Gramma and Clown seem sickly

[stpetehxc]

I recently bought two fish for my bros tank, being the nice guy i am :-D
...anyway i bought him a royal gramma and a tomato clown. (not exquisite fish, but...) the gramma hides and wont eat. The clown looks to be picked on by the cycling damsels stuck in the tank. I took the clown out and put him in a seperate tank for healing. I noticed some marks on the gramma, but i cant really tell if its ick or just a scar. Should i keep both in a seperate tank til they start eating and treat the main tank as to keep his other fish ok. im still sort of a novice, soaking any info on the boards i can. so any help is appreciated thanks

Specs
55gal(juv koran,lemonpeel tang,fire cleaner shrimp,2damsels escaping capture)
cpr wet/dry
hilter skilter-protein skim
pH-8.0
nitrate-0
ammonia-0
sg-1.022

[khrone]

hi

the problem with damsels when used to cycle a tank is that they get really teritorial and usualy cause probs which is why its not a good idea to use them to cycle so it doesnt seem ususal that the new additions are getting picked on.

if its ick then all the fish will be affected and thus need to be QT. Pics would be of help. dont treat the main tank with any meds as it will kill your inverterbrates and corals. QT all the fish then treat them in the QT tank. I'm no expert but hope maybe that helps.

You'll better help from the other guys :-D

[stpetehxc]

yeh i put both new guys in a qt together and later im gonna run a get some meds. i kknow the damsels history i just havent got around to get them out, i actualy caught one when my bro bought the koran, and flushed him.

EDIT:my pics really arent of any use. but im going to throw together a QT tank ATM, what should i put in there? water and....

[FishinInTheDark]

Saltwater, a heater, a cheap filter, and some PVC elbows are cheap and nice as hiding places for stressed fish. Keep an eye on the ammonia in the QT, and do water changes to keep it low. If it is ich, you'll have to get those other fish out and treat them too, leaving the tank fallow for about six weeks to starve out the ich babies that live in the substrate.

Are you aware that the Koran will need to be rehomed as it grows larger than a foot in length? The lemonpeel is also best kept in a 70G or larger tank. I just thought that I would let you know.

[stpetehxc]

well, im not ruling out ick, as i have further examined these fish, there are alot of marks from teeth...i just rearranged the tank, did a little water change, and flushed the remaining damsels. i thikn that was the culprit.
btw, yes my mother is in the process of getting a 125-150gal, so until then.
as for the lemonpeel, lol the lfs dude said 55gal was fine...see what you get for listening to them. =/ im convinced i almost know more than they do just from reading the forum. thanks for all the help. if i rule out ick, should i leave the two guys in a QT til they start eating and acting normal? thanks

[gman0526]

hi

the problem with damsels when used to cycle a tank is that they get really teritorial and usualy cause probs which is why its not a good idea to use them to cycle so it doesnt seem ususal that the new additions are getting picked on.

if its ick then all the fish will be affected and thus need to be QT. Pics would be of help. dont treat the main tank with any meds as it will kill your inverterbrates and corals. QT all the fish then treat them in the QT tank. I'm no expert but hope maybe that helps.

You'll better help from the other guys :-D

Actually your advice was right on :thumbsup:

[stpetehxc]

i couldnt agree more, i set up a QT for the two to calm down, i got rid of the damsels and there are no signs of ick. both have chunks from their tail missing. so the prob was the damsels. so i guess ill have to wait and see. they arent exspensive fish by all means, but every fish deserves a chance.
i know pics would help, but this is all i could conjure up.

[stpetehxc]

some pics, not very helpful...but hey everyone loves pics :)
they are in QT right now. the gramma started swimming which was a huge improvement, but im fighting to hurry and get the specs level...which with SW..there is no such thing as hurry