Need liquid encouragement…

[blawndie]

To make the short and sweet. I am a saltwater newbie. Been doing it for two months now. Stock included two clowns, yellow, watchmen, and pistol, red Cori’s wrasse, some snails and hermits, bangai cardinals…. and then I went to the fish store and got some freaking blue/green chromis. I told the guy working that I was just starting out and what was in my tank and that I was looking for some active and not too expensive. He suggested the chromis. There were four in one tank and he started to pull them out and I pointed out that there was one that didn’t look so good… It literally was kind of just sitting at the bottom corner. We found three more around the room and then he said you know what I’m just going to give you the other guy and you can see what happens… WORST MISTAKE EVER! Neverrrrrr accept the “see what happens free fish”…(still think I need to call that store which is a super reputable store here in Austin, Texas)

For about five days, everything seemed good. Then one fish disappeared. Then I found another one in my arrow crabs mouth. Yesterday, my arrow crab shed four legs and another chromis “disappeared”. I’ve been testing water every day and it’s been fine until yesterday. Ammonia spiked finally. I did a 55% water change still kind of baffled what was happening and then I finally saw it the horrid red spot of death. URONEMA. So now I am frantically trying to catch these mother HEIFERS and they are so fast. I have only been able to catch one. I have a lot of rock in there and a lot of you know they love to hide and are very good at hiding in those tiny holes, I tried to take the mesh tops off to kind of trap them in between. Now I only count 3…I literally have been fighting with them all day.

I know now that this cute little parasite is in my system. It will always be there. Please give me some of your best options. I really am at the point of wanting to speer the chromis, although I’m not fast enough and even if I would be able to, I still have this parasite problem. My next purchase was going to be my first corals… So can’t copper dose the big tank.

My irrational mind is saying carefully pull out the rocks to make it easier to catch the fish. Catch all the fish that I can putting the chromis in one, all my other fish in another, And keep them quarantined while copper dosing them. In the display tank, maybe just bleach the crap out of the rock and sand? Flush the whole system? I don’t know y’all please help just want to kind of throw in the towel.

This is a neptunian cube m120 I purchased 2nd hand

 

[lmfbs]

If I'm completely honest with you, given you're so early into the game, I'd be cooking my rocks, dosing the rocks with metronidazole, then properly QTing all the fish (I'd be separating the chromis from all your others).

 

[crazyfishmom]

I don’t think copper will do anything for uronema and there is no fallow period for your tank. You would have to pull everything and I mean including sand and bleach the whole tank.

There are only a few species that are super susceptible to uronema and that’s chromis and anthias for the most part.

 

[blawndie]

This is what I mean by putting the mesh top as a divider…. It doesn’t completely seal as there is still about a half an inch to 2 inch gaps on either side of the lid, but definitely slows them down. I’ve tried baiting them with food, but now they are just kind of traumatized and aren’t as Stupid as I wish they were right now.

 

[blawndie]

If I'm completely honest with you, given you're so early into the game, I'd be cooking my rocks, dosing the rocks with metronidazole, then properly QTing all the fish (I'd be separating the chromis from all your others).

OK, so two smaller tanks, separating the CHROMIS and the others…

I understand the metronidazole, but what do you mean by cooking? Is that the bleach? Lol what do I do about the sand?

 

[JayM]

From what I understand, once Uronema is in your DT, it’s there to stay, and it isn’t treatable. That’s the bad news. The good news is that it isn’t terribly contagious to most fish, so probably not of much concern to any of your livestock other than the chromis.

If it were me, I might just leave the survivors alone and see what happens vs. stressing everything out by dismantling your display.

 

[sfin52]

Cook the tank

Pulling everything and restarting. You have to bleach the whole system. Sump returns all plumbing everything.

 

[lmfbs]

OK, so two smaller tanks, separating the CHROMIS and the others…

I understand the metronidazole, but what do you mean by cooking? Is that the bleach? Lol what do I do about the sand?

Basically dry them, start with dry rock again that you cycle from the beginning. Then treat them with metro.

And with the fish, I'd separate them to do your best to treat them as if they're brand new fish to your system.

Then bleach the crap out of your tank/plumbing.

 

[sfin52]

If it where me and I was in your shoes. I lost all cromis to what I now know was uronema. 10yrs and not another break out. I never restated my system.

 

[vetteguy53081]

No need to cook tank but rather lket it cycle. Uronema was present and is an Oval obligate parasite which is often triggered by waste and even low salinity. Avoid this store moving forward but run tank without fish at least 6 weeks and even add ruby rally pro to tank which is safe. In addition, chromis fight and not always a best first fish. Remove any waste and uneaten food and focus right now on complete cycling and water quality.
How did you cycle tank and for how long?

 

[blawndie]

If it where me and I was in your shoes. I lost all cromis to what I now know was uronema. 10yrs and not another break out. I never restated my system.

Do you mean, just let the chromis die out and leave the rest as is?

 

[blawndie]

No need to cook tank but rather lket it cycle. Uronema was present and is an Oval obligate parasite which is often triggered by waste and even low salinity. Avoid this store moving forward but run tank without fish at least 6 weeks and even add ruby rally pro to tank which is safe. In addition, chromis fight and not always a best first fish. Remove any waste and uneaten food and focus right now on complete cycling and water quality.
How did you cycle tank and for how

Basically got the tank March 3 and not long after before the cycle was complete. I added 2 clowns. About week, one or two into April cycle was complete. After which I added yellow, watchmen, Gobi and pistol and then about a week later, got the bang guy. I had been testing religiously and I’ve had zero ammonia nitrate and maybe 10 maximum 15 nitrate. Every time I would go to the LFSI brought samples before I got new fish. All seemed good until last week when I got the CROMIS.

 

[blawndie]

I don’t think copper will do anything for uronema and there is no fallow period for your tank. You would have to pull everything and I mean including sand and bleach the whole tank.

There are only a few species that are super susceptible to uronema and that’s chromis and anthias for the most part.

Should I get two new smaller tanks and put chromis in one, and others in 2nd? Do I dose either?
Basically got the tank March 3 and not long after before the cycle was complete. I added 2 clowns. About week, one or two into April cycle was complete. After which I added yellow, watchmen, Gobi and pistol and then about a week later, got the bang guy. I had been testing religiously and I’ve had zero ammonia nitrate and maybe 10 maximum 15 nitrate. Every time I would go to the LFSI brought samples before I got new fish. All seemed good until last week when I got the CROMIS.

 

[javajaws]

Not that I would buy fish from any store in Austin...but which one was this? Aquatek?

 

[crazyfishmom]

Should I get two new smaller tanks and put chromis in one, and others in 2nd? Do I dose either?
Basically got the tank March 3 and not long after before the cycle was complete. I added 2 clowns. About week, one or two into April cycle was complete. After which I added yellow, watchmen, Gobi and pistol and then about a week later, got the bang guy. I had been testing religiously and I’ve had zero ammonia nitrate and maybe 10 maximum 15 nitrate. Every time I would go to the LFSI brought samples before I got new fish. All seemed good until last week when I got the CROMIS.

This is probably going to be an unpopular opinion but unless chromis and anthias are must have fish for you I would just let this run its course with the understanding that uronema is in your system and just never add either of these fish in.

The likelihood of success with full decon is not great. You essentially would have to completely drain the tank and then run bleach water through your entire system. You would have to bleach your rocks and then boil them (someone else mentioned cooking them)… it’s a lot.

 

[blawndie]

Cook the tank

Pulling everything and restarting. You have to bleach the whole system. Sump returns all plumbing everything.

Ok-going to bleach the entire system. I’m going to get rid of the chromis, and then my other stock. My question is once my main tank is clean and ready for fish again, can I put the old stock back in there? Or will that just reinfect the system? (Not the chromis)

 

[Rjukan]

Don't use splash-less bleach!

 

[blawndie]

This is probably going to be an unpopular opinion but unless chromis and anthias are must have fish for you I would just let this run its course with the understanding that uronema is in your system and just never add either of these fish in.

The likelihood of success with full decon is not great. You essentially would have to completely drain the tank and then run bleach water through your entire system. You would have to bleach your rocks and then boil them (someone else mentioned cooking them)… it’s a lot.

I’ve definitely decided that I do not need chromis now or ever again! Lesson learned! I am strongly, considering pulling the rest of my stock and quarantining them a while while I bleach my main system. My biggest question now though is after everything is clean and ready for fish again, can I put those fish back in the main system or will they reinfect it?

 

[blawndie]

I’ve definitely decided that I do not need chromis now or ever again! Lesson learned! I am strongly, considering pulling the rest of my stock and quarantining them a while while I bleach my main system. My biggest question now though is after everything is clean and ready for fish again, can I put those fish back in the main system or will they reinfect it?

(My remaining stock, not the chromis)

 

[blawndie]

Don't use splash-less bleach!

Ok. Why not?