Melanurus Wrasse died next day in QT

[QuinnLee512]

I got him from lfs yesterday. Floated the bag in my brand new 10G QT for 30 minutes. Salinity was 1.025. Temp 78 degrees. I didn't put in sand. I was going to get a PVC elbow for a place to hide but found him dead this morning. What did I do wrong?

 

[Ricksreeefs]

Do you know the parameters? How long did you cycled the tank for?

 

[SaltyT]

Did your QT tank’s salinity match the salinity of the bag he was in?

 

[adittam]

Many wrasses sleep under the sand, so they need a small plastic container of sand in QT. I doubt one night without sand is the reason he may have died, although it may have stressed it. Sometimes stress makes wrasses lie on the bottom and look dead, when in fact they aren't.

 

[SamsReef]

Melanurus does not do good atall without sand. I don’t think that’s why it died within a day but it is one of the wrasses which will eventually die without sand.
Almost all LFS keep their salinity very low. So you have to drip acclimate for a few hours before putting it in tank.
Sam

 

[QuinnLee512]

The tank is not cycled. I'm going to try the TTM where I move him to another tank in a few days. I would not think that not being cycled would kill him in less than a day. Only thing that I had noticed is that his gills where going a bit fast I think. I'm not yet familiar with how fast a fish's gills are supposed to open and close. I just figured he was stressed. I'm only using the HOB filter that came with the 10G. Any chance he wasn't getting enough oxygen?

 

[QuinnLee512]

I'm thinking about going back to get another one. They have 2 left. Just trying not to repeat whatever mistake I made. Everything was brand new including newly made RODI water. I'm totally confused.

 

[QuinnLee512]

Melanurus does not do good atall without sand. I don’t think that’s why it died within a day but it is one of the wrasses which will eventually die without sand.
Almost all LFS keep their salinity very low. So you have to drip acclimate for a few hours before putting it in tank.
Sam

Thanks I'll drip acclimate for the next one.

 

[adittam]

The tank is not cycled. I'm going to try the TTM where I move him to another tank in a few days. I would not think that not being cycled would kill him in less than a day. Only thing that I had noticed is that his gills where going a bit fast I think. I'm not yet familiar with how fast a fish's gills are supposed to open and close. I just figured he was stressed. I'm only using the HOB filter that came with the 10G. Any chance he wasn't getting enough oxygen?

Did you use a bottled bacteria such as Dr. Tims One and Only or Seachem Stability? One of these should definitely be added to the tank before or at a minimum at the same time as adding fish if it's not cycled.

 

[SaltyT]

Thanks I'll drip acclimate for the next one.

It’s important to know what salinity the wrasse is kept in at your LFS and then just match your QT’s salinity to it - not necessary to drip acclimate fish if you do it this way.

 

[adittam]

Also, the TTM is very specific and needs to be followed precisely to work. Here's a link to the entire method for you to follow if you haven't familiarized yourself completely with it.

Hybrid TTM to treat all parasites!

Important: Tank Transfer Method is most effective when water temperature and salinity are kept within this range... Temp: 24C/76F - 28C/82F Salinity: 27ppt / 1.020 SG - 35ppt / 1.026 SG Tank Transfer Method is an effective (non-chemical) treatment for Marine Ich. However, it's weakness has...

humble.fish

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

The tank is not cycled. I'm going to try the TTM where I move him to another tank in a few days. I would not think that not being cycled would kill him in less than a day. Only thing that I had noticed is that his gills where going a bit fast I think. I'm not yet familiar with how fast a fish's gills are supposed to open and close. I just figured he was stressed. I'm only using the HOB filter that came with the 10G. Any chance he wasn't getting enough oxygen?

Tank not being cycled will kill the fish overnight, I wouldn't look for any other reason than this

 

[QuinnLee512]

Tank not being cycled will kill the fish overnight, I wouldn't look for any other reason than this

Sorry have to disagree. There was no ammonia in there. Have you heard of people using a fish to cycle a tank? I used a clown to cycle my first QT.

 

[adittam]

Tank not being cycled will kill the fish overnight, I wouldn't look for any other reason than this

Fish are shipped overnight in a bag all the time with just oxygen added to the bag. An uncycled 10 gallon tank with a HOB filter to provide water movement would be very unlikely to kill a fish overnight due to ammonia, in my opinion.

 

[QuinnLee512]

Also, the TTM is very specific and needs to be followed precisely to work. Here's a link to the entire method for you to follow if you haven't familiarized yourself completely with it.

Hybrid TTM to treat all parasites!

Important: Tank Transfer Method is most effective when water temperature and salinity are kept within this range... Temp: 24C/76F - 28C/82F Salinity: 27ppt / 1.020 SG - 35ppt / 1.026 SG Tank Transfer Method is an effective (non-chemical) treatment for Marine Ich. However, it's weakness has...

humble.fish

I have read this. However regardless of whatever method I was going to use, what would kill a fish in half a day? That's what I'm trying to figure out.

 

[adittam]

Sorry have to disagree. There was no ammonia in there. Have you heard of people using a fish to cycle a tank? I used a clown to cycle my first QT.

I agree with you, but did you add bottled bacteria? If not, that's definitely a problem with your process.

 

[QuinnLee512]

I agree with you, but did you add bottled bacteria? If not, that's definitely a problem with your process.

No I didn't. I had read that I should have prime on hand, which I do, for ammonia issues. Bottle BAC wouldn't work in time since I have to empty the tank and clean it every few days.

 

[adittam]

No I didn't. I had read that I should have prime on hand, which I do, for ammonia issues. Bottle BAC wouldn't work in time since I have to empty the tank and clean it every few days.

Prime is a bad idea as a general practice in a QT tank (even with the TTM) that you're using treatments in, as it can react with some of them. Also, it can make the ammonia level unmeasurable by test kits, so you don't know what you're dealing with. Water changes and bottled bacteria are a much better practice to reduce ammonia levels. Prime should be used only as a last resort, not as a general practice.

 

[Jeffcb]

QT kills a lot of fish. I hear it all the time.

 

[adittam]

Read this entire thread, especially the replies by Jay Hemdal, for more information about the problems with using Prime as your standard process.

No Cycle Method

Hey Everyone.. Is there anyway one can add fish to a 15 gallon, Freshly Setup, QT tank on Day 1 without the need for cycling the tank using products like Amquel and Seachem Prime? What would the protocol for water changes be if using the above method? TIA

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