Need Help Now Please

[roundman]

I lost my royal gramma to ick last week. Did a 30% water change on saturday and my parameters are as follows:
ph=7.8
nitrates=25
nitrites=0
amm=0
temp=78
sp gr=1.0245

The tank is 8 weeks old. Got up this am and my copperband, had for 3 weeks, is listless and laying on the bottom but will swim if touched. He has always eaten like a pig and been very active in the tank but did not get up to eat this am. Is there anything I can do or is he doomed?

 

[flyingarmy]

There are many factors that can lead to fish illness/death. Where did you get the fish from? LFS, online? Parameters look good but have you changed something drastically recently in the tank? Adding something, addatives? Have you changes sea water mix? Any visible ick, wounds or bulges on the CB? Post up some more detials and i am sure the vast knowledge of ARC might come up with something! Hope it makes it!

 

[roundman]

I get my salt water from LFS. Nothing visible on fish. The fish came from fish and more. It was recommended to try kick it for the royal gramma but that treatment was completed over a week ago and the copperband didn't display any signs of distress during that. My 2 clowns, 6 line wrasse, and 4 chromis are all ok.
Thanks for the quick response
I AM FREAKING OUT

 

[flyingarmy]

Sometimes fish just get ill and die for unknown reasons. It happens to all of us. Sorry to hear about it..hope it pulls through! Do you have a quarantine tank? Might be better to isolate it from your other fish in case.

 

[xyzpdq0121]

Kick Ich could be the culprit here. The stuff is not as nasty as copper (but then again it does not work) but still could lead the kidney problems or other problems in fish. If such is the case, little can be done.

FYI: if all your fish die, you need to leave the system without fish for ATLEAST 6 weeks to ensure no Ich remains in the tank!

 

[george]

Rawn,

How often are you changing your water and how much do you change at a time? The 7.8 pH seems low. I'm not familiar with the dynamics of a FOWLR tank, but I'd think that the "WLR" part would make it reef-like.

The tank is 8 weeks old. Perhaps there's a bit remaining on the cycle? Have you checked your amonia and nitrite levels?

 

[cameron]

I am with Brandon. 7.8 and lower pH is where calcification begins to be an issue, but doesn't cause fish death (not without a big drop or rise). Ick is probably not the reason either. Not many fish die from ick at least directly. It does weaken them, but usually something else takes them out. I am guessing something is wacked out in your tank. Any other medicines you dosed?

 

[fishwhisperer]

OK...you have added 9 fish in 8 weeks? Am I reading this right (not being sarcastic either)? If that is the case you have gone waaaay to fast. Your tank may not have even completed it's cycle.

 

[tanner86]

If you dosed the Kick Ich in the main tank and didn't take the ich infested fish out to treat him I can just about garuntee this is the problem. Early on in my first tank my fish got ich and I dosed right into the tank. Since that time the only fish that lived was my percula clown and he almost died. All my other fish died in a span of a week. Just like you stated, great the day before and now laying on bottom of tank. The chemical never left the tank and every new fish I added died within 2 weeks. I finally had to set-up a brand new tank and throw the other one away. I did keep the percula alive by doing 25% water changes every other day.

Good luck to you, hope the other fish pull through.

 

[daveatl]

if there is no visable disease outside the fish and it looks well fed, it's usually a viral or bacterial pathogen inside the fish attacking the organs. Probably nothing you could have done as it probably got it in the wild. For the future, look into adding foods that boost the fish immune system.

 

[saltwater junky]

I Dont Think Kick Ick Did It , I Have Used This On Many Of My Fish With Great Results Every Time And I Have 7 Tanks So Something About It Works.i Even Have A Copper Band I Used It On With No Ill Effects But Everyone Has Their Own Opinion.

 

[showtime305]

I think the 7.8 pH could still be a factor here. There is no telling what the pH drops to while the lights are out. I've been fighting low pH for a while now and I've seen my tank take some pretty low swings at night.

 

[roundman]

Thanks for all your help but he died today, very sad. Now to address some issues mentioned here. I went to a LFS to disscuss FW algea issues vs converting to SW. I ended up with SW and was happy with the decision, always wanted to do SW. Now for the big but I was told to get skimmer, salt, and sand. Use everything else I had and to make up the SW with tap water. Then come back the next day to get fish and I was off and running. Then I discover this web site and other stores. Now I have75 different ways to do this and I think 76 of them are wrong.
Please forgive me for being irritated but I was asking for help not critizim (can't spell) on what I have done wrong, which appears to be going with SW.
Thanks again for all of the attempted help I did receive.

 

[xyzpdq0121]

Rawn, Your frustration is normal and sad for new people in this hobby. The LFS who told you wrong in the first place was only looking to make a buck on you, plain and simple! I do not want to get into a debate on the ethics involved (or lack there of) displayed by the LFS. But a situation such as yours is the number 1 reason that people get out of the hobby after starting in.

I tell you, it is not too difficult to do a SW tank. It takes some planning and alot of patience but not that hard! If you want my real advice, get this book: http://www.amazon.com/Conscientious-Marine-Aquarist-Commonsense-Successful/dp/1890087025/ref=pd_bbs_2/105-8882884-5054812?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1184710980&sr=8-2">http://www.amazon.com/Conscientious-Marine-Aquarist-Commonsense-Successful/dp/1890087025/ref=pd_bbs_2/105-8882884-5054812?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1184710980&sr=8-2</a> And visit this site: [IMG]http://www.wetwebmedia.com">www.wetwebmedia.com</a> and read all that you can before you go at it again. Feel free to ask questions here but questions are better asked after you have a basis to understand the answers.

You are right, there is more then one way to do a SW tank, with some help you fill find the way that works for you!

 

[cameron]

Showtime305;57961 wrote: I think the 7.8 pH could still be a factor here. There is no telling what the pH drops to while the lights are out. I've been fighting low pH for a while now and I've seen my tank take some pretty low swings at night.

Anything above a 7 is fine in a FOWLR at least for short durations. Big swings aren't good, but 7.8 shouldn't be an issue. We try and keep our reef tanks above 7.8 and closer to 8.0 or 8.1 because lower pH makes calcification harder. 7 is neutral water and won't likely kill your fish. There have been experiments running tanks down to 6 without issue. pH is important for long term health, but in the short term short of shock won't likely kill a fish and even less likely several. If he isn't dosing something in his water to raise pH, it is unlikely he is having a huge swing between night and day. Even with a half point swing it happens relatively gradually over the night and then back up in the day. Not like dumping them from 7.8 and then into 7.3 all of a sudden. It is far more likely they are suffering from poor gas exchange if the pH is spiraling down that quickly at night.

 

[cameron]

If you converted from FW, what kind of flow do you have in your tank? Saltwater does not oxygenate as easily as freshwater so you need good flow to promote gas exchange and basically avoid suffocating your fish.

 

[roundman]

I have a 802 power head, a 305 fluval, and the skimmer. I have another small powerhead that just died. I am in the process of putting together a sump and fuge and plan on using a mag 9.5 or better. I have the fluval disturbing the top of the water and the top is open for gas exchange.