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Parasite ID & Advice?


Chutsk10

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The short version:

My flame tail blenny looks like the below. Being in Canada and not having access to medication I am pretty sure he/she is done for. However, I would like to know if anyone can identify what he/she has?

 

hciqe32.jpg

 

qbThM6X.jpg

 

 

 

The long version:

I had a 10 gallon reef tank which was stocked with a Read Heady Goby, Hectors Goby, Two Spot Blenny and Snow Onyx Clown. Overstocked, sure, but the tank was able to keep ammonia/nitrate at zero and all the fish were small, got along well and had their own spaces.

 

After about a month and a half with the stocking listed above, I made a (stupid) impulse buy and added a Yellow Clown goby to the mix. The YCG survived 10 days before perishing. During this time, I never saw him eat and he slowly withered away. Upon removing the body, I noticed his skin did have a milky whitish tinge to it. 

 

The day after the YCG’s demise, the Red Head Goby and the Hectors Goby were found dead. They showed no signs of stress/illness prior to their death and their body coloration appeared normal.

 

I removed the Blenny and Clown Fish and put them in a 20gal hospital tank, to which I added API General Cure (the only medication I could get my hands on from a fellow reefer). The Blenny and Clown fish survived another few days but ultimately died. Both showing whitish tint on their bodies.

 

After their death, I decided to wash out the hospital tank and convert it to a fish only tank (the 10gal noted above was being run fallow during this time). After it cycled, I added a Randall goby and Flame Tail blenny. One month later I added two Pink Skunk clownfish. After two weeks I found one of the Pink Skunk Clowns dead, he showed no signs of illness or abnormal behavior before his death. The other Pink Skunk died two days later. Now I am left with the Flame Tail Blenny (in the condition above), and a Randall Goby (whom appears unaffected).

 

What I am wondering is:

1)      Is it possible I transferred something from the 10gal to the 20gal and/or didn’t clean the 20gal properly before use? or is it more likely the clownfish brought something new to the 20gal? I Also have a 30gal reef tank that I am afraid of contaminating. I use different cleaning equipment with all my tanks but I wash and store everything together. Perhaps I have to do all of that separate as well.

 

2)      If the Blenny above dies, the 20gal still has a Randall Goby which does not appear to be infected. How do I rid the tank of any parasites to be safe to add new livestock to this tank? I cannot remove and treat the Goby (no access to medications). I cannot run fallow with the Goby still alive. What are the options.

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2 hours ago, Chutsk10 said:

The short version:

My flame tail blenny looks like the below. Being in Canada and not having access to medication I am pretty sure he/she is done for. However, I would like to know if anyone can identify what he/she has?

 

hciqe32.jpg

 

qbThM6X.jpg

 

 

 

The long version:

I had a 10 gallon reef tank which was stocked with a Read Heady Goby, Hectors Goby, Two Spot Blenny and Snow Onyx Clown. Overstocked, sure, but the tank was able to keep ammonia/nitrate at zero and all the fish were small, got along well and had their own spaces.

 

After about a month and a half with the stocking listed above, I made a (stupid) impulse buy and added a Yellow Clown goby to the mix. The YCG survived 10 days before perishing. During this time, I never saw him eat and he slowly withered away. Upon removing the body, I noticed his skin did have a milky whitish tinge to it. 

 

The day after the YCG’s demise, the Red Head Goby and the Hectors Goby were found dead. They showed no signs of stress/illness prior to their death and their body coloration appeared normal.

 

I removed the Blenny and Clown Fish and put them in a 20gal hospital tank, to which I added API General Cure (the only medication I could get my hands on from a fellow reefer). The Blenny and Clown fish survived another few days but ultimately died. Both showing whitish tint on their bodies.

 

After their death, I decided to wash out the hospital tank and convert it to a fish only tank (the 10gal noted above was being run fallow during this time). After it cycled, I added a Randall goby and Flame Tail blenny. One month later I added two Pink Skunk clownfish. After two weeks I found one of the Pink Skunk Clowns dead, he showed no signs of illness or abnormal behavior before his death. The other Pink Skunk died two days later. Now I am left with the Flame Tail Blenny (in the condition above), and a Randall Goby (whom appears unaffected).

 

What I am wondering is:

1)      Is it possible I transferred something from the 10gal to the 20gal and/or didn’t clean the 20gal properly before use? or is it more likely the clownfish brought something new to the 20gal? I Also have a 30gal reef tank that I am afraid of contaminating. I use different cleaning equipment with all my tanks but I wash and store everything together. Perhaps I have to do all of that separate as well.

 

2)      If the Blenny above dies, the 20gal still has a Randall Goby which does not appear to be infected. How do I rid the tank of any parasites to be safe to add new livestock to this tank? I cannot remove and treat the Goby (no access to medications). I cannot run fallow with the Goby still alive. What are the options.

Sorry for all the losses.

 

Treating the fish in a separate tank and running fallow for 6-10 weeks is the only way. Otherwise any other fish that enters the tank will end up the sick. 

 

over stocked tanks are stressful environments and stressful environments allows the immune system to drop and allow fish to be more susceptible to illness.

 

What we think appears to be ok is often the opposite, we just don't know it because we are on the other side of the glass. 

 

 

You can try amazon.ca for meds, as others have found them on there. 

 

There is also tank transfer methods and hypo salinity.

 

In future qt'ing your fish will be the best method to prevent future losses. It ends up beibg cheaoer and less headaches especially when getting meds in cda is difficult.

 

 

The guru of disease and treatment has already attached everything you will need. 

@Humblefish

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Thanks for the input. I did read Humblefish's threads and thought it was Brook but wanted a second opinion. 

 

Lesson learned on the QTing. I guess I've been lucky have multiple tanks over the years with no QTing and no parasitic episodes so this is all new to me. 

 

Guess I need to try treat the Goby and run the tank fallow. 

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12 minutes ago, Chutsk10 said:

Thanks for the input. I did read Humblefish's threads and thought it was Brook but wanted a second opinion. 

 

Lesson learned on the QTing. I guess I've been lucky have multiple tanks over the years with no QTing and no parasitic episodes so this is all new to me. 

 

Guess I need to try treat the Goby and run the tank fallow. 

I never qt'd either until i got velvet and lost my purple firefish. After that, i qt'd all new fish for at least 4 weeks. 

 

Where in cda are you located?

  • Like 1
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Well, as expected, the Blenny has passed 😞

 

If I remove the Goby and keep him in a separate tank while running the display tank fallow, and if there are no signs of any illness during this time on the Goby, can the Goby be added back to the DT tank without any risk. Or the Goby MUST be treated to avoid issues down the road?

 

18 hours ago, Clown79 said:

Where in cda are you located?

Vancouver

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35 minutes ago, Chutsk10 said:

Well, as expected, the Blenny has passed 😞

 

If I remove the Goby and keep him in a separate tank while running the display tank fallow, and if there are no signs of any illness during this time on the Goby, can the Goby be added back to the DT tank without any risk. Or the Goby MUST be treated to avoid issues down the road?

 

Vancouver

 

Must be treated, the goby can act as a Typhoid Mary. 

  • Like 2
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