Fish Dying - Followup

[Guy Paul]

This thread and information has been quite helpful for me, as I lurk through it all. So firstly, thank you for everyone’s input. I’m looking for answers to my problem, which is similar, and ich may be the culprit. I have tried 4 tangs in my tank. 2 foxface, a naso, and blue hippo. Each one at separate times, but they have all died after exactly 7 days of being in the thank. Not one day earlier or later. Each one dies at exactly 7 days. A couple showed a mild sign of ich, one or 2 white dots, while the others didn’t. I’ve had a sailfin for quite some time that’s as happy and healthy as can be. I just don’t know why no other tang can last more than 7 days, I’m at a total loss. Any ideas?

90 gallon mixed reef
Temp 73-79
Cal 420
Alk 8
Nitrates 0
Nitrites 0
Phos less than .25
Salinity 1.024

Thank you

 

[PeterG]

This thread and information has been quite helpful for me, as I lurk through it all. So firstly, thank you for everyone’s input. I’m looking for answers to my problem, which is similar, and ich may be the culprit. I have tried 4 tangs in my tank. 2 foxface, a naso, and blue hippo. Each one at separate times, but they have all died after exactly 7 days of being in the thank. Not one day earlier or later. Each one dies at exactly 7 days. A couple showed a mild sign of ich, one or 2 white dots, while the others didn’t. I’ve had a sailfin for quite some time that’s as happy and healthy as can be. I just don’t know why no other tang can last more than 7 days, I’m at a total loss. Any ideas?

90 gallon mixed reef
Temp 73-79
Cal 420
Alk 8
Nitrates 0
Nitrites 0
Phos less than .25
Salinity 1.024

Thank you

Guy, I feel your pain but I'm not qualified to offer up any advice. You might want to start up a new thread with your specific situation. As you've seen the members of R2R have a wealth of knowledge and are really nice people; generous with their time & information.

 

[PeterG]

On Tuesday it will be 30 days in QT with Coppermine for my surviving fish and while I’d like to see more enthusiastic eating, all seem to be doing well. I’ve been checking the Coppermine level every couple of days and it has remained consistently in what my eye sees as “good” - using the Seachem Copper test. I’ve a few 25% water changes to remove the detritus and keep my ammonia in check. Other than mildly elevated nitrate & nitrite levels everything else is cool. I put a small Tupperware bowl of sand into a corner of the tank and my Christmas Wrasse buries himself in it every night. Firefish & Pajama Cards all looking good.

Wondering what my next step should be as my DT has to remain fallow until March 10th (76 days total)? Left to my own devices I would slowly reduce copper levels with a series of 25% water changes.
Fortunately I have the expertise of all of you to fall back on. Should I do something different? Is there some medication I should add to keep them healthy until the DT is ready? They've been living in a 20gal Aqueon kit I bought for the QT.

I’ve also been thinking about starting to buy some new fish and keeping them in QT so that they will be clear to add to the DT in March. I know I’d have to keep any new fish separate from my current group so I thought I might add another 30gal kit (or look for something used on Craigslist).

I’d really appreciate any ideas, suggestions etc that any of you might have.

 

[Big G]

On Tuesday it will be 30 days in QT with Coppermine for my surviving fish and while I’d like to see more enthusiastic eating, all seem to be doing well. I’ve been checking the Coppermine level every couple of days and it has remained consistently in what my eye sees as “good” - using the Seachem Copper test. I’ve a few 25% water changes to remove the detritus and keep my ammonia in check. Other than mildly elevated nitrate & nitrite levels everything else is cool. I put a small Tupperware bowl of sand into a corner of the tank and my Christmas Wrasse buries himself in it every night. Firefish & Pajama Cards all looking good.

Wondering what my next step should be as my DT has to remain fallow until March 10th (76 days total)? Left to my own devices I would slowly reduce copper levels with a series of 25% water changes.
Fortunately I have the expertise of all of you to fall back on. Should I do something different? Is there some medication I should add to keep them healthy until the DT is ready? They've been living in a 20gal Aqueon kit I bought for the QT.

I’ve also been thinking about starting to buy some new fish and keeping them in QT so that they will be clear to add to the DT in March. I know I’d have to keep any new fish separate from my current group so I thought I might add another 30gal kit (or look for something used on Craigslist).

I’d really appreciate any ideas, suggestions etc that any of you might have.

Yes water changes and running carbon will remove the cupramine. Test to make sure. Have you also treated the fish for flukes and internal parasites? Prazipro or General Cure is the next step, after all of the Copper has been removed.

 

[PeterG]

Yes water changes and running carbon will remove the cupramine. Test to make sure. Have you also treated the fish for flukes and internal parasites? Prazipro or General Cure is the next step, after all of the Copper has been removed.

Thanks Big C. Before placing the fish in the Coppermine I gave them a freshwater dip and then about an hour or so in a bath of Ruby Reef Rally and from there into the Qt tank. How long do I treat with Prazipro once the copper is gone?

 

[Big G]

Great to hear your fish are doing well. Best to make sure that all the copper has been removed before the next treatment. Much easier on the fish Add an airstone for more o2 during the Prazi treatment.

Here's a complete Praziquantel treatment from our own Humblefish:

Prazipro (praziquantel): Treats flukes, black ich, and some internal parasites (worms).

How To Treat - In either a quarantine or display tank, dose Prazipro at the rate of 1 teaspoon per 20 gallons of water. DO NOT OVERDOSE (especially with wrasses), try not to mix with other medications (for various reasons), and provide additional gas exchange while treating with Prazi. Wait 5-7 days, do a 20-25% water change and then repeat dosage. The reason for the second dose is to eradicate the “next generation” of worms before they can lay eggs of their own. Because while Prazi does kill worms, it doesn’t eliminate any eggs they might leave behind.

Prazipro is generally considered reef safe, although it may kill any tube worms/feathers dusters you have. It may also eradicate bristle worms. If you have mass quantities of these, the resulting die-off can lead to an ammonia spike. After treatment is done, activated carbon may be used to remove any residuals (if you need to use a different medication next). If using a protein skimmer post-treatment, be advised that it will “over skim” for at least a couple of weeks.

Pros - Reef safe, effective dewormer that is relatively gentle on most fish.

Cons/Side Effects - Mild appetite suppression, moderate oxygen depletion, wrasses are sensitive to overdosing.

 

[PeterG]

Great to hear your fish are doing well. Best to make sure that all the copper has been removed before the next treatment. Much easier on the fish

Here's a complete Praziquantel treatment from our own Humblefish:

Prazipro (praziquantel): Treats flukes, black ich, and some internal parasites (worms).

How To Treat - In either a quarantine or display tank, dose Prazipro at the rate of 1 teaspoon per 20 gallons of water. DO NOT OVERDOSE (especially with wrasses), try not to mix with other medications (for various reasons), and provide additional gas exchange while treating with Prazi. Wait 5-7 days, do a 20-25% water change and then repeat dosage. The reason for the second dose is to eradicate the “next generation” of worms before they can lay eggs of their own. Because while Prazi does kill worms, it doesn’t eliminate any eggs they might leave behind.

Prazipro is generally considered reef safe, although it may kill any tube worms/feathers dusters you have. It may also eradicate bristle worms. If you have mass quantities of these, the resulting die-off can lead to an ammonia spike. After treatment is done, activated carbon may be used to remove any residuals (if you need to use a different medication next). If using a protein skimmer post-treatment, be advised that it will “over skim” for at least a couple of weeks.

Pros - Reef safe, effective dewormer that is relatively gentle on most fish.

Cons/Side Effects - Mild appetite suppression, moderate oxygen depletion, wrasses are sensitive to overdosing.

This spells it out in easy to read & understand terms. Perfect! Thanks again.