Leopard wrasse scratching on sand and head twitching

[Frizzy reefnewb]

It’s been a month since I had her she eats like a pig but as the title says she’s twitching her head like she has Tourette syndrome but it’s not all the time but also scratching on the sand along with my goby ....is it possible as long as she keeps eating for her to beat this? I’m aware wrasses come with parasites/flukes I just don’t have a qt tank and catching her for a fw dip is out of the question ....is she inevitably gonna die ?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

It’s been a month since I had her she eats like a pig but as the title says she’s twitching her head like she has Tourette syndrome but it’s not all the time but also scratching on the sand along with my goby ....is it possible as long as she keeps eating for her to beat this? I’m aware wrasses come with parasites/flukes I just don’t have a qt tank and catching her for a fw dip is out of the question ....is she inevitably gonna die ?

For some wrasses (Coris aygula for example) this is a feeding strategy. In other species, it is a sign of gill flukes. I stopped ordering Macropharyngodon wrasses many years ago because they just aren't very sturdy, so I can't tell you if they feed this way or not....but I think not.

Prazipro can often be used in a DT, as long as you dose it as per actual tank volume and you apply lots of extra aeration. I hear people say "wrasses are sensitive to prazi". I've never seen that myself, but as I said, I don't work with this genus of wrasse any longer. Two issues with prazi are: dosing without good aeration (not just water circulation) and then dosing a fish too late, when a fish has a very heavy gill flukes infestation, you dose with prazi, all of the flukes drop off, leaving hundreds of tiny holes in the fish's gills, and the fish bleeds out, becomes anemic and sometimes dies.

Jay

 

[Frizzy reefnewb]

For some wrasses (Coris aygula for example) this is a feeding strategy. In other species, it is a sign of gill flukes. I stopped ordering Macropharyngodon wrasses many years ago because they just aren't very sturdy, so I can't tell you if they feed this way or not....but I think not.

Prazipro can often be used in a DT, as long as you dose it as per actual tank volume and you apply lots of extra aeration. I hear people say "wrasses are sensitive to prazi". I've never seen that myself, but as I said, I don't work with this genus of wrasse any longer. Two issues with prazi are: dosing without good aeration (not just water circulation) and then dosing a fish too late, when a fish has a very heavy gill flukes infestation, you dose with prazi, all of the flukes drop off, leaving hundreds of tiny holes in the fish's gills, and the fish bleeds out, becomes anemic and sometimes dies.

Jay

Smart anserw I heard prazi being a hit or miss also so I’m worried to use it....she’s gotten so much fatter but she’s definitely being irritated I see the difference between when she’s looking for food using her head and scratching...I do not wanna lose her