Mandarin Fish Brain Damage?

[Zakary2003]

Hey everyone.
I just moved home from college after the school year ended. I bring my 20 gallon mixed reef back and forth twice a year, and I've never lost a single fish or coral until now.

Unfortunately this time something happened and the bucket with most of the fish and motile inverts ran out of oxygen faster than normal. My clownfish and shrimp all died, and my other stuff is looking rough.

My captive bred mandarin dragonet survived. He is breathing normally and has normal colors today, but something is very wrong. He isn't moving around like normal (or really at all). When I touch him, he kinda spins around out of control. I think it may be brain damage from hypoxia or something.

Does anyone have experience with this? What are the chances he survives? I haven't even gotten my brine shrimp and copepod cultures back up and running yet, and he is totally oblivious to the prepared foods he normally eats.

It's been a rough 24 hours. Most of my SPS are bleached and my anemones are looking quite bad. My yasha goby, which was in another bucket and looked totally fine yesterday, jumped THROUGH the lid between the mesh and died overnight. My pistol shrimp never showed back up either. As far as corals go, only some of my LPS and softies survived.

The mandarin is my favorite fish, so I'm really hoping for some good news.

 

[strich]

Mate that sounds devastating, sorry to hear about that!

I can't help re your #fishmedic request, but I would suggest a video if you can as it may help others diagnose.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

aww, so sorry to read this. Maybe either @vetteguy53081 or @Jay Hemdal can come in on this. But yes, definitely a video will help in assessing things.

 

[MnFish1]

Hey everyone.
I just moved home from college after the school year ended. I bring my 20 gallon mixed reef back and forth twice a year, and I've never lost a single fish or coral until now.

Unfortunately this time something happened and the bucket with most of the fish and motile inverts ran out of oxygen faster than normal. My clownfish and shrimp all died, and my other stuff is looking rough.

My captive bred mandarin dragonet survived. He is breathing normally and has normal colors today, but something is very wrong. He isn't moving around like normal (or really at all). When I touch him, he kinda spins around out of control. I think it may be brain damage from hypoxia or something.

Does anyone have experience with this? What are the chances he survives? I haven't even gotten my brine shrimp and copepod cultures back up and running yet, and he is totally oblivious to the prepared foods he normally eats.

It's been a rough 24 hours. Most of my SPS are bleached and my anemones are looking quite bad. My yasha goby, which was in another bucket and looked totally fine yesterday, jumped THROUGH the lid between the mesh and died overnight. My pistol shrimp never showed back up either. As far as corals go, only some of my LPS and softies survived.

The mandarin is my favorite fish, so I'm really hoping for some good news.

I would increase oxygen, make sure the fish is separate from the dying corals and anemones - if you have an ability to use activated carbon in the tanks containing invertebrates I would do that - also check your parameters - ammonia, etc. especially since there is a lot of dying going on. If you don't rapidly separate things - death/damage to coral etc causes more bacteria, more bacteria lowers oxygen, etc etc and it's a vicious cycle. Hope this helps

 

[Zakary2003]

I would increase oxygen, make sure the fish is separate from the dying corals and anemones - if you have an ability to use activated carbon in the tanks containing invertebrates I would do that - also check your parameters - ammonia, etc. especially since there is a lot of dying going on. If you don't rapidly separate things - death/damage to coral etc causes more bacteria, more bacteria lowers oxygen, etc etc and it's a vicious cycle. Hope this helps

I've put everything back on the main tank. I added extra carbon and some organics-reducing media to the tank to hopefully reduce ammonia and nitrites. I also added some air stones. I'm going to buy ammonia and nitrites tests today because the ones from when I originally cycled the tank are expired and contain crystals in the reagents.

 

[Zakary2003]

I've put everything back on the main tank. I added extra carbon and some organics-reducing media to the tank to hopefully reduce ammonia and nitrites. I also added some air stones. I'm going to buy ammonia and nitrites tests today because the ones from when I originally cycled the tank are expired and contain crystals in the reagents.

But the expired tests said 0 ammonia and very low (maybe still 0) nitrites.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hey everyone.
I just moved home from college after the school year ended. I bring my 20 gallon mixed reef back and forth twice a year, and I've never lost a single fish or coral until now.

Unfortunately this time something happened and the bucket with most of the fish and motile inverts ran out of oxygen faster than normal. My clownfish and shrimp all died, and my other stuff is looking rough.

My captive bred mandarin dragonet survived. He is breathing normally and has normal colors today, but something is very wrong. He isn't moving around like normal (or really at all). When I touch him, he kinda spins around out of control. I think it may be brain damage from hypoxia or something.

Does anyone have experience with this? What are the chances he survives? I haven't even gotten my brine shrimp and copepod cultures back up and running yet, and he is totally oblivious to the prepared foods he normally eats.

It's been a rough 24 hours. Most of my SPS are bleached and my anemones are looking quite bad. My yasha goby, which was in another bucket and looked totally fine yesterday, jumped THROUGH the lid between the mesh and died overnight. My pistol shrimp never showed back up either. As far as corals go, only some of my LPS and softies survived.

The mandarin is my favorite fish, so I'm really hoping for some good news.

Sounds like either saturated gas or oxygen issue or lack of thereof during transport and may have caused an Neurological like issue. When you place hand in front of it, does it respond?
Have you seen it physically hunt and eat pods/food?
Lastly is breathing normal or elevated?
If acquiring new kits, consider salifert or Hanna brand

 

[Zakary2003]

Sounds like either saturated gas or oxygen issue or lack of thereof during transport and may have caused an Neurological like issue. When you place hand in front of it, does it respond?
Have you seen it physically hunt and eat pods/food?
Lastly is breathing normal or elevated?

Both eyes focus on my finger when I put it in front of him, but he doesn't move unless I make contact. He is not hunting at all. Breathing is normal today.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Both eyes focus on my finger when I put it in front of him, but he doesn't move unless I make contact. He is not hunting at all. Breathing is normal today.

Can you post a pic or two of the fish, in fact video more helpful under bright white light intensity, no blue for best assessment

 

[Zakary2003]

Can you post a pic or two of the fish, in fact video more helpful under bright white light intensity, no blue for best assessment

I will when I get home

 

[KrisReef]

Moribund or catatonic responses to visual stimulus may or may not recover. On this instance I am not optimistic unless this fish starts swimming and hunting prey normally.

Keep watch and respond accordingly. I might flood the tank with pods if only to evaluate the presence or absence of feeding and treat the fish according to those observations.

Sad days stink. Sorry for you.

 

[Zakary2003]

Good news! I never posted a video yesterday because I couldn't find him. I assumed he was dead and had been lost in the rockwork. Nope! Today, he is swimming around normally. He is a bit lethargic still, but he accepted fresh baby brine shrimp. I think he might pull through after all!

 

[Sophie"s mom]

Good news! I never posted a video yesterday because I couldn't find him. I assumed he was dead and had been lost in the rockwork. Nope! Today, he is swimming around normally. He is a bit lethargic still, but he accepted fresh baby brine shrimp. I think he might pull through after all!

Aww, that is great news! Very happy to hear!