Rapid weight loss

siniang

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I'm at a loss, desperate, and absolutely terrified I'm going to lose my humu.

One week ago (Friday) my reef triggerfish suffered an accidental temperature drop shock that resulted in him damaging his caudal fin when trying to "shake awake" in his case and subsequently in fin rot. I started treating with Furan-2 on Monday afternoon after a >35% water change and finished the last dose yesterday (Thursday afternoon). I did dosages and water changes according to instructions. I've also been running additional O2 since last weekend.

On Tuesday I noticed he had also developed cloudy eyes. Up to that point he showed interest in food and appeared to be eating eagerly.

On Wednesday I noticed, that while he continued to show interest in food (searching for food, taking bites out of the frozen cubes I'm feeding), he did not actually eat his food. He kept nibbling it, but spitting it out again.

Also on Wednesday I noticed he had lost weight. This was a very buff fat fish before this whole thing started.

His pickyness regarding his food continued and on Thursday I started feeding Mysis, which he eagerly eats. I've been feeding Mysis pretty much continuously for the past two days. I've also gotten fresh scallop and shrimp and will try feeding it starting tomorrow, desperately hoping he'll eat those (he started ignoring the frozen Krill I usually feed him in addition to his cubes and which he used to love)

Over the course of the last week, he's lost probably half of his initial weight - he's gotten extremely thin.

Otherwise his behavior remained normal. He's doing "triggerfish things". His color looks very healthy (they turn pale when stressed). His fin seems to have improved - his eyes are still cloudy.

What could be causing this weight loss? Just him fighting the infection? The medication? Him re-growing fin tissue? He's gone without eating for a couple-three days before, without any problems ever. He's in an established tank and I had him for 2 years and 4 months. I have a hard time believing this could be caused by internal parasites after all this time and him being very healthy and fat? Additional internal infection? The antibiotics?

Please, any help and advice is really needed. I'm literally worried sick.
 

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siniang

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He's eating fresh scallops. But he's still ignoring the frozen cubes. Do scallops contain good nutrition?

How long does it usually take for the appetite suppression affect of Furan to go away?
 

Jay Hemdal

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So it's eating scallops, and mysids, right? During all this, have you changed the salinity of the tank water? What is it at currently? The reason I ask is that lack of food alone won't cause a fish to lose half its weight in a week, it takes something more severe like the dehydration that occurs when a fish is moved from low to high salinity. Or, there may have been minor weight loss going on and it wasn't until it hit a certain point that it became really apparent. Now that the furan treatment is over, do the fins look better?

Jay
 
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siniang

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So it's eating scallops, and mysids, right?

He ate some scallops and a tiny piece of raw shrimp this morning. But still nowhere near the amounts I'd like to see. He showed no interest in the Mysis yesterday or this morning, while he was still eating them eagerly on Friday.

During all this, have you changed the salinity of the tank water?

I have not and I wouldn't know what would have changed the salinity. I'm using filtered saltwater directly from the ocean as provided by our local aquarium, have been for the past 2+ years. I'm using a glass lid to reduce evaporation.

I'm trying to get a current reading now.

Now that the furan treatment is over, do the fins look better?

His fins look much better and I think I even see a tiny bit of regrowth. His eyes are still cloudy :(

However, he's developed a bit of dark "smudges" on his nose that I'm worried about...not sure if those are new infection patches? :( Trying to get pictures, but he's still not getting me close with my phone to take a good picture.

@Jay Hemdal thank you so much for all your help!!
 

Jay Hemdal

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He ate some scallops and a tiny piece of raw shrimp this morning. But still nowhere near the amounts I'd like to see. He showed no interest in the Mysis yesterday or this morning, while he was still eating them eagerly on Friday.



I have not and I wouldn't know what would have changed the salinity. I'm using filtered saltwater directly from the ocean as provided by our local aquarium, have been for the past 2+ years. I'm using a glass lid to reduce evaporation.

I'm trying to get a current reading now.



His fins look much better and I think I even see a tiny bit of regrowth. His eyes are still cloudy :(

However, he's developed a bit of dark "smudges" on his nose that I'm worried about...not sure if those are new infection patches? :( Trying to get pictures, but he's still not getting me close with my phone to take a good picture.

@Jay Hemdal thank you so much for all your help!!

I can’t remember, are there any other fish n this tank? Do you have a hydrometer to double check you salinity? Is there good aeration (needed because of the glass top).
Jay
 
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siniang

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@Jay Hemdal There's one lawnmower blenny in that tank who doesn't seem to care about any of this. They're not fighting beyond the normal haggling they've always been doing. My only hope at this point is that the blenny does seem to show a little bit of fuzzyness about the frozen cube as well, which he too used to love.

It's been 72h since the last dose of Furan and two water changes and I'm still seeing this reduced interest in food :(

I pulled out my hydrometer but it's not giving me readings. I'm trying to pick up a new one today.

I have two over-the-back filters on both ends providing water movement and had an airstone running since last Saturday - maybe I should increase the airstone setting?

Those new smudges are weird. I've been observing one of them for the last 1.5 or so days, but noticed a new one today, also on his nose. They're not extremely obvious (hence really don't come across in crappy phone pictures, unfortunately), but definitely there. And seeing a new one today definitely worries me. They literally look like charcoal smudges
 
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siniang

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IMG_3599.jpg
 
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siniang

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I tried to get garlic extract, but again, nowhere available on island. Can I use actual garlic from my fridge?
 

Jay Hemdal

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I doubt that the salinity is an issue, but you should check it just to cover all bases...weird things can happen over time to salinity, a little extra evaporation, over a long period could cause problems.
Jay
 

Jay Hemdal

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I tried to get garlic extract, but again, nowhere available on island. Can I use actual garlic from my fridge?
You can, but IMO garlic is overrated in promoting a strong appetite (but it can’t hurt).
Jay
 
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siniang

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At this point I'm willing to try anything that doesn't hurt. If it doesn't work it doesn't work, but I'm desperate enough.

@Jay Hemdal any suggestion what those "smudges" could be? I think the one that I was observing has gotten a little bigger and there's a new one. Could they be new bacterial infections?

They're faint, but unmistakably there.

IMG_3599.jpg
 

Jay Hemdal

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Sorry, I just can’t see the smudges....
Jay
 

Jay Hemdal

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I can see something in that image, but it doesn’t look too serious, and I don’t see it as being related to the fin issue/weight loss.
Jay
 
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siniang

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He continues losing weight and he keeps showing increasingly desinterest in any food. Today he didn't even care for the scallops and only ate a few Mysis.

I'm at a loss. What could be causing this?

I stumbled across this threat and it's really not optimistic. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/triggerfish-not-eating.636311/

#reefsquad @Jay Hemdal

I'm sitting here crying. I hate myself for my mistake because it does look like it's gonna cost this fish's life.
 
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siniang

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How long can it take for the Furan-2 effect to suppress appetite to wear off?

He was eating perfectly fine until two days into the Furan-2 treatment.

It's been 84h since the last dose.

He nibbled a little bit on raw shrimp this morning - which he liked, yesterday - but ignored the most part.

#reefsquad
 

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