Prob keeping fish alive

[Woden]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I'm a noobie with keeping reef systems, and I'm having big trouble with my fish.....the corals are fine so far.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Alittle history: I bought my setup for $50 from a freind who was moving. The tank was filthy, this black slime stuff all over. I cleaned everything up. Looks good now! I'm getting married on Sept 17 so my $$$ is low but as soon as I'm back on my feet (should be in early October) I'm goin to get a new skimmer and a UV filter. I'm planning to build a DIY sump/fuge. Should the sump/fuge replace my wet/dry or could they be used together?#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Problem: I've managed to kill two Coral Beauties and a Royal Gramma. I think it might be Ich but not sure. The hippo had somewhite spotts, I gave him a fresh water bath and it helped but there back again. The clowns now have this "fuzzy" white stuff on their backs. Kinda looks the same as Ich but a bit different....I dont know. Just today, I can't find the small clown...don't know if he's just hidding or what. #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I'm very worried, I dont want to loose any more fish, I cant do a quarentine tank right now and can't afford a UV filter yet. Please help! Any suggestions WILL be used! I'm in a bit of a panic!!!!!!!#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[Reef_Angel]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# Your goal should be to get rid of the wet/dry sump. There's ton's of help on this board regarding the DIY sump/fuge, and will save you a good amount of $$$. Some of the people on this board have shared some super ideas and have pictures to share of the sumps they've made. When you start building it, let the board know and you'll have a bunch of people willing to help you build it! The UV Sterilizer is one of those things that you will hear good and bad about. They do knock out bad stuff that my go on in your tank, but in doing that they also can knock out some of the good things you want in your tank. We have one in line and it's working pretty good for us, but others will tell you their totally different opinions on them. It's a choice you'll have to make for yourself!#ed_op#BR#ed_cl# It sounds like you definitely have an ich/parasite problem going on. As far as your fish with the ich/parasite, you will need to remove your fish from your tank and into a hospital tank for now, and start treating them immediately to end the problem. Using the natural technique of Hyposalinity to treat them would be our recommendation. I responded to a post last night that was having a similar problem, but in a fish only tank, so he's able to do the treatment right in the tank they are in.You will need to remove your fish from your reef tank, and send your fish to a hospital tank ASAP since you have coral and invertebrates in your reef! Hyposalinity would kill your coral and invertebrates, so do not treat your reef tank! We don't favor the copper treatments for ich off the shelf in your local LFS! Copper and reef tanks do not mix!! While your fish are being cured, and their parasites life cycle is being killed off and brought to an end, your main tank with the coral is being cleared of future ich problems and readying itself for your healthy fish to come back to the tank on it's own. "No fish" in your main tank means nothing for the parasites to host on. Any parasites left in your reef will die off, naturally cured just by having the fish removed for the amount of time you need to follow the Hyposalinity treatment. It's generally around 6 weeks for your fish to get through this. The key will be to get them out of your reef tank ASAP and into the treatment tank before the fish get sicker! I'm including two sites that will give you instruction on how the Hyposalinity Treatment is done. Of course we suggest the first one given below, but the other one is good too! If you need any help through the process or need something explained further, please don't hesitate to ask. Patience on this one is going to be the key. Do the treatment all the way to the very end to be sure the whole process is complete in both tanks. Your fish may look like they are completely healed sooner than that, but don't be fooled. You want to be sure that the entire life cycle of the parasites has been depleted! Good luck, and keep us up to date on your progress. Experiences like these are best shared because they are such a learning experience for the next person that comes up with this very common & annoying problem! I hope you are able to save the fish you have left in your tank! .......Angel #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 #A href="http://www.captivereefing.com/lexicon.php?letter=Hyposalinity%20Treatment"#ed_cl #http://www.captivereefing.com/lexico...ed_cl##ed_op#A href="http://www.petsforum.com/personal/trevor-jones/hyposalinity.html"#ed_cl#http://www.petsforum.com/personal/tr...op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[Woden]

Than you very much! I will definatly do that for the sump.

Is there no other way for the ich prob? Don't get me wrong , I will do what ever I have to. I have always wanted a reef aquarium and I am determined to learn/do all that I have to so the tank will thrive. I'm just not sure I will get the "go-a-head" from my fiance to spend the $$ on the hospital tank and equipment without looking at all the options. When I bought the set-up from my friend, there was a bottle of formalin...will that work?

I read on another site that garlic could help = soaking the food in garlic or adding garlic powder? This same site mentioned something about an addative that is reef safe. If this is junk info then I will get the hospital tank set up tomorrow.
Again, THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH for all of the help!

[labman]

Hey Maybe you and the new lady can go to the fish store and put a few
fish stuff on your wedding list I would think that was great to buy
somebody something for there honny instead of a toaster or dishies, but
hey I have been married and now divorced so all I can say is good luck
with that. #ed_op#img src="richedit/smileys/Teasing/19.gif"#ed_cl#

[dakar]

Is there no other way for the ich prob? Don't get me wrong , I will do what ever I have to. I have always wanted a reef aquarium and I am determined to learn/do all that I have to so the tank will thrive. I'm just not sure I will get the "go-a-head" from my fiance to spend the $$ on the hospital tank and equipment without looking at all the options.

There are other methods, but just about everything has copper in it, even the smallest trace amount can wipe out your reef inhabitants completely. Chemical treatments are seldom a good option, remember the golden rule, the only things that happen fast in a SW tank is BAD things.

As far as the purchasing stuff goes for the hypo treatment, all you really need is a clean tank, and a powerhead to circulate the water, and a heater if needed to hold temp constant. You will be doing a lot of water changes to drop the SG, then continue doing changes at the same SG throughout the treatment, and then the changes to raise it back up to normal. Watch your feedings so as not to overfeed and you shouldn't have any troubles.

A refractometer would be a wise purchase if you don't have one yet, since you will be making some radical changes to the salinity, and they need to be pretty specific using those swing arm hydrometers is a serious gamble. (they run about $35 for a decent one and they'll last you a very long time with care).

I read on another site that garlic could help = soaking the food in garlic or adding garlic powder? This same site mentioned something about an addative that is reef safe. If this is junk info then I will get the hospital tank set up tomorrow.
Again, THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH for all of the help!

Soaking food in garlic before feeding can sometimes help encourage your fish to eat, it will not have any real effect in ich, other than boosting the fish's immune system as he's eating.

Hope this helps, and keep us updated on your progress... As Angel mentioned if you treat this way, follow through the entire process, you can't cut time off because things look 'ok', or you will find yourself back where you started.

Everyone recommends using a Qurantine Tank to house new fish for the first 4-6 weeks before adding them to your display, even though many who offer the advice don't always follow it (we're guilty of it). But at least you'll have one to consider using it again.