LFS problems with parasites

[PoggiPJ]

Earlier this summer I purchased a Pearl Scale Butterfly from a local fish store in Montgomery County. It turned out it had a parasite and died. Spread to my other fish which also died. Yes, I NOW have a quarantine tank. I waited over six weeks to purchase again. This time two clowns and a powder blue, from the same LFS. Same results. I'm not sure how to handle this because I realize there are so many variables that it's hard to fix the blame on a specific LFS, and that's why I'm reluctant to mention a name right now.

 

Let me ask it this way - has anyone purchased fish this Summer from a LFS in Montgomery County and NOT had any problems with parasites? If so, please share the name.

Edited August 15, 2011 by PoggiPJ

[Coral Hind]

I think every LFS will have some form of a parasite or fungus in their system. A QT system as you are now doing is the best way to go.

 

I bought some gobies for my office tank from Aquarium One lately that are doing fine.

[rbonick]

I think every LFS will have some form of a parasite or fungus in their system. A QT system as you are now doing is the best way to go.

 

I bought some gobies for my office tank from Aquarium One lately that are doing fine.

 

 

+1 on Aquarium One. I have purchased several fish from them over the years and have had great success with survival rates. I've read several times that all wild caught fish have some form of parasites when captured. What usually determines survival is the stress levels of the fish after capture. How long has your quarantine tank been up and running? What kind of filtration? etc.

[PoggiPJ]

I have a bare bottom 10 gallon with a AquaClear HOB filter (w/cycled sponge filter from the Display Tank) and airstone, heater and some pvc tubes and elbows. Treating the remaining little clownfish now with Cupramine

Edited August 15, 2011 by PoggiPJ

[RJT]

I purchased an angel fish from Tropical Lagoon this summer that's doing well.

[rbonick]

I have a bare bottom 10 gallon with a AquaClear HOB filter (w/cycled sponge filter from the Display Tank) and airstone, heater and some pvc tubes and elbows. Treating the remaining little clownfish now with Cupramine

 

Were all fish added to the quarantine tank at the same time? If so, this might have led to a temporary spike in ammonia. That is a lot of fish for a 10 gallon tank even if it is cycled. Sounds like you are treating the remaining fish correctly. I'm assuming your fish have ick? PBs are ick magnets in my experience.

[Jan]

Hi Pete,

QT is the best thing you can do as soon as you purchase a fish. If they don;t appear to be doing well then treat. I'm told that coppersafe is the best you can use with less ill affects to your fish in QT. Bear in mind that once you've introduced those fish into your main display you've also introduced whatever they're carrying.

 

I just lost 18 fish to what I'm sure was velvet. Read the thread that I've posted and all the advice, feedback I've gotten.

Good luck!

 

I have a bare bottom 10 gallon with a AquaClear HOB filter (w/cycled sponge filter from the Display Tank) and airstone, heater and some pvc tubes and elbows. Treating the remaining little clownfish now with Cupramine

 

 

 

 

 

[RJT]

How long were the clowns and tang in the display tank? What symptoms did they have?

[F&Fmgr]

I have a bare bottom 10 gallon with a AquaClear HOB filter (w/cycled sponge filter from the Display Tank) and airstone, heater and some pvc tubes and elbows. Treating the remaining little clownfish now with Cupramine

 

make sure that test for ammonia when using a sponge from your main tank, as the meds. will likely kill any microfauna in the sponge, spiking the NH4

 

IME the best thing is a heater and airstone, with regular water changes

Edited August 15, 2011 by F&Fmgr

[PoggiPJ]

How long were the clowns and tang in the display tank? What symptoms did they have?

Maybe just 3 of 4 days and the PBT started showing tiny white spots on his face, sides and fins. The clowns did show them right away. 7 days later.

[PoggiPJ]

Hi Pete,

QT is the best thing you can do as soon as you purchase a fish. If they don;t appear to be doing well then treat. I'm told that coppersafe is the best you can use with less ill affects to your fish in QT. Bear in mind that once you've introduced those fish into your main display you've also introduced whatever they're carrying.

 

I just lost 18 fish to what I'm sure was velvet. Read the thread that I've posted and all the advice, feedback I've gotten.

Good luck!

Now that I've had them in my DT, I guess I need to wait another 6 weeks before adding any fish again - or should it be longer?

[rbonick]

Now that I've had them in my DT, I guess I need to wait another 6 weeks before adding any fish again - or should it be longer?

Unfortunately, Yes

Are there corals in your display tank? If not, you can raise the temperature to speed up the parasite's life cycle.

[PoggiPJ]

Unfortunately, Yes

Are there corals in your display tank? If not, you can raise the temperature to speed up the parasite's life cycle.

Yes, I do, and several shrimp so can't do that. Unless they taste really good

[PoggiPJ]

By the way, I've already received a few PMs about which store it is... Please forgive me but the reason I'm not mentioning the name is that I really cannot be certain that it was their problem. A rumor like that can cause alot of financial harm and quite possibly it may be unjustified. If I was positive, I would have no problem saying it. Anyway, in the interest of being responsible, that's why I'm approaching the problem by asking who has purchased fish from a LFS and NOT had a problem.

[flowerseller]

By the way, I've already received a few PMs about which store it is... Please forgive me but the reason I'm not mentioning the name is that I really cannot be certain that it was their problem. A rumor like that can cause alot of financial harm and quite possibly it may be unjustified. If I was positive, I would have no problem saying it. Anyway, in the interest of being responsible, that's why I'm approaching the problem by asking who has purchased fish from a LFS and NOT had a problem.

 

That's about as fair as you get, thanks.

Most of us in this hobby know fish showing no visible signs can then become infected with a strain that is currently present in our tank but our population is accustomed to. It is there posing no issue unless fish become weakend for some reason or a new fish is added.

[Jan]

This is what I thought too??

make sure that test for ammonia when using a sponge from your main tank, as the meds. will likely kill any microfauna in the sponge, spiking the NH4

 

IME the best thing is a heater and airstone, with regular water changes

[Jan]

At least 6 weeks and plan on dedicating that hospital tank to copper medications, prazi and whatever else is compatable with copper. Try to set up another QT. Cycle it and keep it running in the basement or something for when you get new fish. If they need to be treated with copper you can always transfer them to the copper tank.

 

My QT/hosptial tanks ar stacked one on top one on bottom. Copper on bottom to make sure no water gets in the regualr QT. I'm Keeping the regular QT for housing new fish and inverts so I can observe them for a couple of weeks. You wont be able to get all the copper out of the the tank you've used it in so don't take a chance. Same thing with filters and all other equipment.

 

My rio taam nano filter with built in skimmers are working fine for me. I like the fact that they come with built in skimmer. I have the option of using the skimmer or not. They also come with slide in filter cartridges that have carbon. So when I'm ready to get rid of meds I slide in a cartridge. For now since I'm medicating I'm using sponge that came with my nano that I've cut to size as filter media to establish some biology.

 

Hang in there!

 

Now that I've had them in my DT, I guess I need to wait another 6 weeks before adding any fish again - or should it be longer?

[treesprite]

There is one Montgomery County store from which I will not buy livestock .... and it is NOT Aq 1 or TL

[Cliff Puckstable]

You guys are scaring me. I bought a clown and some green chromis from a LFS that I think everyone is talking about. This was 2 weeks ago, and my fish seem to be ok. I hope...

 

Do you have a picture of this parasite that you're having problems with? I wish you the best of luck.

[Jan]

Here is a link with lots of information and really good pictures of various marine parasites, etc. http://www.chucksadd...om/disease.html

 

 

Here's one for coral disease & parasites

http://www.chucksaddiction.com/coraldisease.html

 

You guys are scaring me. I bought a clown and some green chromis from a LFS that I think everyone is talking about. This was 2 weeks ago, and my fish seem to be ok. I hope...

 

Do you have a picture of this parasite that you're having problems with? I wish you the best of luck.

Edited August 16, 2011 by Jan

[Cliff Puckstable]

Thank you Jan for that link. I can't say for sure that any of my fish have anything wrong with them. I may just be paranoid. All my fish seem fine. I have one chromis that isn't as "crisp" as the others, but doesn't seem to be sick or anything. I will everyone know if I do run into problems in the near future.

 

This forum has been very helpful for someone new getting into this hobby. Thank you all for sharing your experiences.

[PoggiPJ]

Thank you all for the helpful advice.

 

Let me explain again why I am not saying the name of the store. I visited the same LFS again today to pick up some dry goods. While there, my wife and I examined the fins and body of every fish in every tank specifically looking for some evidence of disease. We couldn't find one lousy white spot on any individual fish. I don't want to start a panic, and that's why I asked the question the way I did.

 

I do know that I increased the salinity within a day of adding that powder blue tang, and based upon what I'm reading here, and what I found at the LFS, it's really looking like the finger is pointing in my direction. I probably stressed that poor pbt to the point that it became vulnerable to whatever parasites were present and waiting for a weakened host - and then it spread to the clowns.

 

Question: Is it safe to assume that some parasites (while possibly dormant) are always present even after 6-8 weeks of no fish in the tank?

[PoggiPJ]

Question: Is it safe to assume that some parasites (while possibly dormant) are always present even after 6-8 weeks of no fish in the tank?

 

Never mind - I read the links provided by Jan and answered my own question. The answer is "No". The parasites are not always present, unless we add something - anything new that could possibly have even one of these parasites hitch-hiking.

[Jan]

If a parasite caused the first fish to die it may still be in your tank. If the tank hasn't run fallow for long enough to kill whatever may have been introduced with the first fish and then you introduced others you may have increased the parasitic load and may have to go fallow longer to kill whatever is in there. That's if there's something there. Does that make sense?

 

I think this may have happened to me. I purchased fish from a fellow reefer over a year ago. They were in QT and all appeared well. I introduced them into my main tank and they were fine. Within a few weeks one of the fish started to bloat. within a week it died. This was a very healthy fish;bright color, nice size, eating well, perfect! It just swelled up as though it had dropsy and died. I wondered waht could have caused the dropsy then came to the conclusion that it may have just lived as long as it was supposed to. Several months later the same thing happened to another fish. Again I wondered what caused the swelling. I even posted it. Some said parasites. I considered treating with Hikari medicated food but I didn;t. thinking is was only two within several months of one another. Then I recently neglected my tank for a while and all my fish started dying when I introduced a fish and some new corals that I did not QT. I was seeing all kinds of things;slimy coating, cottony spots on head, white stringy feces, bloating, etc. My negligence caused whatever parasites have been living in my tank to take over. I was dealing with several things, but the one that I believe was the killer was velvet.

 

I've found in my reading everything I could find about this stuff that wild caught fish are many times the culprit. Many times they are not treated and will have internal and external parasites that they'd lived with. We then place them in a clean tank with other fish and whatever they have spreads fast. If your fish are healthy they will keep the infection in check. If not it will take over. The intestinal stuff I believe will always spread. fish eat each others poop all the time.

 

My plans are to medicate all new fish while in QT. I believe Hikari makes a medicated food for intestinal parasites. That's where I think I'll start. I'll use cheap chromis first.

 

Earlier this summer I purchased a Pearl Scale Butterfly from a local fish store in Montgomery County. It turned out it had a parasite and died. Spread to my other fish which also died. Yes, I NOW have a quarantine tank. I waited over six weeks to purchase again. This time two clowns and a powder blue, from the same LFS. Same results. I'm not sure how to handle this because I realize there are so many variables that it's hard to fix the blame on a specific LFS, and that's why I'm reluctant to mention a name right now.

 

Let me ask it this way - has anyone purchased fish this Summer from a LFS in Montgomery County and NOT had any problems with parasites? If so, please share the name.