Some Current Big issues

[JaimeAdams]

So, it all started a few weeks ago when I took home a couple zoas and was dipping them in H202 when the bottle proceeded to get knocked over and fall in the tank. So all my wife stupid softies i.e. anthelia, xenia all pretty much melted, unfortunately so did some of my anemones. I proceeded over the corse of the next week or two to do water changes every other day. Everything was pretty much ok other than the tank was certainly off, I'm sure some algae and film bacteria and such got killed by the H202 and the whole biological balance is off.

So @HotRocks and @4FordFamily come to town to pick up this monster tank from a former customer of the store that I work. Someone was supposed to be taking the fish, but in the End I ended up taking home an adult Hippo Tang and a Vlamingi Tang. I toss them into my display tank. A couple days later the Hippos is covered in Ich. The Hippo also gets a small sore on its head. Now my wife has a mandarine in the tank. So I'm like ok feed them well just deal with them since I can't QT my wife mandarin.

Well, this morning lights turn on my hand tame best buddy Buford The Porcupine Puffer eyes are completely white as are the Vlamingi Tangs. I was able to hold Buford and put food in his mouth which he eat, but like losing Buford is not an option, he is a family pet. If the house was on fire I would grab Buford in a bucket.

So, Obviously I need to pull all the fish. I have a 90g and a 30g that I have used to QT fish in the past, but they aren't currently running. I also have plenty of other tanks laying around.

So fish that I have are Porcupine Puffer, Vlamingi Tang, Hippo Tang, Yellow Tang, Fox Face, Green Bird Wrasse, Paddlefin Wrasse, pair of clowns, 1 cardinal.

My question is do I treat the hippo with the open sore, the Porcupine Puffer and the Vlamingi Tang is a tank by themselves for the bacterial infection and put the others in a different QT tank? The use of antibiotics in a 90g would be difficult for me to be able to handle with only being able to hold 45g of water in my mixing station at a time. Should I treat those 3 fish with antibiotics in the 30 gallon and hold the others in the 90? Since the vlamingi and puffer have the eye issues, would treating those two in the 30 and sticking the hippo in a 20 with the others in the 90 be better?
@Humblefish

*edit, of course after I treat the antibiotics I will treat copper while leaving the tank fallow.

 

[4FordFamily]

Can you post pics of the eyes of your puffer, and the affected fish with ich, and the sore on the hippo?

Geez that’s unfortunate. It’s such a gamble these days. If you can send quick pics it will help us immensely

 

[Humblefish]

Should I treat those 3 fish with antibiotics in the 30 gallon and hold the others in the 90?

I would treat all 3 with infections in the 30 gallon, but get on with copper treatment for the others in the 90 just in case this is velvet.

After the infections clear, you can do a large WC and begin dosing copper in the 30.

 

[JaimeAdams]

I do not have pics. I'm at work. The eyes are swollen and completely clouded and milky white. The spots are ich, he's looked that way since a couple days after I put him in the tank, the other fish aren't showing symptoms.

I guess at this point since I don't have erthromycin on hand is to start furan-2 and kanaplex since I will be able to start that treatment tonight or tomorrow. Starting the others in copper isn't an issue either.

*found ethromycin locally.

 

[Humblefish]

I do not have pics. I'm at work. The eyes are swollen and completely clouded and milky white. The spots are ich, he's looked that way since a couple days after I put him in the tank, the other fish aren't showing symptoms.

I guess at this point since I don't have erthromycin on hand is to start furan-2 and kanaplex since I will be able to start that treatment tonight or tomorrow. Starting the others in copper isn't an issue either.

*found ethromycin locally.

You might want to separate them out. The fish with the eye infections would be best treated using erythromycin. However, the fish with the open sore probably needs Kanaplex + Furan-2 + Metroplex ASAP.

If ich gets too bad in the ABX tanks, you always have the option of combining copper with those antibiotics. It's not the optimal thing to do, but sometimes you don't have much choice.

 

[JaimeAdams]

You might want to separate them out. The fish with the eye infections would be best treated using erythromycin. However, the fish with the open sore probably needs Kanaplex + Furan-2 + Metroplex.

I have the equipment to handle that. That was indeed my initial thought was to separate out the eye infection fish and the sore fish and the rest of them.

 

[4FordFamily]

As fast as that’s progressed and the type of fish it’s affecting make me concerned about velvet. When you have a chance photos would help immensely.

How are things going?

 

[HotRocks]

Jaime, sorry to hear about your issues. For what is worth I do agree with the guidance you have received. I have used Kanaplex/Furan-2/metroplex all in conjunction with copper. It's doable. The issue is antibiotics aren't as successful in copper due to copper knocking the immune system down. So if you can clear infection then move to copper you are better off. If the fish with infections start showing signs of ich/velvet then I'd say you may have to add copper.

That monster UV must have been doing work on parasites in that tank.

Wish you the best of luck.

 

[JaimeAdams]

Wish that I had better news, but I was not fast enough with my sister's wedding and those family obligations. The Vlamingi Tang was dead the day after my initial post. I buried Buford last night and this morning I pulled my pair of clownfish from the tank. The hippo Tang is looking much better and seems to be healing. So at this point I am left with the Hippo Tang, Yellow Tang, Fox Face, Paddlefin Wrasse, Blue Bird Wrasse, a Cardinal and wether my wife mandarin is still alive I honestly don't know as it always goes for awhile without seeing it. I'm feeling a bit defeated after losing Buford and the tank just over all being in bad shape. I'm left with those fish and mushrooms with a couple really upset zoa/palys and some unhappy bubble tip anemones. Not that I am going to, but if there was a time to downsize or get out it would be now.

 

[HotRocks]

Wish that I had better news, but I was not fast enough with my sister's wedding and those family obligations. The Vlamingi Tang was dead the day after my initial post. I buried Buford last night and this morning I pulled my pair of clownfish from the tank. The hippo Tang is looking much better and seems to be healing. So at this point I am left with the Hippo Tang, Yellow Tang, Fox Face, Paddlefin Wrasse, Blue Bird Wrasse, a Cardinal and wether my wife mandarin is still alive I honestly don't know as it always goes for awhile without seeing it. I'm feeling a bit defeated after losing Buford and the tank just over all being in bad shape. I'm left with those fish and mushrooms with a couple really upset zoa/palys and some unhappy bubble tip anemones. Not that I am going to, but if there was a time to downsize or get out it would be now.

Sorry to hear that @JaimeAdams

That just stinks! I thought you were putting the fish into QT though? Originally?

 

[JaimeAdams]

Yeah, you know. I work at a store. I'm the past president of one marine aquarium society and the founding and current president of another. I have stories for days and days about people nuking their tank with a sick fish.

I was thinking that I sold that guy all the fish in his tank, but on the after thought I hadn't. Thought ah nothing has been added to the tank for years. They all look happy and healthy. Also remember the plan wasn't for me to take any fish, his neighbor was supposed to, but at the late hour the neighbor didn't so I kind of got stuck with them and made the mistake that I warn people against doing every day.

In all honesty though the other issues with the tank were certainly a contributing factor with having everything off balance with the recent h202 mishap and probably a weird bacteria balance. I'm sure that lead to the sore on the Hippo and the eye issues on the puffer and Vlamingi. Just see it has a cumulating of bad imbalances throwing off the fishes nature immune system functions and then introduction to other illness that just pushed it over the top.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Yeah, you know. I work at a store. I'm the past president of one marine aquarium society and the founding and current president of another. I have stories for days and days about people nuking their tank with a sick fish.

I was thinking that I sold that guy all the fish in his tank, but on the after thought I hadn't. Thought ah nothing has been added to the tank for years. They all look happy and healthy. Also remember the plan wasn't for me to take any fish, his neighbor was supposed to, but at the late hour the neighbor didn't so I kind of got stuck with them and made the mistake that I warn people against doing every day.

In all honesty though the other issues with the tank were certainly a contributing factor with having everything off balance with the recent h202 mishap and probably a weird bacteria balance. I'm sure that lead to the sore on the Hippo and the eye issues on the puffer and Vlamingi. Just see it has a cumulating of bad imbalances throwing off the fishes nature immune system functions and then introduction to other illness that just pushed it over the top.

Jamie, I am sorry to hear all this. This can be a trying hobby at times and, as we all know can be disheartening.

Back when I first started out, I lost over $300 in fish due to ich. Back then velvet, Brook, Flukes, severe bacterial infections ..... wasn't heard of as its today.

Anytime I QT a fish and get it through healthy, it's always in the back of my head that this could be the time I'll have a out break in my system. I've been lucky for sometime now. Knock on wood!

Hang in there and you'll get through it. Just tough time right now and it will pass.

 

[JaimeAdams]

Jamie, I am sorry to hear all this. This can be a trying hobby at times and, as we all know can be disheartening.

Back when I first started out, I lost over $300 in fish due to ich. Back then velvet, Brook, Flukes, severe bacterial infections ..... wasn't heard of as its today.

Anytime I QT a fish and get it through healthy, it's always in the back of my head that this could be the time I'll have a out break in my system. I've been lucky for sometime now. Knock on wood!

Hang in there and you'll get through it. Just tough time right now and it will pass.

Yeah, I mean, I'm a lifer, not going to get out of the hobby or anything. Just feel really bad about Buford. I work at a fish store, believe me I get the sometimes fish die thing better than most and it doesn't get to me but like Buford was a pet. Like I hand fed him everyday and would hold him in my hand and scratch his belly and scratch him on his head while shoving table shrimp in his mouth. He would see you and splash water out of the tank at you to come feed him some more. He was one in a million as far as fish personality goes.

Just last time I felt like this was when we moved the last time and the tank crashed and I lost everything including George my fuzzy dwarf lion fish who my first SW fish. Worst part is that my wife is going to find out and while I may not be done with the hobby I fear that she will be over it.

 

[cancun]

Yeah, I mean, I'm a lifer, not going to get out of the hobby or anything. Just feel really bad about Buford. I work at a fish store, believe me I get the sometimes fish die thing better than most and it doesn't get to me but like Buford was a pet. Like I hand fed him everyday and would hold him in my hand and scratch his belly and scratch him on his head while shoving table shrimp in his mouth. He would see you and splash water out of the tank at you to come feed him some more. He was one in a million as far as fish personality goes.

Just last time I felt like this was when we moved the last time and the tank crashed and I lost everything including George my fuzzy dwarf lion fish who my first SW fish. Worst part is that my wife is going to find out and while I may not be done with the hobby I fear that she will be over it.

Wow! I am so sorry you are going through this! I too have lost my share of fish, and at times I was ready to literally throw in the towel! This is my hobby not my husband's. He helps sometimes, but when something happens and you loose hundreds of dollars worth of fish he freaks. I get it, I get frustrated too....but unlike him I look at my fish, coral, and nems as pets too. So I for sure empathize with you!!!

Hang in there!