Ya man, he doesn't seem to like his home here. I had decided about a week ago that I was actually going to get him back to good health then pass him on to someone with a bigger tank like he was in before. Maybe he'll feel more comfortable. I've got a hospital tank all set up and ready to go. I'll try to catch him tomorrow and get him going in there. Hopefully it'll help relieve some of the stress as well as get rid of the ich. Once he's back to chipper I'll bring the salinity back up and find a new home for him. I don't think there is anyone wanting to take him right now in his current state.

If you give the fish some live white worms it might bring him back to better health. It's a rich food that butterfly fish love.

Also when you bring the salinity back up, it must be done slowly, no more than 0.03 point per day, so for about 5 to 6 days.

i think its a smart move, i know we all get attached to our fish and when they are suffering we are suffering as well , deep down we know whats best even if it means finding a new home for our friends. alot of problems arise for those who cant make that decision and its a part of this hobby...taking the bad with the good and making decisions that we would rather not have to make.

good luck buddy:):)

One quick question that I've been getting mix answers on: should I bring the salinity down slowly once he's in or can I start him at a low salinity? The rest of the procedure I've got pretty good.

lowering the salinity is easier on the fish than raising it ,in an emergency you can drop the fish in a lower salinity and it would be fine, but the transition will be easier for the fish acclimation wise if the temp and salinity match the display and then drop the salinity by taking away saltwater and adding ro water. but as daniella stated raising it must be done slowly over time .

This guy had a major turn for the worse over night (I'm super sick from only getting 4 hours of sleep a night for the past 3 weeks, so I'm only getting up now). I don't think he's going to make it.

Lessons learned:

-Bad stuff always happens when you are basically powerless to do something about it
-treat bad stuff quickly
-Always have a hospital tank on hand even if you have to leave it in the living room of your tiny apartment

Not fun...

And the battle is over... I had him in the tank matching the the temp and salinity of the display and was bringing the salinity down slowly with a drip (would have taken 48 hours to get down to the right SG). He was having his ups and downs (was actually looking like he was perking up for a while). Left the room for a minute, came back and didn't even have to look at the tank to know... I guess he was too far gone. This sucks...

So in the past two weeks I had my friend die in a car accident, my friend's dad die from cancer and now my favourite fish. I'm sensing a theme here...

Gonna go find my scotch!

Sorry to hear man, and sorry about your friend and friend's dad. That's a large burden to carry.

WOW sorry to hear man that really sucks

Sad to hear. Sorry for your losses.