Elysium
Well-Known Member
Not the ideal way I wanted to make my first thread.
So, I started a 44 gallon tank with a blue spot in mind: open areas, rockwork on acrylic rods, 6" mixed sand bed (60% oolitic, 20% reef sand, 20% crushed coral) and was going to only transfer the more peaceful fish from the 35 gallon hex tank that will become a display fuge.
One of the local LFS (albeit one of the least clean) got one in and was resonably priced. I watched the fish for 3 weeks to make sure it was healthy and finally bought it. He (or she) had since been in the quarantine tank with sand and rock and had become reasonably personable by week three. Fast forward to thursday afternoon and I came home from work to him sitting on the sand all curled up. He ate some food and then decided to showcase himself on the rocks, really weird. That's when I noticed the dreaded white splotches on the underside of the midsection.
Foolish as I was I figured, like so many, that the scales were just abraded from burrowing and thought nothing of it after he ate and started to act normal.
Fast forward to Saturday and I don't see him all day. I just see the tip of the tail out of his burrow, moving just enough now and again to show signs of life. Sunday morning, I wake up and sit down next to the 44 gallon to make check on the water clarity (sand still stirred up). I turn my head towards the QT and there he was in the corner looking at me.
As you can see the splotches have spread, and the fish is acting all sorts of screwy. Resigned to the fact that I likely have a fish with the dreaded BSJ and I start to frantically work on a hospital setup. 3 hours and 5 stores later I now have:
- New 10 gallon tank and filter (needed both with the others on the QT, and both were cheap)
- PVC for hideouts
- Bottles of Cupramine, Methylene Blue, and Mardels Quick Cure (formalin)
- On order I have Seachem's, Paraguard, kanoplex, and neo-plex for 2nd day air
So the hospital tank is now setup and circulating. And the freshwater dip with methylene blue was ready for the initial treatment.
Just in time too as the fish was limply laying under a ledge in the QT.
The fish was easy to catch by simply laying a transport bag in the tank and scooping him in with my hand. Not much of a struggle and not a good sign.
After acclimation to the hospital tank water. Into the freshwater/blue dip we go. Only lasted about 6 minutes before turning upside down and taking almost no breaths. I immediately stopped the dip, did a quick rinse in extra tank water and got it into the hospital tank. I was sure I had killed him as he just layed there on his side, no color and just limp as can be. But after about 30 seconds of panic he would take a big breath, and within 5 minutes he was huddled behind the airstone.
I gave him about 3 hours to settle in and dosed the tank with cupramine. I'll do a formalin dip in about 48-72 hours for a total of 4 in the next 2 weeks. Once the Seachem meds are in I'll start dosing those as well.
I'll post updates as they come.
So, I started a 44 gallon tank with a blue spot in mind: open areas, rockwork on acrylic rods, 6" mixed sand bed (60% oolitic, 20% reef sand, 20% crushed coral) and was going to only transfer the more peaceful fish from the 35 gallon hex tank that will become a display fuge.
One of the local LFS (albeit one of the least clean) got one in and was resonably priced. I watched the fish for 3 weeks to make sure it was healthy and finally bought it. He (or she) had since been in the quarantine tank with sand and rock and had become reasonably personable by week three. Fast forward to thursday afternoon and I came home from work to him sitting on the sand all curled up. He ate some food and then decided to showcase himself on the rocks, really weird. That's when I noticed the dreaded white splotches on the underside of the midsection.
Foolish as I was I figured, like so many, that the scales were just abraded from burrowing and thought nothing of it after he ate and started to act normal.
Fast forward to Saturday and I don't see him all day. I just see the tip of the tail out of his burrow, moving just enough now and again to show signs of life. Sunday morning, I wake up and sit down next to the 44 gallon to make check on the water clarity (sand still stirred up). I turn my head towards the QT and there he was in the corner looking at me.
As you can see the splotches have spread, and the fish is acting all sorts of screwy. Resigned to the fact that I likely have a fish with the dreaded BSJ and I start to frantically work on a hospital setup. 3 hours and 5 stores later I now have:
- New 10 gallon tank and filter (needed both with the others on the QT, and both were cheap)
- PVC for hideouts
- Bottles of Cupramine, Methylene Blue, and Mardels Quick Cure (formalin)
- On order I have Seachem's, Paraguard, kanoplex, and neo-plex for 2nd day air
So the hospital tank is now setup and circulating. And the freshwater dip with methylene blue was ready for the initial treatment.
Just in time too as the fish was limply laying under a ledge in the QT.
The fish was easy to catch by simply laying a transport bag in the tank and scooping him in with my hand. Not much of a struggle and not a good sign.
After acclimation to the hospital tank water. Into the freshwater/blue dip we go. Only lasted about 6 minutes before turning upside down and taking almost no breaths. I immediately stopped the dip, did a quick rinse in extra tank water and got it into the hospital tank. I was sure I had killed him as he just layed there on his side, no color and just limp as can be. But after about 30 seconds of panic he would take a big breath, and within 5 minutes he was huddled behind the airstone.
I gave him about 3 hours to settle in and dosed the tank with cupramine. I'll do a formalin dip in about 48-72 hours for a total of 4 in the next 2 weeks. Once the Seachem meds are in I'll start dosing those as well.
I'll post updates as they come.
good luck. I had a bacteria of some sort with similar symptoms that wiped out my whole tank.
