Bicolor Blenny with cuts??

[Dafna]

Hello, I'm new to this forum and I decided that I would post about my bicolor blenny's unusual(?) condition here to hopefully get some answers.

So on the morning of May 20th as I turned on the light of my tank I saw that my bicolor blenny looked like he had a small cut on his right cheek. At first I thought that maybe he had gotten too close to the power head as he does like to poke around for food/algae on it. the second picture above is what he looked like on May 24.

I've been observing him for the past weeks and I realized that the cut has only gotten bigger since. The first picture above is what he looked like today, June 12.

His tank mates include:
- 1 Fire Shrimp
- 1 orange spot goby
- 1 orange firefish
- 1 Clownfish
- appox. 10 or so blue-legged hermit crabs
- a lot of snails

All in a 30G tank.

They've all been in the tank together for almost a year and they've never seem to have any problems except for when the clownfish (male, who has grown considerably since I got him summer of last year) chases the firefish when it moves very rapidly. Even so, however, the clownfish doesn't do anything to the firefish except chase him a bit and they both get along fine.

The goby is pretty much always hiding and is probably the friendliest thing in the tank. The fire shrimp has little interaction with the blenny too.

The reason why I'm blabbering about this is because I seriously doubt that the tank mates were the ones who cut him. But, of course, I could be wrong.

Aside from his cut on his cheek he is still very active, spends all his time outside, but his breathing is a bit fast.

What I want to know is if anyone has had something similar to this happen to any of their fish, and what they've done about it. Will he get better on his own or should I treat him with something? Is this some kind of condition? Is it rare or common amongst blennies? other fish?

I've tried researching this issue online various times already, but I have come to no results. I was hoping any experienced hobbyists would be able to give me the best advice!

Thank you!!

p.s. sorry for the bad quality photos, but I hope you could still tell what's going on!

 

[pegasus]

It looks like a bacterial ulcer. It's hard to say where it came from, but it definitely needs to be treated. If it's at all possible, the blenny needs to be isolated in a quarantine tank and treated with antibiotics. MelaFix Marine is a good, natural treatment for open wounds...

 

[Dafna]

It looks like a bacterial ulcer. It's hard to say where it came from, but it definitely needs to be treated. If it's at all possible, the blenny needs to be isolated in a quarantine tank and treated with antibiotics. MelaFix Marine is a good, natural treatment for open wounds...

Thank you so much for your reply! What can I do if I can't isolate the blenny since I don't have a quarantine tank? Is there any way to treat it in the same tank with the other fish or would that not be a good idea? Also, could his wound/infection be transmitted to the rest of the fish?

Thank you!

 

[pegasus]

It doesn't take much to create a quarantine tank. A tiny tank, heater, and saltwater. It's a good idea to keep one, as they come in handy when purchasing new fish... or discovering a sick fish later on. The QT doesn't have to be set up all the time, either. If a QT isn't an option, MelaFix can be used in the main tank. Just be sure to follow the directions to a tee.

It's been nearly a month since you first noticed it, so it's probably not contagious. However, all diseases should be considered transmittable, thus the recommendation for a QT. Some disease treatments may contain copper, which is never to be used in the main tank.

 

[Dafna]

It doesn't take much to create a quarantine tank. A tiny tank, heater, and saltwater. It's a good idea to keep one, as they come in handy when purchasing new fish... or discovering a sick fish later on. The QT doesn't have to be set up all the time, either. If a QT isn't an option, MelaFix can be used in the main tank. Just be sure to follow the directions to a tee.

It's been nearly a month since you first noticed it, so it's probably not contagious. However, all diseases should be considered transmittable, thus the recommendation for a QT. Some disease treatments may contain copper, which is never to be used in the main tank.

Thank you! I've bought the MelaFix and i am going to be putting 2.5 tsp everyday for seven days followed by a 5G water change every 3 days.

I've put the 2.5 tsp of MelaFix already and will make sure to observe whatever effects it has on him. Thank you so much for your help!

 

[pegasus]

You're welcome. Please be sure to let us know how it works out!

 

[beth]

That picture is very heard see what is going on. Is it possible to get a better digital pic? Also, is that swollen or puffed out? Any thing that looks like it may be attached to it?

 

[lmforbis]

A couple months ago I bought a fire fish. As soon as he was introduced into my tank my yellow watchman goby went after it and left a bruise the size of a goby mouth. That was the only agressive behavior I saw. The next morning the goby had a wound on his side that looked like this.

You can see the hole in his side and the bruise around it. I don't know who did it but it looks like the fire fish might have gotten even with him. At the time there were only 3 other fish in the tank, a flasher wrasse, a mandarin, and a tomini tang (he was added at the same time as the fire fish). It took a few weeks but he is good as new now. I have good water quality, there was no sign of infection, and his behavior didn't change so I didn't see any reason to remove him.

 

[beth]

Agree that is obviously aggression.

 

[pegasus]

Yep, the firefish took a chunk out of him! That ended that fight alright. Glad he healed up and they're getting along...

 

[Dafna]

That picture is very heard see what is going on. Is it possible to get a better digital pic? Also, is that swollen or puffed out? Any thing that looks like it may be attached to it?

Here are some (hopefully) clearer photos that I took today. He's breathing a bit hard, but I'm guessing it's because the infection is on his gill? And it's not puffy or swollen, it actually looks like it's a cut and it goes in instead of out (it's like a hole in that sense). There is nothing attached to it.

 

[Dafna]

A couple months ago I bought a fire fish. As soon as he was introduced into my tank my yellow watchman goby went after it and left a bruise the size of a goby mouth. That was the only agressive behavior I saw. The next morning the goby had a wound on his side that looked like this.
View attachment 1453
You can see the hole in his side and the bruise around it. I don't know who did it but it looks like the fire fish might have gotten even with him. At the time there were only 3 other fish in the tank, a flasher wrasse, a mandarin, and a tomini tang (he was added at the same time as the fire fish). It took a few weeks but he is good as new now. I have good water quality, there was no sign of infection, and his behavior didn't change so I didn't see any reason to remove him.

Woah! Had no idea a firefish could do something like that! Glad he was able to recover though. Did he recover on his own or did you have to treat him with something? Do you think my firefish might be a possible suspect in this situation?

 

[Dafna]

You're welcome. Please be sure to let us know how it works out!

Definitely! From the looks of it, do you think he'll be able to recover? A friend told me that bacterial infections can take out a fish in a matter of a week, so if my blenny has had this for at least 3 weeks or so, that must mean he was a pretty healthy fish and he is likely to recover. What scares me is that he's breathing hard and he's not swimming a lot. I also discovered a small gash on his right fin which might be why he's not as active - probably hurts him to move it so much. I can't get a good shot of his fin but I will definitely give it a try! Thank you again for all the help and I will keep everyone updated!

 

[lmforbis]

Woah! Had no idea a firefish could do something like that! Glad he was able to recover though. Did he recover on his own or did you have to treat him with something? Do you think my firefish might be a possible suspect in this situation?

I just let him recover on his own. It did take a few weeks but he never seemed to be distressed by it and there was never any sign of infection. I didn't think a fire fish could do that either but the other fish in the tank at the time were less likely to do that.