What’s up with my fish?

[skipo99]

Hi all,

250 litre tank been running for 5 months recently lost a fairy wrasse.

symptoms lasted around 2 weeks, seemed to have one white dot on its side, breathing got heavier until it stopped eating.

now yesterday noticed my yellow tail damsel had 2 white marks on tail and today isn’t eating hiding more often. Also noticed white stringy poop today.

Some other fish seem to flash but no issues


parameters
Sg 1.026
Nitrate 5
Phosphate 0.03
Alk 8.8
Calc 420
Mg 1320
Ammonia 0


Anyone able to help

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Can you post a picture taken under white light? The blue light makes it tough to see anything. What other fish are in this tank?

Jay

 

[skipo99]

Can you post a picture taken under white light? The blue light makes it tough to see anything. What other fish are in this tank?

Jay

Cheers jay, fish are two clowns, firefish, yellow tang and a peacock wrasse. More dots visible on fins as seen in photo

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

The damsels looks like it has marine ich, evident in the picture on its left pectoral fin. The fairy wrasse may have had a separate issue. Can you move the fish to a treatment tank and dose with copper?
Jay

 

[skipo99]

I can move that single fish into a QT tank and dose copper if I can catch it. I cannot move the full population of fish at this time though. All others eating and behaving normally. I think the wrasse likely had the same issue as I saw one or two white dots that went but fish behaved the same as this one.
What can I do regarding the other fish while I either plan a QT tank large enough for them all.
I have a uv coming tomorrow and polylab medic I was going to use tonight will this help or not?

 

[skipo99]

The damsels looks like it has marine ich, evident in the picture on its left pectoral fin. The fairy wrasse may have had a separate issue. Can you move the fish to a treatment tank and dose with copper?
Jay

The damsel was dead this morning unfortunately, all other fish currently look fine and behaving as normal.

 

[Bepis]

The damsel was dead this morning unfortunately, all other fish currently look fine and behaving as normal.

Chances are in within due time you’ll have a full outbreak in your hands, these few ich will multiple into the hundreds and thousands, I would work on setting up a qt, you can probably get a 40 breeder from petco for cheap. A seachem tidal power filter, heater (150-200 watt), some pvc, and a air pump/stone.

@Jay Hemdal goes more in-depth here in one of his most recent threads:

Current Quarantine Protocol

2024 Quarantine Procedures Jay Hemdal David Scarborough Protozoans (Cryptocaryon/ich, Amyloodinium/velvet) and Metazoan trematodes/flukes are by far the most common parasites found on newly acquired fish. A carefully managed, proactive quarantine process can effectively eliminate these...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[skipo99]

Chances are in within due time you’ll have a full outbreak in your hands, these few ich will multiple into the hundreds and thousands, I would work on setting up a qt, you can probably get a 40 breeder from petco for cheap. A seachem tidal power filter, heater (150-200 watt), some pvc, and a air pump/stone.

@Jay Hemdal goes more in-depth here in one of his most recent threads:

Current Quarantine Protocol

2024 Quarantine Procedures Jay Hemdal David Scarborough Protozoans (Cryptocaryon/ich, Amyloodinium/velvet) and Metazoan trematodes/flukes are by far the most common parasites found on newly acquired fish. A carefully managed, proactive quarantine process can effectively eliminate these...

www.reef2reef.com

Is there any fish coppersafe cannot be used for I.e wrasses tangs? Thanks

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Is there any fish coppersafe cannot be used for I.e wrasses tangs? Thanks

I don't use coppersafe on flashlight fish. Some people say they have had issues with fairy wrasses and Centropyge angelfish, but the reality is that those fish have trouble in any quarantine, so it is difficult to say if it actually was copper or not. True copper toxicity is very rare, and is most often caused by misdosing. For example - in the US our "29 gallon tanks" actually only hold around 22 gallons, so people tend to overdose them.

Jay

 

[skipo99]

I don't use coppersafe on flashlight fish. Some people say they have had issues with fairy wrasses and Centropyge angelfish, but the reality is that those fish have trouble in any quarantine, so it is difficult to say if it actually was copper or not. True copper toxicity is very rare, and is most often caused by misdosing. For example - in the US our "29 gallon tanks" actually only hold around 22 gallons, so people tend to overdose them.

Jay

Thank you Jay if you cannot use sand / rock as a way of breaking down ammonia will this not spike with the fish added? My small hospital tank is running now set up yesterday. But would need at least one other larger tank to hold all the fish that would not be cycled?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Thank you Jay if you cannot use sand / rock as a way of breaking down ammonia will this not spike with the fish added? My small hospital tank is running now set up yesterday. But would need at least one other larger tank to hold all the fish that would not be cycled?

Yes, you must use some other, inert bio media ; established sponge filters, ceramic rings or non calcium sand all work. However, these need to be set up in advance of you needing them. If you don’t have anything like that, you will have to rely on the “bacteria in a bottle” like the Dr Tim’s products.
Jay

 

[Bepis]

Additionally weekly or even 2 times a week water change helps keep those down tho you need to make the copper levels stay above the needed 2.00 ppm.

I used to use cupramine but I would be interested to hear what @Jay Hemdal and @Dr. Reef uses

 

[skipo99]

Yes, you must use some other, inert bio media ; established sponge filters, ceramic rings or non calcium sand all work. However, these need to be set up in advance of you needing them. If you don’t have anything like that, you will have to rely on the “bacteria in a bottle” like the Dr Tim’s products.
Jay

Will alfagrog work?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Will alfagrog work?

Yes - that is one of the products that will work, however the bacteria needs to be growing on it prior to its use.

Jay

 

[Dr. Reef Verified Sponsor]

Additionally weekly or even 2 times a week water change helps keep those down tho you need to make the copper levels stay above the needed 2.00 ppm.

I used to use cupramine but I would be interested to hear what @Jay Hemdal and @Dr. Reef uses

I use copper power on all fish. All incoming fish goto qt tank with 1ppm and then ramped to 1.75 over 3 days.
Some tangs get 2.00-2.25ppm.
with wrasses i like to keep them at 1.5-1.75 range,.