foxface dying.... feeding problem?

kilofey

kilofey

Member
My foxface is currently on the brink of death and i really dont know why. He eats fine, gobbles everything up, and my water is good. I feed him formula two pellets, which is what the store had been feeding, so he was used to it. Ive only had him a couple weeks. Could i5 be the food? He seemed fine at the store and adjusted quickly to his new tank mates
 
rlablan

rlablan

Active Member
More info is needed to determine what the issue is.
What makes you think he's dying? Is he wounded?
What size tank do you have, how big is the foxface (in inches)? Also, what tank mates are you housing him with?
I ask this because Foxfaces are a weird fish. They happen to be my favorite and I have kept many. They need a larger environment in order to thrive. They are pretty active and will grow quite large. Also, they are very temperamental fish. They have a lot of attitude and can be easily effected by their tank mates/environment.
If the fish is discolored, this is normal. When they are upset/scared/being bullied/mad, they will turn a sort of mottled brown color. This will go away on it's own, as long as the problem is fixed.
Some days, foxfaces just wake up on the wrong side of the bed. They are grumpy. Sometimes, there just isn't anything that you can do.
Can you explain everything that has happened, up until you posted this thread asking for help. Hopefully, someone else will offer some advice. Any info you have will help solve the issue.
 
kilofey

kilofey

Member
He is floating around and tumbleing. If he gets within shot of the water jet, it blows him across the tank. Hes sorta flapping his fins, but not much. He is discolored, almost black, even the white is dark, which is unusual for him. His breathing is heavy. My squirrelfish keeps swishing his tail at him as if trying to swish water in his gills or to help him get up.
Tank mates:
Striped squirrel
2 clowns
dottyback
pajama cardinal
Watchman goby
Coral beauty
My squirrel was harassing him at first because he was behind "his" rockwork. It lasted a day or so but he calmed down. He is in a 75 gal, and he is about 2-2.5" i planned on keeping him a couple years and finding him a larger home when he grew. He was in a much smaller tank when i got him though, so for this immediate problem, that cant be it.
 
rlablan

rlablan

Active Member
A fish that blows around in the current is a sick fish indeed. All other fish are acting fine?
I can say that your squirrel fish sounds like it is the bully. If it's invading the space of the foxface and still is rubbing on it, that is aggression. It's rubbing on the other fish to assert dominance. I can only assume that since this has been going on, it has stressed the foxface to this point.
Have you tested your water params? Is there ammo or elevated nitrates?
We need to make sure that the rest of your critters will be okay but as it sounds, this fox face may be a goner :( As you describe his coloring and his functions, he will more than likely be dead within the evening. Sometimes, even though fish may be moving it's fin or lightly gilling, they are already dead and it's just delayed motor signals from the brain.
I am sorry that this is happening. :(
 
rlablan

rlablan

Active Member
If he is blowing around in the current that much, He will not eat. How long has he been blowing around for?
 
kilofey

kilofey

Member
I put my fox in the freezer to give him a quicker death, there was no coming out of it. I also took him out so as not to lose him and have him decompose behind the rockwork :( my water is fine, all fish and corals look great. It must have been the squirrel.
 
rlablan

rlablan

Active Member
I am sorry to hear that. :(
For future reference, The freezer is kind of a long, slow, painful death. I have a feeling that this particular fish did not suffer; I think it was pretty much already gone from the sound of it.
The quickest death I have heard of is either through a special chemical to make fish go to sleep, or clear grain vodka.
Remove the fish from the tank, in a bowl of tank water and use a clear grain alcohol (like vodka). Slowly drip the vodka into the bowl. It should make the fish slowly go to sleep and then fairly quickly pass away.
It's a lot quicker than the freezer. (The fishes system won't completely shut down until it's totally frozen, this can take hours.)
I'm sorry, again, to hear about your fish.
 
kilofey

kilofey

Member
Hmmmm I'll remember that, thank you. I've always heard the freezer is the quickest and within a few minutes he was completely dead. Either way, poor lil guy.
 
rlablan

rlablan

Active Member
Yeah. The freezer used to be. This is quicker and is a more recent discovering...
It is sad. I feel terrible for you. And the fish.
 
S

saxman

Guest
MS-222 (fin-quel) is a fish anesthetic, and is often used for euthanasia.
There's also a protocol using clove oil (which is cheaper than MS-222):
CLOVE OIL Euthanasia Dosage and Preparation Instructions
• Put 3 drops with a half pint of water and shake very well, so the oil and water make a fusion - otherwise the oil will just float on top of the water and for the euthanasia to work the fish has to get the oil into its system.
• Add the mixture to the water that the fish is in (1 gallon of water should be more than enough) and stir it around slowly with your hand. The fish should become lethargic and sleepy. When the fish goes "belly up" it is asleep - not dead.
• Then add 3 more drops of clove oil. Add another mixture of 2 to 3 drops of oil in water.
• The fish feels nothing, it is very peaceful and humane.
• Don't make the mistake of thinking that if you initially put more in it will act quicker - it will only freak the fish out - it has to be done gradually so the fish doesn't notice the change in the water.
• The whole procedure should take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. You will know when the fish is completely dead because there will be absolutely no movement of the gills. If after an hour the fishes gills are still moving you could add a couple more drops of clove oil. Sometimes it does depend on the size of the fish to how many drops of clove oil are needed.
• Properly dispose of the deceased fish and wash treatment container thoroughly with soap and water.
We have used both MS-222 and clove oil for euthanasia, and both methods work well.
HTH
 
rlablan

rlablan

Active Member
Snake, I dunno. I have always been told that clear grain is the only way. Once, I only had spiced rum. I tried that and it didn't seem to work at all. The fish just laid on the bottom of a bowl of tank water and rum.
I have used vodka every other time and that seems to do the trick. Everything that I have read has said clear grain... I dunno...
 
foodshape

foodshape

Member
I've used clove oil for freshwater fish on occasion. Guaranteed effective although the dosage needed may vary. They doze off peacefully then you add more. No thrashing or signs of discomfort. Suspected it would also work for sw but good to see it confirmed.
To the OP, very sorry for your loss.
 
mjtech12

mjtech12

Member
Sorry for the loss I feel your pain I don't know how old this thread is but sometimes you get a bad fish from either the LFS or online I have found that out the hard way I too have a Foxface he is so funny but if you get another one feed him algae strips and marine cubes also Mysis shrimp pellets to me don't do good also try to find compatible fish mine has a yellow tang and they are great buddies like someone said earlier in this thread whats your setup filter and such it makes a difference the water might be showing good but I had a flow problem when I lost some fish now everything is good again sorry for the loss
 
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