Yellow Foxface Breathing Heavily

[MossyFroggyLove]

Hi, right now my foxface gill beat per minute is 120. I think my cleaner wrasse helped

 

[Peter Houde]

These foxfaces are EXTREMELY skittish. They even go camo and run/hide at feeding time or when someone is too close to the glass.
The fact that he is eating a lot is a very good sign. It will recover.

Skittish? Not mine. It takes up position when it sees me coming from across the room and eats nori from my hand. Hardly gives the other fish a chance. Biggest pig in the tank.

 

[MossyFroggyLove]

I don’t have those two species in my respiration rate database, but damselfish typically breath between 80 and 100 beats per minute. Cleaner wrasse are too small and fast for me to get a reading on them.

Generally, if you see open mouth breathing, or rates above 120 on any fish, there is an issue. Anything above around 180 to 200 is likely to show the fish is dying.

The last I check was yesterday and the foxface gill beats per minute was about 116

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

The last I check was yesterday and the foxface gill beats per minute was about 116

Have you done a FW dip or any treatment for gill flukes yet?

 

[MossyFroggyLove]

Have you done a FW dip or any treatment for gill flukes yet?

No. Never do a FW dip. It is recovering on its own. As of now, the foxface gill beats per minute is 96.

 

[Subsea]

No. Never do a FW dip. It is recovering on its own. As of now, the foxface gill beats per minute is 96.

Been Reefing for > 50 years, I stopped keeping Foxface/Rabbit Fish because of their skitterish/eratic behavior.

Do not treat your tank water because your fish has a personality disorder.

 

[MossyFroggyLove]

So, uh, the foxface gill beats per minute is changing, sometimes high, sometimes low, so I asked my lfs and they say it is probably traumatized.

 

[MossyFroggyLove]

Been Reefing for > 50 years, I stopped keeping Foxface/Rabbit Fish because of their skitterish/eratic behavior.

Do not treat your tank water because your fish has a personality disorder.

They gave me a tip that probably can help you too. They asked me to knock the tank glass gently before feeding all the time. Soon the fish will think you as a good guy who feeds them and not a scary guy.