Pic's something on my clowns not eating

[CA2OR]

Here are new pic's. Again sorry they are blurry, clowns dont stay still when asked.

Seems the clown on the bottom clown has it the worst.

[siskiou]

I would like to ask if there is another way to get the benefits of UV sterilization without the cost of a sterilizer. Maybe I could trade some corals for the temp use of one. What does the Diatom filter do?

 

I don't know of another way to get the benefit without the sterilizer. Sometimes there are good deals available in the classifieds, ebay, or on craiglist.

 

A diatom filter filters out really small particles (incuding the free swimming ich) using diatomaceous earth.

It's used to polish the water, normally.

[CA2OR]

ah. I was wondering if I used water that went through a UV Sterilization process if that would provide same results as a sterilizer. I am taking this as a no. Would that be correct? Thank you for clarification on the Diatom.

[siskiou]

ah. I was wondering if I used water that went through a UV Sterilization process if that would provide same results as a sterilizer. I am taking this as a no. Would that be correct? Thank you for clarification on the Diatom.

 

No, I don't think that would do much good, unless you did huge waterchanges every day.

Doing large water changes every day can also be helpful during the freefloating stage of ich, but the best way would be QT and lowering the salinity (imo).

[CA2OR]

I just did a 15g tank change yesterday and was thinking of doing another one the same size in a couple days. Did I already mention that this is super frusterating?

[steelhead77]

Hi,

I just went thru this this week with one of my percs. Sunday night she had a few white spots and then Monday morning, she looked horrible, in fact she looked just like yours. She was barely swimming and had this white muck all over her, trailing off her fins, rapid breathing, the works. I immediately netted her and fortunately had a qt set up and, other than two Blue Damsels inhabiting it, it was ready to go. I got the Damsels out and dropped her in. I thought she was a goner for sure. I quickly heated some fresh RO water in the microwave and gave her a 5 minute FW bath. She seemed to do fine in there and it even seemed to perc (no pun intended) her up a bit. I lowered the SG in the qt to 1.018 and put her back in. I headed to the LFS with the Damsels and purchased some Formalyn on LFS recommendation. I had to go to work for several hours and when I got home she was still looking very bad. I did not think she had a chance. But I gave her another 5 min FW dip, and slowly lowered the SG to 1.014 and then added the Formalyn. In the morning she looked 90% better! That night she ate like a pig and was darting around the tank after the food. Wednesday night I did another round of Formalyn and man, tonight she seems good as new! I had just about given up on her Monday, but now I think she is out of the woods. I now have a Purple Tang that has ich and I need to deal with that before I put her back into the DT.

 

Sorry for the long post, but I just wanted to share that they can be made well, but it does take some effort on your part. A hospital tank is what you need, and quickly, to get treatment started.

 

Good luck,

-Scott

[CA2OR]

Thank you for the post. I lost the first of my 2 clowns this morning. The other one is at least staying in the anemone. I have almost no chance of setting up a QT tank due to lack of equipment, and available money. I am sure I will lose this one in the next day or 2 then I will more than likely part out my tank and be done. I am extremely frusterated over this whole senario and regret ever getting the mimic tang and psuedochromie from that LFS. Those clowns I have had for almost 2 years they have gone through PH changes from 5.6 through 8.9, salinity changes from 1.10 to 1.34, temp flucuations of more than 20 degrees, 4 moves, 3 tank changes, chlorine spikes, amonia spikes, nitrate spikes, and I thought they were indestructable. But I found their weakness. I find myself soley blaming the LFS due to the fact that the parasite killing my tank originated from thier fish within a day or so of joining my tank. I have lost 5 fish total and I can see the strain on the remaining survivors. I am aware that I should have had a UV sterilizer but had never had a need for it, to be honest I am still not sure I want to buy one but don't have much of a choice anymore. I am also aware that I should have had a QT tank, but again I never had a need for one and to be quite honest I am under the belief that when I put sick fish into a QT tank I apply additional stress to an already weak and stressed animal which in my experience (which is not extensive by any means) leads to death. Again in my experience I am 7 for 7 on fish that went into QT and died there. I can only hope that the LFS that I made these recent purchases from will read this and find some sort of responsibility or obligation to try and rectify a very bad situation.

 

I feel I have to say that all of this is in my opinion. I am sure most of you will disagree with my philosiphy on why I blame the LFS, but I guess you would have had to been around to see what all has transpired or not transpired in my tank throughout it's life and how the sudden addition of 2 fish completely changed everything.