Another lineatus wrasse issue...

[eatbreakfast]

OK I'll play along. What exactly can one do for a spinal injury? Feed antibiotic laced food to possibly prevent any correlating internal infections? Just hope it heals on it's own? Is the condition usually terminal?

Play along? Anything with a spine can experience a spinal injury, particularly if it is a creature prone to quick movements and that leads with the head. Since the lineatus wrasse, and all fish falls succinctly in the Phyum Chordata they have spines. Observing spinal injuries in the other Phylums of birds, mammels, amphibians, and reptiles, spinal injuries exhibit in a number of ways but similarly throughout the phylums. What do we notice? In each of these groups there can be trauma that causes limited to zero mobility behind the injury, as the mode of the brain communicating with the muscles is damages or severed.

Just like in people, and other chordates there can be a wide range of severity. Some cases healing over time, others never healing.

The biggest issue in the case of fairy wrasses is effectively getting enough food, as the swimming is severely affected. But if it gets enough food and the injury is not too severe it is possible for it to make a full recovery.

No further treatment is needed, it is either severe enough that it won't heal, or not that severe and the fish will recover. I have seen it with dartfish, tilefish, fairy and flasher wrasses. In unscientific observations I have seen about 2/3s recover fully in a few weeks.

 

[djreef]

The fish looks like it was improperly needle decompressed before it was brought up - some collectors do this to prevent the animal's bladder from popping when ascending from deeper water instead of slowly bringing them up. It definitely ain't the right way to collect, but the poorer collectors who free dive do it any way. I makes the fish wonky until they eventually sucumb to the injury. Have you noticed any points of imflamation above the lateral line?

I'ts quite possible that it's classic cyanide poisoning from collection. The wrasses get this a lot depending upon where they're collected.

 

[eatbreakfast]

The fish looks like it was improperly needle decompressed before it was brought up - some collectors do this to prevent the animal's bladder from popping when ascending from deeper water instead of slowly bringing them up. It definitely ain't the right way to collect, but the poorer collectors who free dive do it any way. I makes the fish wonky until they eventually sucumb to the injury. Have you noticed any points of imflamation above the lateral line?

I'ts quite possible that it's classic cyanide poisoning from collection. The wrasses get this a lot depending upon where they're collected.

Australia is regarded as one of the best locales to source fish as their collection standards are so high that cyanide poisoning from collection is highly unlikely, in fact, chances are that it was hand caught.

 

[4FordFamily]

Yesterday he was doing terrible he spent much time upside down and although interested in food I didn't see him eat. I don't think he will make it.

 

[Cment]

I had something similar happen. About 2-3 months ago I got a great looking lineatus. He was about 4-4.5" big. Great looking fish very active eating anything i put into the tank. After about 1 week to let him settle in I did a prazipro treatment. Went fine, let a week go by before the 2nd round. Began the 2nd round and toward the end he seemed fine. I feed him in the morning he ate, swimming normal, my wife goes to feed him in the afternoon and i get a call saying hes laying down not really swimming well. I come home that evening unsure what happened and he was swimming just as you described. It looked honestly like he broke his spine. He was still eating though which was odd to me, trying to live. I Pmed evolved and to him it sounded like he got spoked somehow and smashed into the glass. Either way not sure what happend the fish did not make it. I was extremely bummed out by this. Come to find out a local reefer who got another lineatus from that same shipment had issues as well and it dies also. To be honest I began to search web for other recent lineatus purchases from reefers and found a few that had same end result, death. I believe something is not getting done correctly during collection and it is some how manifesting its self later on. I do not have any evidence of this and its just my opinion but there is an odd correlation with the recently collected....sorry youre going through this man, I feel your pain. Best of luck with him...

 

[Humblefish]

Yesterday he was doing terrible he spent much time upside down and although interested in food I didn't see him eat. I don't think he will make it.

I would at least QT and begin treating with a mild antibiotic, such as kanamycin aka Kanaplex. What do you have to lose?

 

[4FordFamily]

I would at least QT and begin treating with a mild antibiotic, such as kanamycin aka Kanaplex. What do you have to lose?

A qt full of other fish at the moment, I may separate him in to a Rubbermaid but I know what happens during TTM to ammonia I don't want to stress an already damaged fish. I just received my kanaplex in the mail though

 

[Humblefish]

A qt full of other fish at the moment, I may separate him in to a Rubbermaid but I know what happens during TTM to ammonia I don't want to stress an already damaged fish. I just received my kanaplex in the mail though

I just figure Kanaplex may help/couldn't hurt; regardless of who is right about the diagnosis here. It might help either way.

 

[4FordFamily]

I just figure Kanaplex may help/couldn't hurt; regardless of who is right about the diagnosis here. It might help either way.

If you're sure I can dose without harming coral and inverts I'll give it a shot

 

[Humblefish]

If you're sure I can dose without harming coral and inverts I'll give it a shot

I've done it before (ONE TIME) as part of an experiment, but I'm not so sure I'm ready to endorse it to the general public.

Is he still eating? A safer option would be to soak his food with Kanaplex, using Seachem Focus as a binder so the meds don't leach out into the water column.

 

[4FordFamily]

I've done it before (ONE TIME) as part of an experiment, but I'm not so sure I'm ready to endorse it to the general public.

Is he still eating? A safer option would be to soak his food with Kanaplex, using Seachem Focus as a binder.

He is too clumsy to eat now. He comes out of his rock when I feed but cannot actually get food now

 

[4FordFamily]

This morning I woke up to find him stuck to a power head and although breathing, the clean up crew had served him up some unfortunate damage and I made the decision to euthanize him at that time to end his suffering. Very sad.

 

[pegasus_sb]

that sucks man... sorry for your loss.

 

[4FordFamily]

that sucks man... sorry for your loss.

Me too but it happens. Just have to learn from it

 

[Greenstreet.1]

...........

 

[vedros74]

Sorry man. I hate losing fish

 

[pegasus_sb]

i was about to get one a month ago but all these sad stories about them are making me second think it...

 

[4FordFamily]

New lineatus. RIP old lineatus. Your new one is huge and more perdy though... Thanks hot reef!

 

[megisawesome06]

That fish is on my bucket list! Beautiful! I'm sorry for your loss. [emoji53]

 

[JakeK]

I'm bumping this because my lineatus in QT is exhibiting behavior that could be swim bladder or spinal injury. I don't have a video but can get one tomorrow.

I've had the fish since Black Friday. It's been in QT since. I QT for about 2-4 weeks. Eating pellets, mysis, brine, basically anything i put in the tank from day 1.

About two days ago I noticed the fish starting to swim funny. Tail down, head up. Pectoral fins doing most of the work. Swim bladder immediately popped into my head so I put it on erithromycin. Monday will be day 3 on it. Today very little swimming, mostly just getting blown around by the powerhead in the QT. Tried eating and would try to swim on its own but just always seemed to just miss the food. Later in the day I found it resting upside down on the bottom. I moved one of the pieces of PVC in the QT and it awkwardly swam away upside down.

I do not see any bulges in the abdomen. Just the odd swimming behavior.

Swim bladder? Spinal cord injury? Something else?

Should I continue with the erithromycin? Try something else?

Thanks.