The red patch on the wrasse's body.

[xzt]

On January 4, 2026, I purchased two species of wrasse: one Cleaner Wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) and one Eclipse Hogfish (Bodianus mesothorax). From January 4 to January 8, I did not add any medication, and both fish began feeding on frozen mysis shrimp. On January 9, I added 2.3 ppm of praziquantel powder to the water (without using any organic solvent). On January 10, both fish were still eating and showed no apparent loss of appetite. However, on January 10, I noticed a hole near the tail fin of the Cleaner Wrasse. I am certain that there was no hole on its tail on January 8. I also observed a red patch on its side, which has been present for 3–4 days. I suspect the hole on the tail was caused by a bite from the larger Eclipse Hogfish.

I plan to administer a 30–60 minute bath treatment with 10 ppm enrofloxacin daily to the Cleaner Wrasse and add Seachem StressGuard to the quarantine tank to promote wound healing. However, I am concerned whether the red patch on the Cleaner Wrasse’s body could be Uronema.

Additional note: From January 4 to January 6, I kept the two fish separated, but later the Cleaner Wrasse jumped out of the isolation box. After that, I did not observe any fighting between them, so I did not move it back to the isolation box.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

On January 4, 2026, I purchased two species of wrasse: one Cleaner Wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) and one Eclipse Hogfish (Bodianus mesothorax). From January 4 to January 8, I did not add any medication, and both fish began feeding on frozen mysis shrimp. On January 9, I added 2.3 ppm of praziquantel powder to the water (without using any organic solvent). On January 10, both fish were still eating and showed no apparent loss of appetite. However, on January 10, I noticed a hole near the tail fin of the Cleaner Wrasse. I am certain that there was no hole on its tail on January 8. I also observed a red patch on its side, which has been present for 3–4 days. I suspect the hole on the tail was caused by a bite from the larger Eclipse Hogfish.

I plan to administer a 30–60 minute bath treatment with 10 ppm enrofloxacin daily to the Cleaner Wrasse and add Seachem StressGuard to the quarantine tank to promote wound healing. However, I am concerned whether the red patch on the Cleaner Wrasse’s body could be Uronema.

Additional note: From January 4 to January 6, I kept the two fish separated, but later the Cleaner Wrasse jumped out of the isolation box. After that, I did not observe any fighting between them, so I did not move it back to the isolation box.

The lesion on the tail does look like a physical injury.

I've never had cleaner wrasse develop internal Uronema, nor have I recall anyone reporting that to me. However, they are wrasses, so I can't rule that out entirely.

Generally, once you see Uronema breech the skin of a fish, death follows within a day or two. Your cleaner wrasse seems to be beyond that time frame.

In case you haven't seen this:

Uronema / Red Band Disease - Hemdal

Red Band Syndrome in Marine Fishes: Caused by the Protozoan; Uronema sp. Jay Hemdal Introduction: This moderately common disease of certain species of marine fish is so often misdiagnosed that most aquarists apply incorrect treatment methods...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[xzt]

The lesion on the tail does look like a physical injury.

I've never had cleaner wrasse develop internal Uronema, nor have I recall anyone reporting that to me. However, they are wrasses, so I can't rule that out entirely.

Generally, once you see Uronema breech the skin of a fish, death follows within a day or two. Your cleaner wrasse seems to be beyond that time frame.

In case you haven't seen this:

Uronema / Red Band Disease - Hemdal

Red Band Syndrome in Marine Fishes: Caused by the Protozoan; Uronema sp. Jay Hemdal Introduction: This moderately common disease of certain species of marine fish is so often misdiagnosed that most aquarists apply incorrect treatment methods...

www.reef2reef.com

I rarely encounter Uronema in my work, and the few cases I've seen have all occurred in quarantine tanks. I've never encountered it in display tanks. This might be because the facility I work at seldom exhibits marine angelfish or chromis. The circular red patches on its body surface have persisted for four days, and based on observation, the lesions have neither enlarged nor reduced in size, nor have they shown signs of worsening. However, the cleaner wrasse seems to shed a layer of jelly-like mucus every day. Under the microscope, some copepods and environmental ciliates can be observed, but no signs of Ich or velvet disease are present. Is it normal for wrasses to shed mucus daily? This is my last wrasse that died—it was suspected to be infected with scuticociliate.

How to quarantine wrasses?

I purchased a Split-fin hogfish (Bodianus mesothorax) about 8cm in size a week ago and have been performing TTM (Tank Transfer Method) quarantine on it. Everything was normal for the first three days, and the fish seemed about to start eating. However, this morning I noticed obvious redness and...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I rarely encounter Uronema in my work, and the few cases I've seen have all occurred in quarantine tanks. I've never encountered it in display tanks. This might be because the facility I work at seldom exhibits marine angelfish or chromis. The circular red patches on its body surface have persisted for four days, and based on observation, the lesions have neither enlarged nor reduced in size, nor have they shown signs of worsening. However, the cleaner wrasse seems to shed a layer of jelly-like mucus every day. Under the microscope, some copepods and environmental ciliates can be observed, but no signs of Ich or velvet disease are present. Is it normal for wrasses to shed mucus daily? This is my last wrasse that died—it was suspected to be infected with scuticociliate.

How to quarantine wrasses?

I purchased a Split-fin hogfish (Bodianus mesothorax) about 8cm in size a week ago and have been performing TTM (Tank Transfer Method) quarantine on it. Everything was normal for the first three days, and the fish seemed about to start eating. However, this morning I noticed obvious redness and...

www.reef2reef.com

Some wrasse produce and then shed mucus. I've seen cleaner wrasse do this, but not daily. I wonder if that is a response to some parasite issue? Lionfish are thought to shed their mucus more frequently when they are fighting off an infection.

 

[xzt]

Some wrasse produce and then shed mucus. I've seen cleaner wrasse do this, but not daily. I wonder if that is a response to some parasite issue? Lionfish are thought to shed their mucus more frequently when they are fighting off an infection.

I administered a two-day antibiotic bath (10-20ppm enrofloxacin bath for 30 minutes), but the animal's condition did not improve. Today, I found it on the verge of death, unable to maintain balance, lying on its side in the isolation tank. I think it's unlikely to survive. I will conduct further examination if it dies.

 

[xzt]

The autopsy results showed no systemic inflammatory response except for a bacterial skin infection. Microscopic examination of the skin and gills revealed no parasites. The gill filaments were swollen and congested. It is possible that the daily isolation for medicated baths imposed greater stress on the cleaner wrasse, leading to its death.