Fish Problem

[jharlow]

Posted this on the wrong board initially

I have a sick fish that I am unsure of it's problem. Attached is a photo. It is almost like a flesh wound across his 'forehead'. Just noticed it today, and added a dose of Melafix to the tank, but want to make sure I am on the right path. Help is appreciated... Thanks!

 

[sepulatian]

He is being attacked by another fish. Do you have a quarantine tank that is cycled? You will need one for treatment. What other fish do you have?

 

[jharlow]

It is a relatively new tank ( previously up and running for a number of years at it's previous owner's house). It currenty houses:
1 6 line wrasse (tankmates for a long time)
2 Feather Dusters
1 Britte Star
1 Lawnmower Blenny
1 Scooter Blenny
And of course the injured Flame angelfish
I can have a QT tank set up first thing in the AM.... already have saltwater mixing as I thought it might be needed. What should I use for treatment? Stick with the melafix or?

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by jharlow
http:///forum/post/2695611
It is a relatively new tank ( previously up and running for a number of years at it's previous owner's house). It currenty houses:
1 6 line wrasse (tankmates for a long time)
2 Feather Dusters
1 Britte Star
1 Lawnmower Blenny
1 Scooter Blenny
And of course the injured Flame angelfish
I can have a QT tank set up first thing in the AM.... already have saltwater mixing as I thought it might be needed. What should I use for treatment? Stick with the melafix or?
At a guess, I would suspect the sixline. You have to find out who is doing this to him. It isn't just his head, his fins are torn up too. You will have to cycle the new tank. My suggestion is that you move a few smaller pieces of rock into the QT, with him, in the morning. What do you feed the fish? You have to give the bacteria on the rock time to spread to the surfaces. Keep his immune system very high. Feed him high quality frozen formula foods, not flake nor pellet. You can make your own foods for him. Beth has directions for that in her Common Treatments FAQ. There is also information there about medicinal garlic. You will need vitamins too. Zoecon and vitamin C (I use vitachem) are best. You will have to keep him very healthy, and be on top of water changes, should there be a spike. Wait a week. If there is no improvement then remove the rock. You can treat him with Maracyn 2 for SW fish. That is what he really needs, but without a cycled Qt, you can't use that yet.

 

[jharlow]

Thanks for the super fast response!
I feed a combination of thawed brine shrimp, seaweed for grazing, and pellets. Have been adding vitamins to the water as well.
I will get the QT tank going in the morning and hope for the best in the meantime! I will keep you posted!
Jason

 

[crimzy]

I have to disagree with sepulation here. I don't think that's aggression from your sixline. That would be a very difficult place for any fish to focus its aggression. Most injuries from aggression occur when the fish is attempting to swim away or turn to the side. That abrasion would have to come from multiple, head on attacks to be from another fish. I don't think it happened like that.
In my opinion you have a bacterial infection. Melafix and Pimafix are antibiotic and can help to limit the infection. Generally these meds can be used in a display without harming your other fish.

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by crimzy
http:///forum/post/2695674
I have to disagree with sepulation here. I don't think that's aggression from your sixline. That would be a very difficult place for any fish to focus its aggression. Most injuries from aggression occur when the fish is attempting to swim away or turn to the side. That abrasion would have to come from multiple, head on attacks to be from another fish. I don't think it happened like that.
In my opinion you have a bacterial infection. Melafix and Pimafix are antibiotic and can help to limit the infection. Generally these meds can be used in a display without harming your other fish.
You are correct that it would have to be a head on attack. I guessed at the sixline, and I stated that. Of the fish in the tank, that are listed, that would be the one that may have done this. The fins are torn up as well. I don't think a bacterial infection did this either. The flesh is torn away. A bacterial infection would progress over time. Mela and Pima fix are very mild medications, that work well in FW. I find that in a salt tank they do more harm than good. They cause the skimmer to overflow. The skimmer would have to be shut down, that reduces the oxygen in the tank. Mela and Pima fix leave an oily residue at the surface. If the skimmer is off then the oxygen is coming from the surface agitation. If that is oily then the oxygen going into the tank isn't all that great. Wherever this came from, it needs to be treated. Without a cycled QT the best that can be done is to help the fish heal himself. Now, if there is good circulation in the QT then Mela and Pima fix can be used. It is just the infected fish. If there are a couple of power heads, along with a HOB filter then it will help.

 

[gmann1139]

What about HLLE along with bacterial? I mean, its a lot of Head and not much LL, but it is in the 'eyebrow' region where HLLE seems to start.
That and there doesn't sound like a lot of meat in its diet.
How big is the tank? Checked stray voltage lately? Running carbon?

 

[jharlow]

Thanks for the help guys and gals. Sadly the little guy passed this morning.
Now that I have had a chance to breathe a bit, here is some more information on my tank and setup.
I purchased the 125gal tank, stand, 650w lighting system with canopy, RO system, 150 lbs live rock, sand, chiller unit, protein skimmer, filters, and a whole box of extras for $1000. It was a deal too good to pass up, especially since I have wanted a salt tank for as long as I can remember.
Last Saturday was the big move. Everything seemd to go without a hitch, and only lost or had to dispose of about 20 gal of the saltwater that was in the tank. The rest we put into buckets and transported, with the live rock and sand inside. The only minor problem ( that has since proved to be a bigger problem) was when we placed the flame angelfish, goby, pistol shrimp, and wrasse into their transport bucket, the flame angel instantly went onto his side.
After getting the tank and equipment home, and the water cleared up and tested ok, we acclimated the fish into the tank, and all seemed well, including the angelfish.
Then Monday morning I noticed the angel was beginning to have red spots similar to a scrape on his head. By the end of the afternoon they had turned white, and thats when I posted my initial message.
So in a nutshell that is the 'entire story'. My thoughts are he was injured slightly while we caught him, and between that, and the stress of transport, etc got the best of him.
However with that said, all of my tank numbers are perfect! Everything else in there is doing fine, and everything seems to be happy.