Bacterial infection??

[UltraKelius]

Hi all,

I bought a small purple tang a couple of weeks ago from one of my regular stores and I had to euthanize her this evening as she went downhill, and I didn’t want her to suffer anymore.

Just wondering if anyone can shed any light on whether I may have been right in thinking this was a bacterial issue?

This fish didn’t eat a single bit of food from the day I got her,I gave her a couple of days grace to settle after bringing her home and putting her in QT. Each day though she became more and more bloated looking, and the skin around the belly region today looked shiny. I did make the mistake of not asking to see it eat in the shop but it looked so healthy, no sign of ich or lateral line issues and fantastic colouring. She also did not look malnourished or even slightly underweight.

As I’m in the uk there really aren’t any options to give any anti-biotics and she got worse so fast that I’m not sure I could have done anything else to help her.
I did try Epsom salts but I really don’t think that does anything at all when there is magnesium in the saltwater already.


It feels like a lottery sometimes, especially when this fish looked so healthy in the store. Is there anything I may have done wrong that could have caused this to happen? I’m really racking my brain as to what else it could be.

Thanks in advance.

 

[MnFish1]

I did try Epsom salts but I really don’t think that does anything at all when there is magnesium in the saltwater already.

Epsom salts do not help in reef/saltwater tanks (its just Magnesium)

I did make the mistake of not asking to see it eat in the shop but it looked so healthy, no sign of ich or lateral line issues and fantastic colouring. She also did not look malnourished or even slightly underweight.

The issue a sometimes be that they have just fed the fish, etc - Its not necessarily a big positive or negative if a fish eats. Plenty of fish that eat in the LFS can have a disease

It feels like a lottery sometimes, especially when this fish looked so healthy in the store. Is there anything I may have done wrong that could have caused this to happen? I’m really racking my brain as to what else it could be

Agree - it feels like a lottery. So - to increase your chances of 'a win' - check the other tanks, are they maintained? Do the staff seem knowledgable? Ask them - can I put down a deposit on the fish - and if its alive in a month - can I pick it up then?

As to the answer to your question. This looks like a tiny tang. They are more fragile than adults IMHO. The swelling in the abdomen - I'm assuming occurred after death? If before - it was probably a swim bladder issue. Unfortunately - it's nearly impossible to tell what caused a fish death after it has died.

Sorry that this happened - if you can provide any more information that would be great

 

[Jay Hemdal]

The question for me is - is the belly filled with fluid or gas? If it was gas, the fish would have been floating. So - assuming it wasn't floating, then the issue was fluid or solids. Ascites is a build up of fluid in the abdominal cavity due to liver failure. Constipation can also cause fluid/solids build up. Cutting the fish open to see would be the next things to do.

Jay

 

[UltraKelius]

Epsom salts do not help in reef/saltwater tanks (its just Magnesium)

The issue a sometimes be that they have just fed the fish, etc - Its not necessarily a big positive or negative if a fish eats. Plenty of fish that eat in the LFS can have a disease

Agree - it feels like a lottery. So - to increase your chances of 'a win' - check the other tanks, are they maintained? Do the staff seem knowledgable? Ask them - can I put down a deposit on the fish - and if its alive in a month - can I pick it up then?

As to the answer to your question. This looks like a tiny tang. They are more fragile than adults IMHO. The swelling in the abdomen - I'm assuming occurred after death? If before - it was probably a swim bladder issue. Unfortunately - it's nearly impossible to tell what caused a fish death after it has died.

Sorry that this happened - if you can provide any more information that would be great

Great store, everything spotless. As I said in my original post, the swelling occurred while alive, becoming more and more swollen every day unfortunately.

She didn’t have any buoyancy issues and the mass felt fairly hard to the touch after she had passed.

 

[UltraKelius]

The question for me is - is the belly filled with fluid or gas? If it was gas, the fish would have been floating. So - assuming it wasn't floating, then the issue was fluid or solids. Ascites is a build up of fluid in the abdominal cavity due to liver failure. Constipation can also cause fluid/solids build up. Cutting the fish open to see would be the next things to do.

Jay

I think it was fluid as the body of the fish felt solid to the touch. I don’t think I have the stomach to cut her open so I’ll settle with your diagnosis I think! What do you think could have caused this?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I think it was fluid as the body of the fish felt solid to the touch. I don’t think I have the stomach to cut her open so I’ll settle with your diagnosis I think! What do you think could have caused this?

It could have been an intestinal blockage. Not much you can have done about that, though they sometimes clear on their own...

Jay