Personifier angel, Australian Harlequin tusk and pink-face wrasse in QT

[Flame2hawk]

The titled fish are in a 40g breeder QT. Had to move the harlequin from 55g Qt as Achilles tang was harassing him and he stopped eating. I have a divider in 40g and treating with Hyposalinity at 1.008 at this time. Got Tusk to eat some raw shrimp and fresh clam yesterday. Woke up this morning to an ammonia spike at 1.5ppm. The Personifier angel and pinkface wrasse didn’t stressed but the tusk looked like he was on his last breath. Quickly did an 80% water change and added prime as well as bacteria. Tusk still having a tough time while others are fine and waiting to eat. I have a divider in the tank to give tusk a nice peaceful environment. I’ve had the tusk for 1 week. So far, I have found the tusk to be much more timid and sensitive then what I had read. Seems to be over sensitive to any signs of aggression from tank mates. I had read that he would be a bit timid at first but this timid is much more than I ever experienced with any angel, tang, or any other fish. Anyone have any experience trying to get a tusk thru QT? How is he likely to adjust After QT when introduced to my large (625g) FOWLR with tangs and angels? ( I will use a large acclimation container for as long as needed).thx!

 

[Jay Hemdal]

What is the pH of the system? That has a huge bearing on how toxic the ammonia will be. 1.5 is really high though. I strive to keep it below 0.25 at all times. You aren’t dosing with cupramine are you? You can’t use prime when dosing with amine-chelated copper products.
Jay

 

[Flame2hawk]

What is the pH of the system? That has a huge bearing on how toxic the ammonia will be. 1.5 is really high though. I strive to keep it below 0.25 at all times. You aren’t dosing with cupramine are you? You can’t use prime when dosing with amine-chelated copper products.
Jay

Right now only hypo at 1.008. I’m aware of prime and cupramine combo restriction. I always use copper power. It’s hard to keep ph up when in hypo but its currently at 7.8 in QT. The tusk is sensitive to everything it appears....thx

 

[Jay Hemdal]

The low pH is what kept the ammonia from just killing the fish, so be careful about trying to raise it when ammonia is present. I normally don’t run hypo below 1.009. You need to ensure that when running that low, that your measurement tool is spot-on accurate, any error in the wrong direction could be bad. I actually prefer to put tusks through copper and prazi as opposed to hypo, but they are sensitive either way.
Jay

 

[Flame2hawk]

The low pH is what kept the ammonia from just killing the fish, so be careful about trying to raise it when ammonia is present. I normally don’t run hypo below 1.009. You need to ensure that when running that low, that your measurement tool is spot-on accurate, any error in the wrong direction could be bad. I actually prefer to put tusks through copper and prazi as opposed to hypo, but they are sensitive either way.
Jay

Yes i calibrate my refractor weekly. Thx

 

[lion king]

The tusk can be tricky at initial acclimation. For this one I'd likely keep him in an extended stay in observation and make sure he is confidently eating very well. If he is fattened up well I think he should have no problems in the 625g. I've found most tangs and angels don't bother the tusk, it's just you were talking about an Achilles in a small tank.

 

[Flame2hawk]

The tusk can be tricky at initial acclimation. For this one I'd likely keep him in an extended stay in observation and make sure he is confidently eating very well. If he is fattened up well I think he should have no problems in the 625g. I've found most tangs and angels don't bother the tusk, it's just you were talking about an Achilles in a small tank.

Yeah even though a 55g is considered to be a good size QT, the Achilles is another story! He doesn’t bother the 2 heniochus that are in there W/him. The tusk ate well last night and today. Raw shrimp, clam on half shell and live brine. He Was much calmer and steady today. Another 3-4 days and I will take down the divider and have him join his other tank mates as today he was spying thru the Peek holes to get a glimpse of them . They were doing it too.

 

[Snackums]

Good luck with the tusk, they are awesome. Definitely not shy once they get settled in. Love mine, even if he waxes the occasional snail here or there.

 

[Flame2hawk]

Good luck with the tusk, they are awesome. Definitely not shy once they get settled in. Love mine, even if he waxes the occasional snail here or there.

Very nice. Looking forward to the blue lines becoming more defined/bolder when he is more settled. They look pretty faded at the moment, especially for an Australian species. Thx

 

[Snackums]

Very nice. Looking forward to the blue lines becoming more defined/bolder when he is more settled. They look pretty faded at the moment, especially for an Australian species. Thx

I feed new life spectrum pellets as the normal tank food and that seems to make the colors pop. If I put any frozen cubes or clams on half shell in there then he will take the whole thing in his mouth and swim around the tank almost taunting the other fish like “look what I have, but you can’t have any”.

 

[Flame2hawk]

I feed new life spectrum pellets as the normal tank food and that seems to make the colors pop. If I put any frozen cubes or clams on half shell in there then he will take the whole thing in his mouth and swim around the tank almost taunting the other fish like “look what I have, but you can’t have any”.

LOL!

 

[Flame2hawk]

Tusk continues to struggle. Not eating again. Seems to really haste the tight quarters of a 40g breeder. Also every time I dose Prazi he seems to Hilde allot and not eat. I know its an appetite suppressant but the reaction is almost immediate and the personifier and pink face wrasse continue to swim around with no issues.....Tusk is not an easy fish to acclimate so although I’m sure the prize on the other side of QT is rewarding, getting him through is quite a challenge. I’m tempted to just freshwater dip him and take my chances in the DT....but I just cant as the DT with all my angels, tangs and soon crosshatch trigger pair is doing so well.

 

[lion king]

Very nice. Looking forward to the blue lines becoming more defined/bolder when he is more settled. They look pretty faded at the moment, especially for an Australian species. Thx

How big is he, those blue colors seem to come out when a bit more mature.

Tusk continues to struggle. Not eating again. Seems to really haste the tight quarters of a 40g breeder. Also every time I dose Prazi he seems to Hilde allot and not eat. I know its an appetite suppressant but the reaction is almost immediate and the personifier and pink face wrasse continue to swim around with no issues.....Tusk is not an easy fish to acclimate so although I’m sure the prize on the other side of QT is rewarding, getting him through is quite a challenge. I’m tempted to just freshwater dip him and take my chances in the DT....but I just cant as the DT with all my angels, tangs and soon crosshatch trigger pair is doing so well.

Are you including Metronidazole in your treatment for internal parsites. Many times difficult to eat fish will have internal parasite problems. If the colors seem a bit faded, that can also be indicative of internal parasites. If he is eating at all mix metro/focus in the food.

I have a pair of flame hawkfish in qt, they really weren't eating well and one had faded color. I thought their lack of appetite was just because I hadn't found what they liked, I even tried live brine shrimp. I thought the faded color one was just stress because the other one was picking on him/her. I dosed general cure and the very next day their appetite improved and the color started to return. The next day after the 2nd dose of gc, their appetite is good and the color is 100%. I have a dozen examples of stories just like this.

You really need a combination of prazi and metro to cover the broadest forms of internal parasites and worms. eneral cure contains both. Since you have dosed prazi, if he is eating well, dosing the metro in food is good as well. For some reason I've never had the same results dosing metro in the water column, although they say you can. I do have good results dosing general cure in the water column, but you don't want to od prazi.

 

[Flame2hawk]

How big is he, those blue colors seem to come out when a bit more mature.



Are you including Metronidazole in your treatment for internal parsites. Many times difficult to eat fish will have internal parasite problems. If the colors seem a bit faded, that can also be indicative of internal parasites. If he is eating at all mix metro/focus in the food.

I have a pair of flame hawkfish in qt, they really weren't eating well and one had faded color. I thought their lack of appetite was just because I hadn't found what they liked, I even tried live brine shrimp. I thought the faded color one was just stress because the other one was picking on him/her. I dosed general cure and the very next day their appetite improved and the color started to return. The next day after the 2nd dose of gc, their appetite is good and the color is 100%. I have a dozen examples of stories just like this.

You really need a combination of prazi and metro to cover the broadest forms of internal parasites and worms. eneral cure contains both. Since you have dosed prazi, if he is eating well, dosing the metro in food is good as well. For some reason I've never had the same results dosing metro in the water column, although they say you can. I do have good results dosing general cure in the water column, but you don't want to od prazi.

Thx. He;s about 6 inches so rather big. Since I got him he’s in hypo 1.008 and also been on a frozen food mixture soaked in metro, fenbendozole and nitrofurazone cocktail mix. Its what i give all QT fish in their food at least 2 wks of QT. Recently I started Prazi In water column. I Think I’m going to move the H.Tusk to a pristine water 20g long w/ no meds except hypo at 1.008. The immediate attention w/b to see if I could get him to eat. Its a tough call cause i dont know whether he stopped eating because of the meds or because of internal parasites. I’m going to guess the meds because he was at wholesaler And apparently eating as he looked good when he arrived. Once I get him to eat some, I will start with GC treatment. Fingers crossed.

 

[lion king]

Thx. He;s about 6 inches so rather big. Since I got him he’s in hypo 1.008 and also been on a frozen food mixture soaked in metro, fenbendozole and nitrofurazone cocktail mix. Its what i give all QT fish in their food at least 2 wks of QT. Recently I started Prazi In water column. I Think I’m going to move the H.Tusk to a pristine water 20g long w/ no meds except hypo at 1.008. The immediate attention w/b to see if I could get him to eat. Its a tough call cause i dont know whether he stopped eating because of the meds or because of internal parasites. I’m going to guess the meds because he was at wholesaler And apparently eating as he looked good when he arrived. Once I get him to eat some, I will start with GC treatment. Fingers crossed.

I agree you should give him pristine water at this time. Thats the tricky thing about the meds, it can inhibit their appetite. I have found it does work fast at clearing the parasites and if it was internal parasites should start eating in a couple of days.

Did he go through your entire protocol. If I get a fish in that's eating well, I'll fatten them up before treatment, just in case they go off eating under medication. But if they don't eat, I don't wait too long to treat. If you pull him off meds and he starts eating, great, but I would still keep an eye. If his appetite gets super voracious, I'd keep a real close eye.

 

[Flame2hawk]

I agree you should give him pristine water at this time. Thats the tricky thing about the meds, it can inhibit their appetite. I have found it does work fast at clearing the parasites and if it was internal parasites should start eating in a couple of days.

Did he go through your entire protocol. If I get a fish in that's eating well, I'll fatten them up before treatment, just in case they go off eating under medication. But if they don't eat, I don't wait too long to treat. If you pull him off meds and he starts eating, great, but I would still keep an eye. If his appetite gets super voracious, I'd keep a real close eye.

Yeah I’ve heard some say that Prazi I’d most effective in the fist 24 hours. Fingers crossed. Thx

 

[Flame2hawk]

Well BEEN quite an adventure. Rather then recap all of the H.tusks trials and tribulations, suffice to say that he hasn’t eaten and I believe whats ailing him is bacterial. As such a dosed the tank with GC ( internal parasites if any) and NitroFu while raising the salinity slowly and now stands at 1.015. After some days on this regimen, he was getting worse. Thought he stopped breathing a couple of times but he was fighting for sure. Yesterday a fellow hobbyist friend mentioned dipping him in Cipro for 45m bath and return to pristine water with no meds until he eats. Gave him The Cipro bath yesterday, he looked improved today. He actually ate a small piece of shrimp from tweezers today. I just gave him another Cipro bath and returned to QT. Gave Heniochus The same bath as experiencing similar symptoms. He ate well for the first time in 5 days. I’m thinking we might be on to something ....fingers crossed as the poor tusk has had a tough journey and near death more than once in last days....

 

[lion king]

So this cipro is a human drug, correct. You say it could be bacterial, do you think it is bacterial as in his intestinal tract, as that's one of the uses in humans. You haven't seen any outwards signs of bacterial infection have you, not even cloudy eyes, or have you. It would be ashamed if we now have to diagnose bacterial infection of the gut, without clear symptoms.

 

[Flame2hawk]

So this cipro is a human drug, correct. You say it could be bacterial, do you think it is bacterial as in his intestinal tract, as that's one of the uses in humans. You haven't seen any outwards signs of bacterial infection have you, not even cloudy eyes, or have you. It would be ashamed if we now have to diagnose bacterial infection of the gut, without clear symptoms.

I spoke to marine biologist who works with a large public aquarium. I informed him of symptoms and the treatment to date (GC and nitrofu.) having little impact on his deteriorating position. Having not eaten and laying on his side breathing heavy gave all signs of near death. He suggested cipro bath . I used it and so far after 2 dips he’s slightly improved. The Heniochus who was in the same qt, was also given the bath and he started eating today after 4-5 days not eating. Fingers crossed.

 

[Alaeriel]

Good luck! I hope he keeps improving from here