Hi, i am pretty new to keeping marine fish, and for the last four months my tank was going really well and wondered what was all the fuss was in keeping them, two weeks ago my kole tang died, and then problems really stared, i belive i have had white spot/ich, as my other fish are scratching on the rock, my clown fish died yesterday, and now my other clown is coverd in a white fluff,( however still eating) i purchased a uv filter and doing regular water changes, and i am bringing my salt down slowley, i do not have facilities or the money for a QT tank, all my parameters are fine, and i am also noticing small blocks of black/brown alge that looks like mudd, my question is what is happerning in my tank,(can you please explane what it is,wat caused this and does), are my fish going to die, and how do i treat, as i have been toldso many different tecniques from every one,including on here, my LFS, and friends, i am confused and really need some one who knows wat they doing, or been through this before, please help,i really think my tank is crashing, i will have to give up, as the wife will not let me throw any more mony away, as its all i seem to be doing at the minute, thanks. ps today my small leather frag isnt looking good he still seems in night time mode even though the lights are on ? :frustrat:
expert advice needed or doomed
- Thread starter mdottyp
- Start date
daugherty
part time reefer
you tank is very young and the brown spots are more than likely diatom alage or cyano bacteria. very normal for a new tank. i would sugjest to buy a 20gal tang for a qt tank (no rock and in the qt tank any thing you put in this tank with copper will be no good for anything but this tank). that way you can treat every new fish you get for ich with copper for at least 3 weeks per fish. if you add another fish to that tank before the three weeks you will have to wait another 3 weeks. leave the tank fallow for 4-5weeks and the ich will die off in the tank and will never come back unless it is introduced again with a fish that is carrying it. a uv will help but will not kill it completely from the tank. it will only kill them if they happen to go through the uv light many will but many wont. but it will help to lessen the outbreaks of it if you dont leave the tank fallow. if you choose not to treat with copper or hyposalinity than any fish you add has a good chance of getting ich and dying. uv's also help with alage blooms since it kills anything that goes through it.
hope this helps
hope this helps
Melosu58
Reef enthusiast
Bifferwine
I am a girl
White and fluffy sounds like some sort of fungal infection. A quarantine tank doesn't need to be expensive -- all you need is a tank, a small heater and a small powerhead. No rock, no sand, no filter.
Can you take a picture of what is bothering the rest of your fish?
Can you take a picture of what is bothering the rest of your fish?
dcantucson
Reef pro
Good luck. Don't give up, there will be better days ahead.
SeaBee
Ha Ha Thats Funny!
I had a bad case of ich, lottle white spots on the fish, looked like sand. I bought a uv, treated with some reef safe garbage, and still lost 2 clowns, a lemon butterfly, coral beauty, and some other fish I forget what he was. I had 4 green chromis make it. I figured the cromies made it because they dont sleep on the sand. I have to wait 4 weeks to buy any new fish. My lfs told me not to set up a hospital tank, but I'm starting to wonder about their marine quality and knowledge. Good luck, you will find lots of help in here though.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
SeaBee, if your chromis are still in the tank, they have ich. They just aren't showing symptoms. So even if you wait 4 weeks to buy new fish, the new fish will still get ich as long as you have untreated chromis in the tank. You should set up a hospital tank, treat the chromis for 8 weeks, and leave the display tank empty of fish for the 8 week period. After that, you can add the chromis back, and quarantine and treat any new fish in the hospital tank before adding to the display tank.
