Here we go again

toomanymatts · May 23, 2022

I just got back into this. Been out of it since 2002. I don't know if I just had really good luck then or poor luck today but the odds haven't been in my favor.

Started the tank in Feb, added two damsels. One died suddenly a couple of weeks in. I couldn't pin point the reason. Parameters were always OK. Second one died about a month later. Figured out it was ICH too late. Honestly looking back wonder if that is what got the first one.

Now to today. Display tank is on time out. I spent some time building up CUC and started fallow after adding the last one.

I set up a QT tank. Finished the cycle last week. Picked up 2 fire fish and a goby yesterday. Parameters are fine. My plan was to give them a few days to make sure they were eating and also see if I get an initial ammonia spike and work through that. I didn't want to start adding copper and medication and have to juggle ammonia as well. Plan to follow this:

How To - Quarantine

How to Setup a Quarantine Tank (updated 4-6-2023) The following are the essentials: Aquarium (10-30 gallons seems to work for most people. A larger QT lets you house more fish and gives you more wiggle room when it comes to ammonia. A smaller QT is cheaper, easier to maintain and can be...

humble.fish

24 hours in the goby and one of the fire fish are doing well and eating. The other fire fish looks stressed, hides, looks little skinny, I haven't seen it eat yet.

What's my next move here? Do I start the treatments earlier? Was going to start on Thursday (that's what everything comes in the mail).

Thoughts?

Jay Hemdal · May 23, 2022

toomanymatts said:
I just got back into this. Been out of it since 2002. I don't know if I just had really good luck then or poor luck today but the odds haven't been in my favor.

Started the tank in Feb, added two damsels. One died suddenly a couple of weeks in. I couldn't pin point the reason. Parameters were always OK. Second one died about a month later. Figured out it was ICH too late. Honestly looking back wonder if that is what got the first one.

Now to today. Display tank is on time out. I spent some time building up CUC and started fallow after adding the last one.

I set up a QT tank. Finished the cycle last week. Picked up 2 fire fish and a goby yesterday. Parameters are fine. My plan was to give them a few days to make sure they were eating and also see if I get an initial ammonia spike and work through that. I didn't want to start adding copper and medication and have to juggle ammonia as well. Plan to follow this:

How To - Quarantine

How to Setup a Quarantine Tank (updated 4-6-2023) The following are the essentials: Aquarium (10-30 gallons seems to work for most people. A larger QT lets you house more fish and gives you more wiggle room when it comes to ammonia. A smaller QT is cheaper, easier to maintain and can be...

humble.fish

24 hours in the goby and one of the fire fish are doing well and eating. The other fire fish looks stressed, hides, looks little skinny, I haven't seen it eat yet.

What's my next move here? Do I start the treatments earlier? Was going to start on Thursday (that's what everything comes in the mail).

Thoughts?

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

I would contact your LFS. For one of two fish of the same species to be doing poorly tends to rule out big issues like water quality, disease, or acclimation issues and tends to focus on some problem with that specific fish when you got it. Then, that it looks skinny just adds to the idea that just that fish has a problem before you took it home.

That said, I've had issues with firefish fighting in small tanks. Another issue you need to be aware of is that some dealers keep their fish at lower salinity. Then, the home aquarist tries to acclimate the fish up to normal salinity and that is tough on the fish. I would have expected both firefish to then show that issue, but perhaps one was just a bit sturdier than the other.

Jay