Trigger is all beat up

[Daniel225]

Just found my trigger resting on sandbed at the back looking all beat up he’s not moving looks like all his scales are torn off and looks real nasty i don’t think he was attacked as he’s still alive i would bet if he was fighting he wouldn’t be alive still and he likes to squeeze into rocks holes no bigger than himself I believe he has gone into a cave he just couldn’t get out and its torn him all up maybe? Either way im wondering the next steps do i just leave him to relax pr maybe try and catch and sump him so i can clearly see him has anyone had similar experience and did yours pull through or die? Im worried but i have seen fish that have had some really nasty battle scars and still live to tell the tale he was super fat and healthy before all this eating like a pig what should i do ?

 

[Bucs20fan]

Lots of info needed here. What are his tank mates?
Tank parameters?

Fish rarely kill each other, they wound each other and then one succumbs to infection or stress in most cases.

 

[JGT]

Need a better pic. Looks like he has some disease.

 

[Daniel225]

Tank mates :
Pyramid butterfly
Clowns
Chrois
Purple tang
Coral beauty
Royal gramma

haven't tested since my water change the other day it was a 50L to lower calcium and phoshate after phosphate RX

30/3/23
po4 - 0.25
NO3 - 10ppm
PH stays stable at 8.15
Temp varies but 76-78F
Salinity stays stable at 1.025

 

[vetteguy53081]

Just found my trigger resting on sandbed at the back looking all beat up he’s not moving looks like all his scales are torn off and looks real nasty i don’t think he was attacked as he’s still alive i would bet if he was fighting he wouldn’t be alive still and he likes to squeeze into rocks holes no bigger than himself I believe he has gone into a cave he just couldn’t get out and its torn him all up maybe? Either way im wondering the next steps do i just leave him to relax pr maybe try and catch and sump him so i can clearly see him has anyone had similar experience and did yours pull through or die? Im worried but i have seen fish that have had some really nasty battle scars and still live to tell the tale he was super fat and healthy before all this eating like a pig what should i do ?

Need pics and even video under white lighting.
What other fish are in the tank with it?
Is it breathing normal or labored?
When did this onset begin ?

 

[Daniel225]

Need a better pic. Looks like he has some disease.

Was healthy and happy just on the 30/3/23 ive been working since so havnt been at home much but he was out 2 days ago happy eating swimming etc all other fish are fine all eating swimming happy

 

[JGT]

Hard to see and can see the gills moving but don't think he's got much time left. Sorry.

 

[Daniel225]

Need pics and even video under white lighting.
What other fish are in the tank with it?
Is it breathing normal or labored?
When did this onset begin ?

Heavy breathing i would say and disoriented he's flipped upside down

only just noticed him today but was out eating swimming 2 days prior

 

[Daniel225]

Hard to see and can see the gills moving but don't think he's got much time left. Sorry.

Oh dear im guessing leave him be and see what happens by end of day?

 

[hbubley]

So sorry you're dealing with this I had a goby that got attacked by my CUC before I got rid of my larger hermits, and watching him suffer was traumatic.

 

[JGT]

Would be good to get better pics to confirm.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Heavy breathing i would say and disoriented he's flipped upside down

only just noticed him today but was out eating swimming 2 days prior

Unfortunately to say, this fish is moribund and is a point where it will not eat not likely recover.
In the future, when this happens, isolate the fish ASAP for best chance of recovery. This had to have happened sooner than overnight and again. . What other fish are in the tank with it ?

 

[hbubley]

Unfortunately to say, this fish is moribund and is a point where it will not eat not likely recover.
In the future, when this happens, isolate the fish ASAP for best chance of recovery. This had to have happened sooner than overnight and again. . What other fish are in the tank with it ?

As per OP:
Tank mates :
Pyramid butterfly
Clowns
Chrois
Purple tang
Coral beauty
Royal gramma

 

[vetteguy53081]

As per OP:
Tank mates :
Pyramid butterfly
Clowns
Chrois
Purple tang
Coral beauty
Royal gramma

Heavy breathing i would say and disoriented he's flipped upside down

only just noticed him today but was out eating swimming 2 days prior

My suspects would be the purple tang which tail strikes a fish or the clowns which will not hesitate to bite at a fish

 

[Daniel225]

My suspects would be the purple tang which tail strikes a fish or the clowns which will not hesitate to bite at a fish

they have been happy for months only thing that was different I put one of them 3D printed food defroster where you put the frozen food in and it slowly releases into the water so it’s not a sudden rush of food do you think maybe tang or clowns got abit territorial with the food supply? but why would it just be the trigger that got picked on?

 

[Bucs20fan]

Something traumatic happened, one way or the other, and it looks like because the fish is moribund, that the clean up crew started to do its job, even with it still alive.

 

[Daniel225]

Still alive and kicking it’s moved it way around to the front of the tank got a better glimpse of the damage now I would say over 50% of the scales are gone i would be very surprised if it pulls itself back into health…. It’s a shame because he is a blue throat trigger sometimes I would of never bought from a LFS but before Christmas someone had a tank close down and got rid of everything cheap he has been my favourite fish so far in the hobby what a character he was but i don’t want To get another for something to attack him again

 

[MischiefReef]

they have been happy for months only thing that was different I put one of them 3D printed food defroster where you put the frozen food in and it slowly releases into the water so it’s not a sudden rush of food do you think maybe tang or clowns got abit territorial with the food supply? but why would it just be the trigger that got picked on?

I would very much hold suspicion of that the new feeding device and technique. You also mentioned that you’ve been busy with work the last two days, does this translate to “less than usual” feedings? Territorial or not, fish will tend to become more aggressive when they are hungry. I feed heavily during the week but am often away on weekends, before my fish got used to such a feeding routine, I would always come back after the weekend to find a few nipped fins. During the week when feedings were heavy and regular, everyone got along like champs.

 

[Daniel225]

I would very much hold suspicion of that the new feeding device and technique. You also mentioned that you’ve been busy with work the last two days, does this translate to “less than usual” feedings? Territorial or not, fish will tend to become more aggressive when they are hungry. I feed heavily during the week but am often away on weekends, before my fish got used to such a feeding routine, I would always come back after the weekend to find a few nipped fins. During the week when feedings were heavy and regular, everyone got along like champs.

Been remove it’s not worth the risk if it was the feeding portal… they always get fed 2 frozen cubes a day in 2 parts AM & PM so nothing changed there the portal just slowly releases the food as it defrosts in the chamber the more faster eaters would of been straight up for it leaving some of the more timid fish hungry maybe? weird how the trigger was just the one bullied though he’s normally the fastest for the food and was the one who tended to chase the chromis and clowns off for the big chunks of food the more timid fish are royal gramma and purple tang I hope it was just hunger thats caused it Live and learn and try again in the future now the problem is “sorted”

 

[MischiefReef]

Been remove it’s not worth the risk if it was the feeding portal… they always get fed 2 frozen cubes a day in 2 parts AM & PM so nothing changed there the portal just slowly releases the food as it defrosts in the chamber the more faster eaters would of been straight up for it leaving some of the more timid fish hungry maybe? weird how the trigger was just the one bullied though he’s normally the fastest for the food and was the one who tended to chase the chromis and clowns off for the big chunks of food the more timid fish are royal gramma and purple tang I hope it was just hunger thats caused it Live and learn and try again in the future now the problem is “sorted”

Yea, they can have their uses, such as keeping your food from going into the overflow, the trade off is unless you have multiple ones located around the tank,it concentrates all the fish feeding and attention to that one area. Sometimes the aggressiveness of a fish can play against it, was this feeding device located in any place where the fish could have had a collision while fending others off the food? Triggers can swim and turn very fast when they want to and if it struck glass or rock while chasing other fish off the feeder, it could have started off an issue that got worse. This hobby can be perplexing at times, I commend your effort to get a better understanding to improve your techniques for the future. As responsible fish keepers we should all strive to learn and improve in this way.