Whats wrong with my Wrasse ?

[MarkDE]

Hello and good Morning from Germany ,

yesterday when i came home from work i saw my Wrasse with the head in the Sand and trying to burry himself but couldnt . He didnt swim like usual and fell on its side all the time .
I immediatly putsome Carbon in the tank because i thought it might be some poisining . All other fish ( 2 Hawaii docs and a few chromis are all fine . My Melanurus Wrasse is buried in the Sand for like 7 days but i read that this is normal sometimes but now with a second fish showing weird behavior im not that sure anymore .

anyways i just got out of bed and saw a big scratch on the side of my wrasse and also the fins look kinda ?melting? .

I upload some pictures , maybe someone has a clue whats going on .

Thank you and have a nice day/evening

Mark

 

[Fishfreak2009]

Guten morgen!

It looks like it has been attacked by another fish in the tank. Possibly the melanurus wrasse? The wounds look about the right size for a bite from a larger melanurus. You may need to remove the fairy wrasse, give it a chance to heal in quarantine, and then reacclimate it using an acclimation box to monitor for aggression.

Viel glück!

 

[MarkDE]

Hello Fishfreak2009 ,

thanks for your answer . I thought about that too but dont think that the melanurus did that , i havent seen him for a week and i did monitor my tank with a camera yesterday and saw no fight between any fish .

But my Hawaii docs show a bit agression in the past weeks , i guess it could be one of them . One of them needs to go anyway because my new tank is to small for 2 docs .

Do you think the "melting" of the fins is caused due to stress or maybe he got some disease too ?

 

[Fishfreak2009]

Hello Fishfreak2009 ,

thanks for your answer . I thought about that too but dont think that the melanurus did that , i havent seen him for a week and i did monitor my tank with a camera yesterday and saw no fight between any fish .

But my Hawaii docs show a bit agression in the past weeks , i guess it could be one of them . One of them needs to go anyway because my new tank is to small for 2 docs .

Do you think the "melting" of the fins is caused due to stress or maybe he got some disease too ?

I am unsure what a hawaii doc is. Is it a Doktorfisch? Acanthurus or Zebrasoma? If they were being aggressive they could do some damage, but doesn't look like normal damage from them. If the hawaiian doc is a Dascyllus then that certainly could do that damage including shredded fins. If the wrasse was being chased, they could even be self inflicted from banging itself on the rocks trying to escape.

It could also possibly be a bacterial infection, easier to tell if the light is set to a whiter spectrum, closer to normal daylight. Blue lights make the coral colors pop, but can easily hide issues on the fish.

 

[MarkDE]

oh sorry i think hawaii doc is more used in germany , yes a zebrasoma flavescens .

It is really weird for me because both wrasses were really chilled . they didnt care for each other or the other fishes . and se same backwards . But he clearly has some damage . I will send more pictures a bit later when the light is more White . i took the pictures when the "sun" just got up

 

[Fishfreak2009]

oh sorry i think hawaii doc is more used in germany , yes a zebrasoma flavescens .

It is really weird for me because both wrasses were really chilled . they didnt care for each other or the other fishes . and se same backwards . But he clearly has some damage . I will send more pictures a bit later when the light is more White . i took the pictures when the "sun" just got up

I have a few german aquarium books and follow a few german aquarium YouTube channels, and distinctly remember Palletten doktorfisch in at least one of the books. I've always loved how literal German animal names are. One of the lesser used, but still relatively common names for doktorfisch here is surgeonfish, which is a pretty close translation realistically. But that is why latin names are so wonderful! They let us know exactly what we are talking about on opposite sides of the world!

Hopefully it is not a bacterial infection, and is just a simple injury that can heal up just fine. In the mean time, Schönen Tag noch!

 

[MarkDE]

yes haha its funny how close the names sounding even when we are thousand of kilometers/miles apart . But thanks to latin so everyone knows what the other is talking about

I got a few pictures of him in white light . He swims around the Tank like usual nothing seems to "bother" him . He makes a normal apperance by now .

 

[Fishfreak2009]

Definitely looks like an injury and not an infection, at least to me. I'd keep an eye on him and if it gets any worse remove him, or if you see someone bullying him, isolate the bully.

 

[MarkDE]

Definitely looks like an injury and not an infection, at least to me. I'd keep an eye on him and if it gets any worse remove him, or if you see someone bullying him, isolate the bully.

Yes i thought the same now in Daylight . I have the feeling that one of the Tangs is the perpetrator as it sometimes bullies my other Tang . Could be the reason why my melanurus is gone for over a week .

Maybe a dumb Question but do i remove the Alpha Tang or the Other ? I guess the Alpha or not ?

 

[Fishfreak2009]

I'd get a small mirror and hold it against the side of the tank. When the tang goes to fight the mirror move quickly with a large net. Or scoop it at night with a net and a red flashlight with all the other lights off.

 

[MarkDE]

Getting him shouldnt be a big deal But the Question is which . The alpha tang who swims through the whole tank and which is active nipping on algae BUT seems kinda aggresive or get the Quiet one out who usually stays in his cave and rarely nipps on algae but seems relaxed ?


Edit : Just gave them some food , he went right for it . So thats a good Sign i guess .

 

[MarkDE]

Something New with my 2 Wrasses . As from the injury above the fish made a pretty good recovery ( i thought he wouldnt make it at all ) But he took some damage from it , it looks like he´s paralyzed from the middle all the way to the tail fin . Sometimes he move´s it absolutely normal and then it just "hangs in the Water " .
But the real problem is this :

For the last 1 1/2 to 2 Month´s my Halichoeres Melanurus Wrasse hides in the Sand I only saw him like 3 times in this Period .
Today my fairy Wrasse only lays on the ground , belly up and breathing heavy . I also catched my melanurus doing the same thing for 5 minutes before diving down in the sand again . All other Fish ( Clown,Surgeon and Chromis ) doing Fine . I have absolutely no clue whats going on or what actions i can perform .


Also as an Update for the Post´s above :

The Agressiv Yellow Tang is gone , i catched him early in the morning with only 1 % red light on . I prepared for a long Hunt but got him after just 2 Minutes . Since then the Tank Climate changed drastically to the good . The second shy yellow Tang was immediatly swimming around the rockwork and discovering the whole Tank .

I attach some Photos and a video since this is easier i guess .

Greetings

Mark

 

[Jay Hemdal]

yes haha its funny how close the names sounding even when we are thousand of kilometers/miles apart . But thanks to latin so everyone knows what the other is talking about

I got a few pictures of him in white light . He swims around the Tank like usual nothing seems to "bother" him . He makes a normal apperance by now .

While that does look like an injury, whenever I see a wrasse with disrupted scales on its side, I worry about Uronema, a protozoan infection that starts internally and then erupts to the surface of the fish. Very often, this is misdiagnosed as an injury. A skin scrape, looked at under a microscope if the definitive way to determine if it is Uronema or not.

Here is an article I posted about that disease:

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 Hemdal

 

[MarkDE]

Hello Jay and thank you for your answer ,

( for mobile user´s : Video is 50mb )

I will definetly read that article Here is the Video i was talking about , had to compress it a lot since it was so big . The Melanurus Wrasse is now out of the sand for the first time in 1 1/2 Month but just laying around and breathing heavy . But she´s out .

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hello Jay and thank you for your answer ,

( for mobile user´s : Video is 50mb )

I will definetly read that article Here is the Video i was talking about , had to compress it a lot since it was so big . The Melanurus Wrasse is now out of the sand for the first time in 1 1/2 Month but just laying around and breathing heavy . But she´s out .

I watched the video twice and I cannot tell you what is going on with that wrasse - for having been out of view for that long it is still very fat. As you saw, it is breathing heavily, but that can be a symptom of many different issues. I will say, (and being pessimistic here) that wrasse will sometimes bury for long periods when they have health or environmental issues, and then, before they die, they will reemerge....I think that may be happening here.

Jay

 

[MarkDE]

I watched the video twice and I cannot tell you what is going on with that wrasse - for having been out of view for that long it is still very fat. As you saw, it is breathing heavily, but that can be a symptom of many different issues. I will say, (and being pessimistic here) that wrasse will sometimes bury for long periods when they have health or environmental issues, and then, before they die, they will reemerge....I think that may be happening here.

Jay

I´ve read through your article about Uronema , very interesting article and the symptoms are pretty much on point . The only thing that not lining up is that my yellow tang/clown and the chromis are all well .

For being buried this long time it´s really fat but im 100% sure he didnt eat anything , well at least what i put in the tank .
I dont know its very strange in my Opinion . I cant find a good explanation why he buried himself in the first place and now why he doesnt comes out .
I noticed something at his mouth which im not sure what it is , looks like something grew there . I still hope for a recovery of my wrasse but hopes are not high . Thread will get Updates on both Wrasses and if someone has another clue or hint for me i would much appreciate it

Greetings

Mark

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I´ve read through your article about Uronema , very interesting article and the symptoms are pretty much on point . The only thing that not lining up is that my yellow tang/clown and the chromis are all well .

For being buried this long time it´s really fat but im 100% sure he didnt eat anything , well at least what i put in the tank .
I dont know its very strange in my Opinion . I cant find a good explanation why he buried himself in the first place and now why he doesnt comes out .
I noticed something at his mouth which im not sure what it is , looks like something grew there . I still hope for a recovery of my wrasse but hopes are not high . Thread will get Updates on both Wrasses and if someone has another clue or hint for me i would much appreciate it

Greetings

Mark

Can you catch it up and see if maybe it has a bit of gravel lodged in its mouth that you could dislodge? Not much to lose at this point I think....

Jay

 

[MarkDE]

Hello @Jay Hemdal ,

couldn`t answer earlier . I checked your Idea with the Gravel yesterday but his Mouth was clear .
Sadly the fairy wrasse was dead when I arrived home this evening . It was alive when i left in the morning but I was kinda prepared for this .


The Melanurus is now 2 days out of the sandbed but doesn´t look good either . She is still breathing fast but flat and it sounds kinda weird but it looks like the flesh at the Mouth area disappeared and the "skeleton" shows . I guys its a matter of hours/days . Really sad because i really like the Fish and of course because its a living thing but i searched the web and Forums every second i could but havent found a real cause/treatment/solution .
I just hope it gets fast with her so she´s done and has peace because it really looks scary like necrosis or something .

Edit:

Looks like the flesh before the red bar in the picture is gone , maybe Fin rot ? Because the Fins on both fish were damaged also the tailfin

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hello @Jay Hemdal ,

couldn`t answer earlier . I checked your Idea with the Gravel yesterday but his Mouth was clear .
Sadly the fairy wrasse was dead when I arrived home this evening . It was alive when i left in the morning but I was kinda prepared for this .


The Melanurus is now 2 days out of the sandbed but doesn´t look good either . She is still breathing fast but flat and it sounds kinda weird but it looks like the flesh at the Mouth area disappeared and the "skeleton" shows . I guys its a matter of hours/days . Really sad because i really like the Fish and of course because its a living thing but i searched the web and Forums every second i could but havent found a real cause/treatment/solution .
I just hope it gets fast with her so she´s done and has peace because it really looks scary like necrosis or something .

Edit:

Looks like the flesh before the red bar in the picture is gone , maybe Fin rot ? Because the Fins on both fish were damaged also the tailfin

It does look like necrotic tissue around the mouth. The issue is probably more systemic/widespread than that though, because of the rapid breathing. I just don't have any solid symptoms to go on that would point to a possible treatment. A formalin dip would be one possibility, but formalin is very difficult for home aquarists to acquire.

Jay

 

[MarkDE]

I also have no Idea what it could be , the symptoms are simmilar to so many different things . I already looked where i can get formalin here in Germany but without a commercial license , there´s no way i can buy it .
But all that doesnt matter anymore since the melanurus wrasse passed away today . In the morning when i went to work ,she was at the same spot breathing fast and flat . When i came home she was at the other side of the tank , lifeless .
Im sad for this wonderful animals but i have no clue what i could have done to save them . I also didnt want to try out 10 different things because i think that all the stress wouldnt have helped .

But im thankful for all the help and hope that my other fish will stay well , til now no signs of any disease , hope it stays like that .

Thank you

Greetings

Mark