Fish died in QT, am I missing anything?

[vetteguy53081]

This is not a fish nutrition issue and likely a fish that was already underfed - Was the fish thin or had a round belly ?
Problem is that they need a high level of calcium and often are given algae and sold as algae eaters when they are not. Like midas blennies, many are shipped skinny and from the onset are already in trouble often with some that never eat or peck on food and shut down.
Acclimation may have played a role but as mentioned on salinity which has to be raised slowly- may be a factor.

Could you expand on "cycled?" I placed some sponge media from my main tank (1+ year old) in the HOB to address any ammonia. I read not to use live rock because it can absorb medication (was going to treat with copper and prazipro like the pinned QT thread recommended).

A seeded sponge or other media such as bio Blocks can support a bacterial source but often too many QT tanks set up especially in emergencies and bacteria was not a critical factor.
As for parasites, the LFS should know and you would have been able to see tell tale signs such as heavy breathing, no appetite, scratching/darting as examples.
For a new tank cycle, yes ammonia chloride- do not add this to a QT tank.

 

[Steelcube]

I was under the impression that you didn't check the salinity from the bag?

I checked, but only for salinity. I'll be more thorough next time.

 

[Steelcube]

You know, blennies can be tough in a qt environment in my experience. You don't seem sure that he ate, do you know if he was eating before you brought him home? Could have been sick beforehand..

But I do like overdoing the air in my qt's, I've been running 2 air stones and a submersible filter that also produces a lot of bubbles. Imo I also would not be afraid to add a thin layer of sand just to help the fish feel more relaxed and it won't absorb as much of the meds as you may think. With consistent testing you can easily counterbalance it and it will stabilize after about 3 days ime

Best to let the qt simmer a bit after setup, how long did you have it up for? Had you added any nitrifying bacteria beforehand? It's a good idea tho to use media from an established tank for sure, that was a good move. Fritzyme turbo start 900 helps a ton.

If you are interested in a cheap, bigger qt I'll give you a picture of mine. It's a big plastic tote I got from home depot for 13 bucks. Also, the dollar store near me has some big ones and I'm sure those are inexpensive. Just if your interested..

The QT tank was set up just before getting the fish. I suspect he ate because I had dropped a few pellets in and they had disappeared the next time I checked. I didn't get a lot of info on him from the LFS, probably going to ask more next time. I put a sponge filter in the HOB that had been soaking in the sump of my main tank. It seems like that was one option to seed the QT. That being said I might just get prime and use that next time. I like the tote idea! The reason I turned down the bubbles was because when they popped they sent water all over (egg crate lid). With the tote I can just put the lid on and contain water more easily.

 

[Steelcube]

This is not a fish nutrition issue and likely a fish that was already underfed - Was the fish thin or had a round belly ?
Problem is that they need a high level of calcium and often are given algae and sold as algae eaters when they are not. Like midas blennies, many are shipped skinny and from the onset are already in trouble often with some that never eat or peck on food and shut down.
Acclimation may have played a role but as mentioned on salinity which has to be raised slowly- may be a factor.

A seeded sponge or other media such as bio Blocks can support a bacterial source but often too many QT tanks set up especially in emergencies and bacteria was not a critical factor.
As for parasites, the LFS should know and you would have been able to see tell tale signs such as heavy breathing, no appetite, scratching/darting as examples.
For a new tank cycle, yes ammonia chloride- do not add this to a QT tank.

Gotcha, I cut up sponge media that had been soaking in my old aquarium's sump and put it in the QT's HOB. It seemed like that was a good option for seeding the QT. I may add a larger piece next time. I only put a couple inches in but the test came back with 0 ammonia so I assumed it wasn't an issue or at least not yet. The blenny did seem to be breathing fast but I had originally chalked this up to stress. Otherwise it looked good from what I could tell.

 

[threebuoys]

This is not a fish nutrition issue and likely a fish that was already underfed - Was the fish thin or had a round belly ?
Problem is that they need a high level of calcium and often are given algae and sold as algae eaters when they are not. Like midas blennies, many are shipped skinny and from the onset are already in trouble often with some that never eat or peck on food and shut down

I'm a bit surprised by your comment that lawnmower blennies are not algae eaters. I purchased mine two years ago partially because of the literature I read describing their affection for algae. I must say mine chowd down every day and night, leaving his mouth prints on the glass. He is still very healthy now. I expect he eats more than algae when im not looking, but I've never seen him go after anything else.

When I QTd the blenny at purchase, I had an ample growth of algae in the tank. Felt lucky.

 

[MnFish1]

I think Lawnmower Blennies eat algae and food. In the wild - of course they also get worms, pods etc - like mandarins. I think their primary diet is algae. "
Lawnmower blenny

This blenny feeds mainly on filamentous microalgae, foraminiferans, detritus and sand. It also consumes sponges, fish eggs, minute crustaceans, small snails, insects (yes, insects) and small polychaete worms."

 

[Weeb]

I really have no idea, is there any way to check? It's been 1+ year without a death in the main aquarium, which was a big motivation for learning the QT process when I move everything to my new, larger aquarium and add more fish.

You can check the status of your main aquarium by doing eDNA testing such as AquaBiomics offers. I think it's worthwhile.