Tank Journal Archive

Lesley

Member
Apr 2, 2013
2,086
1,079
Take A Step Back And Decide ???
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It is a sad day for myself and hubby. Probably the worst few weeks we have had in this hobby.
It really makes you sit back and say "what next "

About 2 weejs ago our Kole Tang got something stuck in his mouth that he was unable to remove, causing him to stop eating get weaker and other fish then started picking on him.
He got a bit of ich and we found him dead a week later.

Then the shit hit the fan.
The ICH, (we had been completely ich free till this moment)
So even after moving on all agressors & avoiding ICH for 6 weeks we now have lost
Kole Tang
Flame Angel
Powder Grey
Lipstick


My mated dragonets are covered in ich and not eating, so don't like their chances,
Our laying clowns are also covered, male eating, female not.
Our existing Blue tang has been hiding for couple of days, can see him moving in cave but is not coming out to eat so not a good sign
2 x yellow tangs and 1 x purple have a few spots but are acting normal.

So between selling and ICH we are right back to were we started originally before the QT and order of 10 fish we added.
1 purple tang extra and that's it.

We are now treating with Polylob Medic twice a day, double dose to try and save remaining lives.


So from here,
Do we sell ?
Do we run fallow ?
Do we just shut down and think ???

Its not the money, its not the hassle, we love this hobby, its the loss of these beautiful creatures at our hand.
We honestly feel like the biggest failures ever !!!!!!! Been in tears for days, every morning I get up finding another dead fish..
Yet we tried so hard to do the right thing.
:( :( :(
 

Mr.Reeefer

my name is Brock
Jul 8, 2014
252
108
So sad and sorry to hear lesley, i don't know what to say to try and make you feel better, i'll cross my fingers and toes for you and your livestock.

as for what to do from here, the decision is yours but if you're open to opinions, i would just keep going as is, IMPO i don't believe in this fallow business or other apparent fool proof "no ich plans", so it would be a waste of time shutting down or going fallow, and this is only an opinion of mine as i know others completely disagree.

you have a beautiful tank which has ran into a rough patch due to unforeseen circumstances, too nice to shut down, still will be beautiful to look at if you run fallow, shut down and think? i would end up in a mental institution trying to crack the ich code.

good luck!!!
 

MichelleShocked

Moderate ;)
Jan 7, 2012
2,310
1,021
Gladstone
I totally understand, hun.
Due to renting, i had to move 6x in 3 yrs and lost 3 full set ups along the way. The sense of guilt was overwhelming because many of my cherished corals were gifted to me by generous members here - and kicked me into a drawn out depression (had other stuff going on but losing my escape hatch too made it worse) and i gave up. Got African cichlids - at least i won't kill those!
But kept my nano. I fed the clown fish and topped up the water and that was it - for 9 mths. I don't know how the thing survived but it did - plump and nippy as always.
But now my situation has changed and i can look to the future again - one that includes my beloved zoas and morphs.
It's devestating and quite traumatic to lose creatures you're so delighted with - they bring a lot of pleasure :)
Kahlil Gibran comes to mind:
When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy. When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.

I find comfort in that. And the courage to start again. I hope you do too. xo
 

ReeferRob

Solidarité
Oct 22, 2014
2,661
931
Bel Air
I also don't know what to say. I would personally try to save what you have and run with those for a while. The whole ich thing and running fallow is a myth, plain and simple. There is ich everywhere and on everything in a marine system. It's on live rock, corals, fish and inverts.

Ich is like colds in humans, brought on by stress. This issue sounds like the crap I was battling in my 130D for a few months that wiped out everything in the tank.
 

Lesley

Member
Apr 2, 2013
2,086
1,079
I totally understand, hun.
Due to renting, i had to move 6x in 3 yrs and lost 3 full set ups along the way. The sense of guilt was overwhelming because many of my cherished corals were gifted to me by generous members here - and kicked me into a drawn out depression (had other stuff going on but losing my escape hatch too made it worse) and i gave up. Got African cichlids - at least i won't kill those!
But kept my nano. I fed the clown fish and topped up the water and that was it - for 9 mths. I don't know how the thing survived but it did - plump and nippy as always.
But now my situation has changed and i can look to the future again - one that includes my beloved zoas and morphs.
It's devestating and quite traumatic to lose creatures you're so delighted with - they bring a lot of pleasure :)
Kahlil Gibran comes to mind:
When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy. When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.

I find comfort in that. And the courage to start again. I hope you do too. xo
Wow. Thank you for kind words. I honestly feel like a total & complete failure. It will take time. Thank you !!'
 

Lesley

Member
Apr 2, 2013
2,086
1,079
I also don't know what to say. I would personally try to save what you have and run with those for a while. The whole ich thing and running fallow is a myth, plain and simple. There is ich everywhere and on everything in a marine system. It's on live rock, corals, fish and inverts.

Ich is like colds in humans, brought on by stress. This issue sounds like the crap I was battling in my 130D for a few months that wiped out everything in the tank.
Am trying really hard to save what we have left. My dragons have stopped dancing & look so sad. It's heartbreaking.
 

MichelleShocked

Moderate ;)
Jan 7, 2012
2,310
1,021
Gladstone
Wow. Thank you for kind words. I honestly feel like a total & complete failure. It will take time. Thank you !!'
Like i said, i - and probably everyone here - have felt that way. It sucks and it hurts and it really makes you question yourself. But wonderful people on here encouraged me to keep at it and i am once more. So I'm doing what was done for me - encouragement and empathy :) It may take time but you will get past this. x
 

ReeferRob

Solidarité
Oct 22, 2014
2,661
931
Bel Air
In the 30+ years of doing this I've been where you are a few times. You step back, assess what's going on and form a plan of attack from there. When the 240 crashed in 1988 that was it for me except for my research work. I lost a mated pair of Marine Bettas and the Purple tang M and I brought back from the brink of death and it knocked me for a loop and I threw in the towel on the hobby side. I felt like I'd failed miserably and walked away from the hobby and fun side for the better part of 25 years. Then I started to get the itch to have a tank in my office and at home and we got back into it with a vengeance.
 

Ranibranch

Member
May 30, 2015
109
48
Deception Bay
This is very sad to read. :(

White spot is a pain once it has covered all the fish. I work with freshwater fish and it usually takes a few treatments (time being the main factor) before I see any significant improvement but it always goes away.

With marine, lowering the salinity to about 28ppt or, as a last resort, fresh water dips may help. The (edit: former!) has definitely worked for me (with copper treatments in a FO tank. >_<) However, you've probably exhausted all options already!

Please don't kill the tank! It's so beautiful and it's obvious you've put a lot of love into it! I wish you and your fish babies all the luck!
 
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Aspidites

Member
Dec 1, 2012
600
209
South lake
Sorry for the losses guys. It soooo sad to hear. I have tried a fallow system and was meticulous about copper treating my fish b4 introducing them to my system. Once I hit my target stocklist and all was ticking along nicely I added a bit of zoa and BANG, the dreaded ich. I am not really sure if it works but as with anything you can find evidence both ways.

Stick with it guys and good luck!
 

suta42

Member
Aug 13, 2011
211
120
sydney
Sometimes you get lucky Lesley, and the MI isn't a strong strain but unfortunately at other times it is and can take a big toll in casualties.

Maybe just take some time out, enjoy the corals and try again later???

Sorry for the losses

The hobby can be hard but if you really love it run fallow up to 12 weeks and qt all new additions.

Hth

Agree with this, but also understand why most don't do it either. :(
 

jart

Member
Apr 10, 2015
207
106
:cry so sorry to hear about all the heartbreak. It is always a sad, sad day when one loses one or more of these amazing creatures.

Anyone who has read your past posts would recognise how much you care for the well being of each of the creatures in your care. The current situation is definitely not a result of neglect or lack of care.
 

Lesley

Member
Apr 2, 2013
2,086
1,079
OMG Lesley, I am so sorry for your Loss.
I wouldn't give up , may try a differnt angle.
I would let the tank settle down and consider other fish (Not tangs)
For my own intreset , do you run a UV filter?
If we stay in this hobby a UV will be our next purchase. Heard so many mixed reports but prob worth a try Thanks.
 

slin1977

Member
Jul 13, 2011
3,476
1,661
Sydney
OMG Lesley, I am so sorry for your Loss.
I wouldn't give up , may try a differnt angle.
I would let the tank settle down and consider other fish (Not tangs)
For my own intreset , do you run a UV filter?
@Lesley
As others have said too, I am also sad to hear this news.

However this same sad ICH incident six years ago was the turning point in my marine career.

Pick up , dust yourselves off and keep reefing.
With your current husbandry techniques I prob would have been running a UV filter.
 

Buddy

Member
Mar 13, 2012
3,142
1,526
Sorry for the losses :(
I don't agree with some of the Ich comments in this thread. With a bit of dedication and effort it is possible to have a completely Ich free tank (There have been several scientific studies to prove this). It is also possible to manage a tank with Ich but sometimes stress wins unfortunately.
I hope you don't sell up, it would be such a shame!
 
So sorry to hear this guys... I have been here twice and lost all on both occasions, Lipstick, flame, powder blue, Dragonet, Clowns..... I would hope you just go fish free for two or three months as i did about a year ago. It cleared up my ICH issue and i started stocking again. Hope you guys find a way that suits you. Totally understand how you feel. Good luck guys!
 

Sam Parker

Moderator
May 6, 2013
4,802
2,397
Geelong
This has been devastating so many tanks in S.A. the last few weeks, has really made me question how prepared or "safe" I am. Lesley, do not feel like a failure - I know how much time and care you put into this tank and I don't think you could have done much more.

As for what to do next, my advice is simple. Don't shut the tank down, run fish less for a few months. This will let your corals thrive at the low nutrients and give you time to build the desire back again after a devastating loss. Once the hunger returns, plan a basic-ish list of fish that are known to be fairly hardy and add them slowly from reputable sellers with quality fish.

If you need help with anything in the mean time, I'm happy to come over and lend a hand with whatever needs to be done. Just don't sell up, you will regret that.