Aclimizing Newly Acquired Marine Fishes

[alphasierra]

Re: Clown all rapped up

Hello fishcommunity
I'm in Hong Kong and have exactly the same problems as you regarding clown fish. I too have asked the many LFS's here but all say "wild caught..... tank breed too expensive". It's so frustrating!!

leebca - some questions if I may...

After reading you very detailed articles here http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/fish-diseases-treatments/ I purchased the following to help chances of keeping fish and in particular, clown fish.

Methylene Blue (states on the bottle that it aids detoxification of fishes suffering from nitrite or cyanide poisoning)
Cupramine (not yet used)
Parasite Clear (by Jungle)
Formalin (not yet used)

I have QT for the use of these but could you please advise the best approach for myself to follow in order to successfully acclimatize these fish before I move them into the display tank?
Would a larger clown fish improve the chances of survival?

Thanks
Here's my tank http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/red-sea-max-owners-club/38832-rsm-adventure.html

 

[leebca]

I moved your post from the thread: http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/fish-diseases-treatments/40969-clown-all-rapped-up.html. Your post began a different subject.

I've gone to great effort to provide a very detailed process to handle newly acquired marine fishes. That is posted here: http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums.../23584-fish-quarantine-process-step-step.html.

A wild caught fish needs time to adjust to captive life. Every fish takes its own time. Some groups of fishes seem to make the adjustment very well, others not so well. But even a fish within the 'very well' group can be the exception and not acclimate to captive life. Likewise a fish from the group that rarely acclimatizes may be found to easily acclimatize to captive life. It's always a gamble.

But the hobbyist can reduce the gamble by doing all the things to help the fish make the adjustment from wild to captive life. Those things are included in the above link.

Our aquariums are not a piece of the ocean. We may fantasize they are, but our home aquariums are a whole lot different from the ocean. That doesn't mean we can't control the important things that affect marine fishes, but it does mean we have to understand where and how our systems differ from the fish's natural environment.

I'm glad to see you've gotten hold of some of the medications we are familiar with here in the USA. Is it difficult to obtain those medications?

Some fishes do acclimate better when they are younger. It seems like younger fishes have a tendency to be 'devil-may-care' attitude to new environments. These may be the fishes that die early on in the wild! As fishes grow older they may tend to be more suspicious of their surroundings. Also, older fishes may have gotten into the habit of eating only a specific diet in their habitat, making it harder to train them to eat prepared foods. Also, since knowing fish-age just isn't realistic, it is often best to choose a young fish to make sure it will have a long, good captive life.

But as I stated very early in this post, there is always the exception fish, and sometimes whole groups of fishes that do better in captive life when they are older. As far as Anemonefishes are concerned, I believe it can be a slight advantage to obtain a young wild-caught fish if tank bred fishes aren't available.

It looks like your aquarium is coming along nicely. Be sure to avoid the temptation to overstock it.

 

[alphasierra]

leebca - Thank you for your reply and moving it to a new thread.

I've gone to great effort to provide a very detailed process to handle newly acquired marine fishes

I can assure you leebca, that I'm not one who asks random questions without doing any research. It was actually information from your threads on this forum and others which you have posted that helped me gain a greater understanding of the QT process and the importance of it.

I'm glad to see you've gotten hold of some of the medications we are familiar with here in the USA. Is it difficult to obtain those medications?

I actually bought them over the internet after reading your thread http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums...17-stocking-marine-fish-medicine-cabinet.html and picked them up in the USA.

Now, unfortunately I have had a couple of clown fish pass away in the first couple of days. I am looking to stop this. I'll basically concentrate on discussing clown fish for now. My question was referring to the sequence of events that I should follow arriving home with a new fish.

Firstly, I don't cycle the QT (just monitor water parameters and change the water when required). Temp is 23-25degrees, approx 6 Gallons in size, S.G 1.012.

All the clown fish here in HKG are caught from the wild and I suspect that cyanide is used. Within one or two days they all show the signs of brooklynellosis/ciliated protozoa. Before I place the fish into the QT, I dip it in a (formalin mixture/air-stone) and then dip it again (QT water) to rinse before placing it into the QT.

Question: Once the fish is in the QT, can I then place half a tablet of "Parasite Clear (by Jungle)" into the QT. I never try to feed the fish within the first 24hrs but unfortunately they don't last much longer.

Since I have a number of fish that are well (at this stage :fingerx in my display tank I am very careful. Here is a very early pic of the QT before it was setup. The filter and air pump are still used but the rest has changed.

Question: Can I also dip the fish in "Methylene Blue"? When is the best time to do this?

Thanks

 

[leebca]

I would recommend you not change the sequence of events to the process posted. I would also recommend you not add anything to that process (e.g., doing a formalin dip). This process says when to use the FW methylene blue dip. Only needed to be performed once.

After the fish is in the quarantine tank, begin to try and feed immediately.

If you stick with what has been written and follow that, then if you are handling Anemonefishes, the next step, after the fish is in the quarantine tank a few days, is to perform a series of formalin baths. This is what addresses Brook. The fish should be eating and otherwise healthy.

If you are putting fish through quarantine that are smaller than about 1 inch, the 6 gallon is fine. If the fish you are putting through quarantine are larger, you need a larger quarantine tank.

Go slowly. One fish at a time, unless they are a known mated pair.

Nothing can be done as far as is known about cyanide poisoning. Some fish live a few days after capture, some live as long as 8 months after capture. Yet these fish can die from cyanide poisoning. It depends on the size of the dose they got.

Continue to feed the fish no less than 3 times each day and then, de-worm the fish using the medications you bought for that.

I hope the above answers your questions. If not, or if you have more, just ask.

 

[alphasierra]

Thank you leebca for your response.

I'm going to give this another go and ask you any further questions along the way. The other day I saw some clown fish in one of the large display tanks which looked healthier and more active to what I usually see. If it is still there, I will hopefully buy one tomorrow and try to successfully acclimatize it.

If the purchase is successful, I'll quarantine the fish and try to feed it straight away. If possible I'll include photos of the process. What would you recommend is the best food to start with? I only ask because in the past they never showed any interest in what I provided and maybe contributed to the problems.

Here's some of the food I've tried.

On a happy note... Over the past three weeks I've quarantined a "lemon peel angel fish", unfortunately in the small QT tank. It started eating straight away and has showed no problems (at this stage). I introduced it in to the tank this evening. Here's a photo of it getting used to it's new friends before actually being released. I'll be watching the corals closely.

 

[leebca]

The fish in the box with the holes in it is not a quarantine tank. The fish is separated from the other fish, but in the same water.

Foods are covered in this link: http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums...eeding-marine-fish-marine-fish-nutrition.html

Anemonefishes are omnivores and should be fed as recommended in the above link, for omnivore marine fishes. None of the foods pictured should be used as a steady diet for these fishes. I'll leave it to you to read the post, compare the products to what is recommended, and find the shortcomings. (HINT: read the product ingredient list closely).

The tank I see may be overstocked now. I would not add anymore fish to it. If the Tang is fed properly, it will need a new home (longer tank) in about a year.

The tank I see already has a Damsel fish in it. Anemonefishes are Damsel fishes and Damsels usually don't get along with other Damsels outside of Genus.

 

[alphasierra]

Thank you for the info Lee. I believe I will have to remove at least one of the damsels (most probably the black-tailed Humbug) as it is the most aggressive, ie: the boss of the tank.

Just to clear up any mis-understanding... I was not referring to "the box with holes in it" as the quarantine tank that I had used, rather the one which was pictured above in post#3. I used that smaller box with holes in it as a way for the new fish to see that there are other fish in the tank before actually being released.

May I ask you some questions about my current food regime. Below is what I currently feed the fish in the display tank. Can you advise if there should be any changes/additions to this?

Blue hippo Tang & Yellow Lemon Peel: Herbivore
Successful
Green marine algae daily (x3 week it is soaked in Zoe)
Unsuccessful
Tried feeding krill, spirulina brine shrimp and Formula two all soaked in Zoe but they show no interest. The Tang does not react fast enough for floating food and rather enjoys eating from the veggie clip. Any suggestions?

Damsels (black-tailed Humbug & yellow tail) :Omnivore
Successful
Eats everything given (Formula two, spirulina brine shrimp, marine algae, marine grain, cyclop-eeze)
Unsuccessful
nothing really

All fish may eat some cyclop-eeze around twice a week when feeding the corals.

I will get Zoecon to soak together with Zoe. Anything else?

Thanks

 

[leebca]

This Tang is a 'skiddish' kind of fish. Usually very suspicious of things in its environment and tends to be secretive and easily startled. There are exceptions.

The Damselfish is pushy. So having the Damsel in with a shy Tang doesn't make a good community tank.

The Tang can and will thrive on macro algae, but does need some animal protein. Since it is a young Tang, they usually eat about 30% or so of pods and the like.

Try feeding those foods without soaking in any other product.

Try saltwater mysis if they are available to you.

Try and keep the Damsel away from the feeding area when you are trying to feed the Tang. In fact, you may want to use that introduction box to keep the Damsel in until such time you want to move it out. After removing the Damsel from the area, try feeding all the above again.

 

[alphasierra]

Great info Lee... thanks.

I agree with what you said about the tang being shy and easily startled. I've learnt to approach the tank slowly when she is out to avoid scaring her.

I'll look into finding some pods over here to feed and will not soak them.

Should I buy frozen or died saltwater mysis and also soak them?

The black-tailed Humbug Damsel will have to go. Just got to decide what to do with it? Managed to buy the healthy clown fish yesterday. It is doing well at this stage, eating and moving freely. No signs of the usual 'panting' which I've seen in the past. QT parameters are:
Temp 25 degrees (77)
S.G 1.018
NH3 0.25 (attempting to keep it below this)
NO2 0

Should I still dip it in the next couple of days?

 

[leebca]

Proceed to treat for Brook as soon as you've gotten the fish eating for a couple of days.

Frozen is better. Have you read this? http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums.../23069-different-forms-marine-fish-foods.html

You may want to review the list of stickies in this Forum.

 

[alphasierra]

After two full days in the QT and eating 3 times a day I did a Formalin Dip this afternoon for the clown fish. (1 tsp of 37% formalin in one gallon of water with an air-stone) It was in there for 45 hour and showed no major problems.

It is now back in the QT and appears to be 'panting' and is not really moving. Now I'm worried... I will try to feed it in a few hours time.

Should I do another dip in 3-4days time?
In the mean time, do you think it is wise to place a 1/4 tablet of Parasite Clear (by Jungle). Would it be of any benefit?

 

[leebca]

I would not try to perform any other treatment to the water. About the only other treatment I would do, if the fish is eating, is to treat its food for killing intestinal worms and parasites.

The reaction the fish has had is not encouraging. Are you sure you followed directions carefully, controlling the temperature, etc. of the bath?

If you don't continue with the sequence of dips, then the treatment will not work. Once or twice is not enough.

Review your procedure to make sure you have done it properly and that the amount of Formalin you added is correct. Also verify the Formalin is not old. When Formalin ages, it breaks down into a poison to marine fishes. If everything is okay, or you have found that a minor mistake was made, continue with the proper dip procedure and sequence.

 

[alphasierra]

Everything seems to be alright now. Just been fed and appears to be happy.

I gave it some thought and realized that I didn't pay too much attention to the temperatures. There may have been a couple of degrees difference between the bath and the QT. Basically.... the bath was too cold. LESSON LEARNT!!

Also verify the Formalin is not old.

All I can see is LQT2018

I will continue with another dip on Tuesday evening.

 

[alphasierra]

Just an update,

Conducted another Formalin Dip today. Did exactly the same as previously posted except dipped for only 30mins. I made sure that the temperatures were much closer this time. No signs of stress were shown through out the process until placed back in the QT.

Panting/rapid breathing was observed for about 30mins then all returned to normal. Actively moving around and feeding well.

Lee, should I dip again in a couple of days time or just keep it in the QT and continue feeding x3 a day? Tks

 

[yungreefer2410]

is the sg supposed to be so low?

 

[leebca]

If the fish was diseased for sure, then perform no less than 4 (preferably 5) such dips. If this is a preventative dipping, three times is enough.

 

[alphasierra]

yungreefer2410 -

is the sg supposed to be so low?

I believe so. It helps fight off any parasites.

leebca - It is a preventative dip process. I will dip one more time tomorrow. I'm just ensuring that I'm doing it correctly. Thank you for your assistance!

 

[alphasierra]

Just an update...

I dipped again (Last Saturday 17th) and everything went well. Used the same procedure as before. Since the fish is eating and moving well, I will move it into the display tank this afternoon.

 

[leebca]

No. You treated the fish, but are they cured? You don't know that.

Hold the fish in quarantine for no less than 4 more weeks to verify they are cured. Then move them back.