Cleaner wrasse being weird?

[ILikeFish!]

A couple of times I've seen my cleaner wrasse swimming normally then all of a sudden he darts around the tank then dive Bombs the sand a couple of times then goes back to normal, He was also having like a white/brown stringy poop off and on for about a week or two but is back to normal poop now. he looks completely healthy and has a normal appetite so he's been confusing me. i got the fish from dr reef so it has gone through a complete quarantine process and I haven’t added any fish that weren’t quarantined so i don't know how he would have gotten something. I have had the fish for almost a year and I've just started noticing these things this month so i don't know whats going on. could all of this be normal behavior or is there something wrong?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

A couple of times I've seen my cleaner wrasse swimming normally then all of a sudden he darts around the tank then dive Bombs the sand a couple of times then goes back to normal, He was also having like a white/brown stringy poop off and on for about a week or two but is back to normal poop now. he looks completely healthy and has a normal appetite so he's been confusing me. i got the fish from dr reef so it has gone through a complete quarantine process and I haven’t added any fish that weren’t quarantined so i don't know how he would have gotten something. I have had the fish for almost a year and I've just started noticing these things this month so i don't know whats going on. could all of this be normal behavior or is there something wrong?

Tough to say, is the sand diving like it is scratching?

How long have you had this fish?
Can you post a video of the behavior?

Jay

 

[ILikeFish!]

Tough to say, is the sand diving like it is scratching?

How long have you had this fish?
Can you post a video of the behavior?

Jay

Ive had him for probably 7-8 months and he dives and like lightly scrapes his side against the sand. I will try to post a video but ive only seen him do it 2-3 times and i never know when he’s going to do it.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Ive had him for probably 7-8 months and he dives and like lightly scrapes his side against the sand. I will try to post a video but ive only seen him do it 2-3 times and i never know when he’s going to do it.

Mine does this occasionally and Ive had him 8 years.
Can you provide a video under white lighting showing what you are describing?

 

[ILikeFish!]

Mine does this occasionally and Ive had him 8 years.
Can you provide a video under white lighting showing what you are describing?

I will try but i don’t know when he does it or if he’ll ever do it again. You don’t happen to have a video of yours doing it so i can see if they are doing the same thing?

 

[Lavey29]

Mine does similar occasionally and I've had him 2 years.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Ive had him for probably 7-8 months and he dives and like lightly scrapes his side against the sand. I will try to post a video but ive only seen him do it 2-3 times and i never know when he’s going to do it.

Yeah - you'll likely never catch it in a video. This species is not really prone to flukes, so I wouldn't worry to much about this unless you start to see another set of symptoms (like if the mucus feces returns, it goes off feed, etc.).

Jay

 

[ILikeFish!]

Yeah - you'll likely never catch it in a video. This species is not really prone to flukes, so I wouldn't worry to much about this unless you start to see another set of symptoms (like if the mucus feces returns, it goes off feed, etc.).

Jay

I just noticed he has the mucus feces again. Should i do something about it?

This is what it looks like

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I just noticed he has the mucus feces again. Should i do something about it?

This is what it looks like

The wrasse looks good - nice and fat. White feces can be a sign of bacterial or protozoan infection, but can also be from the diet. It can also be for no real reason at all. Trouble is, with just that symptom alone, you can't really tell. Here is a write-up I did on that topic:



Excess mucus in fish feces:

This will present as white or light colored, stringy fecal material that often hangs from the fish’s anus for a longer than normal period. There are a number of different causes for this, some benign, others very serious. Without access to a microscope, there is little that can be done to diagnose this issue effectively.

Idiopathic mucus feces: this fancy term is just to describe white mucoid bulky feces of no serious consequence, but of an unknown cause. Some suspicion is that this can be caused by changes in diet or diets high in fats.

Starvation: Fish that have no food moving through their bowels may excrete white mucoid feces with little bulk to them. The primary diagnostic for this issue is evident in that the fish won’t been seen to be eating. Resolving the anorexia is of course the prime focus to resolve this issue.

Bacterial infection: internal bacterial infections can cause stringy feces as well. While some of these may resolve on their own, medicated foods containing a broad spectrum, gram negative oral antibiotic may be required.

Metazoan infections: multicellular worms are often blamed for mucoid feces, but in reality, they are almost never the root cause for this, and really, can only be diagnosed through looking for their ova in fecal samples. Fish can harbor tapeworms and nematodes without producing mucoid feces.

Protozoan infection: Hexamita and related diplomonad flagellate protozoans very frequently cause white stringy feces, especially in newly acquired clownfish. Metronidazole is the most frequent treatment for this issue. It can be dosed orally at 25 mg per kg of fish body weight, or 5 g in a kg of food. However, it is a very bitter medication, and some fish will refuse to feed on food containing it. It can be dosed in the water at 25 mg/l, but this is more effective in treating marine fishes, as freshwater fish do not “drink” aquarium water.

Coccidia: These microscopic, spore-forming, single-celled parasites are common diseases in dogs and cats. In fish, they cause epithelial necrosis of the gut, enteritis and the copious production of mucus (Noga 2010). These cannot be diagnosed without microscopic examination, and there is no well researched cure for this in fishes, although Toltrazuril has been tested.

Constipation: This malady is often given as a cause for stringy feces, but it is not as common as one would think. When it is seen, the feces are usually dark, not light in color. Often touted as a “cure for constipation”, many aquarists add Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) to the aquarium’s water – do not do this in marine aquariums, its use is primarily as a tonic/dip for freshwater fish. Seawater formulas already contain between 7 and 19 grams of magnesium sulfate per gallon (depending on the recipe). NSW magnesium level is around 1200 ppm and sulfur is around 840 ppm. Some benefit might be seen using it as a dip in additional concentrations, but adding a small amount to a marine aquarium itself has no benefit. Epsom salts do have some possible benefit when mixed into the food as a 3% by weight adjunct. Another commonly heard remedy for constipation is; “feed fresh peas”. This is an effective cure for fancy goldfish and Malawi cichlids that develop constipation and bloating. Again, overextrapolation has marine aquarists trying to feed peas to carnivorous fish, etc. The best method to enhance gut motility in fish is to feed frozen adult brine shrimp – not as a permanent diet, just long enough to get the constipation resolved.

Jay

 

[ILikeFish!]

The wrasse looks good - nice and fat. White feces can be a sign of bacterial or protozoan infection, but can also be from the diet. It can also be for no real reason at all. Trouble is, with just that symptom alone, you can't really tell. Here is a write-up I did on that topic:



Excess mucus in fish feces:

This will present as white or light colored, stringy fecal material that often hangs from the fish’s anus for a longer than normal period. There are a number of different causes for this, some benign, others very serious. Without access to a microscope, there is little that can be done to diagnose this issue effectively.

Idiopathic mucus feces: this fancy term is just to describe white mucoid bulky feces of no serious consequence, but of an unknown cause. Some suspicion is that this can be caused by changes in diet or diets high in fats.

Starvation: Fish that have no food moving through their bowels may excrete white mucoid feces with little bulk to them. The primary diagnostic for this issue is evident in that the fish won’t been seen to be eating. Resolving the anorexia is of course the prime focus to resolve this issue.

Bacterial infection: internal bacterial infections can cause stringy feces as well. While some of these may resolve on their own, medicated foods containing a broad spectrum, gram negative oral antibiotic may be required.

Metazoan infections: multicellular worms are often blamed for mucoid feces, but in reality, they are almost never the root cause for this, and really, can only be diagnosed through looking for their ova in fecal samples. Fish can harbor tapeworms and nematodes without producing mucoid feces.

Protozoan infection: Hexamita and related diplomonad flagellate protozoans very frequently cause white stringy feces, especially in newly acquired clownfish. Metronidazole is the most frequent treatment for this issue. It can be dosed orally at 25 mg per kg of fish body weight, or 5 g in a kg of food. However, it is a very bitter medication, and some fish will refuse to feed on food containing it. It can be dosed in the water at 25 mg/l, but this is more effective in treating marine fishes, as freshwater fish do not “drink” aquarium water.

Coccidia: These microscopic, spore-forming, single-celled parasites are common diseases in dogs and cats. In fish, they cause epithelial necrosis of the gut, enteritis and the copious production of mucus (Noga 2010). These cannot be diagnosed without microscopic examination, and there is no well researched cure for this in fishes, although Toltrazuril has been tested.

Constipation: This malady is often given as a cause for stringy feces, but it is not as common as one would think. When it is seen, the feces are usually dark, not light in color. Often touted as a “cure for constipation”, many aquarists add Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) to the aquarium’s water – do not do this in marine aquariums, its use is primarily as a tonic/dip for freshwater fish. Seawater formulas already contain between 7 and 19 grams of magnesium sulfate per gallon (depending on the recipe). NSW magnesium level is around 1200 ppm and sulfur is around 840 ppm. Some benefit might be seen using it as a dip in additional concentrations, but adding a small amount to a marine aquarium itself has no benefit. Epsom salts do have some possible benefit when mixed into the food as a 3% by weight adjunct. Another commonly heard remedy for constipation is; “feed fresh peas”. This is an effective cure for fancy goldfish and Malawi cichlids that develop constipation and bloating. Again, overextrapolation has marine aquarists trying to feed peas to carnivorous fish, etc. The best method to enhance gut motility in fish is to feed frozen adult brine shrimp – not as a permanent diet, just long enough to get the constipation resolved.

Jay

Even though he’s probably fine would it be bad to quarantine it in some metroplex just in case?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Even though he’s probably fine would it be bad to quarantine it in some metroplex just in case?

Metroplex will help if the cause of the mucus feces is protozoal. As long as the QT is well-founded and stable, it might not be a bad idea to try it.

Jay

 

[ILikeFish!]

Metroplex will help if the cause of the mucus feces is protozoal. As long as the QT is well-founded and stable, it might not be a bad idea to try it.

Jay

Should i use general cure or metroplex?

 

[ILikeFish!]

Mine does this occasionally and Ive had him 8 years.
Can you provide a video under white lighting showing what you are describing?

Mine does similar occasionally and I've had him 2 years.

Do they ever do it on rocks because I’ve seen him do it on rocks a couple of times now.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Do they ever do it on rocks because I’ve seen him do it on rocks a couple of times now.

Yes but as an insurance of no other issues, you can safely add ruby rally pro to tank with coral and inverts to assure it remains treated with mild medication

 

[ILikeFish!]

Metroplex will help if the cause of the mucus feces is protozoal. As long as the QT is well-founded and stable, it might not be a bad idea to try it.

Jay

I posted in another thread that I used to thaw my frozen food in tank water and I fed that throughout the whole day and you said doing that is bad because it can cause bacteria to grow in the food. Could feeding that food have caused a bacterial infection the fish and that’s why he has white stringy poop sometimes? Also I’m sorry that I’m being so annoying I really like this fish and I don’t want to lose it.

 

[ILikeFish!]

Tough to say, is the sand diving like it is scratching?

How long have you had this fish?
Can you post a video of the behavior?

Jay

Mine does this occasionally and Ive had him 8 years.
Can you provide a video under white lighting showing what you are describing?

I finally caught him on video. He’s been doing this a few times a day, sometimes on rocks and sometimes he dive bombs and does it.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I finally caught him on video. He’s been doing this a few times a day, sometimes on rocks and sometimes he dive bombs and does it.

Video Very short but mine does this every once in a while

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I finally caught him on video. He’s been doing this a few times a day, sometimes on rocks and sometimes he dive bombs and does it.

It could just have an itch, but it found also be scratching a parasite, such as flukes.

Jay

 

[ILikeFish!]

It could just have an itch, but it found also be scratching a parasite, such as flukes.

Jay

I thought cleaner wrasse weren’t prone to flukes?

 

[ILikeFish!]

Video Very short but mine does this every once in a while

He’s been doing this every day. Is that normal?