Blue Tang Issues

[jsker]

We all do crazy things sometimes............. but do we learn from it is the question.

A journal, most of the greatest minds through out history keep one to refer back too. I use my build thread for reefing;):)

 

[DLHDesign]

If he was captured from deep water and the person that pulled him up went too fast the fish might have a gas bubble.

FYI: Google searches for "DIY hyperbaric chamber" were woefully not helpful...

I am so jealous, you must get some good bots, for next to nothing, for local vinters.

52+ wineries in town alone - another several hundred within a short drive. Yet I still get all my bottles from the grocery store or BevMo. :-\

 

[Sabellafella]

yea I just did a quick search to check acclimation and yea info is all over the place man. from real sources too. some recommend (advanced aquarist:eek:) using baking soda to correct ph even though the effects wont last. fine for a fresh water dip but the qt??????

+ 1 0n the salinity part. Pro advice is all over the map there too. Ive never had trouble with a 40 to 60 drip w prime and stable temp, regardless of salinity actually.(back in the noob days even)
i think your doing the right thing on air and watch the temp. it likely it was just not as healthy as the rest.

dang it.
we need some real fish guys

#reefsquad

You think this is a decompression issue? Looks like the poor fella is floating. Or am i thinking outloud

 

[jenreefer]

You think this is a decompression issue? Looks like the poor fella is floating. Or am i thinking outloud

Original video shows his balance issues

 

[melypr1985]

Sorry I"m late. Had to take the kiddo to the dentist and get my hair cut. I see you got your tang to keep himself in an upright position. Is his breathing any better? My opinion is shipping stress coupled with the long acclimation. So ammonia burn/lack of oxygen (somebody said that already) I agree with. Your idea of lowering the temp slowly to increase oxygen levels is a good one. You could also try a methylene blue dip to help heal any damage to the gills during the acclimation.

 

[4FordFamily]

Sorry I"m late. Had to take the kiddo to the dentist and get my hair cut. I see you got your tang to keep himself in an upright position. Is his breathing any better? My opinion is shipping stress coupled with the long acclimation. So ammonia burn/lack of oxygen (somebody said that already) I agree with. Your idea of lowering the temp slowly to increase oxygen levels is a good one. You could also try a methylene blue dip to help heal any damage to the gills during the acclimation.

X2

And I lose almost zero fish acclimating in 15-30 minutes. Every long drip acclimation I've done the fish have died or almost died from ammonia burn and poor water quality.

Hippo tangs behave strangely and at first I didn't think anything was wrong. Is there any current pushing him upward from where he was swimming? That did grow to get strange.

Also I see he's in a separate bucket or something now, ammonia builds up quickly there without any completed nitrogen cycle (unless I'm seeing things) IMO a methylene blue "bath" and back in the qt tank with lights off and lots of oxygen is your best bet.

Also for emaciated tangs not eating live brine seems to do the trick.

 

[DLHDesign]

You could also try a methylene blue dip to help heal any damage to the gills during the acclimation.

Dip complete - 10sec at ~30ppm (dosing instructions on the bottle)

Is there any current pushing him upward from where he was swimming?

There's a small (tiny, really) powerhead in the tank, but it's aimed upwards; not down. At the surface, I imagine it creates some downward draw.

...back in the qt tank with lights off and lots of oxygen is your best bet.

Will do. I'll set up the second QT tank and fill it with new DT water. I'm also tossing in some well-soaked (3month+) sponges into each QT to help with the bio-filtration. If needed, I've got some rock chunks (frag-sized) that I could toss in, but I'd prefer to keep those out unless they would really help as it would mean drying and cleaning them.

Also for emaciated tangs not eating live brine seems to do the trick.

Sounds like I'm going to also get the brine hatchery running, then. :-)

THANKS!

 

[Brew12]

Dip complete - 10sec at ~30ppm (dosing instructions on the bottle)


There's a small (tiny, really) powerhead in the tank, but it's aimed upwards; not down. At the surface, I imagine it creates some downward draw.


Will do. I'll set up the second QT tank and fill it with new DT water. I'm also tossing in some well-soaked (3month+) sponges into each QT to help with the bio-filtration. If needed, I've got some rock chunks (frag-sized) that I could toss in, but I'd prefer to keep those out unless they would really help as it would mean drying and cleaning them.


Sounds like I'm going to also get the brine hatchery running, then. :)

THANKS!

Wow, you are one well prepared Reefer! It always makes me sad when someone has a sick fish and has to run around buying meds and/or a QT before they can treat. You have the meds and 2 QT systems. Love it! :)

 

[jenreefer]

Dip complete - 10sec at ~30ppm (dosing instructions on the bottle)


There's a small (tiny, really) powerhead in the tank, but it's aimed upwards; not down. At the surface, I imagine it creates some downward draw.


Will do. I'll set up the second QT tank and fill it with new DT water. I'm also tossing in some well-soaked (3month+) sponges into each QT to help with the bio-filtration. If needed, I've got some rock chunks (frag-sized) that I could toss in, but I'd prefer to keep those out unless they would really help as it would mean drying and cleaning them.


Sounds like I'm going to also get the brine hatchery running, then. :)

THANKS!

Great job. I am thinking you are on top of this. As Brew said, very refreshing.

 

[DLHDesign]

Wow, you are one well prepared Reefer! It always makes me sad when someone has a sick fish and has to run around buying meds and/or a QT before they can treat. You have the meds and 2 QT systems. Love it! :)

I stocked up on @Humblefish's recommended medicine cabinet after the first time I had issues and lost a fish. The second tank is because I do TTM. Had to pull together an egg-crate divider, but I had that planned anyways...

Slowly. Slowly I learn. ;-)

 

[inkedtx]

I've got my fingers crossed!

 

[Humblefish]

I know this has already been brought up, but IMO one of the advantages of QT is never having to do a drip acclimation. Simply set your QT's SG to match the “source water” so you can float & release.

This explains in greater detail: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/how-to-acclimate.192300/

 

[4FordFamily]

Dip complete - 10sec at ~30ppm (dosing instructions on the bottle)


There's a small (tiny, really) powerhead in the tank, but it's aimed upwards; not down. At the surface, I imagine it creates some downward draw.


Will do. I'll set up the second QT tank and fill it with new DT water. I'm also tossing in some well-soaked (3month+) sponges into each QT to help with the bio-filtration. If needed, I've got some rock chunks (frag-sized) that I could toss in, but I'd prefer to keep those out unless they would really help as it would mean drying and cleaning them.


Sounds like I'm going to also get the brine hatchery running, then. :)

THANKS!

Any time! Your devotion to this fish is honorable regardless of the outcome. :)

 

[DLHDesign]

Thanks for the help, everyone. I can see how the long drip acclimation was the wrong choice here. Sometimes more is not better.

At this point, the fish is effectively dead - floating belly-up with only an occasional gill movement to indicate any kind of breathing. It would not make it through the night, I'm sure. I'm now going to focus on the other three fish - which means getting the body out of the new QT.
My current plan is to just lift the body out of the water and place it into a bag of salt then into the freezer (which the supplier wants for rebate processing). As weak as the fish is, it would not survive the process long. But I'd prefer to give it as gentle a send-off as possible. Is there anything I'm likely to have on hand that could achieve the process better? I must admit, I've done zero research on humane methods of terminating a fish's life...

 

[DLHDesign]

Current state. The breathing rate waxes and wanes.

 

[DLHDesign]

Hm. Now it's on the bottom, looking a bit more lively...

Strike that - saving it is still the goal!

 

[4FordFamily]

I've put fish in the freezer before or done something to cause a very abrupt death so they did not suffer.

 

[GHsaltie]

I've heard that clove oil can be used for euthanasia. Hoping you won't have to resort to anything though.

 

[DLHDesign]

TOD: 6:53pm :-(

Thanks again all; appreciate the input and feedback. Things I've learned through this:
- Don't drip acclimate if I'm doing QT - just match bag params and go.
- Keeping meds on-hand is worthwhile, because they sometimes are needed on short notice.
- Even from good suppliers, "small" grade fish are more delicate than larger fish. New reefers (eg; me) should spend a bit more for the next size up to improve chances of success.
- R2R is a great community filled with awesome people.

I knew that last part, of course, but it's always fun to learn that one again, no matter the cause!

 

[melypr1985]

TOD: 6:53pm :-(

Thanks again all; appreciate the input and feedback. Things I've learned through this:
- Don't drip acclimate if I'm doing QT - just match bag params and go.
- Keeping meds on-hand is worthwhile, because they sometimes are needed on short notice.
- Even from good suppliers, "small" grade fish are more delicate than larger fish. New reefers (eg; me) should spend a bit more for the next size up to improve chances of success.
- R2R is a great community filled with awesome people.

I knew that last part, of course, but it's always fun to learn that one again, no matter the cause!

I'm sorry for your loss :( I'm glad some good came from it though.