Uronema or aggression? (Bella goby)

[vanguard]

A few days ago my fairy tail wrasse died. His skin looked perfect but for a few days he stopped eating and only swam minimally when he wanted a new resting spot. Also, he was breathing heavily.

Now our family's beloved bella goby is also being listless. One difference is that the goby isn't breathing as heavily and he has injuries on his side. We want to say the damage is aggression, my clownfish can be mean when she has eggs on the wall. However, that feels like wishful thinking.

I made a short video that might be help you evaluate him better:

I'm thinking Uronema and treat with Formaldehyde-Malachite but my mind is open.

Edit for extra info:
I've had the fish for about four or five months.
I did not treat the fish when he was first added.
The fish had an swollen belly that looked pretty bad about two months ago but it recovered from that.
Temp: 78
PH 8.35
Ca: 440
KH: 9
Mg: 1390
NO3: 11
PO4: .11

 

[Jay Hemdal]

vanguard Welcome to the Fish Disease Treatment and Diagnosis Forum!

The #fishmedic team and other knowledgeable members of our community will do our best to help you resolve your questions. Please provide as much of the following as you are able:

• Brief description of the issue you are observing and answers to the following questions:
  • How long have you had the fish with the condition?
  • Did you quarantine with medication when you first acquired the fish? (If Yes, which medication?)
• Current water quality measurements
• Clear photos of the issue taken using WHITE light and/or a short video of any behaviors (post in your response or on YouTube).

If you can help us by providing as much of the above info as possible, it will make diagnosing and providing recommendations for treatment MUCH easier! The Fish Medic team will get back to you as quickly as possible. In the meantime, other members of our community may also share their experience with similar situations and advice that they may have regarding your situation.

You may also feel free to provide a more detailed description of the condition if you wish to share more info than the above list.

Additionally, these links may be useful while you await a response:

• CURRENT QT PROTOCOL LINK
• HOW TO ASK FOR DISEASE DIAGNOSIS HELP LINK

 

[vanguard]

Thank you for your reply. I'll update my post with additional information.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thank you for your reply. I'll update my post with additional information.

Please post pics uronema is oval and ciliated

 

[vanguard]

Please post pics uronema is oval and ciliated

You guys don't see pictures? On my screen there are two of them? I'll add them to this reply.

 

[vanguard]

And another picture:

 

[vanguard]

Finally, a video:

I apologize if these are needless replies but two people have asked for pictures, making me worried that you're not seeing what I'm seeing.

 

[vanguard]

I went to my local LFS and they thought that it was most likely aggression. They said that the wounds weren't in the right shape for uronema, although they weren't 100% sure. This is what I was thinking to.

I bought nitrofurazone but for now I'm just observing, not treating.

I would love to get more advice/opinions. We really like this fish.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I went to my local LFS and they thought that it was most likely aggression. They said that the wounds weren't in the right shape for uronema, although they weren't 100% sure. This is what I was thinking to.

I bought nitrofurazone but for now I'm just observing, not treating.

I would love to get more advice/opinions. We really like this fish.

I agree with the LFS, the lesions are not quite like Uronema, and Uronema is not common in gobies, and then, it usually shows up in the first month after acquisition. This does look like aggression to me.

The fish is breathing deeply, and seems stressed. That can mean that there is some underlying problem. I see the tank has good aeration, so we can rule that out. Can you test for ammonia?

 

[vanguard]

I agree with the LFS, the lesions are not quite like Uronema, and Uronema is not common in gobies, and then, it usually shows up in the first month after acquisition. This does look like aggression to me.

The fish is breathing deeply, and seems stressed. That can mean that there is some underlying problem. I see the tank has good aeration, so we can rule that out. Can you test for ammonia?

Thank you for your reply. You're probably the #1 person on earth that I was hoping would have a moment to give me advice.

I have tested both the tank he came from (150g) and the tank he's in (10g) for ammonia. Both tests clearly read 0 ppt NH3.

I also made an updated video with the idea that seeing him immediately after being moved might provide a skewed viewed of what he looks like.

My current plan is to keep him by himself to recover with no meds. I wish he was eating but hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Let me know if you think I should modify that plan.

The video has audio:

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Thank you for your reply. You're probably the #1 person on earth that I was hoping would have a moment to give me advice.

I have tested both the tank he came from (150g) and the tank he's in (10g) for ammonia. Both tests clearly read 0 ppt NH3.

I also made an updated video with the idea that seeing him immediately after being moved might provide a skewed viewed of what he looks like.

My current plan is to keep him by himself to recover with no meds. I wish he was eating but hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Let me know if you think I should modify that plan.

The video has audio:

Let me know if it eats tomorrow.

Rapid breathing can be a result of water quality issues or systemic disease. I thing you've ruled out water quality issues. Trouble is; some diseases simply cannot be treated in home aquariums.

 

[vetteguy53081]

And another picture:

As this fish darts into rocks, appears to be injury opposed to disease. Is there another fish that is intimidating or annoying it?

 

[vanguard]

So far he's not eating. He looks a little better but the lack of interest in food isn't encouraging. His side might look a little bit better.

Video has audio:

 

[Jay Hemdal]

So far he's not eating. He looks a little better but the lack of interest in food isn't encouraging. His side might look a little bit better.

Video has audio:

The lesions/wounds do seem better. There isn't much you can do to entice a fish to eat, other than reduce any environmental issues. I'm sure this fish would be a lot more comfortable on a sand substrate.

Although it won't give you a specific answer, here is a link to an article I wrote about anorexia in fishes:

Chronic Anorexia in Aquarium Fishes

Don't fall into the trap of assuming the fish will begin feeding when it gets hungry enough, or conclude it must be eating something, just not when you are watching.

reefs.com

Jay

 

[vanguard]

I have an update but it's not a great one.

Video has audio:

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I have an update but it's not a great one.

Video has audio:

Sorry, I don't know what to suggest here - it sure does look like the skin damage is healing. Oftentimes, fish have multiple issues, so the skin damage may have been a "red herring".

 

[vanguard]

This morning when I checked on him, he was dead.

I don't know for sure why it happened but a few months ago his stomach was swollen and we thought he might die from that. After a week or so the swelling went down but he never seemed 100% in terms of activity and eating.

I suspect that he never fully recovered.

We really liked having him. The plan is to wait a little while and make sure the tank is healthy. Assuming that goes well we'll get a pair of bella gobies and give it another try.