I purchased a Blue Tang -- Big mistake but not the end the world

[N.Sreefer]

I do not have a sand bed, I have a black rock bed.

Off I go to LFS. Wish me luck!

What is a black rock bed? Basalt?

 

[olonmv]

Everyone’s getting you on the tang, I can’t believe you’re buying the petco water. I did the water in the box to start my tank but quickly realized that I didn’t want to throw money away. Invest in a RODI system. You won’t regret it…..especially when your at your LFS and see the looks in people’s face when they have to lug around large containers of water…..no thanks!

 

[olonmv]

That's true! Keep in mind, I didn't say I don't have any RO Water -- I just said I don't have an RODI Unit!

The boxed water makes it so I never have to top off and my salinity is always at a constant 1.026. I have a digital meter that provides me the information! All the other parameters are fine.

Would you be able to recommend me a unit? There are a lot to choose from.

Pictures soon.

If you’re using saltwater to top off. Your salinity is gonna creep up on you. Water evaporates…..salt doesnt.

I bought an RO buddy from Amazon. Makes all the water I need for my 13.5.

 

[threebuoys]

That's true! Keep in mind, I didn't say I don't have any RO Water -- I just said I don't have an RODI Unit!

The boxed water makes it so I never have to top off and my salinity is always at a constant 1.026. I have a digital meter that provides me the information! All the other parameters are fine.

Would you be able to recommend me a unit? There are a lot to choose from.

Pictures soon.

Since your current tank is only 13 gallons, you could probably get along just fine with a 20% water change weekly, so not much at all.

If you decide to pursue an RO/DI unit, do a search on Amazon. They have plenty to choose from. I use one from express water that has 3 filtration units plus the RO and DI canisters, a small storage tank, a post carbon filter and a faucet. I tapped the water line to the faucet to feed a larger storage container (32 gallon trash can). It works great.

 

[Lyss]

If you’re using saltwater to top off. Your salinity is gonna creep up on you. Water evaporates…..salt doesnt.

I bought an RO buddy from Amazon. Makes all the water I need for my 13.5.

There's so much here, I missed that. And I feel like a lot of us are trying hard to be diplomatic amongst all this problematic stuff being put forward, so not speaking up about it all.

But yes, how does using boxed seawater keep you from having to top off? Are you topping off with more of the boxed water? That would cause salinity to creep up.

And I saw another poster mentioned the anemone in a just-cycled tank. Yes, not good. Too many fish, too many sensitive inverts in a new tank.

Did you use live or dry rock to cycle with? I'm not sure I remember if that was mentioned?

I think it's time to take a deep breath, you realize there were many mistakes -- now it's time to slow down, do a lot of research and make it right. Folks on this forum are great, and always here to help, but also doing your own research will get you far.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

Everyone’s getting you on the tang, I can’t believe you’re buying the petco water. I did the water in the box to start my tank but quickly realized that I didn’t want to throw money away. Invest in a RODI system. You won’t regret it…..especially when your at your LFS and see the looks in people’s face when they have to lug around large containers of water…..no thanks!

Lol I just saw someone buy 95 gallons of saltwater and filled their truck bed up i couldn't imagine being that guy .......again for years

 

[olonmv]

Lol I just saw someone buy 95 gallons of saltwater and filled their truck bed up i couldn't imagine being that guy .......again for years

Lol. Having to go to the LFS to get RODI water on the constant would make me quit the hobby. The look of disparity on their faces almost makes me want to quit .

 

[tommylinn8]

My fish was almost dead from ich less than a week ago. Didn't even know until the fish was laying flat and not moving. Was desperate and went to Petco to see what they had.

Imagitarium parasite from Petco brought the fish back to life within a day.

On day 7 of treatment on my main display tank. Works . Fish is almost all better and extremely active. No side effects.

 

[Zigma]

Are you in NYC? As in one of the boroughs? I would go to Manhattan Aquariums and see what they have in stock. Or check BRS website — they will have RODI units and you can read about each as well as the reviews left by customers.

I do! I know about that place. I personally have not gone but It's worth checking out. I am going to do some research and purchase the appropriate RODI unit shortly.

What is a black rock bed? Basalt?

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/caribsea-arag-alive-hawaiian-black-aquarium-gravel

I suppose I misspoke, not sand, gravel.

There's so much here, I missed that. And I feel like a lot of us are trying hard to be diplomatic amongst all this problematic stuff being put forward, so not speaking up about it all.

But yes, how does using boxed seawater keep you from having to top off? Are you topping off with more of the boxed water? That would cause salinity to creep up.

And I saw another poster mentioned the anemone in a just-cycled tank. Yes, not good. Too many fish, too many sensitive inverts in a new tank.

Did you use live or dry rock to cycle with? I'm not sure I remember if that was mentioned?

I think it's time to take a deep breath, you realize there were many mistakes -- now it's time to slow down, do a lot of research and make it right. Folks on this forum are great, and always here to help, but also doing your own research will get you far.

I used Live Rock, Not dry rock. I truthfully do not have a problem with the salinity in the tank. I have a hydrometer as well as a HANNA Digital salinity checker. I have very little to no evaporation due to the system being a hard closed lid. It stays rock solid at 1.026 and I check it twice a day. I do keep RO water in a jug incase there is a spike but I've never had to use it.

You are 100% correct. I made some mistakes but we're going to make it right! Bare with me!!

Now, on to an update. I went to my local fish store (not so local -- it's outside of Manhattan but gives me an excuse to drive) and he's been wonderful since day 1. I am almost positive that if he knew what I was doing, he would have put the brakes on me right away!! Unfortunately he did not have any med pet or whatever that is called in stock but provided me with Garlic Xtreme from Kent Marine. Particularly to boost the immune system of the of the stock.

Next, we sat down and started looking at a significantly bigger setup and we're going to go with a 65 gallon system from Red Sea which should be getting delivered sometime next week (Depending on stock from the distributor). The supporting structure of my floor should be more than enough to support the weight. He will personally be delivering it and setting it up and get it going and he will help me step by step on this much needed migration.

I am basically going to start from scratch. I've tasked my wife to go ahead and start to look at some designs that she would like to incorporate into the new tank. Particularly creating an outline of how she wants the rocks to be (We're going to start off with Dry Rock). -- She can then start to build it herself -- she's a bit more creative than me and i am sure she will come up with an amazing design.

I think 65 gallons should be more than enough to keep this tang happy for quite some time before he needs to get rehomed. I understand you all may have a difference of opinion but keep in mind he's barely bigger than an inch now. He won't be getting to adult size for quite some time from what I'm told.

 

[Zigma]

Lol. Having to go to the LFS to get RODI water on the constant would make me quit the hobby. The look of disparity on their faces almost makes me want to quit .

Lol I just saw someone buy 95 gallons of saltwater and filled their truck bed up i couldn't imagine being that guy .......again for years

That's insane.. I just have a 5 gallon jug. EZ PZ. I'm going to purchase an RODI system now to prepare for the delivery on (Hopefully) Wednesday

 

[olonmv]

That's insane.. I just have a 5 gallon jug. EZ PZ. I'm going to purchase an RODI system now to prepare for the delivery on (Hopefully) Wednesday

I get where you getting at but for me it’s also the driving and having to take time outta my day to go outta my way for water. And it never fails that when you need it most, it’ll be at the most inconvenienced time.

 

[crazyreefergirl]

Regal Tang does get Ich easily and usually due to stress. Contrary to some, the tiny Regal feel more comfortable in a 13.5g more so than the 120g so long it is compatible with other fish. I had my 1" Regal in my Evo 13.5g for 6 months before I moved her to a much larger tank. Also had a tiny one in my 29g biocube for 1.5 years before I rehomed her to a much larger tank. You shouldn't sweat the Ich, in most case, unless it's prolonged. As I mentioned at the beginning, Ich usually result from stress. It could be from the tank not mature, temperature too high or too low, getting picked on by other fish, PH fluctuate too much in the 24 hours cycle, have too much ammonia or nitrate in the system, parasites on the fish such as fluke etc. Figure where the stress come from will fixed the Ich problem unless it's a full-blown Ich attack then medication is needed.
Don't buy fish from Petco. More than likely, you will get a bunch of undesirable freebies that you don't want in your tank.
Also be leery of a LFS that claimed to quarantine 100% of their fish unless it dedicated half of their store to quarantine fish.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

It seems like lady luck is on my side. I just woke up and the the tang is looking healthy and does not have the visible spots like the previous say. It still does not mean that it wasn't ich. I would go the safer route and I am going to assume it is/was. Hopefully I am lucky. Lesson learned though. I try to give a response to all of you now but, please, Let's play nice. I am 100% open to criticism but I won't tolerate rudeness. I have many options for advice and I should have exercised that before jumping into without rational thinking. I want to be part of a wonderful community that I can share this hobby with. We're all adults, Let's act like it.




Appreciate your response! I think I feel comfortable giving this a shot. Let me see if I can pick this up today at my LFS. Basically, remove the Carbon that I have in the filter, turn the lights off and let this thing do it's thing. I'll read more about this.


1. Yep
2. Yep
3. Yep
4. Yep
5. Not 100% -- I do 50% weekly and midweek, I do about a 1 gallon change just to keep everything in check. I have a healthy amount of Copepods that the dragonet loves to eat so doing a 100% change would not be ideal. I do it mostly to keep the water as pristine as possible and pollutant free.


Yah... Rookie mistake. Lesson learned. I don't think I can take the tang back. I believe that if I do, it won't get the treatment that It needs. Now, I just woke up and saw that the tang is doing much better. The spots are basically gone. Maybe it was due to stress? I'm not sure but I am still going to keep to my guns and assume it's ich or something. I do not want to slack off on it. I have RODI water that I keep in a jug and I use it for rinsing. The only drawback to the boxed water is the fact that it's heavy -- but 2 boxes of 5 gallon seawater is not too expensive. It's about 20 bucks each. I can see how it can add up over time, fortunately it's not a big dent but you are correct. I will make an effort to correct this!


100% correct! Thank you! This current setup is going to be eventually be my QT tank. The options that I am looking at are along the lines of a Red Sea MAX E Mode or the Waterbox AIO 65.4 AIO. As soon as I find something I like and it comes in I will start to move the corals etc in there and have it cycle before I put anything in. Once I have every piece of coral in there, I'll start to disinfect/do what I have to do to make sure that the current fish I have are healthy before transferring them over. It will most likely take weeks before they move in. I think that's the best route I can think of unless someone can guide me in a better direction.


I will prove you wrong. This is not me being defensive or sensitive over your comment but the fact that I am going to fix this. Keeping a tang in this tank is bad but I have some wiggle room to make sure it gets the proper care it needs.

It would be nice to be able to keep this tang for about 6 months before I move him into one of the other bigger tanks at work -- where he could be significantly happy -- but of course I won't do that if it is sick. We will see. Not worth assuming anything yet. Let's all be thankful that I have an end game here.

Welcome to Reef2Reef!
I’ve been in meetings all day and saw your post but couldn’t break away to reply.

As you may know, ich trophonts will drop off a fish in unison. They then come back in greater numbers. That tricks a lot of people into things are getting better when they are not.

A small blue tang would be ok in a tank like that for a short time. The risk was not quarantining it and buying from a chain store.
Jay

 

[vetteguy53081]

Nothing to do with tank size. As recognized, Fish was sick
This is a known mistake new aquarist s make- ITS CALLED IMPULSE. Lesson learned on this with hopes.
Some of my questions-
How old is this tank?
What test kits are you using?
Is this tank cycled and for how long?
Was fish acclimated and how and for how long?

Treatment since you cant perform such in this tank:
- Formalin bath for at least one hour with aeration
- Ruby Rally pro bath for 90 minutes , under aeration.
- Hyposalinity , by dropping salinity very slowly until you reach 1.009

Polyp Lab MEDIC is Peroxide salts and may help at early stage, but a gamble for $40 medication

 

[Zigma]

Here's a video rather than picture.

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Unfortunately the fire shrimp is being a bit camera shy.

The Feather Duster unfortunately has not found it's "place to stay" I'm letting it do it's thing.

My anemone just had deflated and inflated -- looks better now since the last time I took the picture and .. the bubbler you hear in the background is just a small beta tank that I hatch brine shrimp on.

The right side of the tank, I do not clean it much. The snails etc do a fine job in cleaning that along with the rocks. I can say that they're slacking a bit! I scrape the left, back and front.

 

[Zigma]

Nothing to do with tank size. As recognized, Fish was sick
This is a known mistake new aquarist s make- ITS CALLED IMPULSE. Lesson learned on this with hopes.
Some of my questions-
How old is this tank?

About One Month. Before I added any fish, I let it cycle for 3 days. The Anemone came with the live rocks that I purchased. So I just ... let it chill. It seemed to love the water quality.

What test kits are you using?

API Saltwater Master Test Kit. I test before I do water change and 2-3 days after. Basically I test the water 2 times a week or better yet, twice a week.

Is this tank cycled and for how long?

Hmm, if the tank is a month old, the answer is 3 days before I added a fish?

Was fish acclimated and how and for how long?

Every fish/stock that was added to the tank was acclimated for at least 30 minutes to an hour by slowly adding some of the water from my tank on to the water that he/she came from as well as making sure that the temperature of the water matched the small acclimation tank that I use when not hatching brime shrimp. Should I be doing something else?

Treatment since you cant perform such in this tank:
- Formalin bath for at least one hour with aeration
- Ruby Rally pro bath for 90 minutes , under aeration.
- Hyposalinity , by dropping salinity very slowly until you reach 1.009

Polyp Lab MEDIC is Peroxide salts and may help at early stage, but a gamble for $40 medication

This is incredibly helpful. Thank you! For now - As stated before, I am going to be "starting over" this coming week. I will be making the evo the best hospital/QT tank ever and making the new tank my permanent display. I will make sure to keep the thread updated. What I have done now is added 2 drops of Kent Marine Garlic Extreme to boost my stocks immune system while I wait for the new tank to arrive next week. Once I can get my corals etc on to the new tank, I will be treating the fish with whatever is needed / recommended so they have the best fighting chance to overcome this fiasco. I will be making sure to ASK questions first before I do anything. I'll make sure to put up a build thread. Hopefully some of you will continue and follow the journey and make some of the trolls jelly at the new tank I'll be getting. It's going to be pretty. Taking is SLOW.

 

[Lyss]

Here's a video rather than picture.

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Unfortunately the fire shrimp is being a bit camera shy.

The Feather Duster unfortunately has not found it's "place to stay" I'm letting it do it's thing.

My anemone just had deflated and inflated -- looks better now since the last time I took the picture and .. the bubbler you hear in the background is just a small beta tank that I hatch brine shrimp on.

The right side of the tank, I do not clean it much. The snails etc do a fine job in cleaning that along with the rocks. I can say that they're slacking a bit! I scrape the left, back and front.

I would follow the posts above from Jay and Vetteguy regarding the ich. They are the disease experts.

As for the tank, it's as everyone has been commenting already. Take a deep breath, take some time to do research, and make it right.

Is that a mandarin as well? In a one-month-old tank? Is that freshwater gravel as the substrate? Too many fish, fish and sensitive inverts not suited for a young tank or a tank that small... The water also looks very cloudy. Are you 100% sure this tank is cycled?

 

[Zigma]

I would follow the posts above from Jay and Vetteguy regarding the ich. They are the disease experts.

As for the tank, it's as everyone has been commenting already. Take a deep breath, take some time to do research, and make it right.

Is that a mandarin as well? In a one-month-old tank? Is that freshwater gravel as the substrate? Too many fish, fish and sensitive inverts not suited for a young tank or a tank that small...

It's saltwater gravel, trust me! it came wet.
Yes, it's a Mandarin!! I've grown incredibly attached to him. There is a healthy amount of copepods in the tank that he snacks on. The water in the video looks not-so-clean because I had just fed them so some of the food still hasn't passed the skimmer/filter/settled.

You are correct. Let's make it right. There's still time.

 

[crazyreefergirl]

Here's a video rather than picture.

Error - USAupload | Upload Files for free

Error

usaupload.com

Unfortunately the fire shrimp is being a bit camera shy.

The Feather Duster unfortunately has not found it's "place to stay" I'm letting it do it's thing.

My anemone just had deflated and inflated -- looks better now since the last time I took the picture and .. the bubbler you hear in the background is just a small beta tank that I hatch brine shrimp on.

The right side of the tank, I do not clean it much. The snails etc do a fine job in cleaning that along with the rocks. I can say that they're slacking a bit! I scrape the left, back and front.

Nice setup. The Regal looks like might have something on her when she turned sideways. Hard to tell from the video. In case of fluke, treat the tank with prazipro. Very safe for all your inhabitants. She is not skinny but not plumb either. Feed her 70% veggi(seaweed) and 30% meat(mysis or brine shrimp)
How long did you have the scooter? He can be a little picky at first. Usually only takes pods at the beginning. Brine shrimp might work though.

 

[Zigma]

Nice setup. The Regal looks like might have something on her when she turned sideways. Hard to tell from the video. In case of fluke, treat the tank with prazipro. Very safe for all your inhabitants. She is not skinny but not plumb either. Feed her 70% veggi(seaweed) and 30% meat(mysis or brine shrimp)
How long did you have the scooter? He can be a little picky at first. Usually only takes pods at the beginning. Brine shrimp might work though.

Thank you! I think I've had the scooter for about 3 weeks. He was picky at first and only ate the copepods but now he eats meaty foods. I will try get some seaweeds. So far, As of now, I feed them a mixture of Mysa/Brine shrimp, Krill, Spirulina the occasional pellets and tubiflex worms. The video shows the water being a tad clouded but trust me it's crystal clear.