Trying to figure out my first real QT setup - Having issues with a chromis.

[fettsvett]

Hello everyone,

I know that chromis' may be cheap and all, but I try to take any pet that i decide to take care of very seriously.

I've created a QT tank, currently there are two clowns and two chromis - this is after a reboot of my system - been dealing with dino's for a while and finally had the funds to get a really good UV sterilizer - anyways, my chromis is 3/4 heads up, dilated pupils (I know that generally indicates some sort of spinal damage) and I guess I might be just freaking out because of all the troubles I've had in the hobby but I wanted to know if it could just be a symptom of stress. The fish - along with 2 clowns and another chromis - has been in QT for the last 3 days. I just added CP to the tank as a prophylaxis, though the fish has been exhibiting "hiding in the corner" behavior previous to this. It seems though that he has turned more upward in the past day. I don't think that the CP treatment could be a cause as the other chromis seems fine. I just want some advice - I don't want to be cruel and I want to do the right thing for the fish. Could this be a stress response? Would separating the clownfish be better for the fish?

Thanks everyone.

 

[zalick]

How's the chromis doing? I'm not familiar with those symptoms and tough to see in the pic.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hello everyone,

I know that chromis' may be cheap and all, but I try to take any pet that i decide to take care of very seriously.

I've created a QT tank, currently there are two clowns and two chromis - this is after a reboot of my system - been dealing with dino's for a while and finally had the funds to get a really good UV sterilizer - anyways, my chromis is 3/4 heads up, dilated pupils (I know that generally indicates some sort of spinal damage) and I guess I might be just freaking out because of all the troubles I've had in the hobby but I wanted to know if it could just be a symptom of stress. The fish - along with 2 clowns and another chromis - has been in QT for the last 3 days. I just added CP to the tank as a prophylaxis, though the fish has been exhibiting "hiding in the corner" behavior previous to this. It seems though that he has turned more upward in the past day. I don't think that the CP treatment could be a cause as the other chromis seems fine. I just want some advice - I don't want to be cruel and I want to do the right thing for the fish. Could this be a stress response? Would separating the clownfish be better for the fish?

Thanks everyone.

CP has two meanings - Chloroquine phosphate and Copper Power. Which one did you add?

Your water looks pretty foamy, any idea as to why?

Jay

 

[fettsvett]

Chloroquine Phosphate - I believe the haze and foam are due to the binders - I got the CP from National Fish Pharmaceuticals. I believe it's been tested to be something like 95% pure elsewhere on this site.

I'm open to doing a water change but, my AmmoAlert badge is still yellow. None of the other fishes look like they're struggling.

The Chromis has moved into another corner now - doesn't seem to be nose up - I'm going to be monitoring him today and feeding the tank a couple times. I'll probably end up doing a 50% water change by EOD - though I'm reluctant as CP is pretty expensive and it means I have to re-dose.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Odd, I’ve never had CP foam up like that. You may find that you will not be able to find more once you run out, I’ve not seen any available for about 2 months now.
Jay

 

[fettsvett]

Well, I just did a water change (Dosed the new water as well) and the foam is gone - might have been from my use of Paraguard while I was waiting for the CP to get here?

Hmm, chromis still seems to be exhibiting weird symptoms.

You can see how dilated his eyes are compared to the other chromis here:

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Weird - I can clearly see the fish's large pupils. However, my understanding has always been that teleost fish cannot dilate their pupils. I've seen sharks do that in dim light, but not bony fishes....

Jay

 

[fettsvett]

Well, hopefully he's just a weird fish.

I'm going to grab another 10g for observation / parasite control - though I may add some API General Cure to the bath for the next 10 days or so that they're in the CP.

I don't want to take any chances this time... My DT's downfall was when I introduced a fish with Ich and had to rearrange everything to get them out. Completely disrupted everything and led to Dinos, and most of my coral dying over time!

 

[fettsvett]

Ok. So I think that the fish is showing additional symptoms - just got back from a day trip and it almost looks like there are brown scales on him - Could this be a bacterial / fungal infection? He's hiding so it's hard to get a proper shot, but it almost looks like he's losing color...



The other fish seem fine right now - I have paraguard, prazipro, and general cure on hand - though I don't have any antibiotics or anti-fungals right now. I can run to the LFS in the morning though.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Ok. So I think that the fish is showing additional symptoms - just got back from a day trip and it almost looks like there are brown scales on him - Could this be a bacterial / fungal infection? He's hiding so it's hard to get a proper shot, but it almost looks like he's losing color...



The other fish seem fine right now - I have paraguard, prazipro, and general cure on hand - though I don't have any antibiotics or anti-fungals right now. I can run to the LFS in the morning though.

Really tough to see in that shot, and in many cases, these issues cannot be identified visually. For example, this could be a bacterial disease, or it could be Uronema, or it could be a mixture of both at the same time. It is unlikely to be a fungal disease as external fungal issues are very rare in marine fish.

Here is an article I posted here on Uronema:

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

Jay