Is this Flukes?

[Nutter]

I woke up this morning to something no one wants to see--A Lineatus Wrasse swimming vertical and scratching off of rocks and darting against the water current. I've managed to pull him into a QT box, and I think it looks like flukes. He's also lost his appetite. Any thoughts on this looking like anything else? I'm certain it isn't ich or velvet, but it's unlike anything I've dealt with before.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

[Barrett]

Did you perform a fw dip to check for flukes. I would do it in a dark bowl to make them easier to see.

 

[Nutter]

I did not because he's already in pretty rough shape and I didn't want to put him through the extra stress. Otherwise I would have, but I just wasn't comfortable.

 

[Barrett]

All of my fish have done very well in a FW dip, just make sure it is at the same temp as your tank and aerate the water for 1/2 hr before put him in the dip. Do not exceed 5 min and pull him out early if his breathing slows. He will most likely breath very rapidly during the dip. If you do find flukes you can treat your tank with prazipro to treat flukes.

 

[aykwm]

+1 for FW dip, it can also relieve the fish. Just make sure you do it with RODI and temperature match it to the tank, you can also add buffer to raise ph to ~8 but 5 min won't cause much harm.
Although FW can add stress, but sometimes it is necessary and can be beneficial, over doing FW dips can get dangerous though, thats why its recommended to do it once to check for flukes and at the same time provide some relief if other parasites exist.

Also I can notice that the fish developed secondary infections, you can use metroplex+kanaplex+ furan, or any other wide spectrum antibiotics to help fight the infections.

Also check for symptoms of flukes, like rapid breathing, etc..

Symptoms

Fish can become lethargic, swim near the water surface, develop clamped fins, hide in the corner of the aquarium or behind rocks, lose appetite, shake the head, flash, or scratch. They may exhibit yawning, cloudy eyes and loss of color at the insertion site. For example, Neobenedenia prefers the face, lips and eyes; therefore you may notice the skin color faded in those areas. If flukes are present in the gills they may be swollen and pale, increase respiration, and begin piping (gulping air at the water surface). Fish generally become less tolerant of low oxygen conditions. Secondary infections are also very common. Some fish may not show any symptoms at all which is why quarantining is so important.

you can check this topic for more info about flukes
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/flukes-–-general-guidelines.224423/

 

[Nutter]

Ok,

I did the dip. Didn't see any worms fall off, but he survived it. He does seem to be declining rapidly. He's producing a lot of excess slime coat and he's very lethargic, even turning upside down at times. His fins are also fraying. I'm in the process of setting up a QT tank to treat him with antibiotics. Any other thoughts on what this could be? He was perfectly fine at 9 PM last night when I fed them for the final time. No one else in the tank is remotely symptomatic.

 

[4FordFamily]

Tough to tell, calling in experts for this one I would have guessed flukes.

For what it's worth, if a fish doesn't survive a freshwater dip (performed properly), it was too far gone anyhow. I hope your fish pulls through.

Are there any inverts that could have pinched the poor guy?

 

[4FordFamily]

Any spots on fins?

Did you treat for anything previously? Wrasse are notorious for having internal parasites -- wouldn't cause the facial injury but could have contributed to its demise.

@Humblefish @melypr1985

 

[Nutter]

I had been treating metroplex w/ focus on PE Mysis because I had an Anthias and a Tang with stringy white stool.

I don't think there are any inverts that would've bothered him. There's a small Potters crab in there but he's well fed and doesn't seem to bother anything.

There is an oblique basslet who can be an *******, but he's never been aggressive to the Lineatus before.

 

[Nutter]

Also, no spots on the fins at all.

 

[ngoodermuth]

Swimming into the flow, scratching, and rapid decline sound like velvet. Wrasses don't always get the spots because of their thick mucous coats.

How long have you had him? Any recent additions, coral and inverts included?

It does "look" like flukes though...

 

[jpcrash1]

How are the other fish in tank ?

 

[Nutter]

I've had him for a month. He's the most recent addition. Haven't added a snail, coral, or anything since he went in.

Other fish are still 100% fine

 

[GHsaltie]

Where did you get the fish from? If a store do you know if they ran low levels of copper in their systems? Sometimes if a fish is exposed to low levels for an extended time it can suppress parasites for a little while.

 

[Humblefish]

It does sorta look like flukes, but some should have come off during the FW dip if flukes are present.

Below are more pics of fish with flukes, for comparison purposes.

 

[Nutter]

Something certainly could have come off and I missed it. I did not have a dark container available. His spots do look very much like that.

Do you recommend treating with prazi and then following up with antibiotics after 24 hours and a tank transfer?

 

[Humblefish]

Do you recommend treating with prazi and then following up with antibiotics after 24 hours and a tank transfer?

I would dose Prazi just to see if that clears up his symptoms. If not, then I think you might be dealing with velvet as suggested by @ngoodermuth.

 

[4FordFamily]

If your fish is swimming in to flow, it's almost certain you're also dealing with velvet which wrasse can conceal well, as mentioned.

 

[Nutter]

Update:

Wrasse is still alive and in QT. Lesions on his head healed up and seemed to be very superficial. No one in else in the DT has been even mildly afflicted.

The Lineatus is still lethargic, but has made many attempts to swim. He is unable to get right side up. I've tried treating with Kanaplex and Furan 2. I have also had copper running in the system on the outside chance that it's a parasite. However, I don't think it is at this point. He's trying to eat, but struggling to do so.

I'm going to try epsom salt starting today and see if it makes a difference. Has anyone had any luck bringing something back from a true swim bladder disorder? Any tricks or is it just blind luck?

Thanks,
Mark

 

[Humblefish]

I'm going to try epsom salt starting today and see if it makes a difference. Has anyone had any luck bringing something back from a true swim bladder disorder? Any tricks or is it just blind luck?

IME; a true swim bladder disorder (gas bubble) can only be resolved via needling: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/venting-a-swim-bladder-black-cap-basslet.219954/