Someone please help - clowns still not well...

[chefkeith]

Many fish stores do add salt to their tanks as a prophylactic treatment to prevent parasite outbreaks. It is a decent thing to do since they have so many incoming new fish and parasites to deal with. Salting is probably one of the easiest, cheapest, and most popular quality control methods, but it's not the best. The best is quarantining all new arrivals in separate tanks (no central system), the use of a UV Sterilizers, daily gravel vacs or bare bottom tanks, daily water changes, and micron filtration.

Problem with salting is that many of these stores don't notify their customers that they are salting their water. If the customers take those new fish home and just do a quick acclimation, and don't use salt, then the fish will likely go through osmotic shock. When I started fish keeping, I lost many of my new fish due to osmotic shock. I didn't figure out why they died until I got a TDS meter. When getting new fish, I suggest testing the TDS, GH, and KH of the bag water, and then adjust the Q-tank water until it matches the bag water.

One potential problem with TDS meters is that they can be the cause of cross contamination between tanks. It should allowed to fully dry or sanitized between uses from tank to tank.

[tmcmullen]

That makes complete sense. I am still reducing the salt because I trust this site's experience with loaches far more than a LPS who doesn't deal primarily with clown loaches.

Any recommendation on a UV sterilizer brand? I know there are lots on ebay for cheap, but I've read they aren't the best, and they don't last long. I really don't want to spend $150 for one.

I finally heard the clowns clicking again tonight. Must have been their Mother's Day gift to me! I put some cucumber in the tank and I'm sure that's what they were clicking about. What a nice sound after all they've been through.

[tmcmullen]

I am so happy to report that my clowns have finally settled into their new tank and they are swimming around together more regularly now. I even saw them doing their up and down dance a few times!

As a side note, I purchased and planted a few plants that have low to moderate light requirements. I've been keeping the light on all day because of the plants. I am wondering if keeping the air stones on is okay during the day, and do I need special lighting, or can I use the standard florescent that came with the hood? I researched T5 lights, but can't find a kit to retrofit them to the existing hood and don't want to buy another hood since this one is brand new.

[NancyD]

That's good news! What plants? I have anubias, java fern & a couple kinds of crypts under stock lighting. Very slow growing. Stem plants don't grow for me there, a sword was barely ok until the floating plants blocked too much light.