Remove the Damsel or the corals?
Hello to all (and especially a warm greeting to Anthony, who has been so helpful in the past!),
<cheers my friend>
I have an 80g reef tank, with LR and 6 corals (1 Torch, 1 Bubble, 3 mushroom colonies, and Green Star polyps), 1 Hippo, 1 Coral Beauty, 1 Neon Damsel, and 2 Perculas, along with assorted shrimp and crabs.  I do 10g water changes weekly, and 20g once a month with IO.  Everything has been fine: coral growth is good, parameters have stayed in the green zone, fish are robust etc. EXCEPT today I have noticed that the CB and the Damsel have Popeye bilaterally...you really have to look hard to notice, not like the pictures of Popeye that I've seen on your website.  They are eating and swimming as usual.  The only behavior change I see is a slight jerkiness, very minute, very sporadic.  Resps aren't increased, nor are fins clamped, and I don't see any open areas on their bodies.  From what I've read so far, one eye is trauma, both eyes are infection.  
<agreed... more than one eye or more than one fish implies a pathogenic cause>
So, my question is, how in the world am I going to catch the Damsel to hospital-tank him?  
<the answer may surprise you... but it is fast and easy. Take a clean plastic garbage can or two, kill the power to the tank... and use a power head and tubing to pump the tank dry fast (minutes with any large powerhead). When the water gets down to just a few inches, you can catch any fish easily and gently without a stressful chase in the full tank. Always use two nets to catch fish... one to chase and one to sit waiting to catch. When the fish are caught... simply pump the tank full again. I have seen folks do this in 15 minutes or less for a tank your size. Less stress on you and the fish <G>>
(He secretly wishes to kill us, if he can figure out how to get out of the tank.)  Is it better to remove the corals and inverts to a hospital tank, and treat the main (the LR and 1" aragonite also) or would the medicine stay in the tank like copper and make it unsuitable to return the corals?  
<the fish must be removed... the meds would harm much in the system even without the corals>
To get the Damsel out I will have to break down the entire tank.
<not needed... draining the display will spare the need to move rock/sand>
Should I treat first with Epsom salts as the Popeye seems to be mild (so far!).  
<I suspect you will need a broad spectrum antibiotic from the start>
And last question:  I have recently started feeding a homemade food made of 3 shell-on shrimp and tilapia, ground up with Selcon and vit C, then frozen...could this be the source of the infection?  
<not likely at all... especially with frozen foods>
Bought from the grocery store, "previously frozen", no smell or slimy parts when I processed it, and frozen immediately.  I plan on a 20g water change today, though last change was Saturday.
<no worries>
Thanks for your time! Allison
<kind regards, Anthony>

-Blue Chromis massacre!-
Hi Again, I thank you for your time and web site, it helps me so much. I have a maintenance company in Bakersfield, Ca. In my home I have  a  80 gal, 40 gal and a 10 gal tank used as a holding tank for new fish for my customers. Three weeks ago I bought 10 blue Chromis and within one day all had died with red blotches on them and some with Popeye. <Ouch, was the system tested before fish addition and once the problem started?> So I started moving the rest of the fish away from them and treated the tanks with MelaFix, to no avail. Within  three days all fish were dead. since them I have done a 80 % water change, and put each tank on my LifeGuard mechanical system for about 45 minutes each, it also has a U.V. in it. <This won't accomplish much> I waited three more days and entered 3 two striped damsels, in each tank. day two the 10 gal tank as no fish left, the 40 as 1 fish left and the 80 as two fish left.. In each tank has little live rock in them and the tanks have cycled two month ago. <For them to still be cycled, they had to have a constant ammonia source (like fish) in there ever since the cycle. If there was no detectable ammonia or nitrite, the pH was fine, and there was no blatant horrible shipping stressor or other catastrophe, you got bad fish.> All levels were normal and still are. <Well, if this is the case, then the fish you bought were likely doomed from the get-go. Again, you may want to test your salinity, temp, pH, ammonia, nitrite and make sure that no possible contaminants could have entered the water.> what is one to do ? <Large water change, PolyFilter (in case of chemical contamination), and potentially letting it go fallow (no fish) for a month to eliminate the chance of reoccurring disease. I hope this helps! -Kevin>
Le Roy @ Advanced Aquascaping

- Blue/Green Chromis -
We recently restarted our 65 gallon tank (after some much needed repairs) and decided on 4 blue/green Chromis as our starter fish. All 4 were bought at the same time at the same store. Within a day, the smallest fish developed a red bruise like spot just in front of his tail. At first we thought it was a small bite but within hours it turned into what looked like some sort of internal rupture. We tested for water quality and everything looked good. He was next to dead the next morning so we scooped him out. We replaced him with another b/g Chromis and the next couple of weeks went along without incident until this past Tuesday the next smallest fish developed the same spot. We have been testing regularly and doing all the necessary water changes and everything is fine. <If you are cycling the tank with these fish, then you shouldn't be changing water until the nitrogen cycle is complete. Changing the water will only delay the completion of the cycle.> He lasted a couple of days but we scooped him out this morning. These fish show no other signs of distress and eat and swim around normally until the very end when they have increased respiration and go into 'hiding' mode. <Hopefully they have many places to hide, yes?> Any ideas as to what this may be? <Low man on the totem pole perhaps... live stock compromised before you got a hold of it... toxic water conditions... there are many possibilities.> We are reluctant to start thinking of buying any other fish until this can be resolved. <Considering that you are using these fish as 'starters' you've got to expect some attrition. Do keep an eye on ammonia and nitrite as these are toxic to the fish.>
Cathy
<Cheers, J -- >

- Is This Bad? -
I have a question regarding my three-striped Damsel who has been swimming vertical for the past 4 days. <Ok.> I think it has something to do with his air bladder. <I don't... fish do this sometimes, but as to the reason why there's just no telling.> Just recently the male and female Damsel had laid eggs and after that time the male Damsel has been swimming vertically. <Well... could explain a few things, but I don't think it's a swim bladder problem.> His gill covers look like they have shrunk. <Hmm...> He is eating okay but I am concerned that something may be wrong. <I'd keep up the observation a little while longer... doesn't sound like anything specific at the moment that you could do anything about, but it will pay to keep an eye out. Very neat about the spawning, though.> I also did a water change but nothing seems to be working. <Patience.> Do you have any suggestions? <Unless things take a rapid downward turn... fish stops eating, etc. I wouldn't be too concerned.> Thanks
<Cheers, J -- >

A Little Story About Jack and Lilly...
I'm new to the hobby and I'm just starting to get me feet wet.
<Ahh- easy solution to that one- make sure that the siphon hose is in the bucket and your feet will stay dry! (I couldn't resist that one!) Scott F. with you today>
I have a 55 gallon tank and finally got it started 14 days ago. I purchased two Damsel fish, (Jack and Lilly), in order to help with my Nitrogen cycle. Jack and Lilly have been living happily in their new home for the past 10 days. When I replaced the air driven gravel filter with two power heads, two days ago, Jack and Lilly have changed. Both fish are purple and refuse to leave the rock they call home. They just hang out by the lift tube and just sit on the gravel refusing to eat or swim. I have checked all levels of Ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates, pH, Salinity and several other water test in an attempt to find the culprit. All water tests were in acceptable range. My temperature did rise after the addition of the power heads from 76-78 to 78-80. Do you think they are spooked by the power heads after living with the air system?
<Well, in the absence of other possible causes of potential distress, such as illness, it may simply be that Jack and Lilly need to adjust to the greater current that the powerheads are putting out. One could speculate about more exotic stuff, like stray electrical current, excessive vibrations, and all kinds of stuff is possible! It could even be coincidental that the strange behavior started when the powerheads were installed.>
Do you have any advise to what I can do in order to help Jack and Lilly. I have grown very fond of the pair and enjoy having them as part of the family.
<I'm sure that Jack and Lilly will settle in just fine! I would simply keep an eye on the fish and be prepared to intervene should disease or other problems manifest themselves at a later time. Good luck! Regards, Scott F.>

Give me a damsel with Hair!
Hey guys, here's one that you may not have heard of before.  Somehow, a long
piece of my girlfriend's hair got into my tank and my Damsel swallowed it.
Now I have about four inches of blond hair hanging out of his mouth.  I have
no idea how much the damsel swallowed but I have been waiting for about
three days for it dissolve, pull out, or whatever.  Still no luck.  Do you
think I need to remove all the live rock, etc so I can catch the little
bugger and try and pull it out?  Or should I just let some more time pass?
I have no idea if a fish's digestive system will dissolve the hair or not so
any help is appreciated!
Craig
<Mmm, I would wait a few more days... hopefully the hair will break off by then. Bob Fenner>

Sick Chromis
I have a green Chromis that is having some trouble swimming/breathing. As per Scott F.'s advise I have moved him to a qt tank.  I now have some additional questions.  First of all since he is having trouble swimming should I leave the powerhead off to give him a break? or would the reduced flow rate be worse?
<I'd keep the powerhead on, maybe at reduced flow, to keep some circulation going in this tank. In fact, if the powerhead offers an aeration feature, I'd utilize it.>
He hasn't developed any white spots, but I wanted to
do something.  I went to the LFS, and got a pH so that I could match the pH for a freshwater + Methylene blue dip (I also bought the Methylene blue), but upon returning home I realized that I had bought another saltwater pH kit and therefore had no way to test the freshwater's pH. I felt stupid, but wanted to do something so I did a saltwater + Methylene blue dip. I know this won't be as effective as freshwater + Methylene blue, but it's better than nothing, right?
<Sure- the antibacterial properties of Methylene blue will still work in saltwater.>
After the dip (which went well at 15 min.s with no signs of stress, for him or me; not bad for my first dip) I could see tiny particles laying on the bottom of the bucket.  Could these possibly be the parasites that have infested my little buddy? Or
would they be too small to see with the naked eye?
<Well, hard to say...If it is Cryptocaryon, it's unlikely that you'd see the actual parasites...but you never know. The material could have been body slime or mucus, or some type of precipitate. But you never know!>
Oh, also the LFS was out of copper and doesn't sell copper tests, I was informed by the owner that he doesn't believe in testing (too bad he's the only one reasonably close to me)
<YIKES!! With "friends" like this...yuck...>
So, I am looking online, could you recommend a good test kit
brand? Also are there better brands of copper? Or is copper just copper?
<I like Cupramine by Sea Chem, and CopperSafe by Mardel. Both are good quality, IMO. As far as a test kit for copper, most of the ones that I have seen on the market are pretty good, IMO. Now- I like copper, but I wouldn't rush to use it unless you are certain that you're dealing with a parasitic infection. Some fishes do not do well with copper, such as pygmy angelfishes. Anyways- with your fish- be sure to keep up good water quality during his quarantine, supply high quality food, and observe closely. With time, and a little TLC, this guy can make it! Good luck! Regards, Scott F>>
Thank you for your time
-Luke

Chromis Lost His Zip?
I just noticed that one of my green Chromis seems to be stuck on the bottom of the tank.  He is tucked away in the back corner of the tank swimming feverishly, but is barely staying off of the bottom. His breathing is also labored.  I tried chasing him around with a net to see if he could swim, but he couldn't seem to stay suspended at all. His color has paled, and I don't know what to do. Luke
<Well, Luke- the fact that the fish is having difficulty breathing and swimming is definitely a sign that something may be wrong. I would highly recommend removing this fish to a separate aquarium for observation and possible treatment. Look for outward signs of infections, such as excess body mucus, whitish film or spots (I'm thinking about Amyloodinium or Cryptocaryon here). If he does show signs of either of these illnesses, it is necessary to take quick action to save this fish's life! You could try some freshwater dips initially, and then utilize a commercial copper sulphate treatment if you are indeed dealing with either one of these diseases. Do read up on the disease FAQs on the wetwebmedia.com site for more information on these illnesses. You can help this little guy with quick, decisive action! Good luck! Scott F>

Damsels In Distress?
I have some blue damselfish with yellow tails.  Sometimes they get faded spots on their sides?  Is this a sign something is wrong, or is this normal?  Thanks for the input.
Ondrej Havrda
<Well, Ondrej- it's hard to say from here. If the fish are experiencing these spots continuously, without other symptoms, it could be some minor external abrasions or something. On the other hand, you could be observing some type of fungal infection, or maybe even the onset of something more serious. I'd take a look in the disease FAQs on the Wetwebmedia.com site to see if any of the diseases described fit the description of what you're looking at. Good luck! Regards, Scott F>

Re: sick Chromis
thanks once again for your help.  i had 3 green Chromis in my qt, and all was fine for over a week.  then one day i noticed one wasn't
schooling or eating and breathing rapidly in the corner.  then next day it was dead.
<Sounds like Amyloodinium. AKA velvet>
the other 2 were ok for a day more.  then the same thing
happened to another one.  now its been 3 days since the 2nd died and the last one seems to be fine.  eating a lot and swimming fine.  no white dots or fuzzy stuff
<Definitely velvet>
and no visible isopods, the fish looked perfectly
normal,  just rapid breathing and sitting in the corner.  i dissected the 2nd one and didn't see anything that looked like a parasite (with my crappy magnifying glass). any idea what this is?  
<Definitely and obviously (from your description), velvet>
could it have been something they had or did my qt tank have something?  i have a bi-color blenny that lives there full time and he seems fine through the whole event.
<He's a really tough critter>
or could they have had something all along that just got the
best of them after a few weeks.  they were eating and very social for the 1st week.  my water parameters in qt check out fine too.  if you do have an idea what it is, can you recommend a dip / medication?  my thoughts were flukes, but since the 3rd seems ok, i didn't know how contagious they were? thanks again, Neil
<This is just as contagious as ich. Please sterilize your tank before adding more fish. Check our disease files at Wetwebmedia.com There is detailed information about treating this and other diseases. David Dowless>
<P.S. I'm a former North Carolinian from Fayetteville! UNCP graduate!>
Neil A. Jacobs
Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
North Carolina State University

Damsel Scale
Hello,
<Hi!>
I should have known better, but when I brought my Chrysiptera cyanea (blue damsel) home from the local fish store, it had a brown spot on it's side.
<Never buy fish that acts or look strange>
I was too excited about the purchase of this quick swimming fish to notice it.  The parasite is a brownish gray, and about the size of the entire scale it has invaded.  I can see the fish's side is not smooth at the point of infestation, unlike the other side.  He is the only fish in my 10 gallon reef tank, I did buy a cleaner shrimp to help, but the damsel was just too fast a swimmer to allow the shrimp to help.
<Are you sure this isn't simply a damaged or dying scale?>
Now the shrimp has died (from something stupid I did) and the damsel still has the problem.  Do damsels ever allow cleaners to help?  
<Their choice. Nothing you can do to help or hurt>
Will the parasite slough off or will it spread?
<I'm not convinced that it's a parasite. The scale may simply fall off. I've seen this happen several times in my own tanks>
Do you recommend freshwater dips?
<Not at this point but you can if you feel it's warranted. Can you send a picture of the fish/scale?>
Maybe I should take a tweezers to my dear pet.
<Really? Egads!>
Any suggestion would be appreciated.
<From now on, use a quarantine tank. I would keep the water quality high and stable and watch the progression or regression of this spot. Don't freak out! Based on your description, I don't think this will be a major problem. David Dowless>
Pete

Damaged damsel
Hi, I have a question regarding my striped damsel. I have been doing research and I can't find out what's wrong with it. It has like a tissue or something coming out of its gill it almost looks like its lung but its to hard to tell. I can't give it any medication because I don't know what's wrong with it. So to summarize what I see is just a red tissue like thing coming out of one of its gills. Please help me this has been goin on for a while and I want to help it.   Thanks, Eric  
<Sounds like some part of the fish's gill protruding beyond its operculum (gill cover) or damage to the cover, showing the gill underneath. No need, use for medication. Keep up your husbandry and hopefully the fish will stay alive, re-grow the damaged part/s. Bob Fenner>

Damsels In Distress!
Hi!
<Good evening! Scott F. here tonight!>
I had setup a salt tank about 6 month's ago...They said to start with damsels....And I did....Then I added a few fish (some more damsels) there shortly after & some inverts (4 peppermint shrimp, 5 red legged hermits & 2 emerald crabs) I noticed on the domino damsels in the morning they would be covered with white dots and then after a few hours in the morning would pass these white dots would disappear....then it started happening to all the fish a couple at a time.....Then all of a sudden the dots (salt like specks) didn't fall off & within a short time all my fish started dying off a couple at a time...Before  they had started dying I called the place I bought them & they told me when they sleep at night some times salt particles will lay on them & after moving a bit they fall off.
<After the aliens that snatched them off in the middle of the night for experiments returned them to your tank, no doubt>
......Of course I believed them.....Until they started to die.....I still had my inverts....Month's have now passed all water readings are right on the money.....So, I went out & bought a few more damsels to start again & here it is 4 days later & now it is starting all over again....The domino damsels have a lot of white spots in the morning & gone a few hours later.....Please help I can't handle going thru the lose of any more fish...Why is this happening? They are not rubbing up against anything or showing signs of distress....Please help me before I lose these fish...Kim
<Well, Kim- it sounds to me to be ich. Yes, with an ich outbreak the fishes will often exhibit some type of "scratching" behavior...but not always. If ich is the culprit (and I'll bet that it is), what you need to do is work on breaking the life cycle of the parasite. I'd catch all of the fishes (a bummer, I know) and put them into a "hospital" tank for observation and treatment (with a commercial copper sulphate-based medication). Meanwhile, you should let the tank run without fishes for about a month, which will help dramatically reduce the population of parasites in your tank, as many will die for lack of a host in the absence of the fishes. Keep performing routine maintenance on the tank (i.e; water changes, filter cleaning, etc) during this "fallow" period. At the end of the 30 day "fallow" period, you can return your now healthy fishes to a tank that has a much lower parasite count. Remember, in the future, you really should quarantine all new arrivals a minimum of 3 weeks. This will really help prevent the introduction of disease into your system. Do read up on the wetwebmedia.com site about ich treatment and quarantine for more information. You'll be fine- just learn from the experience and hang in there! Good luck! Regards, Scott F>

Fish Disease
Hello to You:
<Greetings to you!>
I have attached 2 photos of my male Blue Devil Damsel (is that right?).  
<I'm going out on a limb and saying that I think it's a female Chrysiptera cyanea (blue devil>
He has some stuff on the base of the fin, and now on the edge of the same fin. He seems to be using that fin less than the "healthy" one kind of swimming in circles - HAHA - just kidding.
<The two items mentioned above are what's concerning me. If he isn't using the fin something is wrong. Ich (Cryptocaryon) is spots that look like salt. Not likely in this case. Marine velvet (Amyloodinium) looks more like tufts of cotton or a covering of cotton. IMO this is what I think I see on your fish. I can't be positive from this distance. If she's been scratching or glancing against objects, this will give a clue that it may be a parasite>
I needed a little laugh in this time of grief, as this is my first illness, and maybe death,
<She isn't dead yet!>
in these early months of the hobby. Any identification?  
<I don't get too freaked out about small places on fins because they can have accidents from time to time that will make the fins have small places that become less than translucent. These places sometimes come from other fish taking a bite or normal damage while swimming around the tank. Having written this, frequently fins are the first place that parasites will attach and become visible: especially ich>
I just moved him to QT: of course I have a couple of crabs & snails in QT at the moment.  
<If he is infected, you are increasing the chances that the snails and crabs (while immune to the effects of ich or velvet) can be carriers of a disease>
That limits treatment, right?
<No copper with snails and crabs>
I appreciate your help more than any LFS, because you don't take my money (CMA notwithstanding, but that was a steal anyway!) Thanks, Rich.
<Check your CMA book for directions on giving treatments for Amyloodinium. Then check the website for the same. At least do a freshwater bath with formalin or Methylene blue (see CMA or WWM for directions) and possibly start a copper treatment. If you do copper you won't be able to put invertebrates in the QT any longer. Read and decide for yourself what will work best. Good luck! David Dowless>

Damsel Emergency - Please help
Hi, My tank has been cycled for about 2 weeks - in it is the Fiji devil damsel that cycled it and a clownfish - everything has been fine - I was just looking at them and one of the damsels eyes looks like it is popping out of it's head! 
<Its called exopthalmia or "Popeye"... usually not a big deal. Occurs most often from blunt force (bump/startle into rocks or glass).>
It is sticking out very far from it's head - he is acting normal but I don't know what to do - it doesn't seem to bother him at all and he is swimming around like he usually does! 
<yep... no worries yet. But please know that you need a quarantine tank for future fishes so that such issues can be addressed. And all new fishes run through QT first. Read more about setting up a QT tank here on WetWebMedia. Also, do a keyword search on our site to find articles and FAQs on "Popeye". In the meantime, you may try Epsom Salt (from the pharmacy)... add one tablespoon per five gallons and then add a half dose on the third day. If you do not see stabilization or improvement in 3-5 days please treat the fish in a QT tank only with antibiotics>
PLEASE HELP!!! Jacob
<best regards, Anthony>

Re: Marine Ick (on damsels...)
I thought territoriality was only an issue with damsels of the same species?
<Not so. Some species more than others re between or within group aggression... but territoriality is established amongst all species with such a small volume>
Also, this evening all of the fish have skin and fins clear of spots. What
is going on here? 
<Spontaneous recovery... or more likely cycling of parasite life stages...>
I know I'm not crazy because someone visiting remarked on the spots this morning :) Any ideas?
<Lots. Read where you referred to... promptly. Bob Fenner>

Yellow Tailed Damsels
Dear Bob, 
How are you this afternoon?? Great I hope. I would to thank you on your detailed book. 
<Fine, and thank you>
It was an interesting book, and I use it a lot to reference for asking questions. This is my first Saltwater Tank, and hope to get great results. I have a 65 G with a UGF, an Emperor 280 Power Filter, and two Rio 600 pumps. I have added some Bacterial starter Packets (4 days ago, Monday), and I added 3 Yellow Tailed Damsels on Weds. afternoon. Well, 1 died, I believe according to your book, to internal bladder disease. 
<Or just general stress and trauma... It's hard being a small young fish captured in the wild, and whisked about in strange, dangerous settings... traveling the world, placed in small volumes with odd tankmates...>
The fish kept to the bottom, then last night I saw him swim sideways to the top for air, as if he was suffocating. He appeared to stress the other two out, so I pulled him out and he passed away. I have heard that it is best to put Damsels in odd numbers, so as they have an pecking order, and keep to themselves rather than bother other fish, and that Odd numbers are best.
<Yes, in general>
My question is, should I replace him with another Yellow Tail quickly, or should I let the tank finish its cycle and go on with my planned outline of fish to put in, in chronological order: 
3 Yellow Tailed Damsels (? 2 Now or still add the third) 
1 Maroon Clown 
1 Flame Hawk 
1 Midnight Pygmy Angel 
1 Yellow Tang 
or could I let the tank finish the cycle, then add the third damsel along with my Maroon at the same time. What other recommendations could you give..... 
Thank You very much, Junior 
<I would definitely just wait in your case, and likely leave the number of damsels as it is (two in a four foot long tank should be able to set up opposing territories, leave each other be... Do read over the enlarged selection pieces, FAQs and organism survey works posted on my site: www.wetwebmedia.com for much more on what with, how you might proceed. Bob Fenner>

Damsel Death
Bob, 
I am cycling my 72 gallon tank. It has been about a month and I finally got 
my ammonia to hit zero about 3 days ago. The nitrite level has been slow to rise, and has been at .4 for the past 4 days.
I started with 12 damsels, which I now realize may have been too many, as of this morning I am down to 4. This seems such a waste of marine life, and as I have educated myself on this further I would not use live fish to cycle another tank.
Do you see this type of damsel loss a lot? It seems like 75% loss is too 
high. Should I be concerned something else is wrong? The only abnormality I have noticed in a few of the Humbug Damsels was a 2"-3" string like substance  hanging from them. My dealer told me it was a fungus and not to worry about  it. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
I have attached my spreadsheet re: my cycle (didn't know if it would help). PH has been a consistent 8.0-8.1.
<< Do see this sort of Damsel mortality... though highly variable... probably a Gaussian distribution with a strong slanted peak toward 100% losses...
And all unnecessary... folks can use live rock, sand... even microbial cultures and exogenous sources of ammonia... to start their tanks off.... I generally utilize old filter material, substrate, "sludge" from existing systems to get wholesale to individual systems cycling... Live and learn. Bob Fenner>>

Damsel in distress
Good morning/evening crew,
<It is the morning here/now.>
I have a small (15 gallon) marine tank with live rock and two Chromis viridis. Water is good with 0 nitrite, ammonia and 10 to 20 ppm nitrate. pH tends to hang around 8.2 and temperature is 26 degrees C and stable. I am running a fairly weak trickle filter but using a 400 gph into a 100 gph power head to keep strong circulation. My problem is that one of the Damsels has it's tail largely "eaten" away. This happened about a month after introduction and has not got any better, and not got any worse. It has been this way for about eight weeks. The other fish is fine and appears healthy. Both eat like mad but do spend most of the day hiding.
<Typical>
I cannot see the other one nipping or see any other apparent cause for this fin rot. Any clues?
<Most likely a previous infection ate away the tissue beyond the point of return. It the tail is destroyed to the base (either by infection or attack) it is unlikely to ever fully heal. Do keep an eye on it, but if it has been eight weeks, it is not likely to get worse or better.>
Best regards, Michael Peters
<Have a nice day! -Steven Pro>

(Dead Damsels Question)
Hello, I just lost 3 Damsel fish. Please help, I cannot understand why. I have a 46 gallon, fish only saltwater tank. I have had it set up and running for about 5 days. I added Fritzyme Turbo Start 900 as directed, and 5 damsels. When I woke up this morning 3 were dead. Below are my results from my tests. 
PH- 8.0
NH- 0.25 Ammonia
NO2- 0.1 Nitrate
NO3- 2.5 Nitrate 
Specific Gravity- 1.022
Temp- 79 F
Using a CPR BakPak Bio Filter/Skimmer, Fluval 304, and a powerhead. 
Please help!!! Thanks, I hope to hear from you soon! Cory 
<< Likely the actual "bacterial" adjunct was to blame in large... I would stop using it, not add other livestock/stop feeding till the ammonia, nitrite went to zero... and next time utilize other techniques for instigating cycling, posted at: Home Page. Bob Fenner>>

Chromis viridis - blindness
Hi Bob,
Thank you for your prompt and informative reply. I will take your advice and
begin adding vitamin/iodide supplements to their food starting tomorrow. 
<Many folks have been astounded at the positive results of such application...>
I have recently altered how I feed them, so I imagine that the cause is indeed
due to a nutritional deficiency. This is unfortunate, and certainly unintentional, as I was following someone else's advice to wean them down from the 3-5 feedings per day to only a single feeding. Their argument, which still makes perfect sense to me, was that because the Chromis are in a reef tank which has a very healthy population of copepods/amphipods that they should be able to find quite enough to eat. Perhaps I was trying to wean them too quickly?
<Very possible. Many fishes are apparently much larger "creatures of habit" than folks presume.>
Again, thank you for your assistance! You'll be the proverbial "first-to-know" if the treatment works.
<Life to you my friend. Bob Fenner>
Best, Steve

Dying Dominos
Hi guys, hope this email find all of you well! Here is my question today: I've had 3 Dominos for a year. They are turning white and 2 of them have suddenly died. What happened? Thanks for your time.
<the paling color is not symptomatic of a given condition or pathogen... just stress. Were there any other symptoms? Rapid gilling, erratic swimming, scratching or glancing, etc? Do look through WWM disease archives and FAQ's for illumination, please>
Pamela Mary
<kindly, Anthony>