Please Help my with my Fish!!!

[Reefer135]

I seem to be having a large problem with all of my fish! As you know I'm running a 135 gal reef tank. It was started on
03-07-01. The last time I tested my water was on 06-13-01.The perimeters where:
Ammonia=0.0
Nitrite=0.0
Nitrate=2.5
Phosphate=<0.2 (this test would not go any lower)
pH ranges from 8.14 in the morning to 8.30 in the evening
Temp=78.1 f (I just raised it to this from 76 f do to problems with fish)
S.G.=1.024
Salinity=32
ALK=4.0
dkH=11
Calcium=410
Mg=1170
Sr=16
Iodine=0.06

I have a new Q-tank 20L gal. It's been running for 37 days now. Today I tested the Ammonia (0.2), and the Nitrite (>1.0). I have only one yellow tail damsel in it to help cycle it. The problem is from a Powder Blue Tang that I had bought several weeks ago. Of course it brook out with Ick, and died trying to save it. Well now a few days ago my clown fish had died from the same thing, and also a secondary infection. now all I have left in my display tank is a Yellow Tang with "Red fin", A Purple Tang with Ick, and a secondary infection (like a powder coating all over it's body), and a 8" Naso Tang that has one cloudy eye. What do I do to stop this? I don't want to lose my fish, and I don't think that my q-tank is ready yet. I do have copper, and Maracyn but can't run them in my reef tank. I have been using a treatment called "Kick Ick", but no luck with the secondary infections. I am not running a U.V. in my reef. Dose anyone have any Ideas?

Thanks for your help!:confused:

[JohnL]

Hi Reefer135, [welcome]

The best I can do is point you to some past threads (http://www.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/search.php?s=&action=showresults&searchid=11012&sortby=lastpost&sortorder=descending) until someone else posts.

Good luck.

[FMarini]

Hi:
NO polls for me...
I'll give you a hint...there are 2 tried-n-true methods for elimanting ich. The other treatments sometimes work/ sometimes not.
Copper and hyposalinity are guarenteed cures.
I don't read anywhere if you have corals, inverts in this reef...if NOT then use hyposalinity (do a search for it)
Unfortuantely it seems like these fish in the tank are all in trouble. So my suggestion to you.
1) catch all your fish and place them in a 30 gal rubbermaid tub full of saltwater from your main tank,. get a sponge filter, and this will become your quarentine tank. treat your fish in this. You might want to break treatment into 2 parts. treat one set of animals w/ copper for ich, and the other set which have bacterial infection w/ SW maracyinII. bacterial treatment is 10 days, then once finished w/ this they go into the copper - treatment is 2 weeks. If you choose hypo its a minimum of 3 weeks.
Once your fish are being treated, leave the main tank fish free for at least 1 month-6 weeks is better..to eliminate the ich in the main tank.
So to run everything down
Naso tang w/ cloudy eye =bacterial infection (stress related)
Purple tang=ich, powdery coating = velvet
yellow tang w/ red fins=bacterial infection
good luck
frank

[Reefer135]

Thanks for your info. I will try the 10 days SW Maracyn-II, and two weeks for copper. The one thing that I'm worried about is that my Naso Tang is large (about 8" long). Isn't he kind of big for a 20-30 gal q-tank? Oh and I'm going to do this tomorrow Sunday! now the naso tang has both eyes cloudy. But all three of the tangs are eating like mad still.

Thanks again :)

:blown:

[maroun.c]

U did not mention what filtration u have in ur Q tank.
Try using some of ur display tank's sand bed, it'll give a boost to the cycle, or try exchanging some filter elements like filter sponges, bioballs, or a water change from ur display tank. Also u can try adding some bacteria. Whatever u do just make sure the Q tank has completely cycled befor risking any fish there, I lost many fish in non cycled Q tank.
As to the tank size, I think U should B OK, I managed to keep my hyppo tang, butterfly and coral beauty in my 10 G Q tank for 1.5 month with no problem, just make sure there are plenty of hiding places so that each fish has it's own. Also monitor water daily for in such a small volum things can mess up quite quickly. One more thing that I learned the hard way, try to keep the Q tank runing for it would have helped ur fish a lot to be treated at the first signs of disease.
Good luck.

[Reefer135]

In my display tank (135 gal)I have a 30 gal sump tank with a 100 micro sock, Euro-Reef cs6-2 skimmer, and a knob C calcium reactor w/CO2 system. My return pump is a Little Giant 3-mdscxqs. 3-250w 10,000k MH's and 4-96w PC 03's. I'm also using a wave maker with 4 maxi jet 900's. And of course a heater, and a chiller, 160# LR, Live sand (4"-5") and some hard & soft corals. The display tank has been running since 03-07-01. I changed it from a F/O tank to a Reef tank at that time.

In my 20L Gal q-tank I'm only using a penguin Bio-Wheel filter, a heater, and a Berlin Redsea Skimmer. It has no sand in it. just one large rock (not live). I'm going to take the rock out because I've heard that it sucks up the copper and other things. Right now I'm making up 25 gals. of fresh salt water, it should be ready today. I will take water out of the display tank, and put in the new water. With the old water from the display tank I will put it into the q-tank. And then treat the q-tank with Maracyn-II, and copper after that is completed. I'm a little worried about the pH in the q-tank. it's a little lower then my display tank. Probable because of the calcium reactor, and CO2 system in it. But I will get my display tank fish free for 4-6 weeks to get read of any Ich left in it. This is a big task to do trying to catch these fish in my reef tank with all the live rocks, and corals in it!

Thanks for your help!:confused:

[FMarini]

reefer:
skip the skimmer in the q tank (This will remove most of your meds-if not go ballisitic when you add them), and if possible use either water from your main tank or something like a seeded filterpad for your filtration. Keep the q tank real simple.
frank

[maroun.c]

Just change 20-30% of ur water. Also I believe that regular small water changes from the display to the Q tank work fine for having similar water conditions between both tanks which makes it easier for fish, remember ur already taking ur fish from their big home to this small new place and every single different factor will increase chances of additional stress. Many persons disagree with that but I found it best to have a sand bed in the Q tank, may be it'll suck up some of the medication so what??? But believe me never did my Q tank cycle and never did I eliminate the ammonia spikes except when I added the sand bed. I really have no clue about how much it will reduce the medication capabilities, however I think it's safer.One more think I just came to believe that hyposalinity is a lot safer than copper treatments(copper overdosing, damage to internal organs of the fish, reduced life expectancy) so I think I try it before (that's if it is appropriate for fish condition and I just don't know if it is for bacterial infections). As to the skimmer it's a very nice addition to the Q tank only for acclimating new fish ie when no med are used. however u'll need to turn it off when medicating and it'll stop skimming when u go hypo but I just keep it running when using hyposalinity for it's great just for water oxygenation. Hope everything works out for you (or is that for you ur fish???)