Stressed Midas Blenny not eating

[NAZAquatics]

Distressed Midas Blenny:

Hello all, I have a midas blenny I need help with. I bought him pre quarantined about 8 months ago and up until yesterday he was always out and about begging for food. I made sure to feed him a lot between frozen mysis, freeze dried brine shrimp and spirulina flakes.

Yesterday I came home during lunch and he wasn't out with the rest of the fish, he was up in his hiding spot, not moving. Even after I put some food in the tank. For his nighttime hiding spot he would perch upside down underneath my light mount at the top of the tank. I was afraid he was dead so I mistakenly poked him with my finger until he came out. He immediately turned a dark blotchy stressed color and kinda fell / slowly swam to the bottom of the tank. I kept the lights off yesterday and he's been sitting there since yesterday breathing somewhat fast, about 90 bpm.

Today he has borrowed down a little deeper and he's just sitting there under a red xenia and between my zoas and birdsnest. He won't eat anything. I even had some garlic soaked mysis that drifted right into him.

Any ideas? Should I just let him be? Take him out to a quarantine tank? Should I add a better hiding spot near him? Maybe put a pvc pipe down there?

I didn't notice any signs of parasites or disease, but I also haven't been able to get a good look.

I haven't added anything recently other then some quarantined invertss and coral frags from drreef a few weeks ago. All other fish, corals and tank parameters are fine.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Distressed Midas Blenny:

Hello all, I have a midas blenny I need help with. I bought him pre quarantined about 8 months ago and up until yesterday he was always out and about begging for food. I made sure to feed him a lot between frozen mysis, freeze dried brine shrimp and spirulina flakes.

Yesterday I came home during lunch and he wasn't out with the rest of the fish, he was up in his hiding spot, not moving. Even after I put some food in the tank. For his nighttime hiding spot he would perch upside down underneath my light mount at the top of the tank. I was afraid he was dead so I mistakenly poked him with my finger until he came out. He immediately turned a dark blotchy stressed color and kinda fell / slowly swam to the bottom of the tank. I kept the lights off yesterday and he's been sitting there since yesterday breathing somewhat fast, about 90 bpm.

Today he has borrowed down a little deeper and he's just sitting there under a red xenia and between my zoas and birdsnest. He won't eat anything. I even had some garlic soaked mysis that drifted right into him.

Any ideas? Should I just let him be? Take him out to a quarantine tank? Should I add a better hiding spot near him? Maybe put a pvc pipe down there?

I didn't notice any signs of parasites or disease, but I also haven't been able to get a good look.

I haven't added anything recently other then some quarantined invertss and coral frags from drreef a few weeks ago. All other fish, corals and tank parameters are fine.

pLEASE POST A VIDEO OF 20 SECS UNDER A WHITE LIGHT, NO BLUE LIGHTING TO ASSESS FISH.

 

[NAZAquatics]

pLEASE POST A VIDEO OF 20 SECS UNDER A WHITE LIGHT, NO BLUE LIGHTING TO ASSESS FISH.

Unfortunately I can't get a video of him. He has dug a burrow between two rocks, and I can only see part of the top of his head. This picture I took earlier is the best I could do. Now he has buried himself a little deeper. Every now and then I see him shift sand out of his burrow.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Unfortunately I can't get a video of him. He has dug a burrow between two rocks, and I can only see part of the top of his head. This picture I took earlier is the best I could do. Now he has buried himself a little deeper. Every now and then I see him shift sand out of his burrow.

When you get a chance, Please do

 

[NAZAquatics]

When you get a chance, Please do

Should I set up a QT tank and relocate the blenny there? I'm concerned that will only frighten him more.

 

[NAZAquatics]

Here's a video. You can see him move his tail and spit out sand. He seems to be digging a hole.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Should I set up a QT tank and relocate the blenny there? I'm concerned that will only frighten him more.

You could but only if treatment is required. Im trying to see overall body to determine a couple of possibilities

 

[NAZAquatics]

You could but only if treatment is required. Im trying to see overall body to determine a couple of possibilities

A few more videos. I see what looks like a grain of sand above his eye. And perhaps small bubbles towards his face.

 

[vetteguy53081]

A few more videos. I see what looks like a grain of sand above his eye. And perhaps small bubbles towards his face.

Videos dont play. You tube version is best

 

[NAZAquatics]

Let's try this. I also looked at him with a magnifying glass and i didnt see other white spots.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Let's try this. I also looked at him with a magnifying glass and i didnt see other white spots.

I cant see the fish in whole but appears thin and may be feeding off its liver, an issue called Edema which affects many of these fish

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Distressed Midas Blenny:

Hello all, I have a midas blenny I need help with. I bought him pre quarantined about 8 months ago and up until yesterday he was always out and about begging for food. I made sure to feed him a lot between frozen mysis, freeze dried brine shrimp and spirulina flakes.

Yesterday I came home during lunch and he wasn't out with the rest of the fish, he was up in his hiding spot, not moving. Even after I put some food in the tank. For his nighttime hiding spot he would perch upside down underneath my light mount at the top of the tank. I was afraid he was dead so I mistakenly poked him with my finger until he came out. He immediately turned a dark blotchy stressed color and kinda fell / slowly swam to the bottom of the tank. I kept the lights off yesterday and he's been sitting there since yesterday breathing somewhat fast, about 90 bpm.

Today he has borrowed down a little deeper and he's just sitting there under a red xenia and between my zoas and birdsnest. He won't eat anything. I even had some garlic soaked mysis that drifted right into him.

Any ideas? Should I just let him be? Take him out to a quarantine tank? Should I add a better hiding spot near him? Maybe put a pvc pipe down there?

I didn't notice any signs of parasites or disease, but I also haven't been able to get a good look.

I haven't added anything recently other then some quarantined invertss and coral frags from drreef a few weeks ago. All other fish, corals and tank parameters are fine.

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

I know getting images of fish in aquariums is difficult, but I reviewed all of them in this post and couldn’t see clearly enough to draw any conclusions.

There is a known issue with this species though, where they become thin over weeks and months. That is so slow as to perhaps go unnoticed by you.

I wrote about it here:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/skinny-blenny-issue.922129/

 

[NAZAquatics]

Thank you! I had read that article before, and because of that I fed heavily 4 sometimes 6 times a day with brine shrimp, frozen mysis and spirulina with some occasional pellets. It's frustrating because I knew about this issue ever since I had the blenny and deliberately overfed the tank. Apparently my efforts weren't enough.

Do you recommend I try and put dome mysis shrimp near him with a turkey blaster?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Thank you! I had read that article before, and because of that I fed heavily 4 sometimes 6 times a day with brine shrimp, frozen mysis and spirulina with some occasional pellets. It's frustrating because I knew about this issue ever since I had the blenny and deliberately overfed the tank. Apparently my efforts weren't enough.

Do you recommend I try and put dome mysis shrimp near him with a turkey blaster?

Well, the big issue is that I just couldn’t judge the fish’s body weight from the video/pics. If it isn’t overly thin, then something else is going on.

If it will accept mysids from a baster, for sure try that.

 

[NAZAquatics]

Well, the big issue is that I just couldn’t judge the fish’s body weight from the video/pics. If it isn’t overly thin, then something else is going on.

If it will accept mysids from a baster, for sure try that.

He has excavated a considerable sized hole now.

I tried feeding various foods yesterday and I don't believe he ate any. If I get too close with the blaster, or try and look at him he retreats back inside his hole. I still can't get a real good look at him. If this was your fish what would you do?

I'm considering setting up a QT tank and using API general cure just to see if that works. But then again, wouldn't evidence of worms or parasites show up sooner after having him for 8 months?

 

[NAZAquatics]

This morning he was out of sand his hole and hanging out on the bottom. I got a few videos of him with a flashlight. I think these white spots are sand?

He also ate a little but of frozen thawed mysis that I mixed with some brightwell vitamarin M. I had to dispense it right next to him with a turkey blaster.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

This morning he was out of sand his hole and hanging out on the bottom. I got a few videos of him with a flashlight. I think these white spots are sand?

He also ate a little but of frozen thawed mysis that I mixed with some brightwell vitamarin M. I had to dispense it right next to him with a turkey blaster.

Those videos help - the fish is NOT too thin, so you can ignore all that about the "skinny blenny issue" that I posted.

The white spots look like sand to me. It is breathing a bit fast, but that could be due to its digging activity?

That it ate some food is a good sign. I would just continue to try and feed it like that for the time being, I don't see any immediately treatable disease issue here.

 

[NAZAquatics]

I cant see the fish in whole but appears thin and may be feeding off its liver, an issue called Edema which affects many of these fish

Hey Vetteguy, I added a few more videos in my previous post.

 

[NAZAquatics]

Those videos help - the fish is NOT too thin, so you can ignore all that about the "skinny blenny issue" that I posted.

The white spots look like sand to me. It is breathing a bit fast, but that could be due to its digging activity?

That it ate some food is a good sign. I would just continue to try and feed it like that for the time being, I don't see any immediately treatable disease issue here.

Here's another video. Now he's just hanging out in the open on the sand. His color has that somewhat blotchy look to it. Every now and then he takes in a mouthful of sand and spots it out. I believe he's eating a little bit when I feed, but it's hard to tell if he's spitting it back out.



Is it possible there are gill flukes?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Here's another video. Now he's just hanging out in the open on the sand. His color has that somewhat blotchy look to it. Every now and then he takes in a mouthful of sand and spots it out. I believe he's eating a little bit when I feed, but it's hard to tell if he's spitting it back out.



Is it possible there are gill flukes?

It’s possible that it has gill flukes, but I don't see the digging in sand as related to that. The blotchiness is a sign of stress, or their nighttime coloration.