Not a true build thread, but a progress thread

[JacquieBeginnerReef]

Update: this morning clown is the same. Took a bite of food but spat it out.
Wrasse seemed normal.
Perhaps not eating as quickly as normal, but eating.
Gramma came out a little this morning to eat. Not as feisty as normal, but made a brief appearance at least. I took some blurry pics - lights not on much yet at that stage.

 

[Flippers4pups]

When you can, get some pictures of the wrasse. The clown still looks normal to me.

 

[JacquieBeginnerReef]

When you can, get some pictures of the wrasse. The clown still looks normal to me.

Thanks for your support!
The clown looks okay (so much better than Wed night), but still not swimming up to me like normal or eating for that matter.
The wrasse is the yellow one in front of gramma - will post a better pic. It was hard to get one that wasn’t blurry - the lighting was bad

 

[Flippers4pups]

Does the wrasse look like it's got some red behind the head? Kinda looks like it.

 

[JacquieBeginnerReef]

Update: this morning clown is the same. Took a bite of food but spat it out.
Wrasse seemed normal.
Perhaps not eating as quickly as normal, but eating.
Gramma came out a little this morning to eat. Not as feisty as normal, but made a brief appearance at least. I took some blurry pics - lights not on much yet at that stage.

Does the wrasse look like it's got some red behind the head? Kinda looks like it.

Oh - it does a bit, doesnt it? What could that be? I looked back at photos and in good light you can’t see it, but possibly in this pic from when I first got her?

 

[ngoodermuth]

I can’t really see anything in the photos either... but keep posting them if you get closer/clearer ones and we will help you keep an eye on them.

It is possible that the male clown had something bacterial going on rather than brook. I’ve seen bacterial infections cause a white film on fish... not so much the sloughing/peeling mucous though. Typically, that symptom is very much brooklynella. But, if we are mistaken and it was a bacterial infection the other guys could be ok.

However, the excessive hiding and not eating like normal is definitely concerning... how is everyone’s breathing this morning?

 

[Flippers4pups]

Could be bacterial. @ngoodermuth what do think?

 

[JacquieBeginnerReef]

Could be bacterial. @ngoodermuth what do think?

Breathing okay - just not swimming very much. I couldn’t get a good enough look at the gramma.
You are giving me a bit of hope though

 

[ngoodermuth]

Could be bacterial. @ngoodermuth what do think?

Jinx haha, could be... at this point it’s kind of “wait and see” but wouldn’t be a bad idea to track down QT supplies, just in case. Good to have anyway, fish get sick and hurt... you never know when you will suddenly need an extra tank, and then you’ll have it.

 

[JacquieBeginnerReef]

...and you are thinking bacteria as opposed to poison from the epoxy?

 

[ngoodermuth]

...and you are thinking bacteria as opposed to poison from the epoxy?

I just don’t see epoxy doing it... Do you have the packaging of what you were using?

 

[ngoodermuth]

How are the fish doing now... everyone still the same?

 

[JacquieBeginnerReef]

Good morning! Feeling a bit more positive this morning. Clown swimming around normally now. Didn’t eat from my hand like normal, or as much as normal, but was eating a lot more this morning than the past few days. Could she be missing her friend now?
Wrasse and gramma are out and about eating normally. Gramma is feisty again. Is it a mystery? I’ve included a pic of the epoxy box.

 

[ngoodermuth]

Well, I’ve been wrong before. Quick search brought up this article from the manufacturer:

https://www.theaquariumsolution.com/aquascape-epoxy-warning-against-incorrect-use

It appears it CAN cause issues, oxygen depletion being one of them. The peeling skin may have just been excess mucous from irritation from the talc particles in the water....

 

[JacquieBeginnerReef]

Who knew!? After the LFS expected this was the case I wasn’t able to find information on it, so assumed they were wrong. Thankful it isn’t brook, but still sad I lost a fish - and I do hope the other clown can bounce back.
Thanks so much for finding this article. Fingers crossed the carbon I added can remove any residual chemicals - and hopefully it hasn’t damaged the surviving fish permanently. I did this for the coral, but to the detriment of the poor fish .
Again, thanks so much for for finding this - and I am so happy it’s not brook (most likely).

 

[JacquieBeginnerReef]

So pleased to report that the surviving clown is eating from my hand again...and seems to have her appetite back! Seems like the remaining fish are now all back to normal after 3 days. Phew!!

 

[JacquieBeginnerReef]

So far so good again today! Clown is being selective in the size of food she eats - only the small pieces. Anyone heard of that before after a poisoning?

 

[JacquieBeginnerReef]

Three amigos seem good still!
How long should I wait before I get a new friend for the clown? I heard you need to do it quite quickly after a death of one. Is this true?

 

[JacquieBeginnerReef]

I guess I can safely say that the fish have fully recovered. So my next step is to buy another clown. I am assuming I should get a smaller one? The one that died was the smaller. I hear you shouldn’t wait too long before introducing a new clown. Is this true?
My next battle is Red Dictyota. Haven’t found much on it in this forum. Here are the pics of it:

 

[JacquieBeginnerReef]

Today I added the replacement mate for my remaining clown. That’s right - no QT, so taking a risk, but I trust my LFS and chose carefully.
The clown that died was the smaller of the two - and this new one is much smaller.
I was a bit surprised that my lovely clown acted quite aggressive at first - she even bit him! He seemed to be shaking from what I thought was fright. I was so shocked I put her in a time out. Then I read a past thread and learned that this is ‘normal’ behaviour when establishing their relationship. So - no one is in time out, and they are now just hanging out close to each other like this: