Help to diagnose and treat a Scribbled Angelfish with a mouth infection

[asdrager]

Hello,

I am seeking some help to diagnose and plan a course of treatment for a scribbled angelfish. I purchased her 2 1/2 weeks ago and settled her in my QT with no issues. She was eating brine and mysis shrimp and showed no signs of any problems. This weekend I moved her to my main reef tank and noticed she stopped eating after a day. I thought it was due to competition from the two tangs and a tomato clown that reside in the tank, but I noticed last night that her mouth looked swollen. I caught her last night and quarantined her in the "box" pending a diagnosis and treatment plan. I have included all the information suggested below.

Thanks,
Anthony

Aquarium Parameters:
Aquarium type: Reef, Fish-only, Quarantine tank: Reef (fish, softies + a lot of bubble tip anemones)
Aquarium water volume: 160 gallons
Filtration type: Sump, Skimmer, refugium
Lighting: Radions
How long has the aquarium been established? +15 years
Digital image of the aquarium under white light:

Water quality (be sure to indicate what measurement units you are using, as well as the test kit brand)
Temperature: 77-78'C
pH: 8.1 (Apex)
Salinity / specific gravity: 1.025 (refractometer)
Ammonia: ND
Nitrite: ND
Nitrate: <5 PPM
Phosphorus: Not tested recently
Copper: Not tested (never used in tank)
Other

In-depth information:
Have you lost any fish to this problem yet? : No
Are any invertebrates affected? : No
Respiration rate of affected fish (in gill beats per minutes, count for 15 seconds and multiply by 4): 140
Are the affected fish still feeding?: No
What remedies have you tried so far?: Nothing yet (just caught to put in Hospital Tank)
Digital image of the fish with the health issue, taken under white light -

- if needed, indicate by drawing a line around the area in question.
A short video of the fish (linked YouTube videos work well) - this is perhaps the best information that you can supply, as long as the video is clear. (See Below)

https://youtube.com/shorts/0Woa19VTyFI?feature=share


#fishmedic

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

Sorry to see! That is a severe injury with a probable secondary bacterial infection. The timing sounds like it could have happened when the fish was moved into the DT.

Holding the fish in a small tank like this has a good chance of adding to the abrasion of the injury. Could you move it back to the QT and treat with antibiotic there?

Edit: I see you mention corals and anemones in your QT? That won't work as a treatment tank. Do you have a third aquarium you could move it into for treatment?


Jay

 

[asdrager]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

Sorry to see! That is a severe injury with a probable secondary bacterial infection. The timing sounds like it could have happened when the fish was moved into the DT.

Holding the fish in a small tank like this has a good chance of adding to the abrasion of the injury. Could you move it back to the QT and treat with antibiotic there?

Edit: I see you mention corals and anemones in your QT? That won't work as a treatment tank. Do you have a third aquarium you could move it into for treatment?


Jay

Hello Jay,

Thanks for the prompt response. I do have my QT tank (20-gallon tank) still up and running and was planning to use it for the treatment. So you agree that it is likely bacterial infection, which antibiotic would you suggest?

Anthony

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hello Jay,

Thanks for the prompt response. I do have my QT tank (20-gallon tank) still up and running and was planning to use it for the treatment. So you agree that it is likely bacterial infection, which antibiotic would you suggest?

Anthony

For this , Best would be Seachem Kanaplex which is a broad spectrum treatment. Add aeration with air stone during treatment and Monitor ammonia levels during treatment with a reliable test kit

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hello Jay,

Thanks for the prompt response. I do have my QT tank (20-gallon tank) still up and running and was planning to use it for the treatment. So you agree that it is likely bacterial infection, which antibiotic would you suggest?

Anthony

Choosing an antibiotic is always a guess. You’ll want to use a broad spectrum, gram negative one. I often suggest Neoplex, but Kanaplex is another good option. Of course, the big issue here is that the lesion involves the mouth. The fish isn’t feeding, and antibiotics can take 5 to 7 days to work, and then, the fish needs to heal it’s mouth so that it feels comfortable feeding again.
Jay

 

[MnFish1]

Hello Jay,

Thanks for the prompt response. I do have my QT tank (20-gallon tank) still up and running and was planning to use it for the treatment. So you agree that it is likely bacterial infection, which antibiotic would you suggest?

Anthony

Agree with Jay - the usual would be kanaplex or neoplex. PS - thanks for answering all of the questions with your first post!!!!