I think I have a sick goby

[kirru]

Well, this has been going on for a few days but the Aurora goby i have doesn't look to hot.

One night i found him sitting out of the burrow and the next morning he was still there, he traveled around the tank which is unusual cause I never seem him leave the burrow. I thought maybe the shrimp had died but he still is firing his pistol and making holes. could the shrimp have kicked him out? I'm confused. I did notice that around the poopy hole they was a reddish color on or below the surface of the skin but i can't check anymore cause he is under a rock next to the shrimp. can't get him out either.

He has been eating a lot up to this point and i haven't seen him eat since. Should I be concerned about him?

Everyone else including all the inverts (two shrimp and crabs and snails) are doing fine, the firefish and both clowns are actively eating and healthy.

What do I need to do?

 

[rostato]

are there any visable signs of stress?

 

[kirru]

What do you mean by stress?

No ich or other diseases that I know of are present on the skin, no abrasions of any kind, no fin deteration or signs that something has been nippening at them. His colors looks faded though. but its hard to tell while he is under the rock. maybe he'll be out when I get home and I'll get a picture.

 

[rostato]

Thats what I was looking for. Really the only thing you can do is watch it, or quarintine it. I have learned that catching a fish to put it in quarintine is much worse on the fish that just letting its immune system kill whatever is bothering it.

Feed with vitamen and garlic enriched foods if it is eating.

 

[kirru]

Ok, yea, it would be stressful not only for me to catch him but everyone else in the tank. I am getting some garlic today and going to soak that with some food. I hope it gets better, it was so healthy and active i just don't get it.

 

[coolsurf]

Sorry to hear that Kirru. Are all your parameters all good? I would recommend a partial water change and maybe a second one in another day or so. Garlic is good to boost the immune system. keep a closer eye on him for anything weird popping up.

 

[kirru]

Yea, it stinks. I am about to do a 5 gallon change now and will do one probably wednesday or thursday.

flatworms are starting to invade. would that contribute to his problems?

 

[kirru]

Well, I am doing water changes(more frequently now) and I don't have to much flow, but I am working on getting a Tunze 6025 (1 maybe 2) but that will be a couple more work nights.

 

[kirru]

I give up. I don't know what went wrong. I think the goby may have died as I can't find it anywhere in my tank. Its not by the burrow, though it maybe inside of it. I don't hear the shrimp but that maybe because he is not working now he doesn't have to make room for two. Geez, water is fine, and all my other fish are doing great. i can't figure out why my goby just went.

 

[coolsurf]

Don't fret yet...they have a tendency to hide now and then. I've heard of people not seeing them for a week or two and just when they give up hope...bam..there he is! When you last saw him, how did he look? Was he any better? Keep up with the water changes none the less and get the Tunze or a Koralia. Water flow is important to all. I hope you find him.

 

[kirru]

Yea, heard that too. It is just frustrating cause i am going slow and careful and when things are going good something has to happen. what law is that, i forget. anyway. I am doing water changes and was going to get a RO/DI unit from purewaterclub.com but can't get on their site. any other places to get RO/DI unit inexpensively as that?

last i saw he still looked about the same. i think the shrimp and fish had a disagreement. weird. anyway still looking.

 

[coolsurf]

Not sure about the RO/DI but I am sure someone on this site could steer you in the right direction. You may want to post a wanted thread..someone may have a used one they could offer you for a good price.

Keep a constant eye on your pars and make sure you have 0 NO3's and 0 ammonia. Make sure your Ph is good as well. A little Nitrate won't hurt as a lot of people don't even use skimmers and just change out the water on a consistant basis.

I think everyone has some frustration while involved with saltwater aquariums. Take it as a challenge. There will be times you will get totally frustrated but don't let it beat you up too bad. I'm finally getting to the point I can enjoy mine instead of scrambling around fixing things!

Good luck.....

 

[kirru]

Yup, thats why i took on the reefing challenge.

My ammonia and nitrite are 0ppm and my trate is 20ppm(using API), my pH is 8.2

With this tet kit, my trate has always read high, but when i have it test from LFS its normal like 5ppm. So i think my test is bad. but how would I decrease it anyway just incase? water changes i assume?

I also have a skimmer and I change water about every 3 weeks.

 

[kirru]

o i also assume that my trates are not that high as i have shrimp and snails and i would suspect they would die due to the result of high nitrates right?

 

[coolsurf]

I should have said make sure your NO2's (nitrites) are at 0, sorry. 20 is definately not off the scales for NO3. There are a lot of reefers that run a 15-20 consistantly because of no skimmer...some as high as 25. If anything, it would hurt some of your corals more. Fish are more tolerant. If you want to reduce it add the skimmer or there is a product that I am not too familiar with call AZ-NO3 (Absolute Zero). Supposedly what I read it really helps and fairly quick.

 

[kirru]

I have a skimmer running 24/7. pulls a load of crap out too. though for some reason it won't bubble over the top putting waste there. now it is just depositing on the inside of the skimmer tube. i do clean it regularly though.

All the corals seem fine and healthy, no signs that the NO3s are high but when I head to Blue Planet i will get them to check and probably have another store check just to see.

 

[coolsurf]

Sounds like your doing everything right. Could just be the API test kit. Not sure really.

 

[kirru]

Guess I should just wait it out and keep doing what I have been doing. Patience was never easy for me, unless it was like a gun to the head kind of deal. lol

 

[kirru]

I would of flipped and been like, my goby is back from the dead. lol

 

[kirru]

Haha, thats a good name, I think i'll call my Dracul. lol. I bet she would have too. good thing she found him