Is my tank crashing? - Advice needed!

[belly14]

Hi All,

So I have posted a few times with various issues over the last 6 months but am at a stage now where not entirely sure what to do...

My 300L tank has been through hypo to treat a case of Ich and has been back up at normal levels for around 6 weeks. Ich seems to be back and my dog-faced puffer has been spotted up on his fins for the last few weeks but still eating etc. Since I have been back up from hypo I have done the below...

1. re-added a cleaner shrimp as the original didn't make it through hypo - Still Alive and cleaning fish lots!
2. Added a giant turbo snail as others didn't survive hypo
3. Added a Mandarinfish - Died within 1 week (about 3 weeks ago) I presumed this was just bad luck
4. Had/Have a case of Dino
5. Added a Chalk Goby on the recommendation of LFS to help deal with it - Died this morning within 14 days, never saw it sift a single bit of sand
6. Slowly raising KH using Seachem Reef Builder again on rec of LFS to help deal with Dino
7. Dog Faced now has Ich again and has for about 2 weeks and seems quite stressed and hiding and I think puffing up a bit but still eating well. - VERY WORRIED ABOUT HIM
8. Foxface has these odd lumps on skin that don't look like Ich (pictures attached) - VERY WORRIED ABOUT HIM

I use Natural Sea Water that gets delivered and I do a 15-30% water change each week and run a skimmer/UV/Carbon Reactor/Fleece Roller and have recently set up a Chaeto refugium. Water is crystal clear and all levels are where they should be, nitrates are higher at around 30-50ppm but it's a FOWLR tank (with the exception of some GSP)

Stock is as follows...

• Magnificent Foxface
• Clown Trigger
• Dog Faced Puffer
• Juwell Puffer
• 3 x Green Chromis
• 2 x Clowns
• Cleaner Shrimp
• 1 x Giant Turbo Snail

I don't want to get into the QT debate (I haven't and I know that may be a contributing factor) and I don't have at the moment a tank to move them into to let the DT go fallow etc.

ANY advice would be awesome as I'm banging my head against a wall here!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi All,

So I have posted a few times with various issues over the last 6 months but am at a stage now where not entirely sure what to do...

My 300L tank has been through hypo to treat a case of Ich and has been back up at normal levels for around 6 weeks. Ich seems to be back and my dog-faced puffer has been spotted up on his fins for the last few weeks but still eating etc. Since I have been back up from hypo I have done the below...

1. re-added a cleaner shrimp as the original didn't make it through hypo - Still Alive and cleaning fish lots!
2. Added a giant turbo snail as others didn't survive hypo
3. Added a Mandarinfish - Died within 1 week
4. Had/Have a case of Dino
5. Added a Chalk Goby on the recommendation of LFS to help deal with it - Died this morning within 4 days, never saw it sift a single bit of sand
6. Slowly raising KH using Seachem Reef Builder again on rec of LFS to help deal with Dino
7. Dog Faced now has Ich again and has for about 2 weeks and seems quite stressed and hiding and I think puffing up a bit but still eating well. - VERY WORRIED ABOUT HIM
8. Foxface has these odd lumps on skin that don't look like Ich (pictures attached) - VERY WORRIED ABOUT HIM

I use Natural Sea Water that gets delivered and I do a 15-30% water change each week and run a skimmer/UV/Carbon Reactor/Fleece Roller and have recently set up a Chaeto refugium. Water is crystal clear and all levels are where they should be, nitrates are higher at around 30-50ppm but it's a FOWLR tank (with the exception of some GSP)

Stock is as follows...

• Magnificent Foxface
• Clown Trigger
• Dog Faced Puffer
• Juwell Puffer
• 3 x Green Chromis
• 2 x Clowns
• Cleaner Shrimp
• 1 x Giant Turbo Snail

I don't want to get into the QT debate (I haven't and I know that may be a contributing factor) and I don't have at the moment a tank to move them into to let the DT go fallow etc.

ANY advice would be awesome as I'm banging my head against a wall here!

cant open video but puffer appears to have velvet. Would velvet cause the other losses - Absolutely
With velvet, fish will scratch body against hard objects, lethargic behavior, Loss of appetite and weight loss, Rapid, labored breathing, Fins clamped against the body, and typically stay at the surface of the water, or remain in a position where a steady flow of water is present in the aquarium. ich trophonts (spots) on this fish, but they may be too small to see in the pics. The best way to tell if its velvet - is that velvet always causes rapid breathing as a first indicator.
Treat the fish in the QT with a copper-based medication. Although many remedies contain the general name as ich or ick treatments, read the box to be sure it targets Oodinium. My choice is coppersafe or copper power at 2.25-2.5 therapeutic level at 80 degrees in a separate treatment tank for a FULL 30 days monitored by a reliable copper test kit such as Hanna Brand (no api brand). Assure the medication you use states treats Oodinum. The tank will also have to be fishless (fallow) to assure the disease has died off without a host fish. Coral and inverts can remain in tank

 

[Lavey29]

Stop adding fish until you correct your tank issues.

 

[belly14]

Stop adding fish until you correct your tank issues.

yeah nothing else is going in until resolved, all seemed OK until the last few weeks, goby should say 14 days not 4!

 

[belly14]

cant open video but puffer appears to have velvet. Would velvet cause the other losses - Absolutely
With velvet, fish will scratch body against hard objects, lethargic behavior, Loss of appetite and weight loss, Rapid, labored breathing, Fins clamped against the body, and typically stay at the surface of the water, or remain in a position where a steady flow of water is present in the aquarium. ich trophonts (spots) on this fish, but they may be too small to see in the pics. The best way to tell if its velvet - is that velvet always causes rapid breathing as a first indicator.
Treat the fish in the QT with a copper-based medication. Although many remedies contain the general name as ich or ick treatments, read the box to be sure it targets Oodinium. My choice is coppersafe or copper power at 2.25-2.5 therapeutic level at 80 degrees in a separate treatment tank for a FULL 30 days monitored by a reliable copper test kit such as Hanna Brand (no api brand). Assure the medication you use states treats Oodinum. The tank will also have to be fishless (fallow) to assure the disease has died off without a host fish. Coral and inverts can remain in tank

Thanks, puffers behaviour sure sounds like velvet as he's staying at the top of the tank by the weir box overflow. He's still eating whenever food is given, hopefully, that's a good sign.

At the moment I do not have a QT tank available (other than a 30L old biorb which will be way too small), is there anything can do in the main DT? or should I head out and get another tank as I have seen a few locally that would need a good sterilise but are around 75L.

Would copper power be OK for puffer as I have read conflicting reports?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thanks, puffers behaviour sure sounds like velvet as he's staying at the top of the tank by the weir box overflow. He's still eating whenever food is given, hopefully, that's a good sign.

At the moment I do not have a QT tank available (other than a 30L old biorb which will be way too small), is there anything can do in the main DT? or should I head out and get another tank as I have seen a few locally that would need a good sterilise but are around 75L.

Would copper power be OK for puffer as I have read conflicting reports?

Copper power is safest opposed to using cupramine which is an issue. A quarantine tank can be as simple as a second hand tank from craigslist or thrift store as well as tank starter kit from walmart which comes in 29g and 55g size and has most of the essentials. Even a rubbermaid tub can be utilized.
In tank is often not effective. You can use ruby rally pro and MEDIC combo by polyp labs but is a gamble and if you are going to spend $40 on a small bottle of polyp lab Medic- might as well stick it into a quarantine set up as you want to quarantine in the future after this experience

 

[belly14]

Copper power is safest opposed to using cupramine which is an issue. A quarantine tank can be as simple as a second hand tank from craigslist or thrift store as well as tank starter kit from walmart which comes in 29g and 55g size and has most of the essentials. Even a rubbermaid tub can be utilized.
In tank is often not effective. You can use ruby rally pro and MEDIC combo by polyp labs but is a gamble and if you are going to spend $40 on a small bottle of polyp lab Medic- might as well stick it into a quarantine set up as you want to quarantine in the future after this experience

OK, I have found copper power that delivers here in UK and will get a tank from somewhere and get the basics in place asap, hopefully I can get it done in time. Would you say remove all fish into QT? to then leave tank fallow for the 30 days while I copper treat the fish?

I have instant Ocean salt I'll need to use for the QT as don't have another Natural SW delivery for another 2 weeks so only have 50L available, will that be OK to then add them back into the main DT that's running natural SW?

Really appreciate the help

 

[vetteguy53081]

OK, I have found copper power that delivers here in UK and will get a tank from somewhere and get the basics in place asap, hopefully I can get it done in time. Would you say remove all fish into QT? to then leave tank fallow for the 30 days while I copper treat the fish?

I have instant Ocean salt I'll need to use for the QT as don't have another Natural SW delivery for another 2 weeks so only have 50L available, will that be OK to then add them back into the main DT that's running natural SW?

Really appreciate the help

Didnt realize youre in the UK. You can also use copper power which you should have access to

 

[belly14]

Didnt realize youre in the UK. You can also use copper power which you should have access to

yeah have ordered copper power and found a 75L tank I am hoping to collect tonight so will hunt down a filter and go from there. So shall I pull all fish out? not just the puffer?

 

[The_Paradox]

If you’re using natural sea water I would focus on resistance over eradication.

 

[belly14]

If you’re using natural sea water I would focus on resistance over eradication.

do you think the NSW could be a contributing factor? I have been weighing up slowly switching over to mixed recently for both cost and convenience

 

[The_Paradox]

do you think the NSW could be a contributing factor? I have been weighing up slowly switching over to mixed recently for both cost and convenience

It’s a huge variable that you will never be able to control, but the short answer is yes. That’s my official bet.

 

[belly14]

It’s a huge variable that you will never be able to control, but the short answer is yes. That’s my official bet.

yeah that was my feeling, i set up a mixing station in the garage but then worried about stopping the NSW deliveries so kept with that but it may be time to gradually make the switch.

 

[vetteguy53081]

yeah have ordered copper power and found a 75L tank I am hoping to collect tonight so will hunt down a filter and go from there. So shall I pull all fish out? not just the puffer?

Once Quarantine is set, yes isolate any infected fish. For filter, you can use a hang on power filter and remove carbon from filter element and add a seeded sponge with bacteria

 

[The_Paradox]

yeah that was my feeling, i set up a mixing station in the garage but then worried about stopping the NSW deliveries so kept with that but it may be time to gradually make the switch.

For 80g you can easily mix clean water in 2 5G Jerry cans in the mean time.

 

[belly14]

For 80g you can easily mix clean water in 2 5G Jerry cans in the mean time.

I have 8 Jerry cans as there is a spotless water station right near me that I get my RO from plus I have a 75L tub for mixing

 

[The_Paradox]

I have 8 Jerry cans as there is a spotless water station right near me that I get my RO from plus I have a 75L tub for mixing

Water, ~ 2.5 cups of salt, shake.