Help! Anthias suddenly looking listless and struggling

[Reeferoni123]

Hi!

I have had our saltwater tank set up for 6 or so months, and have a happy little community - but yesterday and today, I've found that one of my anthias is looking really listless - 'hiding' in the lower corner of the tank, and hadn't moved from that spot for 24 hours. She seems to be breathing okay, but perching on the ground, and leaning over - so doesn't look good.

If I chase her, she can swim and evade, but went back to the corner again straight after. She hasn't been tempted by any food - normally healthy and eating pellets just fine, but not now eating, and won;t eat frozen mysis either, which normally gets a good reaction.

The three anthias were the first in the tank, have been with us for 6 months, and were quarantined before going in (all fish get either 8 weeks of copper, or 4 weeks of CP, and then tremazol, myxazin, and FW dips, before entry to the tank).

We did do a 20% water change the day prior, and scrubbed a good amount of GHA from the rockwork, before she became ill - but all the rest of my fish seem happy and alert.

I don't think this is a water quality issue - running skimmer, UV, roller filter, and rowaphos - Nitrates 10, Phosphate 0.05. Salinity is 35ppt. Haven't tested Alkalinity in a week but wouldn't affect fish, can provide a full bank of test results if needs be.

She does seem to have a white mark (99% sure it's not ich though, more like a scrape) above the one eye.

I've moved her into a breeder box for now, with a bit of sand on the base, and provided a bit of food, which hasn't been accepted.

Photos attached - any recommendations?



edit: to add, I know the super close up looks like potential velvet maybe because of the tiny white flecks, but this is just dust/sediment, from the sand I added to the breeder box, that's settled onto her - I've just flicked at the water around her and it's all floated off - I've added another pic

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi!

I have had our saltwater tank set up for 6 or so months, and have a happy little community - but yesterday and today, I've found that one of my anthias is looking really listless - 'hiding' in the lower corner of the tank, and hadn't moved from that spot for 24 hours. She seems to be breathing okay, but perching on the ground, and leaning over - so doesn't look good.

If I chase her, she can swim and evade, but went back to the corner again straight after. She hasn't been tempted by any food - normally healthy and eating pellets just fine, but not now eating, and won;t eat frozen mysis either, which normally gets a good reaction.

The three anthias were the first in the tank, have been with us for 6 months, and were quarantined before going in (all fish get either 8 weeks of copper, or 4 weeks of CP, and then tremazol, myxazin, and FW dips, before entry to the tank).

We did do a 20% water change the day prior, and scrubbed a good amount of GHA from the rockwork, before she became ill - but all the rest of my fish seem happy and alert.

I don't think this is a water quality issue - running skimmer, UV, roller filter, and rowaphos - Nitrates 10, Phosphate 0.05. Salinity is 35ppt. Haven't tested Alkalinity in a week but wouldn't affect fish, can provide a full bank of test results if needs be.

She does seem to have a white mark (99% sure it's not ich though, more like a scrape) above the one eye.

I've moved her into a breeder box for now, with a bit of sand on the base, and provided a bit of food, which hasn't been accepted.

Photos attached - any recommendations?



edit: to add, I know the super close up looks like potential velvet maybe because of the tiny white flecks, but this is just dust/sediment, from the sand I added to the breeder box, that's settled onto her - I've just flicked at the water around her and it's all floated off - I've added another pic

I see small nick/injury. Any aggression or chasing from other tankmates? I know they can be a little listless during day as they are deeper water fish. Try reducing white light intensity slightly and see if its more active.
Is fish eating and breathing normal?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hi!

I have had our saltwater tank set up for 6 or so months, and have a happy little community - but yesterday and today, I've found that one of my anthias is looking really listless - 'hiding' in the lower corner of the tank, and hadn't moved from that spot for 24 hours. She seems to be breathing okay, but perching on the ground, and leaning over - so doesn't look good.

If I chase her, she can swim and evade, but went back to the corner again straight after. She hasn't been tempted by any food - normally healthy and eating pellets just fine, but not now eating, and won;t eat frozen mysis either, which normally gets a good reaction.

The three anthias were the first in the tank, have been with us for 6 months, and were quarantined before going in (all fish get either 8 weeks of copper, or 4 weeks of CP, and then tremazol, myxazin, and FW dips, before entry to the tank).

We did do a 20% water change the day prior, and scrubbed a good amount of GHA from the rockwork, before she became ill - but all the rest of my fish seem happy and alert.

I don't think this is a water quality issue - running skimmer, UV, roller filter, and rowaphos - Nitrates 10, Phosphate 0.05. Salinity is 35ppt. Haven't tested Alkalinity in a week but wouldn't affect fish, can provide a full bank of test results if needs be.

She does seem to have a white mark (99% sure it's not ich though, more like a scrape) above the one eye.

I've moved her into a breeder box for now, with a bit of sand on the base, and provided a bit of food, which hasn't been accepted.

Photos attached - any recommendations?



edit: to add, I know the super close up looks like potential velvet maybe because of the tiny white flecks, but this is just dust/sediment, from the sand I added to the breeder box, that's settled onto her - I've just flicked at the water around her and it's all floated off - I've added another pic

Both eyes are bulging. Have you ruled out blindness? Does the fish react if you move around the outside of the tank without bumping it or setting up vibrations?

 

[Reeferoni123]

I see small nick/injury. Any aggression or chasing from other tankmates? I know they can be a little listless during day as they are deeper water fish. Try reducing white light intensity slightly and see if its more active.
Is fish eating and breathing normal?

I popped the lights up for clear photos, and have them dimmed down currently, but it’s been just as listless for 24 hours, including with lights low/off. Not eating, but breathing okay.

No major aggression, normally very happy tank, the largest anthias does ‘flash’ this one and the other during moonlight/evening, but no chasing.

 

[Reeferoni123]

Both eyes are bulging. Have you ruled out blindness? Does the fish react if you move around the outside of the tank without bumping it or setting up vibrations?

Seems like it could be blindness then, fish doesn’t react at all to me without hands in the tank, including shining a torch in her eyes. What might cause this? Potentially treatable, or not?

I’m concerned that as part of my ‘deep cleaning’, I tried the micro bubble scrubbing thing that I’ve seen recently, where you supersaturate the water with air (in reality, I let the return pump run a little low and suck in a load of air accidentally, but it seemed a positive for lifting crud out of the water column) - perhaps she has ingested some air and that has caused gas bubbles internally?

Do you think this will be recoverable from?

Actually, scratch that, she’s now reacting a little to motion from me, so at least not totally blind.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Seems like it could be blindness then, fish doesn’t react at all to me without hands in the tank, including shining a torch in her eyes. What might cause this? Potentially treatable, or not?

I’m concerned that as part of my ‘deep cleaning’, I tried the micro bubble scrubbing thing that I’ve seen recently, where you supersaturate the water with air (in reality, I let the return pump run a little low and suck in a load of air accidentally, but it seemed a positive for lifting crud out of the water column) - perhaps she has ingested some air and that has caused gas bubbles internally?

Do you think this will be recoverable from?

Actually, scratch that, she’s now reacting a little to motion from me, so at least not totally blind.

Ah - the clue about the pump catching air is important. Blindness can be caused by gas supersaturation. That also explains the bulging eyes.
There is not treatment for this. I once built a pressure tank to recompress the fish, but the symptoms would just return once I bled the pressure off.

Here is an article I wrote on fish eye health:
https://reefs.com/magazine/aquarium-fish-the-eyes-have-it-a-review-of-eye-health-in-aquarium-fishes/