Injury? Disease? Parasite?

[lizzyann]

Would love some help diagnosing my precious possum wrasse. Pale patches have started showing up on her body, mostly near the head. So far it doesn't seem like there's any film, growth, or deterioration in the areas, just discoloration.

 

 

This spot above her eye probably seems the worst, and could possibly be slightly indented, but it's really hard to tell, even in person.

 

 

The underside of her head area seems to be especially pale:

 

Does this look like it could be some kind of sting or irritation? I do have several pests right now. There's tons of hydroids (the tiny, white, stringy, branching kind) in her main hideout area but most of what I've read says that they don't sting fish. Maybe they sting enough to irritate though? I also recently spotted some baby aiptasia in one area of a rock, but why would the wrasse be messing with them enough to keep getting stung? I don't think there's more in her hideout (I took the rock out to inspect a couple days ago), but I'll have to check again. There's also vermitid snails all over the rock that I'm trying to destroy, but again I know they irritate coral but didn't think they would bother fish.

 

Is it possible it's an injury from me moving rocks or something? I'm really careful when I've been doing this (trying to crush vermitid snails and such) but I figure maybe something could have happened without me knowing? I'm not positive but I feel like the patches didn't all show up at once, so I feel like that makes this theory less likely.

 

I am concerned about bacterial infection for two possible reasons. I (stupidly, I know) just add a yasha goby two weeks ago without quarantining . I assume the yasha is still alive but it hasn't left it's hiding spot under the rock. I can check again but felt really guilty for disturbing it the first time and am nervous about accidentally crushing it or the pistol shrimp. I also had a watchman goby die two months ago from what seemed to definitely be some kind of bacterial infection or tumor in its gut. I had a bad dinoflagellate outbreak at the time and a couple snails died, so I assumed that greatly affected the goby's sickness. 

 

Other inhabitants are a yasha goby, pistol shrimp, emerald crab, pom pom crab, and hermit crab. I don't have any euphyllia or other corals with a bad sting (I don't think?).

 

Anyway, if these spots look familiar to anyone, I'd love to know about it!

[saltyandspooky]

I’m not able to help with a diagnosis but was wondering how your wrasse is doing? Better or have the spots continued to spread? I hope she’s ok!

[lizzyann]

She looks better! Unfortunately I've been out of town for a couple days and could only leave my partner to keep an eye on her, but so far so good. All the white patches seem to be clearing up, just ever so slightly pale now. No change in behavior, still acting normal. Maybe she just got a little banged up somehow? Hopefully it's not something that's going to keep happening!

[saltyandspooky]

2 hours ago, lizzyann said:

She looks better! Unfortunately I've been out of town for a couple days and could only leave my partner to keep an eye on her, but so far so good. All the white patches seem to be clearing up, just every so slightly pale now. No change in behavior, still acting normal. Maybe she just got a little banged up somehow? Hopefully it's not something that's going to keep happening!

Glad to hear she’s doing better! By far my favorite fish out there. 

[mcarroll]

What else is living in the tank with this fish, including corals, inverts, cleanup crew, et al?  

 

Do you know where she sleeps?

 

Would you be able to post a full tank shot?