URGENT--Need Help

[Beaches]

OK, so I shouldn't have said everthing was going fine...

I'm close to losing my two remaining survivors--tomato clown and bi-color--both are hiding and the bi-color isn't eating.

Here's what I've done...at first I thought it was ick--due to all the stress of new tank move, move to lfs, move back to tank...so I started treating for ick with kick-ich. Seemed to work at increasing their appetite so I thought all was going well.

Then the bi-color wouldn't eat and has "clouds" on it's eyes and is very pale. I pulled it's rock out and caught it, gave it a fresh water dip hoping that whatever it might have (ick? flukes?!) would drop off. Not showing any white dots on body, mostly just the cloudy eyes, pale and not eating. It swam around the tank last night and re-found it's rock and is now back in. But appears no different.

The clown comes out and has been eating, but hides most of the day and seems to be "dotty." I've tried to catch it, but it keeps hiding in the rocks and I'm trying not to stress out the rest of the fish too much...

Before you ask, water parameters are not perfect, but I don't think it's the cause. Reading Nitates 20, Nitrites 0, Ammonia 0, Salinity is 1.023, PH 8.2, Temp 78.3. I do not have a UV or a hospital tank at this time--I'll be investing in the UV within a month or so but won't help me right now.

Have not added anything new that hasn't been "dipped/quarantined" prior to introducing to tank. All other tank inhabitants are fine: 1 Shrimp goby, 1 dusky jawfish, 2 green chromis, 1 cherub angel, snails, crabs, mushrooms and colt coral.

Any help here is appreciated--I've read the books I have on hand, but from what I'm reading it doesn't sound promising...

[tims]

stop chasing them around and no more dipping.

have you seen anything that lots like Ich? what about at the LFS?
if this eyes are cloudy (milky?) and look like there is air in then? you may have too much micro air bubbles absorbed thruohg the skin. i had a Bat fish that was very senitive too that. you said there arw other fish in there,were they always togeather including at the LFS?

HTH

[Reefer Addict]

This isn't scientific by any means, but when my tank came down with ich, I just let them be...
The red-head goby and my cleaner gobies had it something awful, covered in cysts, but I added a bit of garlic to their food and poured the garlic solution into the tankwater (figuring it would absorb into their gills) for a couple weeks and it finally went away for good about three months later...
I'm also glad to say that I didn't lose a single fish just letting nature take it's course. I think that the stress we cause to the fish by chasing them around to doctor them up does more harm than good.
I also have cleaner shrimp, but I don't think they really did anything of value (the ich parasites are pretty small).
I also didn't try any of the 'reef safe' chemical treatments, because to me it would be far worse to crash my tank trying to cure the fish.

Hope you get the problem figured out... BiColor Blennies are pretty cool fish... I have one of their cousins, a Lawnmower Blennie and he's one of my favorite fish.

[Beaches]

Thanks for the input...I'm just gonna let them be and whatever happens...

The bi-color is still pale, in it's rock and it's eyes are all clouded over--I'm thinking it'll be gone in the morning.

The tomato is acting very wierd...it doesn't come out at all when the tank lights are on...only when they are off in the morning and go off at night.

[cyberchef]

Beaches I would suggest you do a few large water changes and run some carbon, changing it out every 4-7 days. Cloudy eyes can be an indication of an ammonia problem as well as an alkalynity problem. I know you tested for ammonia and got "0" but it could still be there. What brand test kit and how old is it? Have you tested your alk recently?

[Beaches]

Yes, I took the readings this morning--twice. Once with the test strips and once with the drops. Both were reading about the same with the exception of the Nitrate (strip was reading higher than drops). Test kits and strips are about 1 month old.

Just to be sure (I thought the kits might be off too) so I took water sample to the LFS and we tested twice--once with strips and again with Salifert kits--both readings were same as my home kits.

I don't know...just real depressed. I knew all about the cycling process, but guess I thought I had planned everything through as far as the tank swap/upgrade--using everything from old tank, acclimation, etc. it would all be pretty smooth as long as I kept a close eye on parameters--apparently not. Somewhere along the line, something didn't work on the upgrade and now all I can do is blame myself for killing all my wonderful critters. I thought getting a new/bigger tank would be great...now I'm thinking I should have just stuck with the 40g...

[wildernet]

Well don't be so hard on yourself Beaches. Things like this happen even in stable tanks. BE PATIENT. The biggest thing I have learned in this hobby is that nature is not on MY timetable. I think that you will find that things will turn out ok. I also use garlic in my fish food. I find that I have fewer parasites that way. I have also heard that vitamin C will help with their immune system. Not sure about that one though.