Melanurus Wrasse Acting Strange

[Kongor88]

Hey guys

Had my male melanurus wrasse for a couple months and all was well until about 2 days ago. I started to notice he would hide in the sand pretty early and yesterday he did not come out at all.

Today he came out of the sand but about an hour ago (2pmish, he usually comes out at around 7-8am) and I just saw him laying on the sand bed, tapped the glass gently and got some swimming action but afterwards he went back to lay on the sand bed.

Tried to put some food to entice him and didn't seem at all interested. That's what worries me as he is usually a pig and eats a ton.

Should I start some preventative measures or wait it out a couple days? There is no visible damage on his body, everything looks great as far as fins/scales. Nothing is discolored. Seems to be breathing rapidly but I honestly can't tell.

Im thinking maybe a) he got hurt on one of my vortechs or internal parasites.

Paramters are:

ammonia 0

nirite 0

nirates 5-10ppm

PO4 0.02ppm

calcium - 450ppm

mag - 1600 (fighting some algae/have mangroves)

alk 9 dHK

SG = 1.025

pH = 8.1 - I did have it go down to 7.9 because I drilled some rocks last night to put some frags on and it looks like i didnt get all the dust off the rocks, but I don't think that would be causing an issue, my pH is usualy 8.25-3 during the day and 8.1 at night.

Anyone else have some input? All other corals (SPS, LPS, softies) and fish are fine.

Thanks!

[Arkayology]

Is it breathing heavy? Laying on the sand bed is not a good sign. Any physical signs of distress? The ph is not the issue.

[Kongor88]

No, breathing same as my other fish, no ones bothering it either. No damage to the fish whatsoever

let me see if i can snap a couple pictures

[Kongor88]

well, he's moving good enough to avoid the camera, or me in general. Seems to be out in the open on the sand when no one is around but if someone approaches the tank he hides in a cave, still laying on the sand

[Arkayology]

It is kinda of toss up. I have had fish act like that and then snap out of it and I have had some that died a couple days later. It works in your favor that you have had it for a couple months. I would see if you can get it eating. What are you feeding? If you are not already, try some garlic juice on some frozen brine or mysis.

[Kongor88]

I feed a variety of food: mysis, Larrys reef frenzy, vitamin enriched brine, live bloodworms, etc but let me try that. Im also going to use some prazipro, rather be safe then sorry

[Kongor88]

He emerged from the sand today and looks worse, fins getting a little torn and seems to have developed a white spot smaller then a dime underneath his dorsal fin, middle of his body.

 

Going to see if he will eat some prazi infused food if not I might try to take him out and set up a QT

[Kongor88]

I did net the sucker, and he is still pretty strong considering this behavior, thrashing around pretty good.

Here are a couple pics to help:

http://s1358.photobucket.com/user/Kongor88/media/IMG_9192_zps06d99cc5.jpg.html'>

http://s1358.photobucket.com/user/Kongor88/media/IMG_9191_zpsb7beecdc.jpg.html'>

[kush.]

do you know what the discolouration is from on the first picture towards his tail. the white spot possible injury or infection? It also looks like his body is changing to an adult colour pattern. do you know if he is a juvenile or adult already? maybe that process has him stressed?

[Kongor88]

Discoloration just noticed today. He was perfectly bright like towards his head in the first photo all the time I've had him. The white spot also just accorded today, he did not have that or any discoloration when I originally made the post 2 days ago.

 

Today is the first time I am seeing any physical signs of something being wrong, before he would just hide all day or lay on the sand.

 

I don't know about the process of changing from a juvenile to an adult, I got him about two months ago and he hasn't changed since.

[Tamberav]

Anything new added to the tank? I mean ANYTHING. Snails, coral, ect? Basically anything wet that could bring in disease?

[Kongor88]

I added a frogspawn and a utter chaos paly on Friday but he was already hiding at that point. Other then these two frags I haven't added squat in months, he was probably the last addition before the Friday frags back in February.

 

No other fish show any symptoms, all eating and swimming around.

 

All my coral is open and doesn't seem to be bothered.

 

He's in a hospital tank I threw together with prazi atm, some people are saying it might be a fungal/bacteria infection.

[Cameron6796]

In the first pic in the net is the white colour flesh to me it looks like he's missing scales

[Arkayology]

Keep us up to date. I hope it pulls through.

[Tamberav]

I added a frogspawn and a utter chaos paly on Friday but he was already hiding at that point. Other then these two frags I haven't added squat in months, he was probably the last addition before the Friday frags back in February.

 

No other fish show any symptoms, all eating and swimming around.

 

All my coral is open and doesn't seem to be bothered.

 

He's in a hospital tank I threw together with prazi atm, some people are saying it might be a fungal/bacteria infection.

 

A fungal/bacteria infection could definitely be probable. I would pull him and treat with a antibiotics

[Kongor88]

I put him in a 20 gallon tank i threw together, he made it overnight so I am happy.

 

I went and got some Pimafix and Melafix since I read thats a pretty good combo to deal with a broad range of infections, and the only local meds i could find. I added a air pump since I heard it might lower oxygen in water.

 

Treatment has to go on for 7 days so Ill keep updating, I hope he makes it through hes such a beautiful fish.

 

This was him a couple weeks after I acclimated him:

 

http://s1358.photobucket.com/user/Kongor88/media/IMG_9097_zps06df1975.jpg.html'>

[Kongor88]

Unfortunately the little sucker just died, wish I could have netted him a couple days ago, I think the infection was too severe when I started to medicate.