[leebca]

I hope everyone will feel comfortable posting in this Forum. You don't have to have a diseased or sick fish to post here. Any marine ornamental fish question, comment or discussion is welcomed.

If you're having a problem with a fish and you don't have a diagnosis, try to post a photo of the fish. Or if the symptoms are behavioral, tell as much as you can.

If you have a diagnosis then just post your question about the condition or any question you might have about the treatment.

If you just want to post a question, comment or observation about marine fish, their care, attitude, health, etc., then do it. It's great to chat about your fish!

Below are a few lists for those who are more structured, or for those wishing to find out just what kind of information to supply.

IF THE FISH IS AT YOUR LFS (or) YOU HAVEN’T ACQUIRED THE FISH YET
We need to know:
What kind of fish? How big?
How long has the LFS had it?
Is it eating? What is it eating?
What is its condition? Describe all symptoms and pay attention to whether or not the fish is or has: flashing (scratching), breathing hard/fast, color fading, strange behavior, fin condition, spots, visual signs, anything you can see).

IF THE FISH IS IN YOUR QUARANTINE TANK
(First, congrats on using this procedure!)
What kind of fish is it? How big?
How long have you had this fish?
Did you treat the fish for anything when you first got it, like a freshwater dip before putting into your tank?
What is the tank size (volume and dimensions)
Is the fish eating? If so, what? How often?
What is its condition (see above for examples)
Water quality (at least ammonia, nitrite, pH, specific gravity, temperature, and any other test result you have)

IF THE FISH IS IN YOUR DISPLAY TANK (or) OWNED BY SOMEONE ELSE
You need to give information on all the above questions as if the fish were in your QT. In addition, we need to know:
Water volume of system (including tank, sump, refugium, etc.)
Other fishes, and all the marine livestock in the tank
When did the tank originally cycle?
Do you have live rock (LR)? How many pounds?
Do you have substrate? What kind? How deep?
Do you use any chemical filtration (like carbon, resins, or absorbents)?
Do you use: skimmer, UV, or ozone?
Do you use fat and vitamin supplements in the food? Do you put trace elements into the water?
What is your source water? (like is it DI, RO, RO/DI, distilled, sea water, tap water, etc.)
List what you added or taken out of your aquarium system (living, decorations, and equipment) during the past 6 weeks.
Maintenance schedule (water changes, etc.). What have you done lately?
Lastly:
Do you see any of the following in your system: hair algae; micro algae; cyanobacteria growths (red slime algae); dinoflagellate (zooxanthellae) growths; brown algae; diatom growth; slimes; off-colored patches on rock or substrate that are not coralline; etc.?

Don't hold back the information! Tell any detail you can think of. Don't forget to tell us about any recent problem, fish deaths, fish illnesses, etc. you've had.

Post often for any question you have about fish care, health, and diseases, OR just if you want to 'talk' about your fish, their attitudes, antics, etc.!

THANKS !