FishChannel Forums / Saltwater Forums / Saltwater Emergencies

brown algea

saltyfresh — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 03:27:07 GMT

Since I installed my 6 T-5 lights on my tank i have seen a slow growth of green algea on my live rock and base rock, I cut down the hrs of run time for the lights and introduced phosoban to the canister filter in an attempt to slow down the growth and seemingly overnight i've had an explosion of thick brown algea growing on almost every surface. I scraped and scrubbed the glass, let the filter's clean the water for an hour and then changed all the filter pads and did a partial water change. I tested the water and all was ok. where would all of this suddenly come from what can I do to fight back?

New Fish being bullied, please help!

Pam — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:35:47 GMT

I have had my saltwater tank for a month. I purchased a blue tang 3 weeks back. I also have the 3 orange clown fish in there. There is a yellow tang and a dark blue tang in there too. Also pajama fish, 2 of them. I just put a yellow angelfish with blue around the eyes in there. I believe it is a dwarf. The blue tang is after him. I think the clown fish are after him too. He is hiding and seems to be breathing heavy like he is stressed. I can not get ahold of my fish guy that ordered him for me. He is the same aquarium guy that sold me the blue tang and knows I have the clown fish. He said these were compatible. Is this correct? Will this get better or will my angelfish be dead in the morning? Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

Stray Voltage

Dilla — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 09:28:45 GMT

I was tending to my S/W tank this morning and was jolted by voltage. A pump in my fuge is the suspect (it has been slowing down in flow). After i killed power to the whole tank i still feel a tingle when i touch the water. Do i just wait until it disapates? how long will it hold power? Must i ground it out? All the fish seem fine at the moment.
Thanx for any advice.

ICH!

FastFoward5k — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 06:04:24 GMT

My friends tank caught ich, and all of his fish and his eel died from it because he caught it too late! He had to start over from scratch. I don't want the same thing to happen to me, so how can I catch it?

box anthia

saltyfresh — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 17:17:10 GMT

My box anthia was always hiding in its own little cave and wasnt very social. Now he is all over the tank, becoming very territorial and spends hours a day swimming head first against the front glass as if it was trying to swim through it. he's not slamming into it so he's not getting injured. Whats the deal? has anyone else had a fish do this?

dead anemone

saltyfresh — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:28:32 GMT

so, i was gone for work for three days and asked my girlfriend to take care of the tank. when i got home, the water was cloudy and stunk, particles floating all over, just a total mess. while cleaning it out and doing a water change ( at 1 am ) i found the cause, my sebae anemone has passed on and left a mess in its wake. chem readings were at toxic levels and it seemed that the fish were ok but a little more skittish than normal. i did a 10g water change and added some prime to the tank and hopefully this wont shock the bio filter. my tank is a 55g fish/invert. my nitrites,nitrates and ammonia is down a little but far from great. any suggestions?

money invested

Clownknife — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 19:48:43 GMT

How much do you have invested in your tank?

Help Pls..

Iman — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 02:17:51 GMT

Recently, I have came into saltwater tank keeping again after quitting it 10 years ago.

My present tank is only 20 Gal and it has been 3 weeks and 4days old. I have added a pair of clown fish two weeks ago but they died a day later. Last Monday, i have added a Coral beauty Angel, it survived till yesterday and i suspected it died of suffocation (the grills were wide open). Currently, only two damsel fishes are left and they are breathing at a very fast pace though eating well just like the Coral Beauty Angel.

i have bought the test kit but to my surprise, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate are all ideal except the ph is at 8.0. I have added PH plus to increase it then.

Should i recycle the tank and start all over again or i should just let it be? I can't add fishes anymore as whatever fishes added in will start to breath heavily and died of suffocation eventually.

Your professional advise please.

Cyanide?

reef aquarist — Mon, 19 May 2008 12:53:54 GMT

I have recently had two fish die. One was a Banggai Cardinalfish and the other was a Fire Dartfish. I first had the Cardinalfish first. It was doing very well for a week but one day I noticed that it was lying on the sandbed but it was still breathing. It died shortly after that. Next I had a fire dartfish which was fine for a day but then it started acting like the Cardinalfish. It tried to dart up from the sand but it would fall back down. It also died. Both of these fish came from the same store and I was wondering if it could have been Cyanide that killed them. I do regular water changes and the water quality seems fine. If anyone has any opinions I would be glad to read them.

What do you do when the power goes out?

fishtk75 — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 10:12:37 GMT

What do you all do when you have no power?
As for hour or day.what is there that out there to use?
I have reefs 75 and 120.

clownfish disease or ich?

blenny123 — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:23:34 GMT

my clownfish has small white spots but does not look like ich it is pale in color and some of the white stuff is stringy like 1 mm it has affected my other clownfish and are both in quarintine i want to do a freshwater dip but how is it done?and what does my clownfish have ?.my paramentars are nitrite 0 nitrate 0 ammonia 0 and temp raised to 80F ph 8.3,please help

inactive hermits

jumpcon4 — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 12:36:41 GMT

ive had my 55 gallon tank for almost a month and i bought it already set up.The man i got it from had in running for over 6 months and after we moved it the hermit crabs were constantly moving around and for the last few days ive noticed that they haven't been very active. all my water conditions are perfect my PH is 8.2 nitrites 0 ppm nitrates 0 ppm and ammonia 0 ppm and my salinity is 1.024. Im new at saltwater tanks and was wondering if this was something to worry about or not

Clam Trouble

deluxerider — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 18:20:34 GMT

I have a Crocea Clam that does not look to well. I've had it for several months and it has always looked great and has even grown but for the past 3 weeks or so, it stays closed most of the time and when it does open it only opens about 1/4 of the way. It's getting pale. I keep thinking it will "snap out of it". Water quality is good, water flow is good & I have it about 6" under the lights which are 4x96w 2 are actinic. Please help, is there anything I can do?

HELP sick blue tang

Soccer4381 — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 19:16:44 GMT

The blue tang was wrapped around my filter this morning and seems to be not eating and now is laying on the bottom of the tank. It's still breathing and occasionally moves around, but looks very sickly. It also has a couple white splotches on its underside, but I don't believe it to be marine ich. I am enclosing a picture of the fish. I have removed it from the tank and have fed it some mysis shrimp which it ate and then went back on its side.....

Pinned Topics

FishChannel Moderator — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:30:54 GMT

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Fin Regeneration

Butterflifish — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 21:19:22 GMT

My Maroon Clownfish have been attacked by Damsel fish. I have taken out the Damsels but damage has been done to my fishes tails. I have Aloe Verra tap water conditioner that says it will help the fish heal. is this true? what else can i do to help the fishes fins?

Toadstool coral

lanmatt073 — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:12:23 GMT

Help, my toadstool coral had his base pinched off in a small rockslide. What do I do?He opens up great still but is kinda free sitting,Can I superglue him to a base.I've heard of people fragging(splitting) them??

Starfish Plague

OHFISH — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 06:52:04 GMT

I have a a 55 gallon reef tank. In it I have about 75 pounds of live rock, live sand substrate, a carpet anemone, a big eye squirrel, two damsels, about 20 blue legged hermit crabs, a porcelain crab, a couple mushrooms, and my starfish.

I had a Chocolate Chip Star, and a Crimson Star. Remaining is a Bahama Star.

The tank has been in operation over a year. All water parameters are good. Fortunately I removed the dead Starfish quickly and the ammonia did not run up.

I change the water about every 10 days (20%). I use tap water with a conditioner to remove ammonia, chlorine, etc. Water is prepared a week in advance to the change. I do have a phosphate issue at times because of using tap water. Specific Gravity is 1.024 and PH is 8.4

Everything in the tank appears healthy and normal except for the starfish. The first signs of a problem was when the Chocolate Chip Star started to lose its spots. They faded away rather quickly. He also became more lethargic. Eventually he died. This was about two weeks ago. About four days ago the Crimson Star appeared listless, sitting on the substrate instead of the glass where it normally would wander about. Yesterday, it was dead on the bottom, the Bahama Star on top. Looked like the Bahama Star was attempting to eat it.

Today, the Bahama Star is moving about the tank, but it too appears that it is becoming more lethargic with less movement than normal. It keeps one of its legs up most of the time as if it were hurt.

Since everything else appears fine, no symptoms of distress on the fish or anemone, I am suspecting that I have a Starfish Plague of some sort. Perhaps a parasite, bacteria or virus? I don't know.

Comments, suggestions, experiences that you could share would be appreciated. Not sure how to treat a potentially ailing Starfish.

Thanks!!

New

Saltwater Aquarist — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 10:25:15 GMT

I am a teen who loves sw fish. I have a 24 g aquapod with a a bleached bulb tip anemone, flame hawk, dottyback, cleaner shrimp, two false clowns and a pink skunk clown. I need some help with my anemone I gave it food it 3 days ago and it eat but now it did not eat when I gave it food last night and the night before, will it eat when its hungry? Thanks

Rising Nitrate problem

irideredrr — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 13:35:00 GMT

I have a 20 gal. saltwater tank I'm trying to make into a reef tank, it has been up and running for little over 3 months. Have 36 lbs. of live rock, crushed coral for my substrate, and an Emperor 280 bio wheel filter. Both my ammonia and nitrite test 0 ppm but my nitrate was at 20 ppm about 2 weeks ago and has steadily kept rising. Its currently over 40 ppm and my ammonia and nitrite are still at 0 ppm. I have tried doing multiple water changes (using R/O water), buying Sea-chem DE-Nitrate to put Into the filter and the nitrate level is still rising. Started using the DE-Nitrate 2 weeks ago when I noticed the nitrate was rising hasnt made even the slightest improvement. I want to get it under controll before my fish & invertes start dieing, at the moment they all still seem healthy and ok but I suspect if I dont get the nitrate level down soon that will all change for the worse. My question is.... Is there a way besides breaking the tank down and starting over to lower the nitrate? Have heard that a protien skimmer will do the job, but not sure if I wanted to spend the money for one right now, that and I didnt want to get that high-tech on my little 20 gal tank if I didnt have to. Any info on this matter would be very helpfull and much appreciated

Anything to worry about?

xOXiDiZEx — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 18:04:39 GMT

Well i bought 2 tank raised Ocellaris Clownfish... They were doing very well for the first few days in quarintine, but yesterday i notice a white scap looking thing on its cheek area. Theres another one behind its fin and on its lips... Also its eyes look a bit puffy. Im not sure about the eys to be honest but they look a little big so i figured i'd jsut ask if you guys ssee anything wrong. heres a pick of it and you just see if you can help me out since i never really delt with diseases before even in freshwater fish keeping. BTW its eating the Mystic shrimp fine like it has nothing wrong with it at all so i dont think w/e it is has been effecting it to bad. I'll be able to get a treatment tomaro do doubt.

Help With My Trigger!

olddecrepit48 — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 10:22:36 GMT

First, the specifics of the setup: 55 gallon tank, up and running about 7 months now. Nitrates-0, Nitrates-12, Ammonia-0. Weekly water changes of 20%. The only inhabitant of the tank is a Picasso Triggerfish (Rhinecanthus aculateus).

We have had the trigger for about a month; she was previously owned though we don't know about the water conditions in her previous owner's tank.

Literally overnight, she had developed faint reddish streaks directly behind her vent, and the vent itself looks inflamed. The red streaks are more prominent on her left side. No other symptoms---she is eating fine, behaving normally, etc.

What is making this even more complicated is that my husband was cleaning some salt off the back of the tank, and he told me that the trigger dashed into a rock with some rough edges...so maybe this could be a mechanical type of injury?!

I have kept marine fish for years, but this one is a new one on me...please help!

Cinnamon clownfish behavior

Babysitter — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 09:00:47 GMT

I am babysitting a percula and a cinnamon clownfish in the same 20 gallon tank. They are separated as of three days ago with a tank divider. The cinnamon is always lying on her side on the bottom of the tank and only comes up to eat. There are no outward signs of disease of any kind - just the behavior that has me scared something isn't right. She will look up at me when I check on her. Plastic plants for cover, the pH is 8.2, salt level is 0.020, water temp is 78F. I have been using well water and/or R/O filter water to fill the tank. There is a water softener involved. There are copper pipes in the house. I have changed out 25 - 50% water every week because the tank is so small. Plenty of aeration in the tank with 3 small Whisper pumps and two bubble sticks on the bottom. Two live rocks just added on Thursday. Thanks for any information.

clownfish disease ?

BKM — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 08:43:30 GMT

I have two true percula clownfish (mated pair). One started getting a whiteish slim on its back. It didn't look like ich (small white spots). I got that fish and the other out of my display tank and put in QT tank. Shortly after the fish began loosing color. The other fish now has the same. I have been treating with Lifeguard for 6 days now. They are not looking any better. I have the Salinity at 1.018. Should I add copper base med as well? What should I do?

fish loss

mrfreeze — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 12:56:01 GMT

I have a 58 gal. saltwater aquarium with 45 LB. of live rock and a sand bed that is 2" deep in front and 4" in back.My PH is 8.1,amon.0,Nit. 10 and a salinity of 1.024.I am useing a Smart filter 55 a Prizim protine skimmer and 2 power heads.I have 2 Green Chromas,1 Six Line Wrasse,1 Dimond Goby,25 Blue leg crabs,6 scarlet crabs,3 Emrial Crabs,1 peppermint Shrimp and about 30 Asteria Snails.I have lost at least 1 fish each week for the past 3 weeks.The only sign was I lost 1 Royal Gramma that was loosing its slim Coat.I lost a Jaw fish,Scotter Blenny and a Sailfin Tang in 24 Hours.They were all eating the night before with no stress signs.I have done a 5% water change each week to try to help stop this loss.I use R/O water.My tank has been up for 3 Months.What can be going on?

please help i have ich

jim2870 — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 07:56:33 GMT

hello all

here is my problem i have a 55 gal saltwater tank and i incountered ich i have been treating with ich attact 100% organtic and raised temp to 82deg (f) for over a week and still i see the white spots what can i do? i have live sand no coral but i have red hermits 1 coral beut,2 fire tails,and a clown fish.

any sugestions?

jim

My Percula Clown Fish has an obsession with curves of tank

jodellefish — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 08:32:57 GMT

We just got our fish yesturday afternoon. We have a 20 gallon tank with rounded curves so it looks worped. We think that it may be affecting our fish. We put our hand around the worped corners and it helped him get away from that one corner. Now that we have him swiming away from the corner he is only swiming in the top of our tank and he seems like he is starting to get stressed. Is this a normal behavior for this kind of fish? He he just getting used to the tank and with eventually make a nice home with the live rock? Help What should we do?

My Xenia (pulse coral) is not looking so good!

KariS — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 19:19:33 GMT

My xenia was looking great until I did a 20% water change. It looked great all day yesterday even immediately after the change. This morning when I got up though, it was pale and shrunken up and weeping. I have no idea what could have happened. I use the same salt and water that I always have when I do water changes. I've only had the Xenia about 3 weeks now and this is the first water change that I've done since I've had it. What did I do wrong?

i Need help with my scat and gsp they're dying and i dont know why

toker1 — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 15:30:10 GMT

i recently got a gsp and a scat for a first brackish tank and i got a test kit and all that fun stuff but the puffer is turning white and gasping at the bottom of the tank after only two weeks. my scat did the same but he seemed to be getting better and now it just seems worse and i can see his gills are a little red and he's not swimming like usual.i bought them from the same store as well as the same tank...I'm devastated

Saltwater visitors

Pyrannus — Thu, 17 May 2007 22:39:44 GMT

I am cycling a 75g saltwater tank around almost two months now... i've bunch of live rocks and dried corals. Resently i've notice some visitors in the tank. its like a white spiderwed scattered in some rocks.. ( sorry dont have pix)

Anyone familiar with this? is it contagious? is this some kind of unwanted saltwater algea?

i've noticed that in couple of days other will gone and another batch will appear.

Fish Problem Checklist

Tubby — Tue, 22 May 2007 16:33:45 GMT

So we can better help you, I've put together a checklist of questions and information, that you need to answer, so that it will help us to better identify the problem and to find the correct course of action. Please don't post "My fish died. How come?"

You can "copy/paste" these questions into your topic so it will make things easier on us and you.

1). What are the Ph, Ammonia, NitrIte, NitrAte, & Salinity levels?

2). How long has the tank been running?

3). How many gallons/liters is the tank?

4). What are the dimensions of the tank?...example…20high is very different from 20long

5). What is the frequency of the water changes, and how much water is changed each time?

6). Do you use well water or city water, and do you treat for chlorine/chloramines?

7). What products, chemicals, and/or medicines have been used or added to the tank?

8). What are the other occupants of the tank?

9). If this is a possible aggression problem, what sort of cover is available for the fish?

10). Give a detailed description of any behavior/or color changes.

11). Give a detailed description of the problem.

12). If possible, please attach a photo of the problem area.

13). Use proper English not "text phone" speak or abbreviations

14). Be clear and concise. PLEASE USE THE SPELL CHECK BUTTON ON THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE.

Be open to suggestions. If you've came here to only have us tell you what you want to hear, then you will be disappointed. We are here to help you and especially the fish. We have the well being of the fish at heart. We love our fish and want the best for them.