New quarantine tank is a death trap for clowns :(

[kriskristofferzen]

I got two little clowns last week from a supposedly reputable fish store. I asked if they quarantine the clowns they said the distributor does that for one month then they sit for a few days at the store, he said they lost a clown or two after shipment.

Two days later I lost one of the little guys.

 

Here is my setup

new all glass 10 gallon tank

aquaclear 30 with purigen pack and polyester fiber fil

in tank heater

some pieces of pvc

a small clump of chaeto (which i added to days ago)

 

My parameters are fine, salinity fine, temp fine, I replace the fiber fil every 2-3 days and the same for a gallon or so water change with top off as needed.

 

I went and got another larger juvenile clown at the same shop last tuesday, they said they dont take returns for dead fish.

 

I awoke this morning to find the second of my original pair dead! The other little guy remaining has slightly labored breathing, no spots no body damage etc and my parameters are fine!

 

All fish were timid but eating, and active at different times of the day

 

I dont know what to do! Is it the fiber fil? Could the pvc be leaching something funky (i doubt it). Any ideas would be appreciated! I am thinking about getting another clown today at petco or captain nemo's. I live in pa., so if anyone has any good ideas of where to buy good fish, let me know!

 

Thanks!!!!

[bringman]

Do you have another LFS that you could go to.

Was the PVC new?

How are you acclimating to the tank?

Can you just put them in your main tank?

Do you have enough water flow in the tank? What the dissolved oxygen content?

Hope you figure the problem out.

[stmccool]

I got two little clowns last week from a supposedly reputable fish store. I asked if they quarantine the clowns they said the distributor does that for one month then they sit for a few days at the store, he said they lost a clown or two after shipment.

Two days later I lost one of the little guys.

 

Here is my setup

new all glass 10 gallon tank

aquaclear 30 with purigen pack and polyester fiber fil

in tank heater

some pieces of pvc

a small clump of chaeto (which i added to days ago)

 

My parameters are fine, salinity fine, temp fine, I replace the fiber fil every 2-3 days and the same for a gallon or so water change with top off as needed.

 

I went and got another larger juvenile clown at the same shop last tuesday, they said they dont take returns for dead fish.

 

I awoke this morning to find the second of my original pair dead! The other little guy remaining has slightly labored breathing, no spots no body damage etc and my parameters are fine!

 

All fish were timid but eating, and active at different times of the day

 

I dont know what to do! Is it the fiber fil? Could the pvc be leaching something funky (i doubt it). Any ideas would be appreciated! I am thinking about getting another clown today at petco or captain nemo's. I live in pa., so if anyone has any good ideas of where to buy good fish, let me know!

 

Thanks!!!!

 

 

You don't mention anything so I have to ask, but do you have any rock or biological filtration, or are they getting hit with ammonia/nitrite from the their own wastes?

[Dani3d]

I would suspect ammonia in a NON cycled tank, very quick to raise. Lack of oxygen is another good possibility.

 

Ammonia is extremely toxic at high PH and only a trace amount can kill fish with time, larger amount will kill them faster and it attack their gills.

 

Buy some Seachem Prime and use it if you see any trace of ammonia. Buy a good test and any trace amount should be dealed with. To avoid ammonia put some pieces of cured liverock in the tank.

 

Keep the temperature at around 76F and orient the powerhead upward to aerate the water.

 

I got two little clowns last week from a supposedly reputable fish store. I asked if they quarantine the clowns they said the distributor does that for one month then they sit for a few days at the store, he said they lost a clown or two after shipment.

Two days later I lost one of the little guys.

 

Here is my setup

new all glass 10 gallon tank

aquaclear 30 with purigen pack and polyester fiber fil

in tank heater

some pieces of pvc

a small clump of chaeto (which i added to days ago)

 

My parameters are fine, salinity fine, temp fine, I replace the fiber fil every 2-3 days and the same for a gallon or so water change with top off as needed.

 

I went and got another larger juvenile clown at the same shop last tuesday, they said they dont take returns for dead fish.

 

I awoke this morning to find the second of my original pair dead! The other little guy remaining has slightly labored breathing, no spots no body damage etc and my parameters are fine!

 

All fish were timid but eating, and active at different times of the day

 

I dont know what to do! Is it the fiber fil? Could the pvc be leaching something funky (i doubt it). Any ideas would be appreciated! I am thinking about getting another clown today at petco or captain nemo's. I live in pa., so if anyone has any good ideas of where to buy good fish, let me know!

 

Thanks!!!!

[kriskristofferzen]

I floated the fish in their bag to acclimate. Then drip acclimated in a bucket and changed 50% of the water 2-3 times before adding to the tank.

I use some pvc i got from lowes

I am not showing any ammonia? I will try the seachem anyway, maybe my test kit is off.

I changed the filter stuff today and did a 50% water change

Their is NO biologic filtration right now. I am keeping the sponge filter in the water to cycle, stupid yes but figure it will work out eventually, maybe it is contributing to the problem.

I dont have any live rock to add b/c i am cycling my tank with uncured dry rock from bulk reef supply

I have some chaeto in their to keep down nutrient levels and the filter is stuffed with fiber fil which i will change now maybe a little every day? and a packet of purigen.

I will work on syphoning out more debris from the tank evey day there was some residual left over maybe that was increasing ammonia production and or my kit is messed up or i am not testing right

Either way, i will report back in a few days.

 

Thanks everybody!

[Mini-Dude]

How about like not buying anymore until you figure out what the problem is.

[Formula462]

Their is NO biologic filtration right now. I am keeping the sponge filter in the water to cycle, stupid yes

 

and bingo

[Dani3d]

That right there is probably your problem. You NEED some biological filtration and cured liverock is the way to go.

 

Try to buy some piece of liverock from someone. Check the local adds, or buy a few pieces from a reputable store. just make sure it's 100% cured. That's why buying from someone with an established aquarium is best because it is sure that the liverock is cured.

 

If you don't have bio filter, the ammonia will rise faster than you can change the water.

 

The cheato won't do a thing because it is not a good support for the nitrifying bacterias and they are not in the water either. Before you need cheato to absorb the nitrates, you do need an established biofilter to transform the ammonia to nitrites and finaly to nitrates.

 

You are putting fish in a non cycled tank, so basicaly you are cycling the tank with your fish and killing them.

 

Changing the filter floss won't do much either, except maybe remove some of the decaying material from the aquarium. You really need to get some pieces of cured liverock. That's the only way you're going to keep those fish alive.

 

 

Their is NO biologic filtration right now. I am keeping the sponge filter in the water to cycle, stupid yes but figure it will work out eventually, maybe it is contributing to the problem.

[kriskristofferzen]

That right there is probably your problem. You NEED some biological filtration and cured liverock is the way to go.

 

Try to buy some piece of liverock from someone. Check the local adds, or buy a few pieces from a reputable store. just make sure it's 100% cured. That's why buying from someone with an established aquarium is best because it is sure that the liverock is cured.

 

If you don't have bio filter, the ammonia will rise faster than you can change the water.

 

The cheato won't do a thing because it is not a good support for the nitrifying bacterias and they are not in the water either. Before you need cheato to absorb the nitrates, you do need an established biofilter to transform the ammonia to nitrites and finaly to nitrates.

 

You are putting fish in a non cycled tank, so basicaly you are cycling the tank with your fish and killing them

 

Thanks for the replies and this well educated reponse. Yeah, I am leary about getting live rock from a store, b/c I dont want to increase any die off in the tank, but i will search around and keep doing insane water changes until then. I thought i had everything in check but i guess not.

 

Changing the filter floss won't do much either, except maybe remove some of the decaying material from the aquarium. You really need to get some pieces of cured liverock. That's the only way you're going to keep those fish alive.

[sean151]

So do you have any ammonia producing stuff in any of your tanks? uncured dry rocks could host virtually nothing living and won't really cause a cycle.

[mbonus]

Thread jack; I set up a three gallon pico as a quarantine tank for my stressed and beat up pj cardinal. He was getting beat up by my clown. Display tank is a 12ga.

 

All I have for filtration is an ac20. I noticed what was described above with the ammonia rise. I was using 75% water changes and amquel to manage it.

 

What do you all think about taking a small rock from the other tank to provide bio filtration? Pj might be in there for a while

[Sunstar]

I think this thread has been educational for me. I never did Quarentine my first fish. I got him from someone else who had him and the fish was being agressive with their other fish (yellow tailed damsel). I dripped and entered the fish into the tank after a few ours. After a year and 8 months the tank finally had it's first finned occupant.

 

I am not considering any few fish until sometime (god only knows) when I get my 25 gallon setup. Cycling rock in a bucket already.

 

I had a near tank disaster a week ago. Ammonia spiked something scary. Prime definately helped save the day.

 

Question though for you folk who suggest the live rock to aid in biological filtration. When your fish get ill, or show signs of parasites. What of the rock? Would the medicines not damage the biological filtrations? I ask this as I have yet to deal with a sick salt water fish.

[kriskristofferzen]

I think this thread has been educational for me. I never did Quarentine my first fish. I got him from someone else who had him and the fish was being agressive with their other fish (yellow tailed damsel). I dripped and entered the fish into the tank after a few ours. After a year and 8 months the tank finally had it's first finned occupant.

 

I am not considering any few fish until sometime (god only knows) when I get my 25 gallon setup. Cycling rock in a bucket already.

 

I had a near tank disaster a week ago. Ammonia spiked something scary. Prime definately helped save the day.

 

Question though for you folk who suggest the live rock to aid in biological filtration. When your fish get ill, or show signs of parasites. What of the rock? Would the medicines not damage the biological filtrations? I ask this as I have yet to deal with a sick salt water fish.

i used some prime and did a large water change today and put in a piece of cured live rock from the fish store. all good....sort of.......now i noticed a small string anterior to the anal fin of my clown, sorta just hanging around all day, i got him about 4 days ago and he is not the most voracious eater. he does get excited when food is in the water but really likes to stay in one place in the tank. after researching i am thinking it is an internal parasite.

so.......i am guessing i will need to take out that rock and my sponge that has been in there and put them in my display tank and treat with possibly seachem metronizadole....still researching but i know it will pretty mush clear out any beneficial bacteria (to answer your question about medications in the qt tank). pretty much consensus from what i have read on different forums but i am sure someone else will chime in as well. any copper meds can hang around as well if you use them, and really in that case I would not want to put corals/inverts in this tank if i did treat something with that med either. i am sure someone will mention that i should then make this a hospital tank and not a quarantine tank after medicating, but right now i am cycling my display which will take quite a while (dry rock seeded with some cured live rock) and dont have alot of funds for a hospital tank right now. long story short, i am glad i quarantined these little guys and it has been an educational experience. i will definitely quarantine future purchases including corals in the future.