Sick blue tang, please help
- Thread starter Ruski18
- Start date
It's not that you can not use NSW (natural sea water). If quality water is available, it can be an excellent choice. However you do need to make sure you don't collect any unwanted diseases, especially parasites.
There are several ways to do this. Here are a few.
Filter the water using a UV unit. Make sure the unit is large enough to kill anything that passes through it.
Filter the water using an ozone reactor and carbon. This is similar to using UV, but costs more to set up.
Store the water in the dark for about 6 weeks. This method is easy but takes time.
There are several ways to do this. Here are a few.
Filter the water using a UV unit. Make sure the unit is large enough to kill anything that passes through it.
Filter the water using an ozone reactor and carbon. This is similar to using UV, but costs more to set up.
Store the water in the dark for about 6 weeks. This method is easy but takes time.
You really need to read all the links previously posted. You should NOT "pull" the fish to do a water change, that is incredibly stressful and could easily be a contributing factor in the problems you're having.
I have not suggested that you move the fish out of your current display. If that is what you want to do, then a bucket would not be a good idea. If the fish is diseased or sick, you'll want to monitor it and a bucket doesn't let you view the fish from the side, which will give you the most information.
You are now experiencing various guidance and information from different people. You need to decide who's recommendations and advice you want to follow. I suggest you read my biography and ask others their credentials for providing you will guidance. My biography is in the sticky post: Lee's Bio (a.k.a. leebca). Think it over and consider just following one person's suggestions.
Now that you've made this water change and indicated you are using NSW (natural sea water), I might be concerned about where the water is being collected. Are you sure you are collecting the water away from human and natural pollution sources? Normally, the safest NSW is away from land (many miles) where pollutants don't likely affect the water.
Has the fish made any change in behavior or appearance since the water change? Is the fish looking at or interested in food at all? How much time has passed now (hours) since you made the water change? I usually prefer to not evaluate a large water change on a fish until after 24 hours. Tell me more about exactly where you are getting the NSW from and whether or not it might be polluted.
A fish on its side, is not enough to go on to suggest a bladder or buoyancy problem. Tangs in particular like to lay on their side or take any 'comfortable' position it may feel safer being in. When you say the fish is on its side, is it in the rocks or in the open part of the tank? Does it try to swim at all and if so, does it appear normal at that time?
Let me know if you wish to follow other poster's recommendations, so that I can stop putting my time into this thread. I'm waiting for a plane and in two hours won't be online for about a 5-hour gap. Thanks.
You are now experiencing various guidance and information from different people. You need to decide who's recommendations and advice you want to follow. I suggest you read my biography and ask others their credentials for providing you will guidance. My biography is in the sticky post: Lee's Bio (a.k.a. leebca). Think it over and consider just following one person's suggestions.
Now that you've made this water change and indicated you are using NSW (natural sea water), I might be concerned about where the water is being collected. Are you sure you are collecting the water away from human and natural pollution sources? Normally, the safest NSW is away from land (many miles) where pollutants don't likely affect the water.
Has the fish made any change in behavior or appearance since the water change? Is the fish looking at or interested in food at all? How much time has passed now (hours) since you made the water change? I usually prefer to not evaluate a large water change on a fish until after 24 hours. Tell me more about exactly where you are getting the NSW from and whether or not it might be polluted.
A fish on its side, is not enough to go on to suggest a bladder or buoyancy problem. Tangs in particular like to lay on their side or take any 'comfortable' position it may feel safer being in. When you say the fish is on its side, is it in the rocks or in the open part of the tank? Does it try to swim at all and if so, does it appear normal at that time?
Let me know if you wish to follow other poster's recommendations, so that I can stop putting my time into this thread. I'm waiting for a plane and in two hours won't be online for about a 5-hour gap. Thanks.
Clownfishfan
Member
Copper is good at parasites , but it sounds a little far gone but then again maybe not. Is their a way to buy a new qt tank? 10-30 gal is good . And listen to Lee !
Ok thanks lee, it's been 24 hrs since the water change. Im in a city of less than 30,000 on the west coast of australia, where I get my NSW is from a beach that I've never seen any boats in (not to say boats have never been their). Last night after the water change she was sitting sideways and swimming backwards along the bottom and glass of the tank. This morning she is sitting upright on the sand near a rock, I will know more when the lights come on. Will keep u posted
Thanks Ruski.
Here is my thinking so far. . .If the fish was mis treated, the fish should have passed by now. Although malnutrition can be a contributing factor -- that is the fish's ability to withstand adverse conditions -- the primary problem seems to be poisoning. At least I would put poisoning ahead of a pathogen problem, injury, or disease.
Coastal collection of NSW has a very high risk factor. Beside human pollution, there is run off from the land, which has fertilizers and more human pollution. I understand that you don't see or know of boats in the area, but that is only a small part of where pollutants can come from. For instance, boating many miles of up/down the coast can affect the water you get, depending upon currents; pipes that carry rain water many miles away can affect the water quality where you might draw it from; industry many miles away can affect water quality in a very large coastal area; etc.
Our marine fishes are very sensitive to human pollution and it takes very little to drive them away or kill them. Let me ask another couple of questions -- where you draw the NSW from, are their ornamental marine fishes in that water? Can you see reef fishes swimming around in the water you are using? If reef fishes are in the water you are using then there is a good chance it doesn't contain pollutants. However, just because they aren't there (that is, it could be an area where reef fishes don't live, anyway) doesn't mean it is polluted. Is there any 'delicate' marine life forms in the water you are collecting? Do you know of any water quality tests performed on that water? Have you ever looked for any such tests?
The area I live, in Southern CA, we are offered the use of NSW too. That water is collected from the ocean surface more than 25 miles off shore and it has been tested thoroughly for contaminants. At the outset, the water was polluted! But it turned out that the pollution was from the boat that was doing the collecting! Collecting it by boat has to be handled carefully so the boat pollutants don't affect the water.
In other cases, like in South Africa, the water is collected by pipes with openings far off the coast. That is sometimes done by marine (public and private) aquariums, that are built near the ocean. Batches of that water is tested to verify they are pollutant-free.
So, you can see that collecting coastal water isn't really very safe. There is still the fact that we don't know (maybe?) how this particular fish was collected. Some are collected with cyanide which gives them an exposure to poison which has the same effects as if the water they are in has poison.
I just want you to be aware that if poisoning is the problem with your Tang, then there will likely be little to no recovery. We can hope that the fish will deal with the problem and come out of it.
Do keep us posted. :fingerx:
Here is my thinking so far. . .If the fish was mis treated, the fish should have passed by now. Although malnutrition can be a contributing factor -- that is the fish's ability to withstand adverse conditions -- the primary problem seems to be poisoning. At least I would put poisoning ahead of a pathogen problem, injury, or disease.
Coastal collection of NSW has a very high risk factor. Beside human pollution, there is run off from the land, which has fertilizers and more human pollution. I understand that you don't see or know of boats in the area, but that is only a small part of where pollutants can come from. For instance, boating many miles of up/down the coast can affect the water you get, depending upon currents; pipes that carry rain water many miles away can affect the water quality where you might draw it from; industry many miles away can affect water quality in a very large coastal area; etc.
Our marine fishes are very sensitive to human pollution and it takes very little to drive them away or kill them. Let me ask another couple of questions -- where you draw the NSW from, are their ornamental marine fishes in that water? Can you see reef fishes swimming around in the water you are using? If reef fishes are in the water you are using then there is a good chance it doesn't contain pollutants. However, just because they aren't there (that is, it could be an area where reef fishes don't live, anyway) doesn't mean it is polluted. Is there any 'delicate' marine life forms in the water you are collecting? Do you know of any water quality tests performed on that water? Have you ever looked for any such tests?
The area I live, in Southern CA, we are offered the use of NSW too. That water is collected from the ocean surface more than 25 miles off shore and it has been tested thoroughly for contaminants. At the outset, the water was polluted! But it turned out that the pollution was from the boat that was doing the collecting! Collecting it by boat has to be handled carefully so the boat pollutants don't affect the water.
In other cases, like in South Africa, the water is collected by pipes with openings far off the coast. That is sometimes done by marine (public and private) aquariums, that are built near the ocean. Batches of that water is tested to verify they are pollutant-free.
So, you can see that collecting coastal water isn't really very safe. There is still the fact that we don't know (maybe?) how this particular fish was collected. Some are collected with cyanide which gives them an exposure to poison which has the same effects as if the water they are in has poison.
I just want you to be aware that if poisoning is the problem with your Tang, then there will likely be little to no recovery. We can hope that the fish will deal with the problem and come out of it.
Do keep us posted. :fingerx:
Clownfishfan
Member
Lee do you think a poly pad would help? They can remove a lot of stuff out of the aquarium , it may be too late for the tank but it could save the inverts and clowns? What inverts do you have ruski
Without a better understanding and actual identification and concentration of the pollutant, it's hard to say. Since he has activated carbon running, it should be removing many of the organic-based pollutants, which the pad does. However, the quantity of carbon, the frequency that it is changed, the quantity and type of the pollutant would all play into the effectiveness of this kind of treatment. Don't forget, these chemical filters are supposed to have the duty of dealing with the marine life pollutants and not the 'extra' that might be there.
The true 'peace of mind' comes from using known quality source water and making up salt water from marine salt, or using NSW with known quality.
The true 'peace of mind' comes from using known quality source water and making up salt water from marine salt, or using NSW with known quality.
Thankyou all so much. The NSW I get yes I have seen ornamental fish around, as I also scubadive. However I have never searched for water tests of any kind and would really know where to begin looking. I have had various bubble tip Annenomies in my tank, all of which after a time have just died (I was told I may have too much calcium in my water by my lfs) I have stopped buying Annenomies and my clowns never pair to them. I currently have a few feather dusters which kinda just appeared out of my live rock one day. And a long spinned sea urchin (of which has eaten a few of my fish and am trying to get rid of).
So today dOry is a dark blue and isnt pale or swimming on the bottom of the tank anymore. She hasn't tried to eat the new food I got for her but seemed happy to eat pellets. I'm extremely surprised she is still alive. She's still not quiet her crazy just keep swimming self but huge improvements than the last 3 days.
So today dOry is a dark blue and isnt pale or swimming on the bottom of the tank anymore. She hasn't tried to eat the new food I got for her but seemed happy to eat pellets. I'm extremely surprised she is still alive. She's still not quiet her crazy just keep swimming self but huge improvements than the last 3 days.
This is ceertainly better news then you've given in the past. I suggested the huge water change in the event there might be something wrong with the water. Since there has been some improvement, I would suggest that you make another huge water change.
It could be you just got a bad batch of NSW. It would seem that there might be something slightly off with the water, not supporting more of the delicate marine life forms in your aquarium, but perhaps with the dilution effect of the ocean, they can survive there.
You might do better by using the NSW where you collect it after you have treated it with activated carbon. That is, before using it, treat a large batch of it by circulating it through an activated carbon filter. Change out the carbon after circulating the water for at least overnight (if the turnover is one batch every half hour or more) before using it on the next batch.
If fish do go 'off' like your Tang did, I'd suggest you switch to salt and purified source water for future use.
It could be you just got a bad batch of NSW. It would seem that there might be something slightly off with the water, not supporting more of the delicate marine life forms in your aquarium, but perhaps with the dilution effect of the ocean, they can survive there.
You might do better by using the NSW where you collect it after you have treated it with activated carbon. That is, before using it, treat a large batch of it by circulating it through an activated carbon filter. Change out the carbon after circulating the water for at least overnight (if the turnover is one batch every half hour or more) before using it on the next batch.
If fish do go 'off' like your Tang did, I'd suggest you switch to salt and purified source water for future use.
Clownfishfan
Member
I know it's 2 weeks old but any news?