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Anorexic Butterflies & QT process--Correction 4/7/08 Hello again, Realized the Second main paragraph might not make sense, It should have read in part as follows: Sorry for the confusion. ...The QT is monitored for ammonia twice daily, and has registered .25 mg/l at 24 hours, .5 at 48 hours and .75 at 70 hours. <To degrees toxic at all concentrations> The QT is treated with a dose of Prime (according to label to bind ammonia of .6mg/l at 24 hours and 45 hours and a double dose at about 64 hours. <Mmm... okay> The fish are removed with as little extra water as possible (plastic clear container, no net) at under 72 hours... <Good technique. Will have to look for whoever responded previously (did they?)... but in reviewing your prev. email, this looks like a solid protocol/plan. BobF.> Hello, Thank you for your site, it has been a wealth of information for new saltwater fish hobbyists such as myself. I have two questions, one as relates to your comments on my quarantine process, and two as relates to non-eating butterfly fish. I purchased the following from Saltwaterfish.com. They arrived 7 days ago, and were drip acclimated over 2-3 hours and placed into a 17 gal quarantine tank made up of water transferred from my main tank: parameters 1.023, PH 8.15, Temp 78, Ammonia Zero, Nitrates between 0 and 2.5. The quarantine tank (QT) is bare bottomed, has a few colored hard plastic cups for hiding, dark construction paper on three sides and the bottom, and has a hang on filter with ammonia absorbing pad. The new arrivals include a 3.5 inch Pearlscale Butterfly, a 3 inch Punctato Butterfly, a 2.5 inch (was expecting it to be between 3 and 4 inches) Pakistani Butterfly, a 3 inch thin Dragon Goby <I'd summarily move this animal and get it solid, high-protein food-feeding ASAP> and a 1 inch Skunk Cleaner Shrimp. The QT was treated with 500 mg Chloroquine diphosphate fully dissolved before fish placement. The QT is monitored for ammonia twice daily, and has registered .25 mg/l at 24 hours, .5 at 48 hours and .75 at 36 hours. The QT is treated with a dose of Prime (according to label to bind ammonia of .6mg/l at 24 hours and 45 hours and a double dose at about 30 hours. The fish are removed with as little extra water as possible (plastic clear container, no net) at under 36 hours and transferred to a new QT with the same parameters from main tank (new dose of Chloroquine and all). Filter, tanks and reusable objects in the tank are treated in dilute bleach, then rinsed, then soaked in prime treated water and dried before reuse. Overhead light only on for short time before, during and after feeding attempts for observation and feeding. This new QT tank rotation has been repeated three times so far. My thinking on this was to remove with a high degree of confidence any Velvet, White Ich or Black Ich present on the fish before entrance to main tank. (This was used successfully with a pair of Heniochus Butterflies a few months previously, one of which arrived with two white dots on its fins about 0.5 mm size, which disappeared from the fish between day 3 and 5 of QT and has not showed back up after transfer to main tank.) Do you see any weak link in this plan? Second question involves the fish themselves. The Pearlscale arrived with many black dots on its side, as of day 7 in QT3, they are all gone, and it appears to be very healthy -- has been eating everything I offer including Formula Two pellets. It is mildly pushy with the Punctato, but appears to ignore the Pakistani. The Dragon Goby, which arrived thin but with no lesions noted so far, has filled out with good feeding and is doing great also. The Pakistani arrived with one 0.6 mm white dot on its rear fin and pectoral fin and two fuzzy 1 mm white lesions on lower fin edge. As of day 7, only the white fin edge lesions remain. The Pakistani has not been eating. It ate 2 Mysis offered 20 hours or so after arrival, and 2 live brine shrimp offered day 6 in the a.m (in QT2). and 2-3 more offered that p.m. (in QT3) The Punctato arrived with no lesions, is swimming just fine, but has only eaten 1-2 Mysis offered on that first day. I have tried the following so far over the last 7 days: Mysis offered at least every other day, Formula Two pellets, fresh clam on the half shell, fresh mussel in shell (diced up), diced squid, a seafood medley of shrimp/whitefish/Nori/clam all slenderized and lastly live brine shrimp. The Pearlscale and Goby are in heaven and will eat everything offered, but the Pakistani and Punctato are fasting. I have tried a few drops of fresh squeezed garlic water and also Entice by Seachem. (I have been unable to find Selcon, which I see recommended on your site, anywhere locally). The Punctato goes crazy swimming rapidly around the tank with the Entice, but does not eat. Neither Pakistani nor Punctato have any mouth lesions that I can see. The Pakistani frequently goes and sits with its sides near the Cleaner Shrimp, did stare at the clam shell put in the tank, has rubbed its gill/side area intermittently on a few shells added on day 7 and its gill rate is more rapid than the other fish, but does not appear in distress. Unless I see anything else problematic, my plan is to move the Pearlscale, Dragon Goby and Cleaner Shrimp to the main tank at day 9 since they appear healthy and their presence may be affecting the two anorexic ones; and move the Pakistani and Punctato into a new 10 Gal QT treated with 250 mg Metronidazole and not move them to main tank till eating and well. Do you have any other feeding or treatment suggestions? <Mmm, just to move all along expeditiously... through this process and to your main system in a minimum of time... with live rock et al. there> Am I right to think that if they are not eating in the QT, they are unlikely to eat in the main tank? <Mmm, no... much more likely to commence feeding in the main display> Thanks for comments on my QT process and suggestions on feeding anorexic Butterfly fish. Joe <The non-feeding... due to collection, handling stress, isolation in small, bare settings is par for this course... Finish the quarantine and move them. B> H. acuminatus, sel. dis. 4/14/06 Hi Bob, <Joseph> I have a quick question on my 2 newly acquired H. acuminatus which I bought 2 weeks ago. I picked them up from my LFS as soon as they were delivered from a wholesaler. <Mmm, generally better to leave most all marines at a dealers a week or more... with deposit if you "must have them"...> They are about 3 inches in size and both looked healthy. They have been in quarantine since then and during that time I have noticed that one of them absolutely loves every food I give it: brine shrimp with Spirulina, sea veggies, flakes, tiny pieces of shrimp and squid, and Nori seaweed. This one has maintained a healthy weight. The other fish, however, will only eat the Nori seaweed and spits out everything else. I would like it to start eating some fleshy foods. I have noticed that this fish has slightly lost a bit of weight. Other than this both fish look healthy and very happy. My question is whether I should be concerned about this fish's eating habits ahead of it's release into the display tank next week? <Ummm, a tough one... w/o seeing the actual specimen. But I would very likely risk moving this/these "Heni's" in the hopes of furthering the ones appetite... and not worry re the small risk in disease transmission here> By the way, this is the first time I have used a quarantine tank and I now appreciate the benefits it gives to us in not only preventing disease, but allowing us to observe the new animals in a much more tightly controlled environment. <Ah, bingo!> It makes it so much easier to acclimate the fish to the water chemistry and especially to new foods, which would be a lot trickier in the display tank (i.e. size, competitors etc.). Thanks for the informative articles on this topic! Thanks in advance, Joe <Welcome Joe. Bob Fenner> Sudden butterfly death Dear Crew: <Hi Steve, PF with you today> Again, thanks for your ongoing guidance to aquarists everywhere. Your site is an invaluable treasure trove of experience and wisdom. <Why thank you, IMO the best thing about the internet is the exchange of information, and the ability to keep up to date on the latest findings in a hobby such as ours.> I was shocked and saddened to find my 5" Copper-banded Butterflyfish (Chelmon rostratus) lying dead on the bottom of tank this morning. He was acting fine and eating heartily last night! <Sorry to hear this.> I have and 80G FOWLR (with 3 cleaner shrimp, 3 medium-sized brittle stars and an assortment of snails) that has 120 pounds of LR and a 30G upstream refugium with Chaetomorpha, Ulva and some Caulerpa. Parameters: Daily checks: T=78, pH=8.2, ORP=380 (constant monitor), SG=1.025; Weekly checks (just done yesterday): Ammonia & nitrite zero; nitrate=10, phosphate=0.24, Ca=330, hardness=4 meq. I have heard of these fish slowly starving to death despite eating well. He was eating a good mix of foods: SFBB Marine Cuisine, Mysis, omega-3 brine shrimp, Emerald Entr?, squid & mussels. Also Hikari krill, Mysis & plankton. <Well, was his belly looking pinched? That would indicate malnutrition. These fish eat polyps (coral and anemone) in the wild, and whether or not the foods we feed them provide the right kinds of nutrients is debatable. I think this is why they do well in systems with heavy Aiptasia problems - they're getting the right kind of food.> I just don't understand why this outwardly healthy-appearing fish dropped dead. Any theories? <I don't know the age of your fish, given that these animals come from the wild, it's entirely possible he may have just died of old age.> I think I'll replace him with something with a reputation for greater durability. Any suggestions? <Well, if you're looking for another butterfly, try one of the long nose varieties, they're hardy, attractive fish. Read more starting here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/bstbfshi.htm> Current inhabitants are 1 ocellaris clown, 1 yellow-headed Jawfish, 1 dusky Jawfish, 1 Flame Angel, 1 Canary Wrasse (Halichoeres chrysus), 1 Red-Headed Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus solorensis) and 1 Royal Gramma. BTW, I will be connecting this tank to a 150-180G tank by Christmas. I plan to have larger, non-reef-safe fish in the big tank and a reef with reef-safe fish in this tank. There will also be a 55G refugium in the system. The water will circulate between the 3 tanks. <On second thought, I'd say just get a mate (by a small one, they'll work it out) for the clown, and go with that. That will keep your bioload down. I'd stay with that even after plumbing in the larger system (good luck with that btw, plumbing is always an adventure.> Thanks, Steve Allen <Have a nice weekend, PF>
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