Need some expert help....

[rbu1]

OK well I was tired of ich effecting my main tank so I removed all my livestock from my 300 gallon tank and purchased a 125 to use as a hospital tank. My main tank has been fish free inverts only for about 4 weeks now. I plan to leave my my tank fishless till Dec. I want to make sure the ich is gone....OK now to my problem.

I placed my livestock, yellow tang, purple tang, gold flake angel, achilles tang, 2 clowns and a cleaner wrasse and placed them in the 125 bare bottom tank with PVC pipes for hiding. For filtration I have a W/D filter and a hang on filter with bio wheels. The tank was set up fresh so I used biospira and Nutramax to help with the biological piece of the filtration. The day after adding Seacure copper to the tank my Purple tang, Yellow tang and gold flake were all dead. I tested because I thought the copper level was to high but I think I was in the .15 range, right at the lowest it can be for treatment range. The achilles, clowns and cleaner wrasse all made it thru the 16 day treatment period and were looking good. So I began to run carbon and cuprisorb to get the copper out. Well after the copper was removed guess what the ich came back on the achilles.

Here is were I am at today......I added another dose of Seacure copper 3 days ago and this time I think I have the level at .20 a little higher to hopefully kill the ich this time. The clowns and cleaner wrasse seem fine but I added a kole tang figuring I could get him thru the treatment but he was dead last night. Now today my achilles is just laying on his side still breathing but on his side. I tested ammonia at 0 nitrites at 0 and I tested my copper with 3 different kits and feel confident it was reading .20. In an attempt to save my achilles I started running carbon to hopefully help him. The only thing I can think is for some reason the achilles does not like the copper treatment. I would assume that if the copper level was too high the wrasse and clowns would be effected the same or worse than the achilles.

If the achilles makes it thru I will continue to run carbon to make sure all the copper is out then I will give cupramine a shot.....

ANY THOUGHTS????? HELP my Achilles.....

[berkdog]

Wow, so sorry to hear of the losses

Salinity stable as well?

[rbu1]

Wow, so sorry to hear of the losses

Salinity stable as well?

Thanks and yes 1.025....I am afriad to go downstairs the achilles was still laying down last night before I went to bed.....

[leebca]

A sad and unfortunate group of losses. Sorry to hear of this.

First thing that comes to mind is poisoning. Although the copper is a poison, when controlled properly, it should not have such an effect. So, I begin there:

A new tank with a lot of bioload is not likely to have an active biological filter to handle the load. Were test performed using test kits for measuring and monitoring ammonia, and nitrite? Those additives you mention do little to nothing, other than make your wallet lighter. You can't rush Nature. Those 'active' bacteria aren't active when they aren't being fed continuously. It still takes those cultures days to weeks to gear up.

The next source of poison would be the copper. I don't know the copper medication you're using and could only recommend one -- Cupramine. Next is the way it is being measured by test kit. Are you using the exact test kit recommended by the medication manufacturer? How do you know you are? If you aren't, then who knows how much copper is in there?

The last source of poison is water quality, strange chemicals being added (I think you have done this already up to a point) or some source of poisons that may be a bit harder to detect.

Regarding the return of the Marine Ich. . .IF your diagnosis is correct, then use Cupramine and the Salifert Copper Test Kit and do it again AFTER securing/eliminating all sources of poisons.

Hope things improve for you and the fishes. Despite the unfortunate set of circumstances, you have to be commended on doing the right thing -- curing the fish of this disease and getting it out of your display system.

[berkdog]

Good luck and keep us posted!