Coral Beauty - Not eating/Sick

[CodyRVA]

The short of it:

I had two fish in a 30G quarantine setup. A tang, and a coral beauty. Fish came from live aquaria, thus I can not confirm the fish's previous diets. Both fish skittish at first, but the tang ended up eating and showed signs of a healthy fish so it was moved into main display, has done great since! The Coral Beauty only ever nipped at rocks, i've had it for a few months now and have still yet to see it take any food from the water. It's gotten pop eye twice, treated with Melafix first, which worked, the second time I had to use Marineland all in one. However, it's always a matter of time before the fish stops swimming around nipping at rock and just sits in one place, gets sick, and I start the routine all over again. It's starting to get white blemishes on its face yet again, i'm assuming from poor nutrition/not eating. I've tried every food I can think of... Live brine, frozen mysis, blood worms, squid, LRS reef frenzy, Pellets, Flakes, veggie clip, even soaking these foods in Garlic did nothing, nor did dosing the tank directly with garlic: used Kent Marine Garlic Xtreme. I'm assuming it's been eating pods or it would have been dead by now. Water tests out fine, as I said, I had a fish leave this quarantine already happy and healthy once before. Any tips are greatly appreciated!!!

 

[4FordFamily]

The short of it:

I had two fish in a 30G quarantine setup. A tang, and a coral beauty. Fish came from live aquaria, thus I can not confirm the fish's previous diets. Both fish skittish at first, but the tang ended up eating and showed signs of a healthy fish so it was moved into main display, has done great since! The Coral Beauty only ever nipped at rocks, i've had it for a few months now and have still yet to see it take any food from the water. It's gotten pop eye twice, treated with Melafix first, which worked, the second time I had to use Marineland all in one. However, it's always a matter of time before the fish stops swimming around nipping at rock and just sits in one place, gets sick, and I start the routine all over again. It's starting to get white blemishes on its face yet again, i'm assuming from poor nutrition/not eating. I've tried every food I can think of... Live brine, frozen mysis, blood worms, squid, LRS reef frenzy, Pellets, Flakes, veggie clip, even soaking these foods in Garlic did nothing, nor did dosing the tank directly with garlic: used Kent Marine Garlic Xtreme. I'm assuming it's been eating pods or it would have been dead by now. Water tests out fine, as I said, I had a fish leave this quarantine already happy and healthy once before. Any tips are greatly appreciated!!!

Centropyge can be very susceptible to most parasites, flukes being a common ailment. Can you post a picture?

When other parasites attack the gills, the gill damage can cause them to lose color in a splotchy fashion

 

[CodyRVA]

Thanks! I'll try to post a picture, as I mentioned the fish is skittish so I arranged a cave, thus getting a picture is difficult. The blemishes do do always start near the face/gills and spreads down the body. I have been doing weekly water changes, not sure if that means much.

 

[Humblefish]

Could very well be flukes, as Neobenedenia prefers the face, lips and eyes; as a result, you may notice the skin color faded in those areas. A FW dip (see below) will confirm the presence of flukes.

When the fish gets "popeye", is it in one eye or both? Do they eyes look cloudy at all?

Freshwater Dip: Provides temporary relief for Brooklynella, Flukes, Marine Velvet disease (Amyloodinium); possibly even Ich & Uronema marinum (both unproven). Can be used to confirm the presence of Flukes.

How To Treat - Fill a bucket with RODI water, and use a heater to match the temperature to the water the fish is coming from. Aerate the water heavily for at least 30 minutes prior to doing the dip, then discontinue aeration while performing the dip. Fish aren’t overly pH sensitive for short durations like this, but you can squirt a little tank water into the dip just before the fish goes in to help bring it up.

Place the fish in the freshwater (FW) dip and observe closely. It is not unusual for them to freak out a little at first. Also, tangs are notorious for “playing dead” during a FW dip. The important thing is to watch their gills; they should be breathing heavily at all times during the dip. If breathing slows, it’s time to exit the dip. Dip the fish for no longer than 5 minutes. Multiple dips may be done, but it’s important to give your fish a day to recuperate in-between dips.

For flukes, use a dark (preferably black) bucket so you can see if tiny white worms fall out of the fish (especially out of the gills) at around the 3-4 minute mark. The worms will settle to the bottom, so you can use a flashlight to look for them there as well.

Pros - Provides temporary relief for a wide range of diseases in a chemical free environment. Can “buy you more time” until a proper treatment can be done.

Cons/Side Effects - Not a permanent “fix” for any disease, as FW dips are not potent enough to eradicate all of the parasites/worms afflicting the fish. Some fish can have an adverse reaction to a FW dip by appearing unable to maintain their equilibrium once returned to the aquarium. If this happens, hold the fish upright (using latex, nitrile or rubber gloves), and gently glide him through the water (to get saltwater flowing through the gills again). It is also a good idea to place the fish in an acclimation box until he appears “normal”.

 

[CodyRVA]

Thanks Humblefish! The first time it got pop eye, it was just one eye, I treated quickly with Melafix and it went away. The second time it came back worse in both eyes, very aggressively, thus I stepped up the medication. There was only about a week or so between these instances. I'll try to dip it and see what I get. Would this put the system, this fish is currently in, in jeopardy? Would treating with copper be a possible solution? I'll try to get pics, but easier said than done. Thanks again!

 

[CodyRVA]

White splotches around the eye, will try to get better pic

 

[CodyRVA]

Update: did a fresh dip for 4 minutes, saw no worms. These pics look to me like whatever this is, is eating the flesh away, bacterial/fungal? I have the fish in a 10g QT dosed with Cupramine. Any suggestion on next steps? Thanks!!!

 

[Humblefish]

At this point I would zero in on it being a bacterial infection. Melafix may be fine for mild infections, but this has progressed beyond that. Popeye in both eyes is another symptom of a bacterial infection.

Can you get any of the following meds: Kanaplex, Furan-2, Erythromycin/Minocycline?

 

[CodyRVA]

I'm sure I can order online idk about local sale, would Cupramine work or no? Also, would I need to nuke the qt system that fish was in? Thanks again!

 

[Humblefish]

I'm sure I can order online idk about local sale, would Cupramine work or no? Also, would I need to nuke the qt system that fish was in? Thanks again!

Cupramine would only be useful if an external parasite such as ich or velvet was in play here. It won't help with a bacterial infection.

I wouldn't nuke your QT just yet. You are going to need it to treat this fish!

 

[CodyRVA]

The QT is a temp setup anyways, but it seems like I remove the fish, treat it separately, it gets healthy, back into the QT and sick again, I do have sand/rock no coral in the QT, like I said temp, makes me think whatever this is, has leached into the substrate.