Tank EULOGY from a beginner

[geweagle]

Hello All,

First I want to thank you all for your comments. Sorry I was out of town for a few days so just getting back to answer some of the comments. Also I think I have found the root to most of the fish losses, which unfortunately is likely disease. that was what Asylumdown suggested. After reading his comments I started checking some things and to put the pieces together. Here is likely the trend. I hope people find this useful.

I am likely going to loss the new Yellow Tang as well. I actually was able to watch the progression this time. It was fast! It is likely ICK. Classic symptoms. It likely started with the first fish I lost. I noticed the fish was rubbing against rocks a lot. But I did not know if that was normal or abnormal behavior for that fish as it was a rock dweller. My saline was Low! (26-7 ppt) I did not even know that was likely a good thing.

I started to raise the salinity because it was low. Got it up to 30 ppt. the target was to be 35 ppt. Likely only to through the ICK into full bloom. The fish died and I did not even see it, I was away for a few days. Then a few days later the checker butterfly fish started to show the same action, rubbing against the rock in the little cave I had made. I though he was chasing the shrimp because they were in those caves. He died when I was away too so I never did get to see what he looked like.

Now the new yellow tang started to show adnormal behavior. Same Same. At least I knew Tangs are open water fish. They do not hang near rocks normally. They like to swim in open water. This morning it happen so fast. In a matter of "1 hour" he went from rubbing the rock to on his side in trouble. I pulled him out and put him in a quaratine tank I have. Which fortunately hyposalinity at about 28 ppt. Noticed some white spots on the fins. Did not see them before. Not many but surely some there. I will know tonight if he has made it. Some hemoraging also started on the dorsal fin.

SO no more fish till this tank stablizes. I never saw ICK go this fast. but my experience is all fresh water.

Comments to some questions and feeback for those interested

I would like to start by saying that yes this is a troubled tank. I have never seen so much happen so quick. Was I over reacting? Yes! most likely. Was I pushing the time frame? Yes! likely but the chemistry of the tank did look ok at the time. Never dreamed I had a disease situation

I am fortunately that I have access to good analytic methods. I use a DR2800 Hach spec for most of my water testing as I work in water treatment. So the water chemistry testing acuracy I feel is pretty good. I have access to ICP water analysis as well if I choice. Salinity I do at this time use a hydrometer, but not just the litttle cheap swinge arm. I have a proper bubble glass tube salinometer hydrometer. Acuracy is to the third decimal. Likely I will go to a refractometer eventually. I do tend to think in PPT (part per trillion) rather than refractive index, but the conversion scales are simple

The light fixture I have is an Evergrow IT2080 32" with Blue and White LED. It is well reviewed and perhaps not top of the line but pretty good. Currently it has 90 deg LED lens and I and getting some 120's so I can reach the side of the tank.

The fish I purchased were all small under 2". I do understand that the Tangs and Butterfly and Angels will out grow the tank. When that happens I would likely trade or sell them. But for now they offer such great colours and the family loved them. When they start to show stress I will move them Out. I do have a 120 gal three compartment quaratine tank as well which I have moved to SW as well.

I am going to invest in a RO/DI system. although my chemistry does look pretty good now. But Yes silica is lilely high. T-alkalinity is OK and Ca expressed at hardness is also OK. But saying that could be better.

Yes I am pretty sure I was chasing the wrong issue. Most of the serious issues I think are not chemistry at all but disease. Just never saw it move so fast.

Currently I still have 2 clowns, and 4 small yellow tail damsels. They are doing fine and I will leave them be. But I will drop the salinity down and let the ICK run its course. Not going near any copper. Too many issues after the fact.

So as summary to the Eulogy. A troubled tank. Too much too fast. Chasing the wrong issues. I hope this journey will be of use to people in the future starting in this hobby.

Glenn

[tang daddy]

It maybe a good idea to start up a qt tank for new additions, I notice that people with qt tanks lose hardly any fish compared to people that don't.

I saw a small qt tank with angels, anthias, royal gamma and a few other fish all waiting to go into the main display at my friends house. It was a simple set up that was 14g with 2 hob filters running charcoal and sponge. He had a small fluidized filter and air stone. He dosed prazi pro and melafix if needed and ran just a few drops of copper. Changed the water about 5% every 3 days. They all were healthy and eating pellets and flakes... Even the anthias was eating flakes, couldn't believe all the fish got along in such a small tank. After seeing how easy it is, I am thinking of starting a small qt for my new additions so I don't lose anymore fish.

[geweagle]

I agree. I am pretty sure the root cause to the fish loses was disease. I do have a quaratine tank now and will certainly use it. Yes my display tank looked ugly but that I am beginning to think would not kill fish. It looks like it was not chemistry issues at all. But the ICK was not easy to see. It did not help that I did not have a chance to see it in progress on the first two kills. But this last one, which I hope I might have saved, was classic.

I am beginning to think more issues in startups can be disease and less chemistry, but chemistry is easy to point too. You can measure it. You know what the targets are. So if it is off we tend to blame what we can see.

Disease is far less easy to pinpoint and symptoms are often vague. At least my experience is that it can be incredibly fast. Healthy to morbian in 4 days.

[Dearth]

I've been in the hobby a year now but one thing I have learned is that with salt water in the aquarium setting is that when fish get a disease or injury that it could otherwise shake off in the wild in the aquarium it could literally take hrs to kill a fish and if you don't recognize the symptoms and telltales there is little hope of saving the fish/coral.

I don't run a QT tank mostly due to space requirements and once everything is out of my lil tank it is being shut down. Mostly it just boils down to taking your time, basic understanding and patience.