Diver's Pony Paradise - New photos! (pg. 64)

[eitallent]

Felicia, from my experience with jawfish they are extremely sensitive fish to acclimate. I ordered mine from liveaquaria and three died before finally one survived. I think the shipping stress really affects them badly.

 

Bob Fenner recommends that jawfish is one of the fish NOT to quarantine. IDK if you have heard of him. He has 60 years experience and writes for wetwebmedia and other marine hobby websites and magazines.

 

Bob Fenner said:

I put all jawfishes in the category of "better not to quarantine," along with most gobies, blennioids and others. I say it's better not to quarantine them for the sake of preventing too much stress, death from stress and starvation. It is better by far to do a cursory pH-adjusted freshwater bath (five minutes or so) with or without methylene blue to rid the fish of external parasites. Then place the specimen directly in the display tank. Though less susceptible to the usual external parasite scourges than most marines, jawfishes do contract them and don't do well with toxic treatments(metals, dyes, formalin). You are encouraged to move all fish to a separate treatment tank and utilize quinine or chloroquine phosphate if you're keeping opistognathids.

 

I slowly and carefully acclimated my jawfish but did not quarantine.

[Kfmmartin19]

That article says not to QT blennies, gobies and jawfish! So I guess we're not supposed to QT anything going into our tanks, Felicia!

 

Glad you're doing this before me

[Felicia]

Felicia, from my experience with jawfish they are extremely sensitive fish to acclimate. I ordered mine from liveaquaria and three died before finally one survived. I think the shipping stress really affects them badly.

 

Bob Fenner recommends that jawfish is one of the fish NOT to quarantine. IDK if you have heard of him. He has 60 years experience and writes for wetwebmedia and other marine hobby websites and magazines.

 

Bob Fenner said:

 

I slowly and carefully acclimated my jawfish but did not quarantine.

My goodness! The more I read, the more confused I become as to what to do. This is why I've always just acclimated my fish and plopped them in the display tank and just not worried about it. I am officially so confused about what to do now! Well atm, I may have to put the fish in QT for at least a little while because I'm not sure if the tank will be ready by Thursday. When I tested last night there was a small ammonia spike and I'm not sure how long it will take to cycle out. Maybe I can just put them in my frag tank with the full sandbed for as long as needed until the main tank is ready and not do any medications or treatments (since they're too harsh for the jawfish). Hopefully they won't be in there too long and it won't be too stressful.

 

I guess when I am ready to transfer the fish into the main tank, I'll do a freshwater dip with methylene blue to try to get rid of any parasites. Freshwater dips scare me and different sources say different amounts of time for the dip. I've seen anywhere from 2 minutes to 30 minutes from reputable sources. Ack!

 

I love that Zia just dumped his fish right in the tank with the seahorses and has had no issues. Knowing my luck though, I'd do that and kill my brand new seahorses. Its tempting to just put the fish in and wish for the best though!

 

That article says not to QT blennies, gobies and jawfish! So I guess we're not supposed to QT anything going into our tanks, Felicia!

 

Glad you're doing this before me

[Felicia]

Ok, so here are the things I have to consider with the new fish and quarantine:

 

1) I need to leave my frag tank as a frag tank until this coming Saturday because I agreed to be a vendor at a big frag sale locally and I need somewhere to store my frags. Therefore, I can't treat that tank with any medication, but I can use it as a holding tank for the fish. However, there were 2 fish in there that I removed, so technically there could be ich or something already living in that tank. It does have sand though and will have lots of nice hiding spots between the frag racks, live rock, and some PVC fittings. I can just use it as a holding tank until the new tank is ready.

 

2) If the new tank is cycled by Thursday (which I doubt) I could go ahead and directly add in the fish when they arrive Thursday. If not, they need to go into the frag tank until the new tank is ready. I'm thinking I'll just acclimate them to the frag tank for holding and then when its time to go into the new tank, I'll do a freshwater bath with methylene blue and Furan-2 (antibiotic) to hopefully rid them of most parasites, fungal agents, and bacteria before they go into the DT. Its probably the best I can do on the treatment front without seriously stressing the jawfish.

 

What do you guys think of this plan? I decided to add Furan-2 to the dip because its listed as one of the few antibiotics that's effective in a quick dip and its broad spectrum.

[Kfmmartin19]

Ok, so here are the things I have to consider with the new fish and quarantine:

 

1) I need to leave my frag tank as a frag tank until this coming Saturday because I agreed to be a vendor at a big frag sale locally and I need somewhere to store my frags. Therefore, I can't treat that tank with any medication, but I can use it as a holding tank for the fish. However, there were 2 fish in there that I removed, so technically there could be ich or something already living in that tank. It does have sand though and will have lots of nice hiding spots between the frag racks, live rock, and some PVC fittings. I can just use it as a holding tank until the new tank is ready.

 

2) If the new tank is cycled by Thursday (which I doubt) I could go ahead and directly add in the fish when they arrive Thursday. If not, they need to go into the frag tank until the new tank is ready. I'm thinking I'll just acclimate them to the frag tank for holding and then when its time to go into the new tank, I'll do a freshwater bath with methylene blue and Furan-2 (antibiotic) to hopefully rid them of most parasites, fungal agents, and bacteria before they go into the DT. Its probably the best I can do on the treatment front without seriously stressing the jawfish.

 

What do you guys think of this plan? I decided to add Furan-2 to the dip because its listed as one of the few antibiotics that's effective in a quick dip and its broad spectrum.

So are you planning on dipping rather than QTing all the fish or just the jawfish?

[gena]

Yeah, I'm really excited to eventually get that light and be able to do sunrise/sunset. Just gotta wait a few months.

 

Thanks! I really love the new leather. Its so yellow I have been so excited to make this KPA order. I love their stuff and figured I'd stock my tank from their website. What are you going to order from them? More gorgonians?

Yep, a couple of gorgs. I also need to replace the porcelain I lost in the transfer. Not sure what else....they have so much to choose from.

[Felicia]

So are you planning on dipping rather than QTing all the fish or just the jawfish?

I think so....I am so not positive on my plan of action at this point I did however get some methylene blue and some Furan-2 today. I think I may just put all the fish in my frag tank for QT and observation. Then after this weekend when all the frags are out of that tank, I'll probably treat with the Furan-2 since it supposed to be mild. Then when I'm ready to transfer everything, I'll do a dip in FW with methylene blue for any ich or other parasites. The tank isn't ready yet, so they have to go into the frag tank for at least the time being.

 

Yep, a couple of gorgs. I also need to replace the porcelain I lost in the transfer. Not sure what else....they have so much to choose from.

I will have a total of 8 different gorgs when my order shows up tomorrow Which ones are you planning to get from KPA? I had such a hard time deciding. I don't think they had any porcelains in stock when I ordered, but I'm sure they will again soon. I wanted to just buy everything from them! I wanted all the gorgs, all the sponges, and all the rics.

 

I just got a shipping notice from FedEx and my KPA order is supposed to get here tomorrow morning by 10:30 am. Yikes! I had requested delivery on Thursday, but I guess they didn't get that memo. That means I have to get the frag tank in shape tonight before I go to bed. I hope acclimating the jawfish to the frag tank will be ok since it has a sand bed and they will be the first fish going in there. I didn't know there would be such an issue with QT'ing them when I ordered them. I hope they do ok! I'm all stressed about this. Please wish me luck tomorrow guys!

[Kfmmartin19]

Ya I'm just trying to decide what I should do...if you were me would you QT at all or just dip with the meth blue and furan 2? Because all my inhabitants will be jawfish and gobies (spoiler alert)

 

You probably won't know how to answer that question right now haha

 

Oooooooh arriving tomorrow morning??? Take pics, k?

 

I'm sure you'll be fine. And if not, then at least I won't do what you do

 

Good luck!

[Felicia]

Ya I'm just trying to decide what I should do...if you were me would you QT at all or just dip with the meth blue and furan 2? Because all my inhabitants will be jawfish and gobies (spoiler alert)

 

You probably won't know how to answer that question right now haha

 

Oooooooh arriving tomorrow morning??? Take pics, k?

 

I'm sure you'll be fine. And if not, then at least I won't do what you do

 

Good luck!

Ummm, yeah, why don't you just do the dip route and put them straight in the main tank. I think that is what I would do now except that I thought I needed to QT and now they're already on the way and the main tank isn't ready. I just hope it will be ok to have them in the frag tank for a while since it has a sandbed and isn't really like a QT tank. I have some live rock in there too.

 

Yeah, I will definitely take some pics of everything. This is my huge KPA order that is arriving tomorrow!

 

I hope these jawfish will be ok! I've never ordered fish online before and now that I hear they are so touchy I am soooo nervous! KPA's website has reviews for the jawfish and they have all 5 star reviews and everyone says they handled shipping really well. Hopefully KPA is really good at shipping jawfish and they'll be great.

[Kfmmartin19]

Ummm, yeah, why don't you just do the dip route and put them straight in the main tank. I think that is what I would do now except that I thought I needed to QT and now they're already on the way and the main tank isn't ready. I just hope it will be ok to have them in the frag tank for a while since it has a sandbed and isn't really like a QT tank. I have some live rock in there too.

 

Yeah, I will definitely take some pics of everything. This is my huge KPA order that is arriving tomorrow!

 

I hope these jawfish will be ok! I've never ordered fish online before and now that I hear they are so touchy I am soooo nervous! KPA's website has reviews for the jawfish and they have all 5 star reviews and everyone says they handled shipping really well. Hopefully KPA is really good at shipping jawfish and they'll be great.

I'm sure they'll be fine! Can I dip freshwater, meth blue and furan-2?

 

Edit: have u thought about how you're going to move your jawfish from QT to display tank? Hadn't really thought about that but I'm sure they will probably hide in the sand

[Felicia]

I'm sure they'll be fine! Can I dip freshwater, meth blue and furan-2?

 

Edit: have u thought about how you're going to move your jawfish from QT to display tank? Hadn't really thought about that but I'm sure they will probably hide in the sand

From what I've read Furan-2 is fine in a dip and is one of the only antibiotics that will work in a dip. However, I think I will just treat the frag tank with it since its supposed to be pretty mild.

 

I don't know if it will be that difficult. The sand bed in my frag tank isn't very deep, so I should be able to scoop them out and move them over. I hope anyway.

[Kfmmartin19]

From what I've read Furan-2 is fine in a dip and is one of the only antibiotics that will work in a dip. However, I think I will just treat the frag tank with it since its supposed to be pretty mild.

 

I don't know if it will be that difficult. The sand bed in my frag tank isn't very deep, so I should be able to scoop them out and move them over. I hope anyway.

Shouldn't be too bad if the sand is shallow.

 

Can I put meth blue and furan-2 in the freshwater dip at the same time? Sorry, I feel like I'm pestering u with so many questions haha. I know nothing about dipping fish

[Felicia]

Shouldn't be too bad if the sand is shallow. Can I put meth blue and furan-2 in the freshwater dip at the same time? Sorry, I feel like I'm pestering u with so many questions haha. I know nothing about dipping fish

Ummm, I think so, but I'm not positive. I was having a hard time determining that for sure. If you're worried about it. Why don't you first put the fish in some saltwater in a bucket with Furan-2 for like half an hour and then move them to the FW dip with methylene blue for 5 minutes, and then into the tank. Something like that should work.

[Kfmmartin19]

Ummm, I think so, but I'm not positive. I was having a hard time determining that for sure. If you're worried about it. Why don't you first put the fish in some saltwater in a bucket with Furan-2 for like half an hour and then move them to the FW dip with methylene blue for 5 minutes, and then into the tank. Something like that should work.

Ok thanks so much! I won't be getting a fish till my tank cycles but its good to have a plan of attack. Good luck tomorrow

[Felicia]

Ok thanks so much! I won't be getting a fish till my tank cycles but its good to have a plan of attack. Good luck tomorrow

Definitely! I'll keep you posted on the exact details of what I end up doing.

 

I just spoke with a friend in my local club and she puts Prazipro, garlic, and some beta glucan (immune booster) in the food for all her new fish. I think I will do this to feed the new fish while they're in the frag tank. She just thaws frozen food in a little bowl and pours on a bit of garlic extreme and Prazipro, and then sprinkles on some ground up beta glucan and lets that soak for at least 30 minutes but usually overnight. Then she feeds that to her fish. Prazipro is supposed to be super mild, so that should work well. Between that, some Furan-2, and some methylene blue I should be able to treat all the fish in a mild, safe manner. Hopefully this will minimize stress.

[Zia]

Wow Felicia, there's just so much conflicting info on the care of seahorses and tank mates in general. So frustrating when your trying to do everything possible in the best interest of the ponies. I think alot of the info out there is so dated in general anyways. Not many seahorse keepers as a whole. Were definitely in the minority. I think so much info that's out there really pertains to wild caught. The tank bred are just so much more tolerant and sturdy as a whole.

 

 

I just spoke with a friend in my local club and she puts Prazipro, garlic, and some beta glucan (immune booster) in the food for all her new fish. I think I will do this to feed the new fish while they're in the frag tank. She just thaws frozen food in a little bowl and pours on a bit of garlic extreme and Prazipro, and then sprinkles on some ground up beta glucan and lets that soak for at least 30 minutes but usually overnight. Then she feeds that to her fish. Prazipro is supposed to be super mild, so that should work well. Between that, some Furan-2, and some methylene blue I should be able to treat all the fish in a mild, safe manner. Hopefully this will minimize stress.

 

 

This makes alot of sense and sounds like the least stressful and most practical method.

[Kfmmartin19]

Definitely! I'll keep you posted on the exact details of what I end up doing.

 

I just spoke with a friend in my local club and she puts Prazipro, garlic, and some beta glucan (immune booster) in the food for all her new fish. I think I will do this to feed the new fish while they're in the frag tank. She just thaws frozen food in a little bowl and pours on a bit of garlic extreme and Prazipro, and then sprinkles on some ground up beta glucan and lets that soak for at least 30 minutes but usually overnight. Then she feeds that to her fish. Prazipro is supposed to be super mild, so that should work well. Between that, some Furan-2, and some methylene blue I should be able to treat all the fish in a mild, safe manner. Hopefully this will minimize stress.

Another thing I've read conflicting stuff on is how to acclimate shipped fish. Some say drip acclimation is the only way to go. Others say that it adds so much unnecessary stress and that temp acclimating and then just dumping in the fish is the best method. Interested to see what u decide

[Felicia]

Wow Felicia, there's just so much conflicting info on the care of seahorses and tank mates in general. So frustrating when your trying to do everything possible in the best interest of the ponies. I think alot of the info out there is so dated in general anyways. Not many seahorse keepers as a whole. Were definitely in the minority. I think so much info that's out there really pertains to wild caught. The tank bred are just so much more tolerant and sturdy as a whole.

 

 

 

 

This makes alot of sense and sounds like the least stressful and most practical method.

Seriously, trying to sort out the best thing to do with seahorses is not easy! I'm glad you were able to just throw some fish in there and not have any issues. A lot of the info does seem to be dated and a lot of people are still super set on the theory that you can only be successful with a seahorse only tank. That seems to be the mindset in the seahorse forum over on RC. I checked over there and decided I wasn't going to get any useful info. So the worry with the captive bred seahorses is that they've never been exposed to any pathogens since they've been in clean systems with other captive bred seahorses. Wild caught fish could bring in pathogens that they have no immunity or resistance too and that could create a huge issue.

 

I'm hoping this combo of Prazipro, Furan-2, and a FW methylene blue dip does enough and doesn't stress any of the new fish! Wish me luck. Tomorrow I will just be acclimating the jawfish into the frag tank and won't be doing any kind of treatment for a few days, so hopefully they'll settle in and not be stressed out.

 

Another thing I've read conflicting stuff on is how to acclimate shipped fish. Some say drip acclimation is the only way to go. Others say that it adds so much unnecessary stress and that temp acclimating and then just dumping in the fish is the best method. Interested to see what u decide

Yeah, so I've noticed that too. I normally float the bags for 20-30 minutes to match the temperature. Then I open the bag and pour out a bit of water and pour in a bit of tank water. I wait 15 minutes and then do that again. After the second 15 minute wait I pour out all the water over a net, to net the fish, and then put the fish into the tank. That usually works just fine for me. Sometimes I repeat the pouring out bag water and adding tank water one or two extra times for something I think will be sensitive. I only drip acclimate super sensitive invertebrates like shrimp and starfish.

 

I just finished scrubbing the heck out of the frag tank. It was a disgusting cesspit of nuisance algae. Ick! It looks all nice and clean again. We'll see how long that last before the stupid algae starts coming back. The water quality tested fine, but I did a 90% water change just to be safe. Also, the sand bed was super shallow, so I added some of the leftover live sand I bought for the new tank to make it a bit thicker. Its still only an inch or so deep, but should be enough for the jawfish temporarily. I also left in all the live rock and one of the big frag racks to store frags for a swap I'm going to this weekend. I also added 4 PVC fittings as additional hiding spots. Here's a cloudy photo (sand is still settling):

http://s289.photobucket.com/user/alatarie/media/IMG_3535.jpg.html'>

 

Oh and speaking of cloudy water, the seahorse tank is now crystal clear and looking great. I'm about to go test ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates in there. We'll see what's going on with the cycle.

[Spirofucci]

Good luck on the KPA order!!!!

[Kfmmartin19]

Is it there yet? Is it there yet?!?!?!

[Felicia]

Good luck on the KPA order!!!!

Is it there yet? Is it there yet?!?!?!

So turns out, its not coming until tomorrow. I requested Thursday delivery but then I got a FedEx email yesterday saying I had a package on the way with an estimated delivery date of today. What happened was KPA generated the FedEx overnight label yesterday which sent me that automated email, but they didn't actually ship the package until today for delivery tomorrow. So sorry! We gotta wait until tomorrow for stressful fish!

 

In other news, my landlady called me a little bit ago to inform me that water was leaking out of my downstairs neighbors ceiling

....

Luckily, the water is coming from a pipe in the wall and not any of my tanks or my RODI system! Whew! I about had a panic attack then she called. Anyways, they potentially have to rip into my wall now...fun fun...

[Kfmmartin19]

So turns out, its not coming until tomorrow. I requested Thursday delivery but then I got a FedEx email yesterday saying I had a package on the way with an estimated delivery date of today. What happened was KPA generated the FedEx overnight label yesterday which sent me that automated email, but they didn't actually ship the package until today for delivery tomorrow. So sorry! We gotta wait until tomorrow for stressful fish!

 

In other news, my landlady called me a little bit ago to inform me that water was leaking out of my downstairs neighbors ceiling

....

Luckily, the water is coming from a pipe in the wall and not any of my tanks or my RODI system! Whew! I about had a panic attack then she called. Anyways, they potentially have to rip into my wall now...fun fun...

Oh so we'll be getting packages on the same day now

[Felicia]

 

Oh so we'll be getting packages on the same day now

Awesome! What will you be getting tomorrow? I'm getting both my package from saltwaterfish and the one from KPA tomorrow. I'm going to have my hands full acclimating.

[Kfmmartin19]

Awesome! What will you be getting tomorrow? I'm getting both my package from saltwaterfish and the one from KPA tomorrow. I'm going to have my hands full acclimating.

Buncha stuff from Zia. Haven't exactly decided where to put it yet...maybe the bathtub?

[Felicia]

 

Buncha stuff from Zia. Haven't exactly decided where to put it yet...maybe the bathtub?

Sweet! Macros and Kenya trees? I'm supposed to be getting a box of goodies from Zia but I'll wait until the seahorse tank is ready. I'm running seriously low on storage space. Having 2 other tanks helps.