I'm new and and STRUGGLING.........HELP!

[Roeshelle]

How’s everything going, any updates?

Thank you for checking in. I'm happy to report that things are slowly improving. I was worried for a bit as for a few days the clowns were absolutely covered in spots. But I increased feedings, added Selcon and garlic, bumped up the water temp just slightly and when I checked on them first thing this morning they were looking so much better, I couldn't believe it! My black clown is almost spot free. My orange girl still has a way to go but everyone in the tank seems happy and healthy, great appetite, full on energy and sassy as ever. My gramma has even developed quite the personality. I'm still going to give it another month or two before I try to introduce any other fish into the tank as I know the ich will always be around, but i feel like I've got a handle on the nutrition and I'm going to focus on building their health and growing a healthy and sturdy environment. My two new issues is that my ato just broke and I'm pretty sure I have the beginnings of a cyano outbreak. Fun times! For a month in I'm going through the paces for sure.

 

[newreef1]

Thank you for checking in. I'm happy to report that things are slowly improving. I was worried for a bit as for a few days the clowns were absolutely covered in spots. But I increased feedings, added Selcon and garlic, bumped up the water temp just slightly and when I checked on them first thing this morning they were looking so much better, I couldn't believe it! My black clown is almost spot free. My orange girl still has a way to go but everyone in the tank seems happy and healthy, great appetite, full on energy and sassy as ever. My gramma has even developed quite the personality. I'm still going to give it another month or two before I try to introduce any other fish into the tank as I know the ich will always be around, but i feel like I've got a handle on the nutrition and I'm going to focus on building their health and growing a healthy and sturdy environment. My two new issues is that my ato just broke and I'm pretty sure I have the beginnings of a cyano outbreak. Fun times! For a month in I'm going through the paces for sure.

If you just have the clowns and are willing to wait you might want to consider going fallow. If your fish are healthier you could transfer them to your QT, crank up the heat in your DT and let it run fallow for 4 months, ideally it’s like 77 days or something but I believe you could do 4 months and that gets rid of most parasites like ICH. You could run your QT with copper to treat the clowns and if you decide to get new fish you could also quarantine them with the clowns to prepare them for going into the DT. Just a thought, it’ll be easier to quarantine and run the fallow tank with a couple fish vs 10. Just a thought.

 

[Schulks]

My orange girl still has a way to go but everyone in the tank seems happy and healthy, great appetite, full on energy and sassy as ever.

Hey roeshelle!
This is how ich typically progresses. It seems to clear up but is just a false sense of security.
All the spots were likely ich and they will detach from the fish to layeggs/reproduce. When those hatch they will reinfect fish and get worse.
I hope you have some media cycling up in order to move it and have a cycled ready to go qt.
I don't believe diet alone will be enough because a well established tank is just as important and that takes a year or so to really develop with dead rocks.
I'd do about a 2 month fallow.

 

[Rmckoy]

Thank you for checking in. I'm happy to report that things are slowly improving. I was worried for a bit as for a few days the clowns were absolutely covered in spots. But I increased feedings, added Selcon and garlic, bumped up the water temp just slightly and when I checked on them first thing this morning they were looking so much better, I couldn't believe it! My black clown is almost spot free. My orange girl still has a way to go but everyone in the tank seems happy and healthy, great appetite, full on energy and sassy as ever. My gramma has even developed quite the personality. I'm still going to give it another month or two before I try to introduce any other fish into the tank as I know the ich will always be around, but i feel like I've got a handle on the nutrition and I'm going to focus on building their health and growing a healthy and sturdy environment. My two new issues is that my ato just broke and I'm pretty sure I have the beginnings of a cyano outbreak. Fun times! For a month in I'm going through the paces for sure.

This is great news . But only being a month in the fun is just beginning .
The downfall of such a rewarding and amazing hobby .

happy reefing .
Please keep us posted

 

[Roeshelle]

I appreciate all of the advice about QT and allowing your DT to go fallow but after a lot of research and talking in depth with my reefer friends who have gone this route, I just don't think it's the right choice for me at this time. Remember, I almost killed them in QT before and just feel the stress of moving them again will be too much. I understand the risks, and I may very well be sorry for not doing it, but for now I am choosing management over eradication. I'm not going to add anything else to the tank for a while, probably a few months to give myself time to see how these guys do. If they stay healthy and the ich stays somewhat controlled, I will keep with management. If it gets worse, I will consider going fallow.

 

[Schulks]

I understand, going fallow is a real pain.

But put a bag of ceramic media in your AIO compartment so if it does get worse you have cycled media and don't have the same issue in the QT.

We're here to help though
Happy reefing!

 

[Roeshelle]

I understand, going fallow is a real pain.

But put a bag of ceramic media in your AIO compartment so if it does get worse you have cycled media and don't have the same issue in the QT.

We're here to help though
Happy reefing!

You mean like this? And do I put it in my sump?

 

[Schulks]

Those will work. They aren't the best because they will absorb some medicine/copper but it would be better than nothing. Just put some into the sump where there is flow and then if your fish get sick you can move the media into the QT(preferably a HoB filter) and it will keep the water good.

I keep a bunch of extra media spheres AND a Matrix media bag for QT in the back of my aquarium permanently. You really can't have too much.

I use Seachem Matrix or Fluval Biomax media because it won't absorb copper/medicine.

 

[newreef1]

I appreciate all of the advice about QT and allowing your DT to go fallow but after a lot of research and talking in depth with my reefer friends who have gone this route, I just don't think it's the right choice for me at this time. Remember, I almost killed them in QT before and just feel the stress of moving them again will be too much. I understand the risks, and I may very well be sorry for not doing it, but for now I am choosing management over eradication. I'm not going to add anything else to the tank for a while, probably a few months to give myself time to see how these guys do. If they stay healthy and the ich stays somewhat controlled, I will keep with management. If it gets worse, I will consider going fallow.

Honestly I was reading through old threads and management is not a bad idea either, as long as your fish are healthy and the water quality is good the fish are strong enough to fight most issues. The stress makes things worse both for you and the fish lol. My tank is running fallow because I figured why not, for me it was a perfect time but it’s really what you’re comfortable with. I also went through the beginning growing pains and trust me it gets better.

 

[jabberwock]

I appreciate all of the advice about QT and allowing your DT to go fallow but after a lot of research and talking in depth with my reefer friends who have gone this route, I just don't think it's the right choice for me at this time. Remember, I almost killed them in QT before and just feel the stress of moving them again will be too much. I understand the risks, and I may very well be sorry for not doing it, but for now I am choosing management over eradication. I'm not going to add anything else to the tank for a while, probably a few months to give myself time to see how these guys do. If they stay healthy and the ich stays somewhat controlled, I will keep with management. If it gets worse, I will consider going fallow.

I think this is a good choice for you. You have obviously thought about it carefully and made an informed decision.

 

[Roeshelle]

Hey all! Wanted to post an update, fishes are doing great, eating like pigs and looking healthy. No signs of the ich return yet but I'm just waiting for it. In the meantime the cyano bloomed out of control so I got a small clean up crew and they nipped that right in the bud and the tank looks great, if not a bit cloudy. That could however be frown the trochus snail spawning profusely in the tank lol. One question for everyone....I noticed a large translucent bubble in the tank and managed to remove it from the tank, has anyone seen anything like this? I can't seem to find any info as to what this might be.

 

[Rmckoy]

Hey all! Wanted to post an update, fishes are doing great, eating like pigs and looking healthy. No signs of the ich return yet but I'm just waiting for it. In the meantime the cyano bloomed out of control so I got a small clean up crew and they nipped that right in the bud and the tank looks great, if not a bit cloudy. That could however be frown the trochus snail spawning profusely in the tank lol. One question for everyone....I noticed a large translucent bubble in the tank and managed to remove it from the tank, has anyone seen anything like this? I can't seem to find any info as to what this might be.

Eww what is it from ?

 

[Schulks]

That things disturbing.
You can post it in the Hitchhiker and critter ID forum but don't you have all dry rock? I can't see how that could have grown so fast.

wait could it have something to do with snail spawning? or somekind of spawning?

 

[Rmckoy]

That things disturbing.
You can post it in the Hitchhiker and critter ID forum but don't you have all dry rock? I can't see how that could have grown so fast.

Looks like a piece of raw seafood that’s almost decomposed .
or something someone dropped in ?

children ?

 

[Schulks]

Looks like a piece of raw seafood that’s almost decomposed .
or something someone dropped in ?

children ?

wait is that an egg? Would salt water eat the shell?

 

[Rmckoy]

wait is that an egg?

Something went to mush .
anemone missing or last nights seafood missing a scallop ?

 

[Hasan]

Hi my name is Rachel, I'm new to saltwater tanks and have a RedSea E 260 currently cycling (day 14) and a QT tank with 2 clowns and a royal gramma waiting to go in it. My issue is that I cannot get the ammonia under control in the QT tank no matter what I do. Frequent and large water changes, Prime, bacteria.....ammonia is off the charts constantly. I'm not sure how much longer the fish will be able to tolerate the conditions but the main tank is still showing elevated levels of ammonia and nitrites as well so I'm lost. What do I do??

Use a lot of siporax your sump inlet after filter roller. If you dont use filter roller use it. For 100 liter main tank use 5 liter siporax and water flow here must be slow for this too cross-sectional area of the flow must be large. If you do this, it is not possible for you to have nitrate phosphate ammonia problem. I say this for normal conditions, if the bacteria there die, it will be a problem. You have to enter bacteria into the system for a while. This is my sump and tank for reference.I used prodibo start up bacteria and all in never waited at starting process.

 

[Roeshelle]

Eww what is it from ?

I really am not sure, freaky huh?!

 

[Roeshelle]

That things disturbing.
You can post it in the Hitchhiker and critter ID forum but don't you have all dry rock? I can't see how that could have grown so fast.

wait could it have something to do with snail spawning? or somekind of spawning?

That is what I was wondering, if maybe it had to do with my snail spawning. But it had no evidence of eggs or anything so I'm really not sure. So weird.

 

[Roeshelle]

Looks like a piece of raw seafood that’s almost decomposed .
or something someone dropped in ?

children ?

This actually makes sense. I did add a raw shrimp to start the cycle and never fished it out, do you think this could have been the result o it decomposing?