yellow banded possum wrasse help please

[v32]

hey all,
i’ve been reading for hours on here and believe i’ll get the same answers but i figured it’s worth a shot.

all parameters are within normal range.

i have the possum wrasse, a tail spot blenny, and now a bicolor dottyback in my 10 gal.

the dottyback was added just yesterday. i am aware they’re agressive ive kept them for a while. upon addition to the tank everything was okay, it found a nice spot without disturbing the other two residents.

this morning my possum wrasse was suctioned to the power head - it was not dead. i immediately removed it and transferred it to my refugium in sump for my larger, and more established system.

it is not doing well. it cannot swim upright and is struggling. ironically, breathing seems “normal” and i cannot see any signs of infection or trauma.

i’m assuming it’s UNWD or the dottyback bullied it overnight. but i feel awful and don’t want to euthanize her yet if anyone wants to suggest anything….

thanks

 

[vetteguy53081]

hey all,
i’ve been reading for hours on here and believe i’ll get the same answers but i figured it’s worth a shot.

all parameters are within normal range.

i have the possum wrasse, a tail spot blenny, and now a bicolor dottyback in my 10 gal.

the dottyback was added just yesterday. i am aware they’re agressive ive kept them for a while. upon addition to the tank everything was okay, it found a nice spot without disturbing the other two residents.

this morning my possum wrasse was suctioned to the power head - it was not dead. i immediately removed it and transferred it to my refugium in sump for my larger, and more established system.

it is not doing well. it cannot swim upright and is struggling. ironically, breathing seems “normal” and i cannot see any signs of infection or trauma.

i’m assuming it’s UNWD or the dottyback bullied it overnight. but i feel awful and don’t want to euthanize her yet if anyone wants to suggest anything….

thanks

It may be moribund from damage from powerhead but question is what trauma caused this (impact, aggression or?)
Please provide a video under white light intensity to best assess than guess.
If UNWD, fish will swim tail down or swim with a bent spine and despite all this, the wrasse will still attempt to feed and display no damage such as crashing into objects and are signs of UNWD, a neurological issue

 

[MiltonMMLN]

Sorry to hear about your wrasse — that’s always tough to see.

Given the timeline, two things come to mind:

1. Aggression/Stress Injury – Even if you didn’t see it, a bicolor dottyback in a small 10g could easily harass a more passive wrasse at night. Stress plus lack of rest can weaken them quickly.
2. UNWD or Neurological Trauma – As @vetteguy53081 mentioned, symptoms like tail-down swimming or loss of balance without obvious physical damage can point toward this, or to internal injury from impact.

Here’s what I’d try right now:

• Keep it in the refugium with low flow, dim light, and plenty of hiding spots.
• Reduce stress — avoid sudden movements or checking too often.
• Observe breathing and appetite — if it still attempts to eat, that’s a better sign. Offer small, easy-to-catch foods (mysis, enriched brine).
• Check for external signs under white light — torn fins, missing scales, swelling — to rule out visible trauma or infection.
• Maintain excellent water quality — stable temp and parameters are critical when a fish is compromised.

Unfortunately, if it is UNWD, there’s no reliable cure, but some wrasses have surprised people by stabilizing over a few days with supportive care. The main goal now is comfort and minimizing additional stress.

If you can, posting a short white-light video would help others give a more accurate assessment.

 

[v32]

im not home but its not swimming just laying in its side. but then if in go near it, unsuccessfully tries to swim.

i’ve had it since april, it survived a very agressive hawkfish attack. i removed it and set up a new tank with her as the first resident may 10. in the last two weeks i’ve added a tailspot blenny and just yesterday the bicolor dottyback. last night they all ate like monsters and i only observed pleasant interactions between the three fish even during feeding time. everyone had their own spot by end of the night.


again, parameters stable and normal.

 

[vetteguy53081]

im not home but its not swimming just laying in its side. but then if in go near it, unsuccessfully tries to swim.

i’ve had it since april, it survived a very agressive hawkfish attack. i removed it and set up a new tank with her as the first resident may 10. in the last two weeks i’ve added a tailspot blenny and just yesterday the bicolor dottyback. last night they all ate like monsters and i only observed pleasant interactions between the three fish even during feeding time. everyone had their own spot by end of the night.


again, parameters stable and normal.

I still suspect trauma and fish being moribund but video will reveal

 

[v32]

i will send a video later then! i just have never seen this sort of behavior in all the years i’ve been reef keeping. i’ve seen videos of the UNWD and i am not exactly observing that.

thank you all

 

[Jay Hemdal]

hey all,
i’ve been reading for hours on here and believe i’ll get the same answers but i figured it’s worth a shot.

all parameters are within normal range.

i have the possum wrasse, a tail spot blenny, and now a bicolor dottyback in my 10 gal.

the dottyback was added just yesterday. i am aware they’re agressive ive kept them for a while. upon addition to the tank everything was okay, it found a nice spot without disturbing the other two residents.

this morning my possum wrasse was suctioned to the power head - it was not dead. i immediately removed it and transferred it to my refugium in sump for my larger, and more established system.

it is not doing well. it cannot swim upright and is struggling. ironically, breathing seems “normal” and i cannot see any signs of infection or trauma.

i’m assuming it’s UNWD or the dottyback bullied it overnight. but i feel awful and don’t want to euthanize her yet if anyone wants to suggest anything….

thanks

I’ve not seen UNWD in that species, but the sample size is small.

If the dottyback bullied it, you would see missing scales and/or ripped fins.

 

[v32]

unfortunately she passed while i was out. i took pics post mortem if you want me to post. i still see absolutely nothing /:

 

[v32]

 

[v32]

unless i’m mistaken i just see discoloration and no obvious trauma. let me know what you think

 

[v32]

thank you all for your help !

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I can't see any obvious signs of trauma here.

How long had you had the wrasse?

 

[v32]

I can't see any obvious signs of trauma here.

How long had you had the wrasse?

it’s driving me CRAZY. i got it the end of april

 

[Jay Hemdal]

it’s driving me CRAZY. i got it the end of april

That rules out issues like collection with cyanide.....