dying fish.. please help

[tuck]

now im confused, because i actually went to a specialist shop in dublin for help with this, they breed there own stock including seahorse`s and have a very high reputation.. the man really knows his stuff and he swore it was reef safe....
this is really annoying as i have used it now 3 times in the main display. but with no harmfull effects or so i can tell yet

 

[tuck]

im just after checking up on malachite green and i cant find anything on it being coppoer based, but it does say that it can be very toxic if dosed wrong.. esp to small marine fish..

infact i found something suggesting copper based products compared to malachite green........which would lead me to belive it is not copper based..
are you sure???
and what would you recommend me do now???? if you were in my shoes

 

[Lorna]

I would definitely run something in there to remove any chemicals such as polyfilter or something that will remove any copper if there is any. I will do some more searching and see what I can find out. I just know it was niggling at my brain about malachite green and copper, I may be wrong but better to go on the conservative side.

 

[Lorna]

from what i have read Paraguard is a good treatment in a hospital or quarantine tank but I would be reluctant to use it in a reef as it may or may not be safe for inverts. Malachite green by itself is highly toxic to inverts so it may be the factor in the paraguard that renders it unsafe for reefs at the prescribed level. At the Seachem site they recommend using it at 1/4 strength but personally I would be reluctant. Since you have already used it I would suggest running carbon and poly to remove any traces. In future think about setting up a quarantine and treat your fish in this hospital tank then there is never any question of medication being reef safe...... hope this helps and I am very happy that your fish are doing better.

 

[tuck]

i just want to say thank you for all your interest and help with this..
i will put a poly filter in this weekend.. dont plan on stocking the tank anymore for a good few weeks now..i will have to be pateint and watch what happens for a while..
rung that fish shop today and he said once you keep the correct dosaage right paraguard is good stuff and they have used it loads of times with no probs...also he recommends a uv light steraliser... is this wise i hear all sorts of pros and cons on them..

 

[Lorna]

UV sterilizers are good in a fish only tank as they will eliminate some pathogens. The problem is the length of time that the water is exposed to the uv lights isn't always sufficient. Also, uv sterilizers can kill pods and other small micro fauna that you want to provide an alternate food source for some fish such as mandarins etc. who rely solely on pods for sustenance

 

[tuck]

well not sure if i have chose the right path but ive have purchased and installed a tmc 35 watt uv sterilizer.. i have this turned on 24/7 is this correct or should i limit it to come on with the main lights...
i know im prob being a pain now, but i need to educate myself alot and wheres a better place than here ...

fish all looking really happy and healty wit no signs of any probs... so a big thank you again for your help and advice again...

 

[mattmctyre]

dude maybe you should quit on fish completly

 

[Newman]

^
that has to have been a joke.

 

[Lorna]

I am not a good resource regarding uv sterilizers as I have never owned one, but I know of people who use them for so many hours a day as opposed to 24/7. I would check other forums....

 

[tuck]

yea i was thinking of limiting the number of hours on... i think ill leave it run for the first week though 24/7 just in case there is any parasites still remaining in the tank..

but everything is looking great once again thank god..

thanks again

 

[Lorna]

glad to hear things are settling down......good luck!