Sick Yellow Tang - Page 2

cararosalie · 09-16-2008, 01:59 PM

Are calcium and magnesium things you have to monitor if you have a fish-only tank? Is that a totally bonehead statement?

The pH was hovering around 7.5-8.0. The test strips I originally had read only in that increment. I bought the new test kit and the color is reading just slightly darker than 8.0. I hope it wasn't that big of a change. I'm using marine buffer (I think that's what it is called? bought it last night) to bring the pH to 8.3.

Dr.Fragenstein · 09-16-2008, 03:40 PM

In a FO tank they are not of much concern, EXCEPT a severly low Mg, ie 800ppm will cause depressed pH. I agree w/ unclejed that the pH jump you indicated is definetly enough to cause serious stress. Most pH products will advise you not to make an increase above .2 per day. pH adjustments most be done vary carefully to prevent unneeded stress. A pH of say 7.8 is a little low but nothing to freak out about esp in a FO setup. I would consider adding the airstone short term to help with the stress but the O2 will also help slowly increase the pH.

Good Luck and keep us posted

cararosalie · 09-17-2008, 10:42 AM

UPDATE!

After the water change, chemical adjustments, and adding vitamins, I had found the fish in cloudy water, and under a bit of stress. They weren't eating and were breathing heavily.

Last night, the water still looked slightly cloudy and the fish still didn't seem too happy, but they were all alive (thankfully). Did not want to eat the flakes. I checked all levels. Nitrites increased slightly, but at a safe level. pH still around 8.1.

This morning, the water has cleared up completely. The Tang is still breathing heavily, but is once again very active AND EATING!! This is a good sign, but I don't want to get my hopes up. The Tang's scales are still very irritated. I added more Vitamin C to help with that. I'm hoping that it's just going to be a gradual increase until the Tang is well again.

I'm planning to do another partial water change on Friday to see if that will bring the nitrite level back to zero.. and also add in another small amount of marine buffer.

PHEW!

unclejed · 09-17-2008, 02:07 PM

cararosalie, something just hit me. Do you have live rock? I went back and looked at the opening post on down and didn't see anywhere that you had live rock. Post a pic if you can of the tank. If nitrites are up and not nitrates, that indicates lack of proper nitrifying bacteria or something died off. If nothing died off, your bacteria colony isn't keeping up with the load in the tank. Add some live bacteria ("Cycle" exp.) every three days for a total of 3 times to get a better colony.

Dr.Fragenstein · 09-17-2008, 02:25 PM

Doing W/C during the cycling period is usually not recommended as it will distrupt the process and lower the amount of beneficial bacteria. Like unclejed said if the tank isn't fully cycled or hit a blip then I would recommend ceasing the H20 changes. Sounds to me that if you have NO2 the cycle was never finished or you added too many fish at once that the system couldn't handle or killed some bacteria somehow. Have you cleaned you filter lately? I would recommend holding off on the buffer for a bit, and maybe use something like Kent's ammonia detox or a similar product to "chelate" the NO2 or NH3 short term. I would continue the airstone to help the fish get enough O2 but also speed up the cycle.

Good luck

cararosalie · 09-18-2008, 02:40 PM

Funny you should bring up a lack of good bacteria!! (I'm chuckling to myself right now, shaking my head)...

On July 11th, I posted the following under the "Maintenance" category. Let me know if you think this might be the problem:

Rocks in the dishwasher I have a fish-only saltwater tank, decorated with various stones and coral. While I was away for the weekend, my new roommate (with good intentions) put all of my decorations in the dishwasher to clean them. He didn't use detergent, thank goodness.

Could this be a major problem, with the possibility of chemicals entering the rock pores? And... Do you think this will throw off my tank levels (now that my rocks and coral are sparkling white)-- I think I may be missing some crucial bacteria. I hope that my tank has not lost so much bacteria that it re-cycles.

Should I hold off on a water change for another week to make sure there is enough bacteria in the tank?

I'm not sure if I should wait to see how my fish react to this or go ahead and do something about it before something happens that I cannot fix.

Any recommendations?

Has anyone ever heard of putting rocks in the dishwasher? The idea seems quite absurd to me. I always scrubbed them with a toothbrush.

My roommate putting the rocks in the dishwasher changed them from brown to sparkling white. I knew that was no good, but there wasn't anything I could do about it at that point. I'll take a picture when I get home and post it.

I'll hold off on doing water changes. When I did the water change 2 days ago, I also cleaned out my filter. I was doing everything possible to get rid of whatever was in my water making my Tang sick. Water change, filter cleaning, adding stress coat, vitamin C, marine buffer.
Oh, and I don't have live rock. Just fish! I've only had a tank about 2 years with no prior experience with fish; live rock scares me and my wallet (for now).

Update on the tang: Her scales were looking especially yellow this morning. That's the biggest change I've noticed so far, as she's been pretty pale for the past week. Still breathing somewhat heavily, but eating a lot.

unclejed · 09-18-2008, 05:01 PM

Yes, I remember that post and I think I suggested to add bacteria then. Add some live bacteria ("Cycle" exp.) every three days for a total of 3 times to get a better colony.

Dr.Fragenstein · 09-18-2008, 05:38 PM

Any other hobbyists around you that you could borrow a couple gals or water or maybe a few rock or a cup of sand?

cararosalie · 09-18-2008, 07:50 PM

I've attached a photo of the tank.

I don't know anyone nearby with a tank, but I think my aquarium store would let me have a sponge with some bacteria on it. That's how I originally cycled my tank.

unclejed · 09-19-2008, 07:01 PM

The tank looks real nice. One thing to consider, if you add alittle
more rock (preferably "live") your fish will have more cover and feel
safer, more places to hide. Here is a pic of my 55 gal. Now, granted, I
like a lot of rock but somewhere in between might be what you are
looking for, just a suggestion. http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...t/55gal048.jpg