Tank Transfer Gone Wrong

[Marco S]

I have three QT tanks. Two 45 gallon tanks for fish and one for inverts and coral. One 45 gallon QT is for copper and I am using CP at 1.8 - 2.0 level. This is the first stop for all my fish. After 14 days I transfer them into my other 45 gallon and treat with PraziPro before going into the DT. Both fish tanks have the exact same water and are testing as follows:

Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 0 - 2 ppm
PH: 8.1 - 8.3

The first round of fish went perfect and are healthy and eating like pigs. The second round I just transferred yesterday and the results are as follows:

1 Bangai Cardinal - Looking good, swimming around and eating fine.
2 PJ Cardinals - One died and the other is dying.
1 Foxface Rabbitfish - A little stressed, but swimming around and eating seaweed.

My process is, acclimate the fish into the copper QT at a 1.0 level and wait for them to start eating then slowly up the copper level. They stay for 14 days once the level is between 1.8 - 2.0 and then get a freshwater dip for 5 minutes then straight into the second QT with the exact same water as the first QT, (minus the copper). Once they are looking good and eating fine I treat with PraziPro following the instructions outlined in the Fish Disease and Treatment Forums on this site. I do not acclimate them from one tank to the other since the water is the same and the temp is the same.

I hate to see my fish dying and hate it more if I am the cause. I just wanted to reach out to you guys and gals with way more experience than me and ask if this a good process or should I be rethinking it?

 

[ngoodermuth]

It could be possible that you are dealing with suppressed Brooklynella, or the fish are overwhelmed with flukes (have you started prazi yet?). I would begin with a freshwater dip to rule out flukes, and then begin treatment with metroplex.

For future fish, the metroplex and copper can both be dosed together in your first QT as a preventative.

 

[ngoodermuth]

Just to be sure, are there any marks or discolorations on the fish that are struggling? What symptoms?

 

[Marco S]

It could be possible that you are dealing with suppressed Brooklynella, or the fish are overwhelmed with flukes (have you started prazi yet?). I would begin with a freshwater dip to rule out flukes, and then begin treatment with metroplex.

For future fish, the metroplex and copper can both be dosed together in your first QT as a preventative.

I already did a freshwater dip during the transfer for 5 minutes. Not because they had any symptoms, but just in case anything had hatched in the copper QT and attached already, even though I know they will most likely die anyway from the exposure to copper.

Just to be sure, are there any marks or discolorations on the fish that are struggling? What symptoms?

No marks or signs of anything, the fish it just laying on the bottom of the tank. Every once in a while it will try to swim and them give up and lay still again. They were all perfectly healthy in the copper QT so I am assuming it was the freshwater dip or lack of acclimation that did it, but not 100% sure...

 

[Marco S]

So after doing more reading, it was most likely because I did not check the PH of the freshwater dip. I just made sure the temp was the same and had an air stone for oxygen. I guess the PJ Cardinals couldn't take it even though the other fish seem perfectly fine today.

Both PJ Cardinals are dead now by the way.

I have two questions now. How do you raise the PH in a freshwater dip? And how long can I leave the dead fish in the tank before they start to decompose? I don't want to add any more stress to the fish that survived right now so I was thinking of letting them get acclimated for another day or two before putting my hands in the tank to remove the dead fish...

 

[ngoodermuth]

You raise the PH by splashing a bit of tank water into the freshwater dip right before fish goes in.

I would remove them soon. At least before lights out tonight... an ammonia spike will definitely be more stressful than your hands in the tank.

Sorry for your losses

 

[Lowell Lemon]

There is always a risk to prophylactic treatment of fish. The stress created by the chemical and antibiotics exposure is a factor in the loss rates. You just have to decide if you can tolerate those losses or not. No protocol is 100% without loss or risk.

I prefer other methods due to my experience as a local fish wholesaler about twenty some years ago. So take each method and arrive at what works for you the best.

Sorry for the loss of fish. None of us entered this hobby to cause harm to the fish and inverts that we love.

 

[Marco S]

I got one out fairly easy, but cannot find the other. I will wait until later and see if it floats out into view before digging around to find it.

Thanks for your advise. Hopefully I get this process worked out to prevent any further deaths by my hands.

 

[Nokiaec11]

You did everything right, but fish are not all the same...I have a had a fish that survived some unbelievable circumstances, but I have seen the same type of fish dying in a LFS...we just have to be as picky as possible when buying fish, and unfortunately buying them online takes the cautionary choice out of the deal.