Newly introduced fish sick...

jfllafitte · Oct 19, 2022

Hi all,
I am new to this community and forum. Not really used to post anything in forums but read them to get some tips and this is the case of reef2reef.

I am looking for some feedback with regards to what is happening at the moment in my tank which brings a lot of frustration to be honest.

I started to cycle my tank a few months ago with corals, no fish. Also because I cycle the maintain display tank just before the summer and prefered to delay the introduction of fish in the tank after the holidays.

Then time flies and I finally bought two tangs from the same tank at the lfs to start with who were looking really healthy. Put them in the QT tank and observed how they behaved for three complete weeks. Fish were healthy, eating, fighting and behaving like tangs.

Then comes the day (21) to transfer them into the display, acclimation goes well, they behave the same, eat the same, look really healthy, this was last Saturday...

Today in the morning I noticed that both fish were not swimming and just hiding under the rocks. At noon I cam back home and noticed that the ctenocheatus binonatus had large marks on the skin and I noticed a bit of white spots on him. Is scratching on the rocks and still eating but looking definitely less healthy and has lost a bit of is beautiful colour.

I suspect ich but to be honest do not know yet. Though if it is velvet I will see that quickly. I have unfortunately no time at the moment to move both fish back to the qt tank because this is going to be a lot of work to catch them.

Why am I telling you all of this? Despite the frustration, I really do not understand how the fish got sick. There was no living thing introduced the last two months in the tank and definitely these are the first.

Would it be possible that even if I waited the necessary time to introduce them, the fish was already sick without showing no signs for three weeks?

But the stress of the transport plus the transfer into the qt would have been higher in my opinion.

I will try to save these animals but I would like to know how in a tank without fish and other animals introduced for a minimum of two months a disease can start.

I was in this hobby twenty years ago and never quarantined my fish before to put them in the display tank, and had no issues. Now am taking more re and faced what I was trying to avoid.

Thanks for all Information guys and hope to find an answer.

Cheers,

Jeff

vetteguy53081 · Oct 19, 2022

jfllafitte said:
Hi all,
I am new to this community and forum. Not really used to post anything in forums but read them to get some tips and this is the case of reef2reef.

I am looking for some feedback with regards to what is happening at the moment in my tank which brings a lot of frustration to be honest.

I started to cycle my tank a few months ago with corals, no fish. Also because I cycle the maintain display tank just before the summer and prefered to delay the introduction of fish in the tank after the holidays.

Then time flies and I finally bought two tangs from the same tank at the lfs to start with who were looking really healthy. Put them in the QT tank and observed how they behaved for three complete weeks. Fish were healthy, eating, fighting and behaving like tangs.

Then comes the day (21) to transfer them into the display, acclimation goes well, they behave the same, eat the same, look really healthy, this was last Saturday...

Today in the morning I noticed that both fish were not swimming and just hiding under the rocks. At noon I cam back home and noticed that the ctenocheatus binonatus had large marks on the skin and I noticed a bit of white spots on him. Is scratching on the rocks and still eating but looking definitely less healthy and has lost a bit of is beautiful colour.

I suspect ich but to be honest do not know yet. Though if it is velvet I will see that quickly. I have unfortunately no time at the moment to move both fish back to the qt tank because this is going to be a lot of work to catch them.

Why am I telling you all of this? Despite the frustration, I really do not understand how the fish got sick. There was no living thing introduced the last two months in the tank and definitely these are the first.

Would it be possible that even if I waited the necessary time to introduce them, the fish was already sick without showing no signs for three weeks?

But the stress of the transport plus the transfer into the qt would have been higher in my opinion.

I will try to save these animals but I would like to know how in a tank without fish and other animals introduced for a minimum of two months a disease can start.

I was in this hobby twenty years ago and never quarantined my fish before to put them in the display tank, and had no issues. Now am taking more re and faced what I was trying to avoid.

Thanks for all Information guys and hope to find an answer.

Cheers,

Jeff

Pics and even videos under white lighting will be very helpful with assessment but suspected is flukes which they are susceptible to.
Placing them in quarantine was a good move BUT did you medicate with anything ?
Best recourse would have been Coppersafe for a full 30 day treatment regimen or Prazi pro for two eight day cycle. You in essense seemed to place them in observation and no safeguard or protection from parasites were put in place

MnFish1 · Oct 19, 2022

jfllafitte said:
Hi all,
I am new to this community and forum. Not really used to post anything in forums but read them to get some tips and this is the case of reef2reef.

I am looking for some feedback with regards to what is happening at the moment in my tank which brings a lot of frustration to be honest.

I started to cycle my tank a few months ago with corals, no fish. Also because I cycle the maintain display tank just before the summer and prefered to delay the introduction of fish in the tank after the holidays.

Then time flies and I finally bought two tangs from the same tank at the lfs to start with who were looking really healthy. Put them in the QT tank and observed how they behaved for three complete weeks. Fish were healthy, eating, fighting and behaving like tangs.

Then comes the day (21) to transfer them into the display, acclimation goes well, they behave the same, eat the same, look really healthy, this was last Saturday...

Today in the morning I noticed that both fish were not swimming and just hiding under the rocks. At noon I cam back home and noticed that the ctenocheatus binonatus had large marks on the skin and I noticed a bit of white spots on him. Is scratching on the rocks and still eating but looking definitely less healthy and has lost a bit of is beautiful colour.

I suspect ich but to be honest do not know yet. Though if it is velvet I will see that quickly. I have unfortunately no time at the moment to move both fish back to the qt tank because this is going to be a lot of work to catch them.

Why am I telling you all of this? Despite the frustration, I really do not understand how the fish got sick. There was no living thing introduced the last two months in the tank and definitely these are the first.

Would it be possible that even if I waited the necessary time to introduce them, the fish was already sick without showing no signs for three weeks?

But the stress of the transport plus the transfer into the qt would have been higher in my opinion.

I will try to save these animals but I would like to know how in a tank without fish and other animals introduced for a minimum of two months a disease can start.

I was in this hobby twenty years ago and never quarantined my fish before to put them in the display tank, and had no issues. Now am taking more re and faced what I was trying to avoid.

Thanks for all Information guys and hope to find an answer.

Cheers,

Jeff

Greetings! - First - fish can be asymptomatic carriers of disease (i.e. yes to your questions about 3 weeks) - and then when stressed, etc - they show the disease. Second - a picture would be really helpful.

MnFish1 · Oct 19, 2022

By the way. another consideration is any difference in parameters between tank 1 and tank 2. Salinity, ammonia, etc etc. Can you post them as well

jfllafitte · Oct 19, 2022

vetteguy53081 said:
Pica and even videos under white lighting will be very helpful with assessment but suspected is flukes which they are susceptible to.
Placing them in quarantine was a good move BUT did you medicate with anything ?
Best recourse would have been Coppersafe for a full 30 dat treatment regimen or Prazi pro for two eight day cycle. You in essense seemed to place them in observation and no safeguard or protection from parasites were put in place

Thanks for your reply
Parameters of the two tanks would be almost the same, only in one the dkh is higher than the other. Ph maybe also a bit different. I did spend time to acclimate them slowly to the new tank.
I unfortunately did not use any treatment. I stupidly thought that if I could not see any signs of disease they would be fine and waited at least three weeks.
I will send photos tomorrow if I can correctly film the fish.
I already bought some cupramine I could not find coppersafe here. Will see if I can cure them.
I will wait at least 8 weeks now to put them back in the DT if they can make it.

jfllafitte · Oct 19, 2022

MnFish1 said:
Greetings! - First - fish can be asymptomatic carriers of disease (i.e. yes to your questions about 3 weeks) - and then when stressed, etc - they show the disease. Second - a picture would be really helpful.

Ok thanks, that would explain this then. Seems that a QT without any medication is not a solution, I was not prepared to that honestly. I will send photos tomorrow.

vetteguy53081 · Oct 19, 2022

jfllafitte said:
Thanks for your reply
Parameters of the two tanks would be almost the same, only in one the dkh is higher than the other. Ph maybe also a bit different. I did spend time to acclimate them slowly to the new tank.
I unfortunately did not use any treatment. I stupidly thought that if I could not see any signs of disease they would be fine and waited at least three weeks.
I will send photos tomorrow if I can correctly film the fish.
I already bought some cupramine I could not find coppersafe here. Will see if I can cure them.
I will wait at least 8 weeks now to put them back in the DT if they can make it.

Cupramine therapuetic level will be .5 assuming ich- pics will help determine. Ich is straightforward with salt-like grains and itching, heavy breathing, loss of appetite.
With flukes, some similar sypmtoms not limited to but consist of gills being red or swollen with rapid breathing, fish acting lethargic or swimming near the water surface, hiding in the corner of tank or behind rocks, loss of appetite, shaking its head, flashing/darting, develop clamped fins, , or scratching against objects. They may also exhibit what looks like yawning from gill irritation develop, cloudy eyes and loss of color .
If you dont see this- Good.
You can also try a 5 minute freshwater dip in water the same temperature as display tank and return fish to display tank. This not only offers temporary relief but you can then check the bottom of that container for what looks like sesame seeds or fish scales. If you see that - Flukes it is.

jfllafitte · Oct 20, 2022

vetteguy53081 said:
Cupramine therapuetic level will be .5 assuming ich- pics will help determine. Ich is straightforward with salt-like grains and itching, heavy breathing, loss of appetite.
With flukes, some similar sypmtoms not limited to but consist of gills being red or swollen with rapid breathing, fish acting lethargic or swimming near the water surface, hiding in the corner of tank or behind rocks, loss of appetite, shaking its head, flashing/darting, develop clamped fins, , or scratching against objects. They may also exhibit what looks like yawning from gill irritation develop, cloudy eyes and loss of color .
If you dont see this- Good.
You can also try a 5 minute freshwater dip in water the same temperature as display tank and return fish to display tank. This not only offers temporary relief but you can then check the bottom of that container for what looks like sesame seeds or fish scales. If you see that - Flukes it is.

jfllafitte · Oct 20, 2022

jfllafitte said:

Here are some photos of the fish. Still fine and eating. It is maybe flukes indeed.

jfllafitte · Oct 20, 2022

MnFish1 said:
Greetings! - First - fish can be asymptomatic carriers of disease (i.e. yes to your questions about 3 weeks) - and then when stressed, etc - they show the disease. Second - a picture would be really helpful.

Just posted some.

vetteguy53081 · Oct 20, 2022

jfllafitte said:

These pics are quite dark and need to be under white lighting but appear to be bacterial. A quarantine for sure is needed and treatment will be seachem Kanaplex or neoplex