wrasse struggling

[enricocoron]

Had my male McClosker Flasher wrasse just over a year, always super active and good eater. Just came back from 3 days away last night and I didn't see him. Checked the floor and sump but finally he came out from under a rock. All other fish were fine, had autofeeder on I always use with Hikari marine high protein sinking pellets. I added some Rod's food and he went back under the rock. Today he was out swimming but slow, added some TDO pellets and he ate some, then tried Rod's food and he darted really fast to get a few pieces...only to spit them out. Then after work I tried some TDO again and he didn't eat them, in fact he looked to be spitting up food that he had not just eaten. Then I just saw him rubbing against a rock and laying on the bottom. There are no spots I can see on him or lesions. Colors look fine but he's still swimming. Tank mates are thankfully not harrassing him. Tankmates are pair of Oc. clowns, tailspot blenny, and yellow watchman, all seem fine. No new fish have been added to tank in 6 months, some hermits were added about 3 months ago. Any ideas on what it could be or what to do? Water is 79 degrees, 1.025, pH 8.1, Nitrates like 1-2 ppm.

 

[OscarHaglund]

Maybe getting old? Flashers have a pretty short lifespan.

 

[enricocoron]

You know that's what my wife said, he hasn't grown since I got him and he's like 3 plus inches which is listed as their max size so I really don't know how old he was when I got him. I'm otherwise at a loss because there was no realistic way a new disease got in the tank and its def not ick or velvet

 

[SaltyT]

Usually it's a progressive decline over time when a flasher is at their end of life. They loose their vibrancy, stop flashing, and overall look 'old'. Towards the end they will act lethargic and lose interest in food. Do you have a photo you can post of him or a short video?

 

[enricocoron]

You know I commented to my wife about a month or so ago that I hadn't seem him flashing in a while, and used to all the time at the clownfish, at a shrimp, at a coral. I also noticed his tail didn't look as green or vibrant about that time. He was still eating all the time though, but maybe just going through the stages of wrasse old age. I just threw in some TDO pellets and he is swimming around nibbling like he's interested, but then chews and spits out like it doesn't taste good. I'll try to get a photo but my XR15 Blue usually doesn't do well for fish photos.

 

[enricocoron]

how to lower vid quality but here he is

 

[homer1475]

Doesn't look to be an old wrasse to me. His mouth does look a bit funny? Perhaps a facial injury preventing him from eating?

 

[SaltyT]

^ ^ agree. He looks to be in good shape other than the mouth damage. It's not uncommon for a flasher wrasse to get spooked and dart into something injuring themselves.

 

[enricocoron]

Okay, hadn't noticed that but looking at the video I see what you mean, like his lower lip is swollen from a fight? I guess I have to just try to keep feeding him and hope it heals up and the clownfish don't sense too much weakness. He's currently laying on the sand in the back of the tank, but he's not laboring to breath, its not flukes or anything. Maybe just resting because of low energy from lack of eating? I don't really fancy trying to net him out of there for QT, he's still really really fast when he wants to be and it'll make him expend a bunch of energy and be stressed and really the only reason to move him out in my mind would be to medicate him.

 

[enricocoron]

Is there a type of frozen food that is known to be the softest or easiest to eat? Mysis shrimp cause their small?

 

[jkcoral]

I’d try mysis. Or if you have a LFS around you that has it, I would grab a bottle of Reef Nutrition ROE. The eggs are tiny and would be easy to eat. Also packed with a lot of good nutrition for the guy.

I had a carpenter wrasse injure his mouth a few years ago racing another fish to a piece of food. He wasn’t able to eat the small TDO pellets while he was healing but was always able to eat the ROE.

Edit: for reference, the ROE are so easy to eat that even my tiniest pink streaked wrasse devours them.

 

[enricocoron]

Bummer, just found him dead on the sand bed as I was about to drive to the LFS since they had the ROE. I have a feeling it was the female clown that spooked him, as an orchid dotty back also mysteriously died with no real signs of disease and that clown harassed a yellow corris wrasse until it jumped out of a tiny hole at the back where the netting was not. I think I'm gonna remove her and just keep the male, he is much more chill and if I'm going to add another 80 dollar wrasse I don't want to worry about that clownfish!

 

[SaltyT]

Sorry he didn't make it. A mated pair of clowns can be turds to their tank mates.

 

[enricocoron]

So Salty T if I ditch the female clown it's likely the male clown will be pretty mellow? I'm down to only 3 fish in the tank if I remove the female clown now and have a QT cycling and wouldn't mind something like a royal gramma or a firefish but I wouldn't dare add them with her in there.

 

[Goaway]

Never had an issue adding fish to a tank with a male clown. Its the female who tells the male "back me up. We're killing that one!".

 

[SaltyT]

So Salty T if I ditch the female clown it's likely the male clown will be pretty mellow? I'm down to only 3 fish in the tank if I remove the female clown now and have a QT cycling and wouldn't mind something like a royal gramma or a firefish but I wouldn't dare add them with her in there.

Once you remove the female clown, you should be able to add new fish more easily. If the clowns have been bonded for a while the male may seem "lost" for a bit, but he'll go back to being a wiggly clown again.