VERY DISCOURAGED SALTWATER!!

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humahuma

Small Fish
#1
Oct 22, 2002
23
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#1
Man!!! I have spent a lot of money and time in the saltwater hobby. It is my favorite thing to do when I get home from work.  I really enjoy it.  But i am starting to get very discouraged.  I have had major ick problems, filter problems, and lots of fish deaths.  I have learned a lot in the process but still knowing all that I do now it still happends.  I have my tank fully cycle.  my water tests show good water quality and still I loose fish it is getting very expensive!!!!!!  I have 2 55 gallon tanks and a 30 gallon all SW tanks  I just started to cycle my 30 gallon tank with some damsels.  I put two yellow taild damsels and a domino damsel in there. the next day the domino was dead.  the next day I bought another one the same night it died. The yellow tailed damsels are o.k.  what is it with these domino damsels.  the only thing I can think of is I started treating my tank with greenex because it is supposed to be invert safe. I think that it might have some effect of domino's and a few other fish.  I don't know anymore! my septic tank outside is probally filled with dead fish:(     please give me some advice.

55gallon                                55 gallon
eheim wet/dry 2227            fluval 404
fluval 404                             emporer 400 bio wheel
power head                         power head/power filter
power filter                           maroon clown
prizm protein skimmer          just finished cycleing
yellow tang
clarki clown                          30 gallon
curlycue anenome           undergravel filter
crab,snail                         peguin bio wheel
                                       2 power heads/power filter
 

Volitan

Volitan

Medium Fish
#2
Oct 22, 2002
67
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46
www.fishbowlauctions.com
#2
Yeah.. it can be tough.. I was battling Ich for awhile also.. and I lost my Domino Damsel aswell... they dont do well with ich treatments I guess.. I was using KENT Rx-P which seemed to work well.. Only fish I lost was the domino.. I have yellow tails four stripes and False perc. Clowns.. they all doing well.. also hermit crabs made it through the treatment also.. so I dont know why the Domino bit the dust..
 

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ryanp15

Superstar Fish
#3
Oct 22, 2002
1,130
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Kentucky
#3
Well I am VERY new to the hobby so I am just suggesting some things I have heard about or read I am by far NO expert or has any experience with sw fishes. I know one thing that helps cycle is live sand and live rock. Do you have live rock in your system becuase that is what I'm cycling with and it's doing a good job. Try making a quarantine tank for your sick fish and that may help reduce the number of fish getting infected and it lets you safely monitor and treat them and will greatly decrease the spread of disease. I hope I could offer you a few things to think about. I have a good book on this stuff I will find the title and author let you know if you would like. ;D
 

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humahuma

Small Fish
#4
Oct 22, 2002
23
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#4
actually the 30 gallon tank that I am starting to cycle is going to be my QT tank.  I will get some live rock as soon as I can afford to, I don't want to put to much money in my QT.  I need to get some power compacts for one of my 55 gallon because I am going to turn it into a reef.  that tank is already cycled if I get live rock in it will I have to cycle it all over again or what? or can I just add it in to my system as long as it is cured rock?
thanks for responding you have no idea how much I appreciate everyones help and suggestions.  I don't know what I would do with out message boards like these.  
humahuma
 

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slider160

New Fish
#5
Oct 22, 2002
5
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#5
yea dude ick sucks, I went through a problem with it myself until I experimented alittle. Check it, first let your tank sit with no fish in it for about a month and a half. This will kill the ick. Ick wont live without a fish as a host. Second, I tried cycling my tank the first two times with Damsels and failed. I feel the damsels went through too much stress at the beginning stages of cycling and brought ick back into the enviorment. Trust me drop this. Cycle your tank with a couple of inverts like with two cleaner shrimp in your 55 gallon. Ick can't live on inverts. Two Cleaner shrimp will run you about $20.00. Then when you add your first fish after the 1 1/2 months, the tank will be cycled and free of ick. Just make sure you buy health fish. Really take a good look at them don't impulse buy....Hope this helps ya.
 

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dattack

Large Fish
#7
Oct 22, 2002
982
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#7
Only way to eradicate ich completely from your tank is to have no fish to serve as a host for 4-6 weeks.

Even then, you will probably get some ich parasites from the fish store or corals unless you quarantine for 4-6 weeks too.



http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-02/atj/feature/index.htm
 

W

wayne

Elite Fish
#9
Oct 22, 2002
4,077
3
0
#9
What are your water test numbers like?  If you're putting damsels in and they're dying in less than 24 hrs it isn't ick.  What is your nitrate level like?  If you have a truly cycled 30 then I would have thought it could handle the extra bioload of a domino damsel, without stressing the fish so much it dies of ammonia poison.  How are your water changes?  I notice no skimmer on the 30 - just a UG and a penguin.  This isn't good.

You sure the blue damsels aren't killing other fishes?

 You could always take all fish out of the QT tank, turn up the temperature to 28 or so, and get ich thro it's life cycle (and out as it dies out) in a much shorter time.
 But there's a lot to investigate here.
 

Vyache

Vyache

Large Fish
#10
Oct 22, 2002
378
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47
Redding, Northern California
www.vulturesroost.com
#10
[quote author=schnauzerpck link=board=saltwater&num=1033003489&start=0#7 date=09/27/02 at 04:08:09]
can we give the fish a fresh water bath? my dealer say it's help. he told me that the ich cannot stand the fresh water . maybe you can give it a try [/quote]

Heh heh, kind of ironic. In the fresh water world one recomended way of getting rid of ich is adding salt to the tank. Are freshwater and salt water ich the same thing or are they different organizims?
 

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BrianH

Medium Fish
#11
Oct 22, 2002
82
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Oakland, NJ
#11
Please clarify if you have cycled the 30gal tank. It sounds like you are in the process of cycling the tank with damsels. If this is so, it's the ammonia spikes that are killing your fish. Take the damsels out and put 1 to 2 raw shrimp from your grocery store in the tank. The decaying shrimp will create the necessary amount of ammonia needed for a complete cycle. When your ammonia and Nitrites are are 0 you can begin adding fish. Also, a DSB(deep sand bed) will aid in your bacteria production.
Brian
 

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humahuma

Small Fish
#12
Oct 22, 2002
23
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#12
actually the ammonia is not even up yet it was the second day of setting up the tank when I put them in.  as far as ich this is not the tank that has had it.  (yet) :-[  I appreciate all of the respones this this though.  I always am eager to hear other people suggestions and opinions.  
 

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