banner fish problem

[billy mitchell]

have a banner fish that has been in the tank for several months and was going along really nicely with other tank mates
a couple of months ago I introduced button corals and srooms with out any problems with anyfish.....2 foxface.pearl scale butterfly nemo,dwarf 2 angels,3 pajama cards,and the banner,lawnmower...2 skunk cleaners
last week I introduced an elegance coral and took note of what the reaction with all the fish,the pearl butterfly had a pick at the elegance but spat it out
a few days later I looked at the elegance and noticed that 1/4"of the end was missing
I sat in front of the tank for a while and noticed the banner fish having a meal on the elegance,this went on for a while so I removed the coral to the sump
now I noticed over the last few days the banner has stopped eating and his stomach is swollen,is hiding behind rocks and does not swim around
it went to the cleaner shrimp station and allowed the shrimp to go over its body
now would the elegance coral have done this ????
need a bit of advice on what to do
tank 220+gal with everything ...water pars and normal sal is 1.022

 

[Reefing Madness]

 

[Humblefish]

Never experienced this before, but I guess it's possible his digestive system is having trouble processing the eaten elegance. Sweepers and the exterior slime coating of most LPS do contain toxins, so that might very well be the issue. Basically, it's possible your fish has been "poisoned".

The only thing I can think to do is help him "push it out". I've used peeled boiled peas in the past to help a tang that became bloated; I think it's the fiber it contains. Of course, it would be difficult enough to get a butterfly to eat that - let alone one that has now stopped eating. You could try epsom salt (1 tablespoon per 5 gals), as that is reef safe and also a known laxative. If you can get him into a QT, then you could treat with kanamycin (i.e. Kanaplex) as that lists diarrhea as a possible side effect.

 

[billy mitchell]

thanks for that info
I think you may be right with that toxin theory....it has been a few days now but looks like the fish is starting to come good...is swimming and is starting to eat...stomach still looks full so will see how it goes
I did use magnesium sulphate (epson Salts) and maybe that was the remedy
ok only time will tell

 

[fishroomlady]

I hope he continues to improve. Interesting on the epsom salts

 

[Humblefish]

FYI on epsom salt; It is great at relieving swelling from an injury. For example, when a fish damages one eye and it looks "popped out" (but two "popeyes" usually denotes infection.) And as previously mentioned, epsom salt is a known laxative. Just like us, fish do get constipated sometimes - it's really bad when you can see their swollen belly.

But the best thing is that espom salt is just magnesium sulfate. So, it's completely reef safe to use.