Help banggai Cardinal laying in sand

[jeremyjay692005]

Help my Banggai Cardinal is laying on sand bed, not swimming around. No white dots, no injures All the parameters are in good check. Other fish are swimming and eating fine.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Help my Banggai Cardinal is laying on sand bed, not swimming around. No white dots, no injures All the parameters are in good check. Other fish are swimming and eating fine.

It will be impossible to assess the fish without video under white light intensity, even still pics but this as described occurs often with Bangaii especially those after 2 years of age

 

[jeremyjay692005]

I've only had him for 6 weeks.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I've only had him for 6 weeks.

Are there other fish in with it?
Are they all doing good?
Do you know if this fish was wild caught or captive raised?

If wild caught, it could have a viral infection they are commonly seen to get:

Banggai Cardinalfish Iridovirus (BCIR)
This fish was originally discovered in 1933 but then lost to science for about 60 years, when the Banggai cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni) was “rediscovered” and began entering the tropical fish trade. Aquarists noted how hardy the species was and that they were very easy to reproduce in captivity. A decade later, the price for wild-caught Banggai cardinalfish had decreased fivefold, but the animals were now considered very delicate, with high losses seen in newly acquired wild fish.

What was the cause of this sudden change in the apparent health of this species in captivity? Poor handling, collection with cyanide (unlikely), and bacterial disease were all suggested as possible reasons for this change. A researcher then published a study showing that the presence of an iridovirus was associated with episodes of mass mortality in newly imported cardinalfish (Weber et al. 2009). A similar virus has since been isolated from the common batfish, Platax orbicularis (Sriwanayos et al. 2013), but a corresponding high mortality in aquarium fish of that species has not been noted, perhaps because many fewer batfish are imported for the pet trade than the ever-popular Banggai cardinalfish.

Since there is no cure for this viral disease, captive-raised fish that were never exposed to wild stock, or fish that have subsequently developed immunity by surviving an infection would be the best choices for aquarists. Avoid inexpensive wild-caught Banggai Cardinalfish. Not only do they have a poor survival record, but they’re also being collected at such a high rate that wild populations are locally threatened with extinction.


Jay

 

[jeremyjay692005]

Are there other fish in with it?
Are they all doing good?
Do you know if this fish was wild caught or captive raised?

If wild caught, it could have a viral infection they are commonly seen to get:

Banggai Cardinalfish Iridovirus (BCIR)
This fish was originally discovered in 1933 but then lost to science for about 60 years, when the Banggai cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni) was “rediscovered” and began entering the tropical fish trade. Aquarists noted how hardy the species was and that they were very easy to reproduce in captivity. A decade later, the price for wild-caught Banggai cardinalfish had decreased fivefold, but the animals were now considered very delicate, with high losses seen in newly acquired wild fish.

What was the cause of this sudden change in the apparent health of this species in captivity? Poor handling, collection with cyanide (unlikely), and bacterial disease were all suggested as possible reasons for this change. A researcher then published a study showing that the presence of an iridovirus was associated with episodes of mass mortality in newly imported cardinalfish (Weber et al. 2009). A similar virus has since been isolated from the common batfish, Platax orbicularis (Sriwanayos et al. 2013), but a corresponding high mortality in aquarium fish of that species has not been noted, perhaps because many fewer batfish are imported for the pet trade than the ever-popular Banggai cardinalfish.

Since there is no cure for this viral disease, captive-raised fish that were never exposed to wild stock, or fish that have subsequently developed immunity by surviving an infection would be the best choices for aquarists. Avoid inexpensive wild-caught Banggai Cardinalfish. Not only do they have a poor survival record, but they’re also being collected at such a high rate that wild populations are locally threatened with extinction.


Jay

I have 2 clown fish and a firefish goby and their doing fine.
Not sure if the cardinal was wild caught or captives raised.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I have 2 clown fish and a firefish goby and their doing fine.
Not sure if the cardinal was wild caught or captives raised.

Since the other fish are fine, if it was wild caught, it very likely is this viral issue. No cure for that though, sorry.

Jay

 

[jeremyjay692005]

Since the other fish are fine, if it was wild caught, it very likely is this viral issue. No cure for that though, sorry.

Jay

I've had him a few weeks would it take that long to show up?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I've had him a few weeks would it take that long to show up?

Yes - this is a delayed sort of issue. Collectors, wholesalers and even most retailers don't see it because it shows up later, usually once the fish is in the customer's tank.

I can't say for certain if it is that virus, but it is a very common cause of death in wild caught Banggai cardinals.

Jay

 

[QuickrdenU]

I have tried 3 banggai cardinalfish that pretty much all died right away. I am now trying 3 more from a different source. 1 died immediately. I remember them being very hardy 20 years ago. Now… Not so much. It would appear that Jay’s post is very accurate at least anecdotally.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I have tried 3 banggai cardinalfish that pretty much all died right away. I am now trying 3 more from a different source. 1 died immediately. I remember them being very hardy 20 years ago. Now… Not so much. It would appear that Jay’s post is very accurate at least anecdotally.

Captive raised Banggai generally do better, however - there is a disturbing trend for wholesalers to mix wild caught Banggai in with captive raised ones, infecting the whole group (ugh).

Jay