Help! Fish in QT

[Mike Lemming]

Help!
I just came down to see my purple tang dead looking all white (didn’t get a picture) and now my yellow tang looks starved and is turning white as well. They won’t eat (even though they were eating fine yesterday and eating fine for the last month). Any idea what I should do or what this is?

 

[PSU4ME]

Jesus is that overnight?

@Humblefish

 

[Mike Lemming]

Jesus is that overnight?

@Humblefish

Literally. They’ve been in QT for probably 6 weeks eating fine and not showing any signs (except Ich in the start which I fixed with copper) and this morning they seemed fine. Now the purple tang is dead and my yellow tang looks like this. I’m doing a 25% water change right now just because I had the water mixing but, my ammonia alert says it’s fine. No idea. Wtf!

 

[Cpage101]

@Humblefish can you help out with this one?

 

[ChrisV]

He also has a forum of his own that you can cross post on. Or the fish disease forum of R2R. Something like this is worth a cross post.

 

[Humblefish]

Is mucous peeling off the fish? Could you possibly take a skin scrape of the dead Purple Tang and examine that under a microscope to look for parasites?

 

[Mike Lemming]

Is mucous peeling off the fish? Could you possibly take a skin scrape of the dead Purple Tang and examine that under a microscope to look for parasites?

No mucous. The yellow tang is just super skinny and turning white. Unfortunately I flushed the purple tang ‍

 

[Humblefish]

No mucous. The yellow tang is just super skinny and turning white. Unfortunately I flushed the purple tang ‍

My best guess would be a bacterial infection of some kind (see link below); however I am far from certain of that.

Bacterial Infections

Why fish get bacterial infections (updated 6-9-2023) What You Need To Know: * Harmful bacteria are likely ever-present in most aquariums. However, a fish's strong natural immune system + excellent water quality will usually keep it at bay. * Infections can be caused by either Gram‐positive or...

humble.fish

 

[kgstei]

How is the yellow doing?

 

[Mike Lemming]

Update: I woke up the following morning to find my yellow tang dead. So frustrating as I thought I was doing everything right to get these guys through quarantine! Unfortunately, from what I've seen and read, I think I may have overdosed the copper treatment. Shame on me for not testing my copper level! Lesson learned! Thanks for the help guys!

 

[kgstei]

That's a bummer

 

[bwils]

Sorry for your loss

 

[Mike Lemming]

That's a bummery

You live and you learn I guess

 

[Mike Lemming]

Sorry for your loss

I appreciate it! A hell of a lesson learned!

 

[PSU4ME]

Ugh man that stinks, sorry

 

[highfive52]

Update: I woke up the following morning to find my yellow tang dead. So frustrating as I thought I was doing everything right to get these guys through quarantine! Unfortunately, from what I've seen and read, I think I may have overdosed the copper treatment. Shame on me for not testing my copper level! Lesson learned! Thanks for the help guys!

This was the hardest part in qt'g I figured out.. We are taught all our lives meds will pretty much cure anything. So I thought great just get them through it and they will pull through. it's only till I reached the end did I learn that's not the case. We don't know the early beginnings or what these fish went thru or how many incidents they went thru or how old these fish are. Please don't beat yourself up. Please keep trying. When the initial shock wears off, of the loss, you have learned so much. Pat yourself on the back, most don't even try. Qt is hard, it's not for the faint at heart but you took that extra step. You'll go places most reefers dont. You'll get really good at qt'g but it's always the unknown that will kick us in qt'g. Be proud.

 

[Mike Lemming]

This was the hardest part in qt'g I figured out.. We are taught all our lives meds will pretty much cure anything. So I thought great just get them through it and they will pull through. it's only till I reached the end did I learn that's not the case. We don't know the early beginnings or what these fish went thru or how many incidents they went thru or how old these fish are. Please don't beat yourself up. Please keep trying. When the initial shock wears off, of the loss, you have learned so much. Pat yourself on the back, most don't even try. Qt is hard, it's not for the faint at heart but you took that extra step. You'll go places most reefers dont. You'll get really good at qt'g but it's always the unknown that will kick us in qt'g. Be proud.

I appreciate the kind words! I’ve been doing it for a few years now and you’re right, it is hard! You live and you learn! I’ll get there’ one day..

 

[kgstei]

Nobody knows where all the bodies are buried in this Hobby

 

[Cpage101]

I appreciate the kind words! I’ve been doing it for a few years now and you’re right, it is hard! You live and you learn! I’ll get there’ one day..

in my honest opinion QT is on the hardest part to try to do with this dam hobby. I try to wait 15 days before start copper power as they have been bagged and acclimated at least twice already in the process of getting to the LFS and can be pretty weak which may not be clear at observation. I’d like to give them a little time to settle in and eat some and get their wherewithal and immunity built back before blasting them with meditations in QT. I have had better success. I liketo do general cure and Prazi during the first 10 day observation.

 

[Mike Lemming]

in my honest opinion QT is on the hardest part to try to do with this dam hobby. I try to wait 15 days before start copper power as they have been bagged and acclimated at least twice already in the process of getting to the LFS and can be pretty weak which may not be clear at observation. I’d like to give them a little time to settle in and eat some and get their wherewithal and immunity built back before blasting them with meditations in QT. I have had better success. I liketo do general cure and Prazi during the first 10 day observation.

I usually put them in QT and not medicate at all unless needed. This time, they were in QT for about a week before I noticed ich. Then, I treated for 3 weeks and everyone seemed fine. Then, it popped back up an dI dosed again and guess I dosed too much. So frustrating!