Anthias died. Sailfin breathing heavy

Nstocks

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Around 6 weeks ago I added 5 Lyertail Anthias to my 450L aquarium which also had a clownfish, firefish and Sailfin tang.

One week later the tang has white spot so all fish were put through FW dips and TTM, plus a 2 week observation before I added them to the tank last week. (new rock and sand)

Whilst adding back the fish, one of the Anthias hit the sump and had some blood spots near its eye and today I saw it dead, drifting along the sand bed.

Right now all the fish seem fine, eating and swimming but the Sailfin which Ive had for 15 months is breathing rapidly.

There's plenty of oxygen and parameters are fine. The temp did fluctuate 3 degrees C this week after adding new heaters.

I have very little light from T5 on the tank for the next month or so and so by all accounts the fish are in a fairly low stress environment, but Im concerned about rapid breathing.

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jsker

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I would say the the tank is very stressed and a long with the stress comes ich. If everyone is eating feed metroplex, and focus with frozen. The focus binds the metroplex to the food and the inhabitants will ingest the food. I would also add a multivitamin to the food to help with the stress most in portanly vitamin c and b-12.
 
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Nstocks

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I'll see if I can got those in the UK. The was absolutely no chance ich came in when I added them back and within hours all the fish were out swimming and even eating!
 

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I'll see if I can got those in the UK. The was absolutely no chance ich came in when I added them back and within hours all the fish were out swimming and even eating!


How many days was the tank without fish while you treated with fw dip, ttm, and observation? Anthias can sometimes fall out and die for little apparent reason, but the heavy breathing of the tang is a concern! Hope he starts to look better for you!
 
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Nstocks

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Everything was removed from the tank which was then bleached. The shrimp are in a hospital tank for 80 days incase they carry ich back to the display. So essentially before the fish were moved back to the system, it was all new. (I added Fritz turbostart)

Fish were all dipped once for 5 minutes. Transferred 5 times with no more than 60 hours between transfers and medicated twice for 6 hours in Sera Trezamol (pazipro but not reef safe) which is all we can get in the UK.

I'm quite certain the Anthias died due to hitting his head when I added them back to the system last week, but it seems like a delayed reaction?
 

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you can definitely get a vitamin supplement - JBL do one that I add to the mandarin food. Cant say I can see a supply of Focus or Metroplex in the UK though if Im honest.... Seachem seems harder and harder to get hold of.
 

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Waiting on the fish disease experts to wake up here in the states. Sounds like you went to the Nth degree to make sure the ich was taken care of. I would say the sailfin is probably just stressed. A 3 degree celcius change is significant. No other signs of problems other than heavy breathing from the tang? How long have they been back in the display tank?
 
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Nstocks

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The fish have been in the display for 10 days or so. No other signs of problems other than a few surface scratches but he's always had those from somewhere or other.

Attached two photos, his fins aren't usually up that often. His coloration can change quite a lot from very pale and light to very dark, usually lighter in the morning. Again I think this is pretty normal.

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Inverts have a different time table for ich. It’s listed on the disease forum sticky. I would share a link but I’m not sure how to do so while on my phone.

The shrimp can be added after it has molted in your QT. Just make sure to give it a good rinse before adding to DT.

As far as the lyretail anthia’s death, it may have very well died from blunt force trauma from hitting the sump as you described. Did it fall far/hard?

When you say you medicated twice for 6 hours, how far apart were these procedures done?
 
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Nstocks

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I had two fire shrimp, purchased at the same time as Anthias but a large hermit crab decided to eat one shrimp so he's gone. In a QT tank in the garage I have one small crab and the other shrimp, both have been in there for 40 days I think. Just read the sticky and you are correct, after crustaceans have molted, the tomonts will be on the shedded exoskeleton. I'm quite unlucky so I'll just wait for 76 days to be up, since the crab shell could carry ich.

Anthias are VERY jumpy so I was careful to cover the plastic colander whilst catching him but sadly it jumped through, approx 3 feet drop.

The medication was with Sera Trezamol for 6 hours and then again 7 days later for another 6 hours. After both treatments the fish were put back through the remainder TTM protocol in clean new water/equipment. Trezamol contains 7.47g of praziquantel per 100ml.
 
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Reading up, some seachem products can not be sold in the UK as they are not able to export to the uk things like antibiotics.
 

USMC 4 LIFE

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Well sounds like you’re doing stuff right.

The heavy breathing may be from the tang swimming or showing off (my hippo tang likes to flare and open its mouth wide when I’m in front of the tank).

When my hippo had ich he not only had a few white dots on him but was scratching and doing a constant head twitching motion.

Keep observing and continue looking for behavior symptoms such as head twitching, flashing/scratching, heavy breathing, swimming in front of a Powerhead or near the surface of the water. Keep an eye out for physical symptoms as I’m sure you already know what they are.

I’m sure someone with more experience will be on here shortly.
 
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Nstocks

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This is what the Sailfin had early December. After TTM all the dots were gone and there's still nothing visible on the tang (or other fish except the blood spots on Anthias that has died).

Comparing this image to the Ich or Velvet, it does look more like velvet :(

Or should I assume it's still velvet and the tank needs to be fallow for 6 weeks?

In which case I'm probably going to leave the hobby! Along with being conned by a tank builder, an aquarium cracking, equipment breaking and losing my job within the past 4 months I've almost had enough.

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Ammonia has never been present, nor has nitrite!

I dosed a lot of Fritz turbostart (enough to treat 1700litres). System is around 700L
 

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Or should I assume it's still velvet and the tank needs to be fallow for 6 weeks?

I would treat in QT using copper or CP, and go fallow in the DT for 76 days. That strategy will address either possibility.
 
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Nstocks

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I read on a different forum that Anthias are mostly not safe with CP, put cupramine is usually considered safe.

During that 11 weeks fallow, do I just leave and run everything as normal (but turn lights off)? Add nothing at all to the tank, except perhaps a food source to keep the bacteria alive.
 
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