I'm seriously starting to question my ability in this hobby.
I've gone just fine for many years, maintaining a healthy, happy mixed reef tank with a number of happy fish. Then I upgraded to a bigger tank to allow me to go with some more fish and bigger fish.
This time I figured I'd "do it right" and set up a QT which went horribly wrong my first go-round. Lost a bellus angel and a blenny. Okay fine, regroup and move on. Now it's a yellow tang.
I spent hours picking the best specimen in the shop, out of probably 25 yellow tangs. QT went pretty well. Ate like a PIG, ate anything I would put in. Very happy, no stress, etc. Water levels stayed suitable thanks to large changes and using Prime & Stability. No infections in this guy. Awesome.
Then as my QT period was ending I noticed what appeared to be Ich in my main tank so there was no way I was going to put the tang in there. I opted to set up a second QT to get my fish out and medicate them while leaving the display fallow for 6-8 weeks.
Right about this time (2 weeks into the yellow tang QT), the yellow tang goes psycho. He is absolutely flipping out. After some reading I find that Yellow Tangs, the supposedly "easy to care for, no issue" fish, are really neurotic, psychotic, high-strung whack-jobs! Okay, so maybe the fish isn't dying, just seeing its reflection. So I cover the sides & back of the QT. Nope, still going insane.
It's now 3 days into not eating. If it's not wedged flat under something, it's swimming vertical figure 8's or loops. Hell, last night it jumped out of the tank!
I don't know if it's "playing dead" like many web accounts state or if it's "really" dying. At this point every time I see it and it moves I'm surprised.
I'm just kinda bummed and frustrated at playing the grim reaper & killing everything I touch. Driving me nuts... And if this is the "easy" fish I can't see how I'll ever manage to get ANYTHING else in this tank... (that is assuming I can actually catch the cardinal & chromis to treat them for the ich).
I've gone just fine for many years, maintaining a healthy, happy mixed reef tank with a number of happy fish. Then I upgraded to a bigger tank to allow me to go with some more fish and bigger fish.
This time I figured I'd "do it right" and set up a QT which went horribly wrong my first go-round. Lost a bellus angel and a blenny. Okay fine, regroup and move on. Now it's a yellow tang.
I spent hours picking the best specimen in the shop, out of probably 25 yellow tangs. QT went pretty well. Ate like a PIG, ate anything I would put in. Very happy, no stress, etc. Water levels stayed suitable thanks to large changes and using Prime & Stability. No infections in this guy. Awesome.
Then as my QT period was ending I noticed what appeared to be Ich in my main tank so there was no way I was going to put the tang in there. I opted to set up a second QT to get my fish out and medicate them while leaving the display fallow for 6-8 weeks.
Right about this time (2 weeks into the yellow tang QT), the yellow tang goes psycho. He is absolutely flipping out. After some reading I find that Yellow Tangs, the supposedly "easy to care for, no issue" fish, are really neurotic, psychotic, high-strung whack-jobs! Okay, so maybe the fish isn't dying, just seeing its reflection. So I cover the sides & back of the QT. Nope, still going insane.
It's now 3 days into not eating. If it's not wedged flat under something, it's swimming vertical figure 8's or loops. Hell, last night it jumped out of the tank!
I don't know if it's "playing dead" like many web accounts state or if it's "really" dying. At this point every time I see it and it moves I'm surprised.
I'm just kinda bummed and frustrated at playing the grim reaper & killing everything I touch. Driving me nuts... And if this is the "easy" fish I can't see how I'll ever manage to get ANYTHING else in this tank... (that is assuming I can actually catch the cardinal & chromis to treat them for the ich).
