Mobile Bay Reef Keepers

I got a percula clown from Rich the other day and today it looks like it has a pale white skin around it. What would cause this and how to I fix it?

Looks like marine velvet to me. check this out.

http://www.petsforum.com/personal/trevo ... eases.html

Fresh water dip seamed to clean it off completely, he is in my refugium right now until I get my health tank up to par. Last week end I got a 10 gal tank, about 30 or so pounds of sand and a couple of pieces of live rock (more like base rock No coralline). To make this into a health tank do I need to remove all of this or will it be ok in a health tank.

A QT/hospital tank should have nothing in it except for a few pieces of PVC or something for the fish to hide around. The reason for this is, if you ever have to medicate, then everything in the tank will be contaminated and no longer usefull.

Excellent tip wtrhead.

So really all I have to have is 5 gal bucket and a power head or air stone. Would that work?

No. 5gl is too small. Plus you wouldn't be able to see how the fish was progressing. A 10-20gl tank is perfect. Just make sure their is some type of oxygenation going on somewhere. I don't think putting an airstone directly in the tank is a good idea either, it stresses the fish IMO. A REALLY cheap skimmer is your best bet. Also if you do setup a QT/hospital tank, I would run it at a much lower SG than your main tank. IMO, everyone NEEDS a quarantine tank!!! You will learn this when you have a happy tank full of healthy fish, then you add the new guy only to wake up the next morning to find everyone sick. TRUST ME. I recently lost several fish that I have had for more than two years due to an unquarantined wrasse. I will not make that mistake again. Just because a new fish looks healthy doesn't mean he is. I think internal parasites got me. You do not have to keep it up all the time either. Use it when you need to, then take it down and store it. This way you have to wash it each time it is used and that keeps cross contamination out of the picture.

Amen brother! You nailed it wtrhed.

The three most important things you can ever do to achieve success are:

1. quarantine
2. quarantine
3. quarantine

And not only that, you should keep all new fish in a separate tank for observation and/or medication for 4-6 weeks to make sure they are healthy and eating before adding them to your show tank.

"And not only that, you should keep all new fish in a separate tank for observation and/or medication for 4-6 weeks to make sure they are healthy and eating before adding them to your show tank".


EXACTLY my point! Just because they look healthy, even for a week, doesn't mean their isn't something internal going on.

Ok so we find out it is parasites, we put him in a tank with pvc, now I am talking a 7" orange tank, whats the next step I or anyone needs to do? Is there something to read on this situation? I feel like such a bad momma.

Not a bad momma, just happens sometimes. I think you meant an orange tang rite?? Don't jump the gun, get a plan of action first!!!!!!! Does he have ich? Hate to say it but, If so you are in for trouble. The sooner you get him out the better! First thing is you DO NOT want to stress him. Their slime coat is their first and best defense. The more stress,the less slime he will have. If it is ich, then you need to prepare everything i.e.
1) get the hospital tank ready, same SG,temp,pH,alk as main tank
2) get a container that is big enough to hold him, fill with RO water that is of the same pH and temp as main tank
3) dip him in the fresh water for 5-10min WATCH him carefully. If he starts stressing really bad, take him out sooner.
4) Place him in the hospital tank and over the course of a day or two start lowering the SG to around 1.015-1.017 keeping an eye on the water params
5) See how this does for about a week, if it gets worse soon after he is hospitalized then you need to medicate. Copper will be your best bet.

Ok I have my 10 gal tank cleaned out. In it is the water a heater hang on filter pvc pipes in the bottom now what should I do. I am about to put the perc. in the tank, tomorrow (or I should say later today) I will probably need to treat the fish how do I go about doing that. On the web site you gave me Eddie it said to use copper. How do I go about treating the fish. Oh after I put the perc in my refugium I noticed he started to get a black spot on its head. I don't know what that is.

Andy, read my above post if you haven't already. Their will be directions on the bottle of copper. I have always used Coppersafe with good results.I think it is something like 1 teaspoon per 4 gallons of water. DO NOT over medicate. I have never had the problem you are having but I'm sure copper can probably knock it out. Alot of people swear by formalin, I have never used it though. Might be something you could investigate?? We can probably pick some up tomorrow when we go to Pensacola

quarintine is great if you don't have a 200++ gallon tank that you can't catch fish in. We've lost a few fish recently, and there's NOTHING you can do, there's no way to catch 'em in a 8' long tank.

Quarantine is the term I use for new fish, hospital is the word I use for sick guys. Every fish can and should be QT, but your rite, it is very hard to catch a sick fish.