting stressed. Adding the rocks and improving water quality is a huge step in the right direction. But (as much as no one wants to hear this) the hippo and sailfin really need a 6ft long tank (180g min) to live stress-free. When they are stressed, they get sick, and I suspect that even if you treat them for ich, they will still be stressed and may come down with something else or die prematurely from stress. The butterflys are both peaceful fish and the activity level of the tangs may be stressing them out, causing them to come down with ich. I can't say for the clowns, they are usually fairly hardy and I suspect if you can keep them eating well then they will recover on their own. My personal recommendation to you would be to return the hippo and sailfin to your LFS for store credit, and once everyone else heals up and is doing well, then consider adding a smaller tang that would do okay in a 125g (yellow tang, purple tang, convict tang, or any of the Ctenochaetus family). There are a ton of great tangs that you can add to a 125g that can live there long term! There are also a lot of tangs that are super prone to getting ich - the powder blue and powder brown tangs come to mind, so I'd stay away from those (trust me, I'd love to have a powder blue in my tank, but seems that all of my "favorite fish" are the ones that simply won't survive in my tank, so I have to admire them from afar instead). I also want to point out that you still have a lot of room to add more fish in your tank over time, and ideally you want to add the more peaceful fish before the tangs to minimize stress (tangs and dwarf angels should be close to your final additions). If you have other fish you want to add, then I'd consider adding them first before you add a tang or two back into your tank. Butterflies are notoriously hard to keep (as you and countless others discovered with the copperband), so I really can't say whether your two butterflies are going to recover or not, and even moving them to QT could stress them out too much. The best way to prevent ich is to keep your fish minimally stressed and eating well. I really hope everyone pulls through for you, even if you do go the QT route!

 

[Bifferwine]

You've definitely made great changes adding the rocks, using RO/DI, etc. I am wondering if all of the fish have ich, or only certain ones? Am I right that the fish you still have are 2 clowns, b/w heniochus, hippo tang, sailfin tang, and a butterfly? Knowing whether it is only certain fish or all of the fish will help us understand the situation better!

I can almost guarantee that if one is showing symptoms, they all have it. It may not be visible, but they will all be carrying the parasite. Healthy fish may never show symptoms or be affected by the parasite. But can still pass it on to an unhealthy fish.

 

[FishyReef]

I can almost guarantee that if one is showing symptoms, they all have it. It may not be visible, but they will all be carrying the parasite. Healthy fish may never show symptoms or be affected by the parasite. But can still pass it on to an unhealthy fish.

Absolutely, Biff! I meant to specify which were showing signs, not which "have" it - sorry about that!

 

[Civicdemon]

You know what u guys i completly forgot aboit the clowns they actually do t look like the have it and now when i look at the fish including the hippo tang it looks like they have far less of it. Im not sure if its going away or what but i did add rhat ich attck yesterday. So i guess only time will tell. I think i might do a 50% water change on friday what do u guys think? ?? About doing this withthe water from my lfs?

 

[Bifferwine]

I wouldn't do as much as 50%. That's a lot of water to be changing out. If you stick to 20% or so, you should be fine.

 

[Civicdemon]

So how often do i do a 20% water change?

 

[Bifferwine]

Once a week should be good.

 

[little_fish]

The ich attack and other ich medications work to get rid of the ich you see as the white dots on the fish, but it doesnt nothing for the other lifestages of ich. So even though you cant see the ich, it is still there

 

[Civicdemon]

The ich attack and other ich medications work to get rid of the ich you see as the white dots on the fish, but it doesnt nothing for the other lifestages of ich. So even though you cant see the ich, it is still there

well i also have a uv sterelizer to kill the free swimming ich. So hopefully i can get it all under controll here soon.

 

[little_fish]

you would need a gigantic UV sterilize to kill the ich in the water, and you would have to insure that all the water passes within a few millimeters of the lights to kill the ich with a small bulb - which you cant do. The UV light isnt going to do anything for the ich. You need to get the source of the stress under control to deal with the ich.

 

[Kelz88]

In my honest opintion you should take the tangs back to the store. They dont have enough room to live in your tank.

Poor little things have gone through enough, and they will most likely keep getting sick until the space issues is resolved. These are living creatures, not a vase.

 

[Civicdemon]

Well i just took out the sailfin tang si ce he was picking on the other fish. The lfs gave me credit for him so i was wo dering if i should get some garlic stuff to add to the food or that zocon stuff. ??

 

[little_fish]

garlic wont make them better, it only acts as an appetite stimulant. So if they are eating, that is good, that means they have a chance of getting better on their own.

 

[Civicdemon]

So that stuff doesnt help there emune system ? My fish are eating like crazy still they eat there food yhen they eve chew down the 1/4 sheet nori with in a hour

 

[little_fish]

It *might* boost their immune system, but no real studies have been shown that it does. Its really just one of those things people say on the internet.

 

[Civicdemon]

So on wendsday after sommong home my copper band was dead. My other fish have ben good and eating like crazy. Yesterday i noticed my longnose did not eat and today i woke up to him with red patch on his side and dying. After about another 30minnote he was dead :( ugh im getti g so discouraged im about to give up. My black amd white heniocus seems to be good with almost no more ich spots and eating like crazy on mysis and marine fusion. He also eats at the nori i pit in the tank. The clowns are still fine also. All my water perameters are great even got nitrates down to 10 ppm so im at a lost right now.

 

[FishyReef]

Both of the butterflies are very difficult fish to keep even for the most seasoned aquarist. I am sorry you lost them, but so have countless others before you. This is one reason most people stay away from the butterflies. Its hard not to get discouraged, but hang in there. I would wait at least a month before adding any more fish, but when you do I'd recommend adding a hardier fish. Check out Live Aquaria for recommendations and information about specific needs for various fish to help chose a good, hardy fish for your next addition.

 

[Bifferwine]

Sorry to hear about your fish. But they are very difficult to keep alive. Don't let yourself get discouraged -- in the future, research the fish before you buy them, that way you can avoid buying fish that are going to up and die on you, or be very sensitive to disease and get sick constantly. Most of the fish that you have are not good choices for your tank and their deaths could have been avoided with some research into their difficulty levels.

Also, numerous people suggested you take these fish back to the store before they die, since we are aware of how challenging they can be to keep. You decided to keep the fish anyways, so perhaps you should take a look at the rest of the fish in your tank and make some decisions about what you want to do with them. People on this site are not "making stuff up" when we give suggestions like "That fish is very difficult to keep alive, you should consider taking it back to the store," and "That ich treatment you are using is not effective and won't help anything." As you have found out firsthand, there's a reason why people were criticizing your stocking decisions and your disease treatment procedure.

Please don't take offense to this, but you came her asking for advice, you got it -- and you chose not to follow it, and now you are feeling discouraged and your fish are dead. Please reconsider the advice you have been given here and take a look at the fish that are still alive in your tank, and make some decisions based on the experience level these fish require about whether you really should be keeping them or you should find them a new home.

 

[Civicdemon]

i Did what people said and i took the sailfin and blue tang back, most people said as long as the butterflys where eating good they could be ok and mine where. My Heniocus is really a healthy eater and seems to be doing way better. I Have not added any new fish to the tank and im taking peoples advice. im trying to treat for the ich with ich attack and watter changes wich most people told me to do weekly untill i get this issue resolved. I have ben doing 35gl water changes every week to try and get my tank on the right track.

FishyReef i will look that live aquaria and get sugestions on some fish. But for now im off to get me a protien skimmer. To further reduce the nitrates. I think this might be one of my problems in not having one. Anyways thanks all and i will reaserch more before i add any more fish. If my fish do all die out im just going to let the tank run for 2 months with no fish to make sure all the ich dies out.

 

[Bifferwine]

i Did what people said and i took the sailfin and blue tang back, most people said as long as the butterflys where eating good they could be ok and mine where.

Please, show me where "most people" said that the butterflies would be okay to keep. Because these are the quotes I found from previous posts -- pretty much everyone said to take the butterflies back. In spite of what you may think, you didn't do what people suggested...

You also have two fish (butterfly's) that are not good fish for those starting in the saltwater hobby, and many people will tell you they should be left in the ocean entirely.

I'd strongy recommend rehoming some of your fish - stress fish are going to continue to get sick, and your's are going to remain stressed in your tank (it takes a lot more than just 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites to keep a fish unstressed) - and then really spend some time reading and doing your research, and then slowly begin stocking your tank. If you don't, you are going to be in for a major tank crash and likely have to start over from the beginning.

You may want to bring some of those fishies back.

I will be surprised if all of your fish make it, especially the butterflies, but we can hope!

The problem with most butterflies is that they do well for a few months, and then go rapidly downhill. I personally believe its because they arent getting the correct foods. In the wild most butterflies eat corals, sponges and anemones, which we dont provide for them in our tanks.

The butterflys are both peaceful fish and the activity level of the tangs may be stressing them out, causing them to come down with ich. I really can't say whether your two butterflies are going to recover or not, and even moving them to QT could stress them out too much.