Tank thriving. Fish Dying!!!!!

[jtaylor1101]

I started a new reef tank about three months ago. It's a 75 gallon acrylic tank with a 20 gallon some and refugium. I had some existing dry rock and sand that I washed thoroughly and put in a 30 gallon tank with some bio Spira and some live rock to cycle for about a month while I was getting my DT together. I then added the contents of that tank which was about 70 pounds of live rock and 3 to 4 inches of sand to the DT with new saltwater to top off the system. I love the new tank cycle again with bio Spira and a piece of dead shrimp for another two weeks. Checking the levels three times a week I never showed any ammonia nitrite and less then 10 ppm of nitrate. Assuming the tank had cycled completely I slowly added fish and a few coral frags.

I added about seven tiny chromous and a piece of green star polyps and a few Zoas. Over the next couple weeks I slowly added some CUC and a peppermint shrimp and a cleaner shrimp. I also began monitoring the calcium and alkalinity and magnesium levels and purchased a refractometer and a Hana phosphate checker. At that point every single level I tested was perfect and nitrate never went above 30 ppm.

I began losing a chromous every few days which the guy at my LFS told me would probably happen so I didn't think much of it. For the next few weeks I slowly added a view more fish no more than one a week with the exception of two clown fish one week. Between my remaining three or four chromous I hadA bout 10 small fish. Looking back it seems like a lot but I was testing my levels at least twice a week and did three water changes even though my phosphate never got above . 05 ppm and nitrate above 30 ppm. I had two clown fish,two scooter Dragonettes, A yellow tang, and a flame Angel. In vertebrae is were about 10 hermit crabs a coral banded shrimp, a cleaner shrimp, a peppermint shrimp,about five snails, a large green crab (can't remember the type) I also added some coral frag's. A large 6 inch ZOa colony, a frog Spohn, assorted Zoas,some GS P. And a few other plug size.

Here's where it gets interesting. I have been diligently monitoring the levels and like I said they have always been close to perfect with pH around 7.9-8.1. My magnesium began to drop to about 8000 ppm so I started slowly adding Seachem magnesium supplement to raise it about 50–100 ppm per evening every other day. After about a week I did a 20 gallon water change and started dozing Kalk Wasser in my ATO at The lowest recommended amount by Kent marine again I don't have the exact measurement in front of me. The following morning I woke up and the tang flame Angel and one of the scooters were Dead. I am immediately checked all the levels when I got home and they were all again perfect and the nitrate and phosphate were virtually undetectable. No ammonia either with two different tests and a trip to the local LFS. Over the last couple weeks I have lost all the chromous and both clown fish. I added one clown fish from a separate friends tank. The clown and my remaining scooter seem to be doing fine. I waited about two weeks and added a Anthis fish. Almost immediately he started swimming like he's disoriented and after a few days looks like he's not doing well at all.

Every thing else in my tank is thriving and alive. Even a BTA which from my understanding requires pretty good water quality. I have talked to three local LFS and no one can seem to tell me why everything in my tank lives and fish almost immediately die. I bought a oxygen test and it is also spot on I believe it's about a seven.

I have tried everything I can think of does anybody have any suggestions on what I could try next or what could possibly be killing the fish. They seem to be eating fine one minute and dead the next. No signs of ich either. Salinity always between 1.03 and 1.05. And temp between 78-81. I seriously have babied this tank since I set it up and I'm losing every fish I put in it.



PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[billdogg]

Some of the numbers you have posted make no sense at all.

A VERY high Magnesium level would be 1500ppm. You state that yours is 8000ppm and you are adding more. Did you mean 800ppm? In reality, your water changes should be easily able to keep up with all your levels at this point. You shouldn't have to dose a thing for quite awhile.

At the end of your post, you say that your salinity measures between 1.03 and 1.05. It should not be more than 1.026, so once again, your stated level is much too high.

As for your stocking choices - Chromis do best in odd numbers. (at least IME) They are known for picking off the weakest member first, and then moving up the line until (often) just one is left. Scooter Dragonettes require the same feeding regimen as Mandarins. A very well established tank with more than enough copepods and a way to replenish them as they are eaten. A 3 month old tank is not that. Anthias can be difficult to keep, and depending on the type, may very well require multiple small feeding every day. If the clowns were not a mated pair, there is a good possibility that they beat each other and/or the chromis up. Flame Angels are known to be poor shippers and can be very difficult to get to feed. They sometimes just die for no apparent reason. It took me a couple tries before I got one that has thrived in my system. The anemone shouldn't be in your tank for at least 6 months or a year, and then only with the proper lighting and excellent (and stable) water conditions.

None of this was intended as a bashing. Please don't take it that way. I think your LFS is giving you some less than stellar advice. (not an uncommon problem, especially for newcomers to the hobby) Read here on RC ALL of the stickies in the New to the Hobby forum, and I would also suggest reading all that you can find on www.wetwebmedia.com

Ask questions! We are all happy to help, and want you to succeed.

[Jables]

I have one suggestion for right now, stop adding fish! Slow down and research a quarantine tank, sounds like you have a some type of disease or parasite. But I'm sure others with more experience will chime in. Are you missing a 2 in your salinity level or is actually 1.03?

[CuzzA]

Sorry for your frustrations jtaylor, but your tank is not thriving. At this point it's pretty clear your system cannot support life.

My guess is your parameters aren't perfect, based on what you have posted. You're moving way to fast and it's costing you money and the fishes lives. Which is not sustainable. Furthermore, it sounds as though you're not qting new additions. I think it's time to stop what you're doing, slow down and start doing more research on the marine environment. Particularly seawater chemistry and what certain creatures need. The complete nitrogen cycle and how to manage it in a closed system. Finally, disease prevention, identification and treatment. Also, do some research on properly acclimating new additions.

Patience and research will go along way and are essential to having any kind of success in this hobby.

[dkeller_nc]

Other than the above advice (which is good, btw), I'd encourage you to read up on quarantining your fish purchases, and post your intended fish purchases in the sticky at the top of the forum before you buy them from the LFS.

There are lots and lots of fish to choose from that are beautiful, easy to keep and suitable for a beginner. But this isn't always the entirety of the selection at the LFS, and it's much better for a beginner to go fish shopping "forewarned is forearmed".

One place to get an idea for suitable beginner fish species is Live Aquaria's Marine Fish for Beginner's page here (http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/aquarium-fish-supplies.cfm?c=15+1926). Keep in mind that not all of the listed fish are compatible with a reef tank, nor are all of the listed fish compatible together.

[Jim.mer]

Gotta agree with everybody, I read in your post that you were topping off with Saltwater, That's a no no, gotta be fresh water, Salt doesn't evaporate just the water. Stop adding any animals that means Coral as well. Research Test Kits. Just because they aren't reading doesn't mean they aren't there. Test for Phosphate with a Hanna Checker, Your Nitrate is 30, you want O. Ya that 8000 Mag level scares me. Get a handle on what your perameters should be and stop dosing. Get back to the basics. Slow down.

[gone fishin]

Not much to add I agree with everyone else. There are so many things here that could be killing your fishes, that it is hard to pick one thing.

[jtaylor1101]

Yeah I had some typos to say the least. Lol. This is my second tank and I never had problems keeping fish alive before in a tank with no skimmer or any other fancy equip. Yes the salinity is 1.023-1.025 and mag. 800 ppm. The magnesium is the only parameter that has fluctuated at all. I realize the tank is still very new and I'm probably rushing a bit but I Have researched a ton on the web. Live aquaria. 3 separate LFS. And countless reefers and everyone of them said if my levels are spot on and not fluctuating at all that I'm not adding too many fish. Based on my results I think you guys are right I'm just explaining the thought process. I didn't just fill the tank up and throw twenty fish in it. It essentially cycled for two months and has never showed a trace of ammonia or nitrite after the first mo. I'm willing to bet I test and document my parameters as much as anyone and they are near perfect and stable as can be. That's why I thought it was ok to add fish and my research led me to believe a week wait i between was ok. Also researched and thought that that many small fish would be a small enough bio load for the tank. And so long as no3 and po4 weren't rising that the tank was stable enough. Trust me if I could have found the answer on the Internet or a book I wouldn't be asking here. I don't see where I said I was topping off with salt water. I'm not I have an ATO with 000 tds rodi water tested with an inline meter on my filtration unit and a hand held meter. Ask my wife I'm obsessed with testing. Haaaa.

According to the levels listed on every reef website on the Internet my levels are spot on and have been the entire time.

As for the Dragonette I have added three species of Copepods to tank and refugium with chaeto and DT. Annnnd he eats brine from a turkey Bastetr type feeder and pellets(according to my wife which I have yet to see) He is fat and happy. He's the lone survivor.

So my question is what other than simply adding too many fish and not having a single level other than mag. Fluctuate hardly at all could kill all the fish and not a single coral. Invertabrae or anemone. If my parameters and water quality were off wouldn't the anemone be long gone.

[jtaylor1101]

Also I'm running a reef dynamics 100 skimmer. 800 gosh return pump. Two korella 1800 fans. Gfo/carbon reactors. Chaeto refugium and nitrate sponge in a bag. With LEDs at 250 par at water level and 85 par at sand bed. Yes I rented a par meter cause I built the LEDs. Told you I test everything!!!

[julie180]

Sounds like some type of disease or parasite. What do the fish look like when they die? Any tell tale signs like flashing (scratching), you mentioned spastic behavior.

[gone fishin]

Since I did not see where you Quarantined any of the fish it could be any number of diseases, parasites, or infections.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2389659

The link has a diagnosis section in it see if something fits.

[ryeguyy84]

can't add much more about the fish dying, seems like it's just to much too soon. your par levels seem pretty low to me as well.

[jtaylor1101]

Yeah I was thinking the par was maybe too intense cause the fish shops don't run LEDs. Maybe I'll slowly turn them up a bit. Honestly with the crabs it's hard to tell how the fish died by the time I see them. I have acclimated them but I have not quarantined them. How would you recommend setting the qt up since I probably can't use the water in my existing tank. Standard cycle and wait?

[gone fishin]

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1031074

The link has a section on QT and the other link I posted earlier has one about tank transfer.

My protocol is do Tank transfer method (TTM) for ich then place in main QT for 4-5 weeks depending on work schedule. This gives me 6-7 weeks total for QT time. I also dose 2 rounds of prazipro for internal parasites.

[dkeller_nc]

A QT can be set up in a number of ways. One's a bare tank, a few pieces of PVC for hiding places, a heater and a small circulation pump. The tank's is uncycled, so you have to use water changes to keep ammonia levels within reason. This is the typical set-up for use with the Tank Transfer protocol for eliminating ich.

A second way is to use several pieces of cycled rock, artificial substrate (such as marinepure bio-blocks) or seeded foam filter to establish a bacterial biofiltration base. This method works well for general use and the hyposalinity method of controlling ich; it allows keeping the fish in QT for 4-6 weeks.

Unfortunately, one possibility is that you've introduced ich into the main display tank with un-quarantined fish. If that's the case, you'll have to wait 70 days or so before introducing additional fish to be sure that the parasite is gone.

You mentioned acclimation - realize that for fish, it's essential that you add a heat source and water circulation/aeration to the acclimation bucket if you choose to do this. And the acclimation needs to be pretty short - 30 minutes or so is usually all that's recommended. For a fish that's been shipped (and has been in the bag water for more than an hour or so), acclimation isn't recommended at all, since the bag water may contain quite high levels of ammonia.

[jtaylor1101]

Ok that makes sense for the qt.. My question than is if I introduced a parasite into the tank and there are still live fish in it how do I let the parasite die off. Do I need to remove the healthy appearing fish (scooter) and treat him in a qt while letting the tank do its thing and then put him back? 70 days later? Also if I do the water change and bare tank how often and how much water should I change since any ammonia at all is toxic? And last do you just temp acclimate in the bag then drop them in?

[dkeller_nc]

It's thought that the slime coating on mandarin fish (including the scooter) makes them immune to ich. And because of the specialized feeding needs of the fish, trying to move it to a QT may not be advisable.

As for water changes in a bare QT, that depends a great deal on the size/number of the fish relative to the size of the QT. It also depends on what you're feeding and how much. So a general rule is hard to state unequivocally; the best strategy is to get an accurate ammonia test and simply test daily while you're using the uncycled QT, and be prepared with pre-made saltwater that will allow changes of up to 50% per day.

Keep in mind that ich doesn't usually kill a fish really quickly, and they typically show the classic white spots as symptoms. So if none of your other fish showed symptoms, you might've escaped this particular issue.

One other thought - many LFS keep their fish at much reduced salinities (1.016 sp. gr. or even lower). If that's the case, rapidly moving the fish to reef tank specific gravity of 1.026 will stress the fish greatly; such a change should occur gradually over several days. This is another good reason for a QT: besides disease control/isolation, it allows you to match the QT to the specific gravity of the LFS water, then adjust to your DT over several days time. It also allows you to acclimate the fish to the food you're offering without competition by other tankmates.

[gone fishin]

I would just add that IMO a seachem ammonia alert badge is a valuable tool in QT.

Also, while a lot of folks focus on ich there are many things that are far worse.

[jtaylor1101]

But if I leave the scooter in their wont whatever disease if any is in there stay alive eventhough he is not nessicarily in danger. And are there any other thoughts on what it could be. Maybe I'm just putting too much stress on them trying to acclimate them. haven't seen any ich spots. What else could kill that rapidly

[jtaylor1101]

Also am I wrong in thinking that my parameters mean the tank is ready for fish. Is there something else that you can test or look for. I'm not trying to rush it I just thought it was ok. My previous tank was an out of the box simple setup and I just dumped the fish in and never had any issues that's why I'm so surprised and confused that it's happening this time.

[jtaylor1101]

I also forgot to point out that all those fish weren't in there at the same time. The most I had at once was 5 and 3 were less than an inch in size.

[deleau]

Also am I wrong in thinking that my parameters mean the tank is ready for fish. Is there something else that you can test or look for. I'm not trying to rush it I just thought it was ok. My previous tank was an out of the box simple setup and I just dumped the fish in and never had any issues that's why I'm so surprised and confused that it's happening this time.

Have you checked with your water supply to get a report on their water? Maybe something is in there getting in the water.

Signs are pointing towards a disease or infection.

Besides keeping water chemistry correct & stable, having a good QT procedure seems needed.

[DamonG]

One basic thing. We're all of the deceased animals from the same lfs or source? If so, there really easily could be your issue. You mentioned you obtained an animal from your buddy and is doing fine..

Something imho, because I ran into that before with a shop source, doesn't seem right, while at the same time eerily familiar..

More info please on your lfs and their parameters?

[coralsnaked]

Marine Velvet???

[lllesley]

I may well be wrong, but I thought 30ppm nitrates was quite high ? I am wondering if this could be the cause. I was told by lfs that you really don't want anything over 20ppm, or it could start causing death to livestock. I am happy to be corrected. You also don't mention your Alk reading anywhere, I had a case where I got a faulty reagent, thinking my alk was 8.6, lost 2 fish within days of being in tank, got water tested else where and found out my alk was 5.3, existing stock were fine because it had occurred slowly for them, but new fish couldn't handle the sudden change. Just a thought.

[BrianD]

I think there are too many darts being thrown for answers when it seems the simplest answer is the correct one. Too much, too soon, and especially with fish that were ill suited for a newly established tank (flame angel, scooter).

Slow down, don't add any more fish, and give your tank a month or so to mature before adding anything or making other drastic changes.

[dkeller_nc]

I think there are too many darts being thrown for answers when it seems the simplest answer is the correct one. Too much, too soon, and especially with fish that were ill suited for a newly established tank (flame angel, scooter).

Slow down, don't add any more fish, and give your tank a month or so to mature before adding anything or making other drastic changes.

+1 to this; Read up on setting up a QT, and check your LFS water to establish their specific gravity. Don't neglect this; you're putting yourself at a strong disadvantage if you're moving fish from 1.016 sp. gr. to 1.026 in a 30 minute - 1 hour acclimation. Also consider whether the fish you're buying from the LFS are newly arrived; some LFS don't do well with animal husbandry, and don't have tank conditions that allow new arrivals to settle in and feed well. If the fish's been in the store for a week without eating and getting bullied by tankmates, it's really weak by the time you get it home.

If you'll set up a 20g QT with heat, circulation and a few pieces of rock for biofiltration, let it stabilize for a week or so, then buy a single, hardy fish, match the salinity in the QT to the LFS water, and get the fish feeding well on high-quality food (frozen Mysis or a high-quality mix such as LRS Reef Frenzy, not flakes or pellets), then let it settle in for 3-4 weeks in QT, you'll be successful.

By the way - while 30ppm NO3 isn't ideal for the invertebrates/coral in a reef tank, it's not going to kill fish, particularly not the common ones sold in an LFS. However, learning to get your nitrates down below 5 ppm is a useful thing to do, and will greatly benefit you later when you start adding corals.

[jtaylor1101]

Alk. Between 9-10. I thought about the LFS having an issue never thought to check their parameters. I'll do that next time. Dead fish were from two different stores. I haven't checked the water supply but it's rodi at 000 tds. And the 30nitrate is high it's usually around ten I was just saying it never got above 30. Thanks for the imput everyone

[jtaylor1101]

Ok guys thanks. I do agree I moved too fast what I don't understand is what determines what is too fast if the parameters never show any significant change. I'm going to set up a at and do as you said I just want to make sure it's not what's in my tank that will still be there when I do eventually transfer the new fish in. can mag. Alk supplements or kalkwasser harm fish. Never dosed above a 50ppm per day ammount.

[STRATNEST6769]

Way to many additions in that time frame !!

[jtaylor1101]

Ps. Not trying to argue just to understand. I literally didn't let my last tank even cycle before putting a ton of fish in and never had problems. This time I'm being super carefull or so I thought and only the fish are dying. Just seems like waiting to add fish is an easy answer but what are you waiting for exactly. I thought you were waiting for parameters to stabilize. Is there something that builds up in the tank over time that you can't test for?

[Paul B]

So my question is what other than simply adding too many fish and not having a single level other than mag. Fluctuate hardly at all could kill all the fish and not a single coral. Invertabrae or anemone. If my parameters and water quality were off wouldn't the anemone be long gone.
That is correct, if your anemone is alive the water quality is probably fine as anemones will die before fish from "most" parameter problems and especially metal problems.

I may well be wrong, but I thought 30ppm nitrates was quite high
A nitrate level of 30 will not kill any fish. My nitrates are 40 and my 25 fish are fine and almost all of them are spawning, even the 24 year olds.

I don't know what is wrong with your fish as I can't see them from here but I would autopsy them as soon as they die. If the police find a dead body on the train tracks they don't look at it and say :we can't determine the cause of death because we don't see any spots. Of course if the body has a cro bar sticking out if it's head, that may give them a clue.

[jminick2]

how do you measure PH ? Did you ever say what your fish looked like when they died like as far as spots or abrasions or redness on the gills anything like that?

[jtaylor1101]

Ph is on a freshly calibrated apex probe. And I don't really know what to look for. No white ich spots. Is all I can say for sure cause they get chewed on pretty quickly by the cuc

[STRATNEST6769]

Adding to much to soon !

[jtaylor1101]

Define too much and or too soon. That's not an answer. That's a generalization. Can anyone tell me what's going to make the water any different a month or ten mo. From now if the levels are stable. Thats like saying my car broke down cause I was speeding. If the bio filter is established enough to support and keep parameters stable and nothing other than fish die what determines that it's too fast. The scooter I have alive is the least hardy, pickiest fish I tried and he was the first fish I bought.

[jtaylor1101]

I want to understand it. Simply saying slow down isn't teaching anyone anything.

[BrianD]

Define too much and or too soon. That's not an answer. That's a generalization. Can anyone tell me what's going to make the water any different a month or ten mo. From now if the levels are stable. Thats like saying my car broke down cause I was speeding. If the bio filter is established enough to support and keep parameters stable and nothing other than fish die what determines that it's too fast. The scooter I have alive is the least hardy, pickiest fish I tried and he was the first fish I bought.

I want to understand it. Simply saying slow down isn't teaching anyone anything.

Read the sticky threads in this forum and perhaps it will help you understand. There is no reason for us to try to convince you that you went too fast if you choose not to believe that.

[jtaylor1101]

I'm not saying I don't believe it its just not a definition. What defines too fast and why is it is all I'm asking so I don't do it again. I waited two months to add any fish. Waited a week I between each addition and never had more than 5 the biggest of which was about 2". And my parameters never changed. So I'm asking if this is too fast. What wouldn't be too fast? A fish a mo., two mo. A year? What's the point in saying it's too fast if you don't explain. I'm new to message boards so maybe I don't get it but it seems odd to just throw out a general vague statement without a suggestion or a solution. I thought I was being patient but if I wasnt I can accept that just tell me what you consider slow and I'll try that. I only went as fast as I did cause it was suggested.

[lllesley]

Think of it like this. Every time you add a fish you need to give your system time to catch up. Meaning good bacteria being able to deal with the new feeding schedule & fish pooping. Every fish adds ammonia to tank, takes a little while for a new tank to produce enough bacteria to deal with this, and create balanced bacteria. With an older well establish tank it's not such a large problem but new tank takes lots longer. I would be waiting 3-4 weeks between adding fish just to be safe. That way it also gives you time to QT any newbies as well. Hope this helps. P.S. Why would you add 7 small fish at once when your lfs advised you they would probably die one by one & think nothing of it. I certainly don't understand that thinking at all. ?

[jtaylor1101]

I don't know why they said to do it. I just asked for a hardy fish to start the tank and he suggested a few chromis so I went with it. Last time I used three or four damsels to start so it seemed right. And I get the waiting for the tank to catch up advice I just don't see how the tank is "behind" if the parameters don't reflect any change. I'm going to wait and see It just really doesn't make scientific sense to me. The last tank I had I didn't let cycle and didn't even own a test kit and my fish lived for two years. So I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the whole five tiny fish is too much theory. But I'm willing to try.

[Mythicalelf]

Hey jtaylor I feel ya.
Many years ago when I started with fo tank I did some crazy things and the tank survived but also had other issues and didn't have this site to help.

I'm starting a reef now and have been doing a lot of reading, here and else where.

Some people on here come off STRONG but they are tryeng to help.

I think the reason that it seems that way is because they read the same HELP ME TOPICS everyday. I've only been on here for a couple months and see the same topic repeating shoo I can only imagine how it seems to the vets that have been here for years.

The other thing is txt doesn't express emotions well.

As far as what's wrong with your fish. Did you buy them ask from the same lfs or online shop?

Maybe they have some issue going on with their livestock.
I've thing I learned is if it is in 1 tank it is in all that are connected.

How many fish shoo you have left in total?

Any pictures of them?

And as far as the slow down part there is no definite answer when and how many fish to add.
Each tank will act independently meaning you and your friends could have the exact same setup but one can keep a torch coral and the other not, this is just an example.

I'm a noob to the reefing so just take what I say with a grain of salt.

Also from what you are telling me your tank water seems ok.
If the ammonia is not spiking send like the bacteria is good So something else is going on.

[BrianD]

A reef tank is much more than a few water tests. It is a living environment that allows for a more diverse selection of occupants as it matures. A freshly set up tank can be sterile from a biodiversity standpoint. That freshly cured live rock may look nice, but it may not have developed the population of microfauna and macroalgae that help a grazing flame angel flourish. The supplemental food may be accepted, but many scooter dragonettes starve through lack of an established pod population. There is a reason why some species come with the "needs established tank" warning.

[jtaylor1101]

branD that makes sense and is a good description. thanks as for the scooter I still find it weird that he eats everything i give him and is the only thing that will survive in the tank, fish wise. Im thinking that the whole dragonettes are immune to it thing is the most likely answer. Looking at the clown i have left he is showing signs of some sort of "infection?". He is very fuzzy looking and white all over.not sure how to post a pic.

So there is a parasite and as long as it has a host it will stay alive. If the clown dies can the scooter still host the parasite? If so how should i get the parasite out of the tank without treating the dragonette or is that the only option.

Also i think i was just putting too much stress on the newly arriving LFS fish. The clown is covered in something and he's from a personal tank where the others all came from separate LFS's with high turnover and never showed any visible signs of whatever he has.

[adambom]

It sounds to me like a disease/parasite based on everything you've said. It's unclear how it was introduced to your tank, since many diseases can live undetected for up to 72 days in a fallow system.

Stress from acclimation to a new system can certainly cause any latent disease to manifest quickly in your fish population.

I'm not an expert in fish disease by any means, but I'd recommend using this thread to diagnose your problem: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2389264

Your best bet right now is to remove all your remaining fish and treat them in a separate hospital tank (I'm not sure about what to do with the scooter - I'll leave that to the more experienced members). This tank will become your new quarantine tank. Once you've identified the cause of the illness, you should treat appropriately based on instructions in this thread: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2389659

Your display tank will need to remain fallow for 6 weeks while you treat the sick fish.

I'm fairly new to the hobby, but IME trying to do too much too fast makes it hard to isolate individual problems. It sounds like your water chemistry is fine and the bioload for your tank is decent, but adding fish without QT and without waiting a few weeks in between has made it hard to determine what caused this outbreak.

[BrianD]

From a pure hardiness standpoint, dragonettes are very strong fish. I would presume that most deaths of dragonettes in tanks are due to starvation more than factors such as illness or parasites.

Scooters are said to accept prepared foods more readily than some dragonettes, so it may continue to do ok in the tank.

[jtaylor1101]

Ok but my question is can I leave him in the tank and still expect the parasite to die off or do I need to treat him eventhough he is seemingly unaffected. Basically can he still host and keep alive the parasites that don't harm him.

[gone fishin]

Fuzzy fish are never a good thing. Make a photobucket account then copy the url into insert image icon.

To try and answer the scooter question it is a possibility that the scooter could contract or become a carrier for whatever it is making the fish fuzzy if left in the tank.

The first step is to try and identify what it is, Brook, velvet, fungal, bacterial.