So I'm fighting SCA currently, raising my PO4 by dosing NeoPhos. Dosing MB7 and dosing silicates (0.8ml per day) to out complete them with diatoms hopefully. I'm not cleaning the glass (as recommended elsewhere so as not to remove diatoms or create fresh space for SCA) or removing anything from the sand, or GHA ladden with dinos on the rocks. PO4 floating around 0.05 to 0.1, NO3 - 8 - 15 depending on the day. PH is 8.1, DHK is 8.0, salinity 1.024 (intentionally from the start), temp 78, NH3 is 0. Tank is 7 months old. Stock - YW Goby, 2x Engineer Goby, 1 Royal Gramma, 2 clowns, pistol shrimp, conch, Halloween Hermit, 4 Nerite snails.
So far the only issues I've had until last few weeks was 3 or 4 Nassarius snails dying. 2 weeks ago my YWG disappeared. He was always sticking out guarding the shrimp and would eat pellets from a tube any time. He had been starting to get skittish all of a sudden the week before he disappeared. I heard and saw the pistol shrimp every day but the goby was MIA. Also, the Royal Gramma started to hide on Friday and has come out only 1 time for a second since. Doesn't come out to eat. She looks ok from what I saw and I can find her squeezed into various nooks in the rocks. The engineer gobies are about 4 months and getting long (6 inches so far). They are 100% peaceful though.
So, Saturday the Goby randomly appeared and was literally 100% white. He was freaking out swimming like crazy all over and then laded on the sand, regained his black stripes and cream color (he isn't yellow) and went back under the rocks. Yesterday he reappeared again and he looked ok and seemed calm until I walked up to the tank. His stomach looked pinched in a bit so I don't think he's eating. He spazzed out completely when I came over and then went belly up, eyes WIDE and yellow. I thought he was dead but I went to net him and he righted himself and shot quickly under the rocks.
I know SCA is only mildly toxic but I purchased a Sicce Shark Pro sump filter and started to run activated carbon last night just in case it is a toxin issue. Today, the Goby is not moving but is propped up on his own sticking out of a rock on the opposite side of the tank from where he was for 5 months. He didn't move when I approached this time. The engineer gobies stay mostly on the side he use to be on and nobody in the tank seemed to mind swimming with/around them, but they are getting really big now.
So...that's my long winded way of asking if anyone feels that it's the SCA toxins that caused the Royal Gramma to go into hiding and the freakout of the YW Goby and his disappearance. Is the activated carbon helping already and that's why the goby is out? I can't tell if he's 'ok' but he is sticking out of the rock in a typical pose. Does this type of thing happen where fish get freaked out or decline in health due to SCA toxins? The other option is that all of a sudden both are afraid / terrified of the huge engineer gobies, although there's never been even a single incident besides the goby and RG randomly poking at them if they got too close.
So far the only issues I've had until last few weeks was 3 or 4 Nassarius snails dying. 2 weeks ago my YWG disappeared. He was always sticking out guarding the shrimp and would eat pellets from a tube any time. He had been starting to get skittish all of a sudden the week before he disappeared. I heard and saw the pistol shrimp every day but the goby was MIA. Also, the Royal Gramma started to hide on Friday and has come out only 1 time for a second since. Doesn't come out to eat. She looks ok from what I saw and I can find her squeezed into various nooks in the rocks. The engineer gobies are about 4 months and getting long (6 inches so far). They are 100% peaceful though.
So, Saturday the Goby randomly appeared and was literally 100% white. He was freaking out swimming like crazy all over and then laded on the sand, regained his black stripes and cream color (he isn't yellow) and went back under the rocks. Yesterday he reappeared again and he looked ok and seemed calm until I walked up to the tank. His stomach looked pinched in a bit so I don't think he's eating. He spazzed out completely when I came over and then went belly up, eyes WIDE and yellow. I thought he was dead but I went to net him and he righted himself and shot quickly under the rocks.
I know SCA is only mildly toxic but I purchased a Sicce Shark Pro sump filter and started to run activated carbon last night just in case it is a toxin issue. Today, the Goby is not moving but is propped up on his own sticking out of a rock on the opposite side of the tank from where he was for 5 months. He didn't move when I approached this time. The engineer gobies stay mostly on the side he use to be on and nobody in the tank seemed to mind swimming with/around them, but they are getting really big now.
So...that's my long winded way of asking if anyone feels that it's the SCA toxins that caused the Royal Gramma to go into hiding and the freakout of the YW Goby and his disappearance. Is the activated carbon helping already and that's why the goby is out? I can't tell if he's 'ok' but he is sticking out of the rock in a typical pose. Does this type of thing happen where fish get freaked out or decline in health due to SCA toxins? The other option is that all of a sudden both are afraid / terrified of the huge engineer gobies, although there's never been even a single incident besides the goby and RG randomly poking at them if they got too close.
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