Help fish not eating, body get white stuff and color fading

[shlim944]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Dakar, yes I have a UV sterilizer - I put one in (after alot of worries about whether it will affect my biological filter) after I had a bout of white cloudywater. It's been running for about 2 weeks now, with no apparent ill side effect (at least I can't tell). It sure cleared up the water (+ a good round of water changes) and kept the water clear.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Reef Angel, the Oomedik Coral is an antiseptic solution made by a company called Prodac (I think it's a european product). It is meant for treating fish with a range of symptoms such as "the fish rubbing against a rock", abnormal behaviour eg hard breathing (???!!) and some more (I forget, will look at the instructions and post again tomorrow), in a tank with invertebraes, hence the "Coral" in the name. They make a version that is meant for "fish-only" tanks. #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#The Oomedik Coral solution makes the water turn green but lightens up after some hours, after a 20% water change it seems to clear up. So far it seems to help (praying hard !) but I'm still far from out of the woods yet. It's the only medication I've come across that is meant to be used for fish in a reef tank. Will let everyone know on the progress !#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I've not tried Hyposalinity because I can'tnet the infected fishes out of my tank and don't have another tank suitable to house my coral in the meanwhile - here in the tropics, the water temp rises to over 30 degrees if I don't use a chiller or external fans.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#shlim944#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[shlim944]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Reef Angel, I just found the instructions on the web - Oomedik Coral solution is for "abnormal" fish behaviour such as gasping, rapid respiration rate, fish scratching & rubbing itself against objects in tank. The only catch was that during treatment, the tank temp has to be raised to 30 degrees C. Ironical isn't it ??? Solution is safe for coral but raising the temp will probably kill the coral.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I basically raised the temp slightly but not sufficient to killthe coral. A trade-off.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#shlim944#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[Reef_Angel]

Wow, 30 degrees? That does seem like an awful big jump in temperature. I don't know that I would be willing to do that either without more information. Hopefully it will help get things back under control.

[shlim944]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#An update - sighhhh.....#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#The death toll now stands at 1 clown trigger, 1 bursa trigger, 1 blue face angel (all 3 of my favourite !! And 2 of my most expensive fishes)#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Missing - 1 long nose filefish - I shifted the all rocks this morning and I couldn't find the fish at all. Will need to investigate this evening or the water is going to go bad very quickly.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#The rest of the fish looks ok, the emperor (a juvenile) even seems to be getting back some of its blue color (but still scratches every now and then). Naso eating but still not as much as before.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#The problem is that after reading all the info on ich - I'm not sure if its just gone into incubation and waiting to re-infect the fishes ! I'm still keeping up the dosage of medication, will probably do that till the end of the week if all remains status quo. Don't know if the medication also kills the ich in incubation ??#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#It's quite disheartening.... but hopefully the rest of the fishes will be saved.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#shlim944#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[shlim944]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Folks, I have another question - and this was triggered off by something which a fish importer mentioned. He said that some of the fishes especially triggers and angels are caught by unscrupulous people by squirting cyanide into the holes they hide ("how else can they get it out of the holes they hide ?" he said). Hence, some of the survivors have cyanide in their system and may appear normal for up to a month and then die suddenly....#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Well, if I think about it - my bursa trigger, powder blue tangand blue face angel did not have any white spots on them and all appeared to be healthy but died suddenly (eating very well up to the day before they died). And both of them I had for less than a month.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Do you think there's any possibility that my fishes are poisoned and doomed even before I bought them ? I can't figure out what went wrong with them. I have been checking my water quality daily and besides the 20ppm Nitrate, the rest seems fine. 20ppm Nitrate should kill fishes overnight right ? And the strange thing is that with the 20ppm Nitrate, my coral seems to be doing well ! In fact ever since my fish starting getting sick, my coral has been flourishing.... strange. Anyone had this happen to them ?#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#shlim944#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[dakar]

Never heard of them using cyanide like that before, though that doesn't meanit doesn't happen.

Though the nitrates at 20ppm really is not high enough to harm the fish by itself, a lot of heavily populated reef tanks tend to stay that high. Nitrates are supposedly no where near as toxic as nitrite and ammonia is to them. The lower (preferably zero) is preffered but not always easily maintained. BTW where are you drawing your water samples from to test?

[tigersax7]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# A very good point, saddly the use of cyinide is still used in mainy place where our fish come from. In most place it is however very illegal (sp) but still used. I once had a wild cought juvinile ocelerous (sp) clown that died about a week after I got it. I suspect cyinide ... Any way since then I try to stick to buying only net cought wild fish and even better aquacultured fish. I have had very good sucess by doing this. Just a quick set of stats that might intrest you... of all the fish cought in the wild using cyinide only about 10% will live to make it to your LFS out of those only 50% will live well in captivity that means that for evry 100 fish cought this way only 5 will live to old age. A very good reason to buy aquacultured or net cought fish. True they tend to cost more but in the long run are well worth it.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#tigersax7#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[pass1over]

#ed_op#P#ed_cl#

Wow, 30 degrees? That does seem like an awful big jump in temperature. I don't know that I would be willing to do that either without more information. Hopefully it will help get things back under control.

#ed_op#/P#ed_cl##ed_op#P#ed_cl#

#ed_op#/P#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#The only catch was that during treatment, the tank temp has to be raised to 30 degrees C. Ironical isn't it ??? Solution is safe for coral but raising the temp will probably kill the coral.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#

#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#He said that the tank had to be raised to 30 degrees C. Not raised 30 degrees. 30 degrees C = 86 degrees F.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[kmmahan]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I guess alot of fish are drug caught-- I feel like that is the reason for so many of my deaths-- especially with tangs and surgeons-- Evidently the drugs harm their intestines (or something) and they only live for a short while even though they eat and look healthy-- Tank raised fish are very hardy-- but not all fish can be tank bred. Is there any other way to catch them without drugging them? I don'treally know . . . I guess some types of fish are netted- #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[shlim944]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Yesterday I managed to finally buy a ph7.0 buffer solution (the tank and myself are currently in a neighbouring country), which is somewhat hard to find here.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#When I tested my Hanna ph tester on the buffer solution, I was shocked to find that the reading was 7.4-7.5. I went back to my chemical ph test kit and tested the water inmy tank and sure enough the reading was closer to 7.8 (hard to tell looking at different shades of purple). Dashed down to the local shop to borrow his tetra test kit - again around 7.8-7.9.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#All the time I thought the ph of the marine tankwas at 8.3. The Hanna ph tester has only been tested fine 3 weeks ago so I thought I could trust it !#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Out of curiousity, does anyone out there mix Instant Ocean salt with RO water ? What does your ph turn out to be ? (for the just mixed water before pouring it into the tank ?). Inow get a reading of 8.6 with my miscalibrated tester (hence I lowered it before pouring it into the tank). Thought it used to be 8.2-8.3 before that..not sure. (asking just to get a sanity check ! I don't fully trust the ph7.0 buffer solution as it's not the seal pack ones I used previously)#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I guess a tank with ph7.8 would surely kill the fish wouldn't it ? Changed some water and added some ph up - it's now at 8.0. Kh was at 7, moved that up to 8 as well. Will make some moreincreases today.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Strangely, my coral seems to looks better than its ever beenin the ph7.8 water...#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Sigh... stupid !!!!! #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#shlim944#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#