Brunneus Wrasse is having difficulty swimming

[DarkSky]

I took a video of it swimming here:

It's been in a 40g QT tank for two weeks now. I've done two 7 day doses of API General Cure, with a 50% water change between each one. After the last GC treatment, I did a 50% WC and put a bag of carbon in to remove any remaining. I was about to start copper safe when I noticed it was swimming erratically, it still seems to go after food but it is having problems staying upright.

Prior to this, it was doing just fine. There is one other fish in the QT with it, a female melanurus wrasse.

I just started Furan-2 when I saw it swimming strangely, opting to push out my copper treatment until the furan-2 is done.

Any idea what could be causing this?

 

[Cment]

Beautiful fish...I believe you may have a spinal injury at hand. Not 100% sure about that, and hope Im wrong, but if she continues to get worse it more than likely is. Any idea if the fish was spooked?

 

[DarkSky]

Beautiful fish...I believe you may have a spinal injury at hand. Not 100% sure about that, and hope Im wrong, but if she continues to get worse it more than likely is. Any idea if the fish was spooked?

Don't know, but I don't believe so. It usually hides and is very timid, but comes out when there is food. When I would enter the room it'd be swimming in the open, but then would slowly saunter back into some of the PVC tubes. The lighting above the QT is on a schedule (8am on, 6pm off), and I mostly stay out of the room that it's in but for once a day feeding.

 

[Humblefish]

Beautiful fish...I believe you may have a spinal injury at hand. Not 100% sure about that, and hope Im wrong, but if she continues to get worse it more than likely is. Any idea if the fish was spooked?

^^ It does look like the beginning of a spinal injury to me. But @eatbreakfast would probably know for sure.

 

[iDeath]

Could be a swim bladder issue?

 

[DarkSky]

^^ It does look like the beginning of a spinal injury to me. But @eatbreakfast would probably know for sure.

Is this something they can recover from? I just checked in on it and it appears to be swimming better this morning, but I was viewing it from a webcam so it's a bit harder to know for sure.

 

[Humblefish]

Is this something they can recover from? I just checked in on it and it appears to be swimming better this morning, but I was viewing it from a webcam so it's a bit harder to know for sure.

Depends upon the seriousness. I've had some wrasses with what I would call a "minor spinal injury" bounce back. But the ones with the serious injuries almost never recover...

 

[DarkSky]

I moved the wrasse just now to an acclimation box in the QT tank. It was floating around in the QT fairly actively, and even took a few pieces of mysis shrimp, but any time it would stop to rest the current would move it around. It floated to one of the overflow drains and got stuck for a brief period but was easily able to swim away.

Once in the acclimation box it made it inside of one of the PVC pipes I put in there and stayed put. I killed the lights and will let it rest.

I've noticed that any time it isn't actively trying to right itself, it inverts upside down with its belly pointed upwards. Could this be a swim bladder issue rather than a spinal injury? I have very small gauge needles, so I could try puncturing the swim bladder, but what could have caused this in the first place? Would puncturing the bladder be a long term fix?

 

[Humblefish]

I've noticed that any time it isn't actively trying to right itself, it inverts upside down with its belly pointed upwards. Could this be a swim bladder issue rather than a spinal injury? I have very small gauge needles, so I could try puncturing the swim bladder, but what could have caused this in the first place? Would puncturing the bladder be a long term fix?

You would need to see a gas bubble protruding to know where to vent: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/venting-a-swim-bladder-black-cap-basslet.219954/

Otherwise, you would just be sticking your fish without an intended target.

 

[DarkSky]

You would need to see a gas bubble protruding to know where to vent: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/venting-a-swim-bladder-black-cap-basslet.219954/

Otherwise, you would just be sticking your fish without an intended target.

Fair enough. I'll let it rest and eat in the acclimation box for a week and go from there. I really hope I don't have to euthanise this fish.

 

[DarkSky]

Update - it's still floating upside down, but is actively seeking food. It's been living in the acclimation box for the last few days, no improvement.

However, it's stomach is very bloated. I'm back to thinking it is an infected swim bladder. Going to try a bit of last ditched surgury tonight to vent the bladder.

 

[Humblefish]

Sounds like a gas bubble has formed in the swim bladder. The bulge gives you something to stick and draw the air out. Dab a tiny amount of Neosporin on the insertion point when done to ward off infection. @Bmwm235i might have more suggestions.

 

[DarkSky]

Sounds like a gas bubble has formed in the swim bladder. The bulge gives you something to stick and draw the air out. Dab a tiny amount of Neosporin on the insertion point when done to ward off infection. @Bmwm235i might have more suggestions.

Good idea. I was going to dab it with a bit of iodine but Neosporin might stick around longer.

 

[DarkSky]

He's deflated and not floating!

He's upright and lying on the bottom of the acclimation box, breathing heavily. Hopefully that wasn't too stressful. I turned off the lights and will let them rest overnight to see if he made it through the night.

 

[Humblefish]

He's deflated and not floating!

He's upright and lying on the bottom of the acclimation box, breathing heavily. Hopefully that wasn't too stressful. I turned off the lights and will let them rest overnight to see if he made it through the night.

No matter what happens next, remember you did the best you could to give him a fighting chance.

 

[DarkSky]

Well it's been five days since the surgery and he's still alive. I've been offering food on a pair of tongs since he still has difficulty swiming, only on the 2nd day did he eat two pieces. Every other day he takes it from the tongs and spits it out.

Today, he has resumed swimming briefly. He'll take off swimming normally (mostly to avoid the tongs) and lay back down somewhere else.

If he was eating every day I'd be more optimistic, but as he is refusing to eat I think it's only going to be a matter of time before he dies.

 

[Rakie]

Depends upon the seriousness. I've had some wrasses with what I would call a "minor spinal injury" bounce back. But the ones with the serious injuries almost never recover...

Yep...

If you turn down the flow and let him get used to it he may come around, but even if we can't tell he will probably never be 100%.