LinedWrasDisFAQ

FAQs on Lined Wrasses, Genus Pseudocheilinus Disease/Health

Concern about Six Line Wrasse 7/8/15
Hello,
<Jen>
I came across your site while searching for answers for our Six Line and saw your Q & A chat, so I hope you can help!
My husband and I have had our Six Line Wrasse in a 75 gal tank for about a year, and he has always been spunky, healthy, and full of attitude. However, about a week ago, we noticed that his belly had gotten very round and bulgy, and his mouth seems to be perpetually open as if he is gasping for air.
<Likely ate/or swallowed something....>
He seems to be swimming and eating fine, and we haven’t noticed any other fish picking at him, but his belly keeps on growing! We have looked up possible issues for this and the only think we’ve found is that sometimes six lines may eat too much and get clogged — ?? We honesty have no idea on how we can help him.
<Perhaps a bit of Epsom salt...>
We would love to get your perspective! Thank you so much in advance!
Sincerely,
Jennifer & Edmar
<Really; only time going by can/will tell. Bob Fenner>
Re: Concern about Six Line Wrasse 7/8/15
Thank you so much Bob! Do we need to remove him from the tank for the Epsom salt treatment?
<Not if you do as I would and treat w/ a low level dose... about 1 tsp of MgSO4 per five gallons>
We appreciate your time and info :)
<Ah, welcome. Bob Fenner>
Re: Concern about Six Line Wrasse 7/8/15
Perfect! Thanks so much!! I hope we don't lose the little guy! Fingers crossed! �� Take care
<Cheers, B>

Growth on fish 12/6/13
Greetings crew!
<Ray>
I have done a complete breakdown and rebuild of my 120 reef due to extreme infestation of grape Caulerpa. New rock, sand and everything cleaned.
Lost most of my corals, but managed to salvage a handful.
My fish for the most part are fine, but one thing I noticed on my 6-line wrasse.
There is a black cauliflower growth, about 2mm diameter, protruding from his lower jaw, right below the lips. I noticed it right at the start of my tank breakdown. He seems to be acting appropriate, but he is in a bucket with an airstone right now so hard to tell.
I have done searches for the source, but found nothing that looks like it.
Is it possible to be trauma related (hit a rock or something)?
<Most likely so; yes>
I would hate to treat for nothing. Also don't want to put him in my freshly rebuilt system to infect the other fish.

Tried to get a pic but he is quick and nothing came out. Will try again tomorrow.
<Cheers, Bob Fenner>
Ideas or suggestions on how to proceed?
Thanks
-Ray

Why Does My Sixline Wrasse Look Like He Was Splashed With Bleach? (Physical Injury?) – 04/13/12
Hello to the fine WWM crew.
<<Hey there Lindsey>>
Looking for any thoughts on what I woke up to.
<<Okey Dokey>>
My guess is that he scraped himself, but I haven't ever seen a scrape this extensive and I'm a bit worried. The fish was fine yesterday and seems to be eating and swimming normally. Any thoughts as to why he now looks like he's been splashed with bleach?
<<A physical injury as you suggest…or perhaps an encounter with a stinging organism>>
What treatment if any do you suggest?
<<None really…aside from keeping up feedings and water quality. There’s likely nothing you can do here…and trying to capture this little rascal is going to cause more stress. Most fishes have amazing recuperative/healing powers in these instances if simply “left alone” in a healthy environment.>>
Thanks for your help!
Lindsey
<<Happy to share! EricR>>

Re: Why Does My Sixline Wrasse Look Like He Was Splashed With Bleach? (Physical Injury?) – 04/13/12
We'll do. Thanks again!
<<Welcome! EricR>>

New Six Line Wrasse Sick/Injured 10/17/11
To the Gurus at WWM,
<Howsit Charles?>
I beseech <Wow!> you for your knowledge, I just picked up a new Six Line Wrasse from a semi shady looking LFS, I have a bunch of new live rock I wanted him to help clean. In the store he looked fine and healthy as far as I could tell (they aren't exactly voyeurs), so I get it home and acclimate it for probably an hour and a half and drop him into the tank (I didn't bother with a quarantine
<Mmmm>
as the only fish in the tank all came from the same store at the same time). Once in the tank I can see he is twitching and scratching on the sand and rocks. I can see some small red dots? around its mouth and a white piece of what looks like skull or fungus, its hard to tell. I can't quite tell if it is a fungus on his mouth or if he is losing the skin and his skull is becoming more exposed (ouch!). He didn't seem to want to eat anything so I started searching for problems, a lot of people seem to think scratching is a sign of Ick, or of flukes.
<Can be... but some such behavior is not necessarily indicative of anything>
and it does look like he has some light hazy spots starting to show on his fins and like 2 scales are a little lighter at the right angle. another site says it could be mouth fungus bacteria but it looks like the flesh is missing not something growing on top of it. It looks like the white part is getting bigger but it looks like it is from more skin coming off when it scratches and when he twitches it's like he is trying to shake something off his face.
After extensive reading of your site it seems like the most common culprit would be an injury,
<Agreed>
I am hoping it is not an illness as well as I do not have enough space in my 10 gal to quarantine all the fish from this tank for the next 2 months, though I could move my inverts and rock if I needed to do a hyposalinity stint as this display tank is only 60 gallons. Should I just wait and see for now or should I quarantine just the wrasse or start moving the rock and inverts?

Have I already infected all the other fish in the tank if it is some parasite or bacteria, and if so what else would be susceptible?
<Mmm, all fishes>
I have a pair of Ocellaris clowns about 1 inch long, a pair of blue/yellow Damsels, a tiny striped goby about 1inch, some shrimp, feather duster, flame scallop, a couple of Ricordea, an emerald crab, some snails and macro algae. I have another 10 or so pieces of zoo polyps, Xenias, Acans, etc in a friends tank waiting for things to cycle a little more and stabilize with these fish, if this is a disease would they be susceptible?
<Not the non-fish; no>
While I was looking I also found that you guys recommend using garlic for entice sick fish to feed, so I put a drop of garlic oil on some pellets, crushed them, and dropped the clumps into the tank and it seemed interested and has eaten small amounts on several occasions today (got it ~30 hours ago).
Thank you for your time
-Charles
<This is a very tough little customer/species... I'd take a proverbial chill pill here and see what, if anything develops. Bob Fenner>

Six Line Wrasse Pimple 5/18/11
Hi, I just got looking in my 30 gallon tank and noticed my Six Line Wrasses right eye is a little swollen and has a white 'pimple-like' spot just above the eye lid.
<Mmm...>
He does not seem to have any other problems, is still very active and eats plenty. I am worried about it being contagious and spreading to some of my other fish, I also have a goby, tang,
<This volume is too small for an Acanthurid>
clown fish, hawk fish and stripped Basslet that all seem to be healthy. If you can please help me identify the problem and maybe how to fix it that would be much appreciated?
<Would it or not?>
I do a 2-3 gallon water change two to three times a week and all the nitrates, nitrites, ammonia and salinity are normal. The only difference lately is the temperature has been around 80 F when its normally around 77 F. Thanks anything helps
<This mark and eye swelling are almost assuredly environmental, a bump/swim into something in the system; not pathogenic. What you and your fishes really need is more room. Do read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/Popeyetrauma.htm
and the linked files above re the trauma. Bob Fenner>

Six line lump diagnosis 1/15/11
I owned this six line for close to a year. After 2 months and surviving a bout of ich, he developed a goods sized lump on his side. He continued to eat and behaved normally for another 8 months. Today he died. The lump was bigger than it usually was. He ate a varied diet and had an excellent appetite until I found him dead today. Please take a look at the pics and tell me what you think. My reef tank parameters are exemplary. I basically maintained an under populated tank.
Thank you,
Tony
<Mmmm, w/o opening this fish up, looking macroscopically at what/which organs, areas are affected it's hard to assess... but this area is not a part of the gonads, or intestines... I suspect some sort of tumour... Bob Fenner>

Re: Six line lump diagnosis 1/16/11
Thank you Bob.
<Welcome Tony. B>

Pseudocheilinus tetrataenia (RMF, any comments on the genus and centrepiece fish generally) 1/14/11
Neale et al,
<BobF this time>
I am currently quarantining a perky little six line wrasse that I picked up yesterday. I wanted to double check with you on treatment and quarantine length since for many wrasses, the quarantine period can do more harm than good.
<Yes>
I'm treating with Cupramine (slightly less than the prescribed dose)
<Needs to be 0.15 minimum ppm... and no more than 0.35 ppm free cupric ion... or you're wasting your time, poisoning the fish>
and Maracyn II for some fin damage and Finrot that the wrasse appeared to have... Is a week of quarantine too long? Too short?
<Is right about right>
Do sixlines have problems with long term exposure to copper treatment (1 week+)?
<All fishes have trouble w/ such exposure... to put it simply, this involvement shortens their prospective life spans. One week is a good trade off though, don't you think, for not vectoring parasites into your main/display system?>
Thanks,
Victor
<Cheers, Bob Fenner>

Sixline wrasse getting a cloudy bubble over his eye 2/11/10
Hi All!
<Hi Christine, how are you today?>
I have not been in touch in some time - which is a good thing - all goes well. Currently I have a 90 gallon FOWLR (ok and a few mushrooms which happened by accident but now I am getting a coral itch. <Mmmm, this can be
detrimental to your wallet!> I do have reef lighting.)
I currently have:
70 lbs live rock - many caves and overhangs
30 gallon sump/protein skimmer/refugium
2 false Perculas
2 black ocellaris clowns
2 neon gobies
2 diamond gobies
1 Firefish goby
1 gorgeous flame angel
1 yellow tang
1 six line wrasse
All get along fabulously - but I do have one or two questions.
<Okey dokey!>
I have been keeping a close watch on my wrasse - three days ago his eye began to look a little cloudy and has a small bubble over it. It has not changed at all since I first noticed it _ which means it hasn't gotten worse, but it hasn't gotten better either.
<An injury probably>
Its barely noticeable to anyone but me at this point. I have not seen any aggression whatsoever in any of my fish- could it possibly be that he injured it somehow, brushed against a rock or something?
<Yes, the most likely cause, if it is just one and not both>
At this point should I continue to watch him closely or should I start pressing the panic button?
<The first>
Also - would I be pushing my luck if I were to try and work some kind of blue damsel into the picture.
<Yes>
I know they can be mean, but I have read that the yellow tail blue and the starcki may be less aggressive, but I won't believe it till I hear it from you - and even if it is true I still need to know if it could be a good fit considering the particular tankmates it would have.
<Personally I would not, they are a little aggressive, and I don't think they are anywhere near as interesting as the fishes you already have, so I would not take the chance>
Also - would any of those damsel do well by itself - I would rather not have more than one if I don't have to.

As always - your website is invaluable - please keep up the great work!
<We'll try!!>
Christine
<Simon>

Re: Sixline wrasse getting a cloudy bubble over his eye -- 2/12/10
Well - I am taking your advice. As hard as it is...

If I have to add any gorgeous blue to my aquarium (and I do, I'm obsessed - I believe its quite out of my control now)- I may have to start with some blue Zoanthids or some really bright blue mushrooms - and work from there.
<Yes, you can get some really nice blue Ricordea floridae or Discosoma species>
Sadly and mysteriously, I lost both of my diamond gobies last night.
<Really, both? Unusual. There must be a factor to this>
Never saw it coming -they seemed fine. I found them both right next to each other belly side up this morning. I can't understand it. I tested my water parameters, the only thing that was off was my nitrates were up around just between 0 and 5 mg/L - which I wouldn't think would harm the gobies (unless I missed a lesson that said they are ultra sensitive) in fact today is my scheduled bi-weekly water change and tank maintenance day so I would expect some nitrates.
<You should be ok with those levels>
I have sand substrate and I love the way the gobies kept it looking nice.
Is there a secret to keeping them healthy for more than a few months? Is there a hardier sand sifting fish that I should consider?
<I do believe there are a few species - search WWM re. But I would be wary since you have just lost two, could there be some aggression here somewhere? Are you able to feed these animals correctly? A little investigation required here before any more fishes are added, and some caution>
The wrasse's eye looks the same - he is out and about, eating like a pig - spending more time than usual "asking" the neon gobies to clean him though. (There I go pressing the panic button again.)
<Yes, I think this fish will be fine>
As always I appreciate your help or any advice you can give me....
<No problem Christine>
Christine
<Simon>

Re: GOOD NEWS! Sixline wrasse getting a cloudy bubble over his eye - HEALED! Thanks to you! 2/25/10
Simon -
<Christine>
Great news! I left my Sixline alone (as you suggested) and his eye healed on its own! <Great!> Thank you for your advice and for keeping me from pushing the panic button and trying to "nurse" him back to health.
<No problem Christine I'm glad it all worked out, and thank you for this follow up>
You wisely advised me not to get any Damsels to add some blue to my aquarium. What do you think about a small Hippo Tang?
<No such thing as a small one -- they all get big, or should be allowed to>
Or is it too late because I have the Yellow Tang and Flame Angel and they already have established their territory?

As for the death of both of my Diamond Gobies I have a few theories but its the best I can come up with.
<These are difficult fish to keep>
- I am pretty sure that I would have noticed aggression because I am vigilant with watching my fish. I am however embarrassed to say that in doing more research I did not provide them with any supplemental foods - other that what I feed my other fish. Also are those fish more active at night? Could it be possible that they showed aggression against each other at that time?
<Yes -- the fish tank is a very different place at night, and aggression does not have to be obvious, is not always easily detected -- it can be subliminal, just 'there' and sometimes this is enough for sensitive fish>
I have since learned that having two in the tank was not necessarily a good idea unless they were a true mated pair. In that case if I choose to try it again - am I better off sticking to just one?
<Do you really need another fish? I think fish tanks look better, nicer, more peaceful when they are not stuffed full of fish>
I did have a pair of Firefish Gobies that lived peacefully together for months and months - even slept in the same bolt hole - then all of a sudden one day I noticed one was missing his entire dorsal fin and hiding in a corner -- every time he tried to venture out of the corner, the other Firefish would charge him and nip him something awful.
<Mmmm, having a battleground in your living room is just no fun in my opinion, and this hobby should be nothing BUT fun. But, no matter how many times you say it, many people just continue to add more and more fish. If your system is balanced and you want to tinker around, you are better off doing this with different corals than fishes>
I floated the aggressive guy for a few days but it only helped temporarily. Eventually, I made arrangements to give one of them to a friend of mine who is in the hobby - but no more than a few days later I woke up and - to my surprise the aggressive one was missing - I tore my tank down looking for him and never found any remains whatsoever. The passive ones dorsal fin (and tail) grew back and I still have him today - and he is doing fine.
<Thank you for this tale Christine!>
Speaking of pairs of fish - I see one website that once in a while offers "pairs" of Flame Angels. My local fish store owner yelled at me for being naive and claimed that if I wanted to spend that kind of money to find out that the company paired them up themselves and that they will kill each other once they get into my aquarium - then I should go right ahead and learn my lesson the hard way.
<It would be a risk I agree>
(other than that she is great - and not afraid to give you her opinion)
<That's good to hear>
I already have a Flame so adding any other Angel is out of the question in my mere 90 gallon - however I am interested in your opinion of the odds of finding a true pair of Flames for an aquarium.
<Poor, although some Centropyge have been bred in captivity, so it is not beyond the realms of possibility>
Don't the males have harems?

My Flame is gorgeous (deeper red than most I have seen) and seems to have quite a close, friendly relationship with my Yellow Tang. At times the Tang even seems protective of the Flame Angel. Is this unusual?
<Whenever I've had these they have definitely been loners. Have you checked our FAQS on these?>
Thank you for all you have done!
<No problem Christine>
You have saved yet another fish!
<Marvelous news! WWM strikes again! Simon.>
25/02/10 Sixline wrasse getting a cloudy bubble over his eye - chatting, really
<Hello again Christine>
Well Simon - you can't blame an aquarium lover for making one last desperate attempt to get a blue fish - but I know when I am defeated!
<Heee! Victory!>
Your explanation was perfect and it reminded me of a game I used to play when I was a girl called "don't spill the beans". At this point I seem to have a good balance and anything I do from here on out (with fish) could be the bean that tips that balance.
<Indeed, and a good analogy>
I wouldn't want to take that chance. <No>. You also brought up another good point - the Tang will grow (but I figured I had plenty of time to worry about that)
<Actually, no. This fish will be psychologically crowded immediately>
but - some of my other fish will also grow.
<Yes they will, the Zebrasoma especially given good care>
As for keeping my sand looking nice - maybe a few more Nassarius Snails or a Fighting Conch - and coral for colour or perhaps a clam as I get more confidence.
<Yes, I think this a better path -- you can get some fantastic blue Tridacnids>
As far as my Tang and Flame - I will read more FAQS. I am hoping that what I have interpreted as some sort of "friendly behaviour".... the way they follow each other around, seem to always hang on the same side of the tank grazing on the same rocks, dart to the same place if startled - isn't actually some form of intimidation, stalking or territorial behaviour.
<Interesting behaviour for sure>
I won't lie, I have seen the occasional tail slap and chasing - but usually only if one invades the others sleeping quarters, and even then, not always, sometimes they don't seem bothered by the visit at all. However, it wouldn't be the first time I've been outsmarted by a fish. Probably not the last time either.
<You and me both, but don't tell my wife or I'll never hear the end of it!>
As far as stories - I have more fish stories than I have people who will listen - so I wouldn't encourage me if I were you!
<Oh no, what have I done?>
For instance my Orange Clowns have laid claim to every Anemone ornament I have in my tank (which is now three). Preventing the black and white ones from going near any - no matter how many times I change the placement of them in the tank or how far apart from each other I place them. I am starting to see this as potentially a bigger problem with bullying than I originally thought based on what I have just learned.
<Mmm, Clowns can be terribly territorial, it is best to only have one pair to a tank>
I need to watch with a new perspective. Today I placed the ornaments in "undesirable" locations - such as front and centre in the aquarium and wherever there is heavy foot traffic passing by the glass. As a last resort, maybe I should remove the ornaments all together. Otherwise I don't know how many ornaments I have to buy before the orange guys can't keep up:)
Well - thanks again Simon.
<No problem Christine.. just a slight 'prod' here -- this e-mail service is primarily for questions of the 'help' variety, we do have a BB for general conversation and such..>
I don't think I would have been able to stay in the hobby if I didn't have such a reliable source as WWM!
<Well that's great news!>
Do you guys give info on corals too?!
<Yes, plenty. See here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/cnidaria.htm>
Not spilling the beans,
<Well done! Don't give in to it!>
Christine
<Simon>
Re: 25/02/10 Sixline wrasse getting a cloudy bubble over his eye - chatting, really
<Hi Christine>
Yes got it. Understood. I apologize.
<No need to Christine, really.>
Farewell and thanks again! (especially from my husband who is thrilled that someone talked sense into me. <Heee! Something he struggles with I bet!> I am not going to mention coral - I want him to enjoy the moment. I will look for the BB - (not sure what it is - but I will find it). If people share stories and I can learn from them it sounds perfect to me!
<Me too. The WWM bb can be found here: http://bb.wetwebmedia.com/ .>
Take care!
<You too, and good health to you and your fishes, Simon>

Sixline Wrasse... hlth., no data 12/22/08 We have had our Sixline for several months. We also did a recent water change in our 135 gallon reef tank. She looks like she is gasping for air constantly keeping her mouth open. She also looks mottled, has few scales missing and have fine bumps around her dorsal area. Hope you can help we are attached to her. Her name is Elizabeth Taylor. Soveyda in California <Sorry to hear the bad news. What is the water quality like? Are any other species picking on the Sixline? Are any other species gasping for air or showing signs of distress/disease? The fish may have some sort of parasites and may require treatment. If there are any other fish in the aquarium they may be in trouble as well. Honestly there may not be much you can do for the little wrasse (and other fish) unless you can catch her and put her in a quarantine aquarium for treatment. Also it is not wise to treat your aquarium with "reef safe" ich medications since they really are not effective and cause more problems with corals, etc. Happy Holidays, IanB>

Mystery Wrasse mystery white lump -- 07/21/08 I have a recently purchased mystery wrasse that has three white spots or lump on his body. I started him off in QT tank and he has been doing great he has had no signs disease or problem, until now. He has been in quarantine along with a Royal Gramma Basslet and a Sailfin Algae Blenny. The QT tank is a 10 gallon with an Emperor 400 bio wheel, heater, PVC pipe for swimming through and protection. The bottom is bare in the tank, I did have some sand in the tank less than 2 ounces of sand, I removed it because it seemed to trap waste. I have been treating the tank for five weeks now with hyposalinity, sg 1.12 <Mmm, maybe 1.012> and everyone seems to be doing fine. The wrasse is curious and wants to check me out, the blenny has been eating off the glass, and the basslet has been swimming upside down having a great time. <Ah, good> The problem is the Mystery Wrasse started off with one spot at the top of his right gill four days ago which seems to have split and formed two smaller white spots and now a third smaller spot appeared on his right side on the middle of his body. I am not sure what this could be. <Could be... parasitic, idiopathic, "nothing" to worry about...> I have fed the tank with live brine shrimp, rod's food, Sushi Nori and frozen brine shrimp with Cyclop-eeze. I try to limit the amount of food at any given time to keep water from fowling; however I have left the Sushi Nori in for longer periods. Also, I have placed some hair algae from the display into the QT for the blenny. None of my other fish show any disease or problems, so I don't think I contaminated the QT from the display. However, I have recently placed, at the same time I got the wrasse, basslet, and blenny, some mithrax crabs in my display with out QT to get rid of some bubble algae. My display tank fish show no signs of disease. I have done water changes to the QT every 7 -10 days, and keep the lights on 12 hours a day. I am truly puzzled the hyposalinity should kill any parasite <Might be "under the skin" if indeed a parasite... I don't think it is> that the fish would have. The Wrasse may sleep next to the heater and it could be physical damage to the wrasse. Could the QT be hurting the wrasse? <Yes> If so, should I place him in the display after re-acclamation to the displays salinity? <Yes, I would> The wrasse swims strong, is curios and eats frozen and flake food. He seems healthy except for these white spots. And now that I have been staring at him for an hour his stomach seems large. Could I be a Hypochondriac for my Fish? <Happens> I look forward to hearing from you. Here is link to what the bump looks like http://s354.photobucket.com/albums/r436/mysterywrasse/?action=view <http://s354.photobucket.com/albums/r436/mysterywrasse/?action=view&current= MOV03666.flv> &current=MOV03666.flv
<Didn't "exist" for me. Bob Fenner>

Re: Mystery Wrasse mystery white lump 7/23/08 Thanks for getting back to me so soon. Unfortunately I have a new problem. I am in the process of raising the salinity in the hyposalinity QT to the conditions in my display tank. This morning when I went to check on the QT tank my mystery wrasse was sitting still and not moving, which is uncommon he always is swimming around. I looked him over and the bums on his body are mostly gone but now his eye on the right side, the same side as the bumps, is cloudy, puffy, and perhaps a little red. <Could be just the hyposalinity...> The wrasse is breathing fine and the other fish in the QT are fine. I was going to wait and do nothing, but upon reading about Popeye and eye injury on wet web media I found that Epson <Epsom...> salt is the best treatment. It didn't make much sense to add Epson salt while I was still raising the salinity in my QT to the level of my display, so I raised the salinity in the QT to the level of my display. <...? All at once? Not a good idea... see WWM re...> I also moved a heater which was close to the bottom of the tank where the wrasse had been sleeping and made his cocoon. I was thinking that he may be getting damaged by wedging himself near the heater or glass of the tank. Would adding Epson salt later today be a good idea? How much, it is a 10 gallon tank? I have a live brine shrimp that is ready to feed, they have been growing 36 hours; should I feed him the brine shrimp? <Some> Should I remove the emperor 400 and use a power head and an air pump so the brine shrimp will not get sucked up and trapped in the emperor's filter? <... I wouldn't. Perhaps turn off for ten-twenty minutes> Should I move the other fish in QT to my display to leave the wrasse alone in the tank? I want to leave the wrasse in QT so his eye can heal. Also, should I add some live rock to the QT for the wrasse to swim around and build its cocoon near now that it will have salinity 1.023? Thanks for the help. If I haven't been asking the right questions could you tell me a course of action you would follow to treat the wrasse? <... You should read, and relax. BobF>

Mystery Wrasse Disease 12/15/2007 Hello WWM crew. Your website has given me years of valuable info. I have used the experiences of others on your site for years to learn about this great hobby. Now I have a problem of my own that I would greatly appreciate your help. I came home today and realized that my prize fish, a 4 inch mystery wrasse, has some sort of "disease" covering his mouth. This disease looks like fluffy white whiskers coming out of his mouth. These whiskers appear to be coming from inside the mouth and do not allow him to close his mouth. <Not good... likely resultant from a physical trauma ("jumping")...> I am at a loss because I have not seen anything similar to this before. I have had some run ins with marine velvet in the past, but this looks nothing like a parasite. <Is simple decomposers...> In my (clueless) opinion it seems like some sort of fungus growing out of his mouth. <Likely bacterial...> The tank is a 120 gallon that has been up for about a year. I have finally gotten around to quarantining all new specimens, and have done so throughout the entire life of this tank. Below I have attached a picture of the wrasse. <Didn't come through.> It is not very helpful because the white "whiskers" around his mouth blend with the color of the mouth, but you can kind of see them along the bottom of his mouth. Hopefully this will help you in your assessment. Thanks in advance for your help with this problem, and thank you for all the help you have provided others. This is a valuable resource for all marine aquarists. <Not much to do here... Perhaps adding more iodine-ide-ate in whatever format you currently use would be of help... Otherwise, waiting, hoping... maintaining optimized, stable conditions is about it. Bob Fenner>

Six line Wrasse... hlth. 11/26/07 Hi Crew, I bought this fish at an LFS a few hours after it came in. <Not a good idea... like most marines, better to leave new arrivals at a dealers for at least a day or two...> Two days later I noticed a slight shadow between the pectoral fin and the eye. And today it is very white and a slight bump. Is this some kind of wound from capture or is it something to worry about? <Could be both...> Fish behaves like a six line and eats like a vacuum cleaner. The eyes also seem redder than what I recall. They usually have what looks like two white parallel bars. This guy is red. This is one picture where he is not just a blur but is not clear enough to make out what the spot really looks like. Thanks <And the pic shows discreet dots that appear to be Crypt on its caudal... I'd be reading re Quarantine, Parasites of marine fishes, Parasitic Systems... on WWM. Bob Fenner>

Re: Six line Wrasse... hlth. -11/27/2007 >>Hi Crew, I bought this fish at an LFS a few hours after it came in. <Not a good idea... like most marines, better to leave new arrivals at a dealers for at least a day or two...> Two days later I noticed a slight shadow between the pectoral fin and the eye. And today it is very white and a slight bump. Is this some kind of wound from capture or is it something to worry about? <Could be both...> Fish behaves like a six line and eats like a vacuum cleaner. The eyes also seem redder than what I recall. They usually have what looks like two white parallel bars. This guy is red. This is one picture where he is not just a blur but is not clear enough to make out what the spot really looks like. Thanks <And the pic shows discreet dots that appear to be Crypt on its caudal... I'd be reading re Quarantine, Parasites of marine fishes, Parasitic Systems... on WWM. Bob Fenner><< Wow, you got good eyes. <<Heeeee! I wish... only for some things>> I did not even notice that. Now I will have to wait a couple weeks to see what develops because even if it drops off it may just be part of the cycle. <Yes!> But good new is that white dot is gone as of this morning and I can not even see any mark where it used to be. Thanks again. <Let us indeed hope... this was nothing. Cheers, BobF>

Injured 6-line Wrasse, Treatment Options 10/23/07 Hi Wet Web Media Crew, <Hello> First of all, thanks for your great site. While in quarantine/hyposalinity, our Sixline Wrasse got himself stuck in a piece of live rock. My initial thought was to let him get himself out. <Usually best.> After about a week it became apparent that he would not be able to. We could just see part of him though one of the holes in the rock. I used a Dremel to carefully cut away the rock around him until I could gently get him out (He was lodged in there pretty good). I don't think we caused him any harm while getting him out; however, he cut himself up pretty bad during the week he was in there. He has several gashes on his side and belly, he is very discolor in certain areas (looks like he is missing all of the scales from about half his body), and he appeared very bloated/swollen. We dipped him in a Methyl Blue mixed with water from his tank for three minutes and placed him in his own 10gal hospital tank (temperature and salinity matched to the tank he was in, i.e. still hypo). <Good> I thought he was a goner but to my surprise he actually ate some Prime Reef flake food today (first day out of the rock). <They are quite resilient.> Now, to the questions: 1) Should we keep him in hypo or slowly raise the salinity? <Normally 1.025 would be best, but in this case I would not change anything that may increase stress and increase chance of infection. But work towards full strength salt water once it gets through this.> 2) Should we dip him in Methyl Blue/tank water occasionally to try and fight off infection? 3) Is there anything else we can do to raise his chances of survival (e.g. medications, foods, additives, etc.)? <Quality foods, keep water quality high, and watch for signs of infection which would require stronger treatments.> Thanks in advance for your help. V/R, James and Beth <Welcome> <Chris>

Long E-mail... Sick Six-line... Need for advice. Six Line illness -- 07/25/07 Dear WWM Crew, <Hi Randall, MacL here with you tonight.> I spend hours a day reading various FAQ's and Articles on this site. <Very flattering.> Every morning I print out several pages to read in my spare time throughout the day. I know this may seem like a bit much, but I want to be sure my husbandry is as good as it can be. <Actually, in my opinion, any knowledge you can gain is going to assist you so you should pat yourself on the back for learning as much as possible. Do recognize though that we can only speak from our knowledge and experience and keep that in mind that as you grow in the hobby you may find things that work for you and things that do not.> Well, let me first explain to you the status of my tank up to this point (I have learned that the more information that I provide, the better, and the more chance I have of knowing all of the problems associated with my tank). This may be rather detailed, but I want to be sure I don't miss telling you anything that you may think needs to be corrected. Sorry, I work in engineering and probably am boring you/providing unnecessary info, but I believe if I send this information it will prevent finding out errors sooner rather than later. <No worries.> The Tank is a 75 Gallon Reef Tank. I have over 75 lbs of live rock, and about 1/4" of sand in front of the rock for looks only (approximately 5 lbs). This tank was started in January of this year. Filtration includes two of the Large Penguin Bio-Wheel (Bio-Wheels removed) Filters, (I believe Penguin 400 -$79.95 retail) inlet on the left placed high in the tank, and on the right placed lower. For circulation in the back, bottom, left hand corner of the tank there is a 185 GPH powerhead moving the water behind the rocks. On the other end in the top, back, right corner of the tank there is a 225 GPH PowerSweep helping blast the top of the rocks and reef. In between the two Bio-Wheel filters sits a Seaclone 100 which pulls out 1/2 cup of black skimmate every 3-4 days. Lighting consists of 6 X 65 W PCs- 2 10k, 2 Actinic, 2 50/50 and Lunar lights. Actinics cut on, 1 hour later 10k and 50/50's cut on, and run 12 hours. Then 1 hour later the Actinics go off, and the Lunars run at night. I also have a unique set-up on top of my tank as well. For copepod and amphipod production, as well as nitrate reduction, I have a small 150 GPH powerhead pumping water from the top of my tank, into a 5 gallon mini bowfront (on top of my canopy) with overflows/baffles. The actual refugium part of this set-up houses a 1-1/2" sand bed and a large ball of Chaeto (along with cultured tigger pods, mysis, bristleworms, and snails), lit by a 13 Watt 10K Mini-Lamp on a reverse photo-period to prevent PH swings. This overflows into a 2 gallon surge tank that fills about every minute and then dumps into my tank via 3/4" PVC very fast, I would say at a rate of about 500-700 GPH. It's sort of my own cheap wave-maker. The best thing is the flow diverts through a tee and I have it directed towards the reef. Water is topped off with RO water with added buffer. I perform 13 Gallon water changes (gravel vac) every 5-6 days with Salt water supplied by Fish Safari in (Virginia Beach, VA). GREAT STORE! I feed MYSIS, frozen Cyclops-ees (sp), DT's (1/4-1/2 capful per week) and Dried Nori, and have recently began feeding Formula 2. I have some Zoe on the way to soak my MYSIS. I supplement Bio-Calcium (This stuff makes coralline go absolutely out of control), Bio-Strontium, Tech I, Tech M (Switching to a powdered Magnesium supplement soon), and SeaChem Buffer. I also use Carbon in my filters.<The only thing about using carbon is that it maybe taking out most of what you are adding in by way of additives. Just a note for though.> Before you beat me down over the tanks population, just make sure you realize that I often bring in large fish for store credit (Fish Safari gives 1/2 what they will charge for it, if you bought the fish from them). I have 1 Yellow Tang (approximately 3-1/2"), 1 Blue Hippo (Maybe 2"), 2 False Percs (about 1-1/2"), 1 Orange Spotted Goby (3"), 1 Six-line Wrasse (1-1/2"), and 1 Scotter Dragonet (maybe 2"). I consider my tank fully stocked and realize that both tangs should/will be removed when they become larger. My clean-up crew consists of 2 Emerald Crabs, approximately 30-40 Astrea snails, 1 Turbo Snail, 1 Cleaner Shrimp, 20 or so small Hermits. <The thing you should watch for with the tangs is that they will stop growing.> Corals include various Xenia, Zoos, Montipora Cap., One Small SPS Birdsnest, Sinularia, Green Long Polyp Longitudinal, some mushrooms, and a Wellsophyllia Brain (sorry for the incorrect spelling) that hasn't fully opened lately. Any advice on the brain would be great, he used to open fully and now isn't. I believe this may be related to the Alk so I'm bringing it up now. Water Parameters- SG- 1.023-1.024 - just increased recently from 1.021 over a week Ammonia, Nitrite, Phosphate and Nitrate are all 0, maybe some traces of Nitrate Calcium - 410 Alk- about 7-8 DKH (down from 11 about 2 months ago) PH - 8.3 Day and Night for the last few months. Magnesium- test kit on the way I recently set-up my new 40 gal QT (Had to get rid of African Cich tank first) tank but before this I ignorantly allowed a six-line to be placed into my tank without QT. The Six-lines eye was popped out a few days later but being that my yellow tang is aggressive I thought it may have been a wound (on one eye). <Definitely could have been that or multiple other things in an unfamiliar tank. The fish could have run into something even but naughty, naughty for the no quarantine.> Then last night, both eyes were clouded and "popped out", along with one of my Blue Hippos eyes. My FiancÃ© also pointed out that there was white Stringy material hanging out of the Six-lines gills. <The white stringy stuff sounds like slime coat to me but without seeing it I cannot be sure. Definitely means the fish is in some kind of distress.> My water quality seems good, so I fed Kanaplex and dosed the tank (knee-jerk reaction). I also added my first dose of Melafix (Is this stuff worthless?) and cut my protein skimmer off. These fish are difficult to remove, being that I would have to remove my canopy, the 5-gallon, and all Rocks to catch any fish. I'm wondering if I should continue these treatments and what can I do to help this situation. Should I remove the carbon? What should I do? <Doesn't do any good to dose anything if you have carbon because it takes it back out almost immediately. So definitely remove the carbon. I personally think you need to consider an antibiotic into the tank.> I also have some BGA (Cyanobacteria) on the sand in my tank that has shown up since introduction of my Six-line, It's only growing on the sand and I am vacuuming it out as it comes. Any advice here? <Only since the six line showed up? Hmmm sounds like you have some tank quality issues. One thing here, while your varied selection of food sounds great that seems to me to be a large amount of food.> I'm sure you all understand the situation now and can help. I want to apologize for the depth of this e-mail, I just didn't want to miss anything. I seem to have at least compiled all of my current questions into one e-mail, so that makes for less e-mails I guess. Have a great day and hopefully you guys can help out.<Randall I think you have a bacterial infection happening in your tank. Regardless of how the six line got it, he appears to have it and it is spreading. The blue tang in my experience is always the first one to show up with it as it goes through the tank. My personal experience with melafix wasn't good but we have many readers who have found it very successful. Good luck, MacL> Randall Steele Smith "A concerned father"

Re: Long E-mail... Sick Six-line... Need for advice, More on the ill six line -- 8/19/07 <Hi Steve, MacL here with you again> Alright, Since the last e-mail below answered by MacL, here is what I have done. My six-lines eyes became popped out and cloudy and my Blue Hippo tang looked as if he had ick. I pulled the two fish out and placed them in my recently set-up QT. The QT tank SG is 1.012 and the PH is 8.2 I'm keeping the temp at 82. I added some clout last night) and some Melafix to the QT tank. I also noticed that both fish looked worse today so I attempted a dip of the Six-line. Since then I have placed him back in QT but both fish are not looking well. My question is should I being doing something different. Should I dip the Hippo. The Hippo looked great last night and I'm wondering if it is the water quality of the QT tank that may be bothering him. In order to control Ammonia, Nitrate, and Nitrite (because I don't have very easy access to Saltwater. No R/O unit) with SeaChem's "Prime". I have been doing two 25% water changes a week. The Ammonia has crept to 0.25 and Nitrite is 0.1, Nitrate is minimal. What should I do to fix this problem. <Steve sometimes the cure is worse than the original problem. I think tangs have real problems with nitrates in the water and you do need to get them down. Seachem does have some additional products that might work a little better to take care of your ammonia issues. I love prime but I think maybe their other ammonia product might be better for your issues right now. There are several things you can do for your problem now. First, be careful with the MelaFix and the clout. Clout is a very strong product and can do real damage in my opinion to the fish if not extremely careful. Also you didn't say if when you dipped your fish if you kept your ph the same. If not that would stress the fish as well. Tangs usually do well with dipping although they look horrible after being dipped. Especially blue tangs. Usually they will change color, in my experience going to a very funky whitish color and looking bad and often just laying on the bottom of the tank. I have dipped tangs for as long as five minutes successfully but you must be careful with them because they often will attempt to jump out of the dipping area. Are you letting the original tank go fallow for the one month period? How do you plan to clean it of the ick parasites? Honestly Steve, I would consider an antibiotic for the Popeye because often the after effect of the parasites that cause it is an infection. Hope this helped, MacL>

Six-Line Wrasse looks pregnant--is it? No useful info. 5/29/07 We have a six-line wrasse, and have had it for six months. We also have a pair of false Perc's, a flame angel, a firefish goby, and several snails and crabs. In the past couple of weeks, the wrasse has looked very different from when we bought it (besides being healthy and growing big). The stomach area looks like it could be pregnant... is this possible since there is not pair of them? <Mmm, not pregnant... but perhaps egg-bound...> Why would the stomach look pregnant? I can't find any information on why this would occur. Any information you could offer would be wonderful. We have attached a picture so you can see what we are talking about (hopefully you can see the huge belly). Thanks, Nick and Shar <Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/fishes/wrasses/index.htm for the linked files above... and down to the Pseudocheilinus/Lined Wrasses... Bob Fenner>

Six-line Wrasse Disease? 5/23/07 Bob: <Hi, but not Bob, Chris here with you.> I've had a six-line wrasse in quarantine for 2.5 weeks now. <Good> Animal was very healthy, eating well - practically begging for food when he saw us. For the past week or so it was swimming mostly near the top of the tank, but seeming to do this to get a look at us & some possible food. Monday night (5/21/07) we noticed what appeared to be velvet or ich on the fish. <Bet you are glad you QTed him.> Definitely white spots. That night, when the wrasse was resting on the bottom of the tank, I noticed that it also looked like a film was hanging off of the fish. Photo attached. I treated the tank (10 gal) with 4 drops of SeaCure copper treatment. Didn't want to give a full dose just in case this was something else. Next day, the wrasse was still lethargic and resting on the bottom. <Check your water parameters, copper can wreak havoc on your biofilter.> <<This copper sulfate solution is gone here... ab- and adsorbed... RMF>> Didn't see the film hanging on the fish. Put 3 more drops of SeaCure in the tank and have maintained it at that. Did partial water change (10%) to get refuse off the bottom of the tank. The spots are gone from the fish, but the animal isn't eating and it is still lethargic. <Part of the normal life cycle of the Ich parasite, if that is what you think you have.> Fish swims to different parts of the tank, but very lethargic. Strange film still clings to the fish at night, but I don't notice it during the day. <Normal> Can you please let me know if I mis-diagnosed this fish and what might be bothering the animal? Any treatment suggestions are greatly appreciated. I'm also attaching a photo of a sack that appeared in the tank when we first put the fish in quarantine. It may be totally unrelated, but I thought it might help. <Is unrelated unfortunately, and completely normal.> Photos were taken 2 weeks apart, the sack is the first photo taken, sick fish the most recent. Please let me know how I can help this animal. I appreciate your advice. Michael Astfalk <Unfortunately the from the picture I can't help you diagnose the white spots on the fish. Give a look here for photos of some common diseases. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mardisindex.htm As far as the "sack" is concerned, it is normal.> <Chris> <<Is very likely Crypt. RMF>>

Re: Six-line Wrasse Disease 5/24/07 Chris & Bob: <Hello> Thanks for the reply. <Welcome> I read the article that you referenced and found the Crypto article by Bob. Still have questions. <Ok> So if it is ich, as Bob is suggesting, should I continue with the copper treatments as I had started? I have the Seachem Copper treatment. <Make sure you have the Seachem copper test kit as well, best to use the manufactures test kit as well.> Salinity is 1.018 right now. Should I raise or lower that? I typically do the quarantine at 1.012 and was beginning to slowly raise it after the first week to get the fish used to a salinity that would match the display tank (1.022). Temp is 75F, should I raise this as the article suggests? <Can raise it to 82 or so without any problems. I would use the copper (testing levels daily) and slowly raise the SG back to normal. It's best to not mix treatments, way to stressful on the fish.> The fish is mostly resting on the bottom. Doesn't seem to really be eating, but it is still leaving droppings so I assume it is eating something when we're not observing. <Probably, try some meaty foods if possible, and see how it goes.> Should I be concerned about this and what do I do so the fish doesn't starve? Is this typical? <Not a good sign when a fish stops eating, may need to use live brine to start it eating something if it continues more than a few days.> Please let me know if I am doing the right thing and if there is anything else I can do. I don't notice the spots on the fish anymore. <You are on the right path, watch the copper levels very carefully, wrasse are not terribly sensitive to it, but you really do not want to overdose. Even though you do not see spots they are still there, treating the fish is the only way to make sure it is ok. Daily water changes and consistent levels of copper are what is needed here.> Michael
<Chris>

Re: Six-line Wrasse Disease 5/25/07 Chris: <Hello> I really appreciate the response. <Sure> Unfortunately, the fish was dead when I woke up this morning. I had done a 10% water change last night since the ammonia levels had begun to rise along with the nitrites. I was moving along exactly as you had described though - I was raising specific gravity, watching the copper doses. I still have questions though. <Ok> I'm about ready to throw in the towel on this hobby. I've followed Bob's book, and I also have Paletta's "New Marine Aquarium Book" which I had started out with last year. I do the quarantine tank, but I'm seeing almost 80% mortality rate to disease or stress/my errors. About 60% of these are in the quarantine tank. I only pick hardy fishes - Pajama Cardinals, Damsels, Firefishes, Ocellaris. It seems like once I get them in to my quarantine tank they're destined to die. The fish that I have in my display tank have been there for 8 months and are doing great. Only lost one in the tank since last fall and that was probably due to some predatory instincts of my spider crab (I suspect he ate my Clown Goby). <These also often starve to death since they feed mainly on corals, and do not get everything they need from most other foods.> How should I be setting up my quarantine tank in order to have the most success? It is 10 gal, no substrate, PVC fixtures & plastic pots for the fish, and small bio sponge filter run by an air pump. I break it down, typically, after each use and clean everything with a bleach solution -including the filter. <Good> I then cycle it back up again, usually doing low salinity (1.012). <I would not do the lowered salinity, adds stress and needs to be checked very accurately when it gets down to that level. If you do continue this make sure to get a refractometer and not a hydrometer, they are not accurate enough.> I use some fish food (frozen food preparation) to get the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels to rise. I will dose for about a week with Stability to jump start the bio filter. <Forget the Stability, get Bio-Spira, it works much better. Must be kept refrigerated.> After about 4-6 weeks, my ammonia is dropped but the nitrites stay around .5 and the nitrates stay at around 10. <Might need more media to allow the nitrite to get to 0.> Any dealer I talk to says that I need to have something living in the tank in order for it to cycle. <Nope, just an ammonia source, which the food provides.> I simply don't know what to do, so I purchase a fish. <Are you getting all the fish from the same store, or maybe the same suppliers. Might want to try mail order and see if you get better luck. All stores and related whole-sellers are not equal.> Am I maybe having such bad luck by trying to cycle the tank with a fish? I'm not sure what to do. Someone else suggested moving live rock from the display in to the quarantine tank, cycle it, then take it back to the display. <Doesn't work.> I'm leery of this because I don't want to be using things between the two tanks. <Smart.> Could my bio filter be bad since I bleached it? <No, bleach has a pretty short life, usually inactive after a few days. If concerned add some chlorine remover to the tank.> Could the copper treatments from the last two times have ruined the filter? <As long as you replace the media you should have no problems.> I read articles on setting up quarantine tanks, but I haven't found anything that describes how to keep it going & maintain it. <Basically water changes and more water changes. Sometimes they need to be done daily.> I'm really looking for a good check list/guide to help me maintain it. <Have you read Scott's article, as close as we have to a checklist. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/QuarMarFishes.htm .> Your advice is appreciated. Thanks. Michael <Stick with it. I bet if you use a more "normal" SG your results will improve. Good luck.> <Chris>

Wrasse with swollen lips 3/10/07 Hello, I have a sixline wrasse with what I believe is a bacterial infection. <Mmmm> I am in college so my parents take care of my fish while I am away. While I love my parents they never seem to alert me to these problems while I am away, so I have no idea how long this has been going on. Now that I am home for spring break, I have transferred the sixline to an established quarantine (31 ppt salinity, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrate, 0 nitrite, 8.3 pH) after trapping him in a plastic container to observe and possibly treat the wrasse with a pH adjusted freshwater methylene blue dip. I am hesitant because I had trouble making a diagnosis from the mostly-vague disease descriptions that I found in my available books and web resources. I have attached photos of the wrasse's mouth. The wrasse also has some raised patches of light white on its body and is twitching slightly. Although he is eating Mysis shrimp and flake food well I have not seen any feces as of yet. If you have any ideas as to what the affliction is and possible courses of treatment please let me know. Thank you, Caitlyn <Is not really a disease as in an infectious or parasitic affliction... not pathogenic... But, skipping ahead, this is not an uncommon "developmental" condition from this specimen being damaged in capture, shipping, handling, perhaps a trauma in your system... The long and short of it, is that this is not "treatable"... but the specimen looks healthy otherwise. I would not "treat" it. Bob Fenner>

Re: Wrasse with swollen lips 3/10/07 Hi Again, Thank you for your quick reply. I do not know what to say as the wrasse's condition has deteriorated greatly overnight, upon observation this morning its face was completely swollen with some rough growths. <Yikes... I obviously "spoke"/keyed too "soon"... perhaps there is something else at play here... Though I stand semi-firmly by my guess as to primary cause here. Mechanical injury> I performed a 50 percent water change although water quality had revealed nothing. The fish is breathing heavily and lying on the bottom of the QT. The fish's condition has worsened extremely since I have been home. Still nothing I can do?? Please help, I do not think this is only stress.

Sixline wrasse 1/1/07 Hey, I purchased a sixline wrasse about 3 days ago. My water parameters are all fine. <Numbers next time, fine is relative.> But anyway, my wrasse is active and eating and seems do be doing well. My problem is that on the wrasse's left side, past the gill, there is discoloration. I don't know how to describe this, it just seems like a patch of discoloration on the skin. Please get back to me with any ideas of what this could be, thanks a lot, Mael <Could be lots of things, physical damage, beginnings of a nutritional deficiency, disease, or just normal genetic variation. Hard to be specific without more information and a picture.> <Chris>

Hawaiian Fourline Wrasse w/ white spots 7/23/06 I have a question about my Hawaiian Fourline Wrasse (Pseudocheilinus tetrataenia)... He's been in my reef tank for a little over a year, and over the last few weeks, when the fish wakes up in the morning, he has small white spots on his body and fins, 30 or 40 spots total. These spots resemble grains of salt, and within 3 or 4 hours of the lights coming on, they are all gone. <Is Cryptocaryon> I am wondering if these are just pieces of sand & debris that the fish picks up when he hides or buries himself at night? <Mmm, no> If so, I don't know why they would suddenly appear after a year's time? <A latent, space-infested problem...> If they are a skin parasite or some sort of infection, then why would they disappear every day? <Improvement in the diurnal resistance, immune system of the host... the spots are not the parasite... the parasite not the spots... but the resultant irritation marks...> The Hawaiian Fourline Wrasse it acting normal, and has a healthy appetite. He is not being harassed by any other fish or invertebrates. All of the other occupants of the tank appear completely healthy. Water parameters: pH - 8.3 Nitrite, Ammonia - 0 Nitrate - undetectable Calcium - 410ppm dKH - 11 SG - 1.026 Temperature ranges from 81.7F-83.1F daily Thank you in advance for any advice, Steve in Denver <Could be that you might get by with this "ping-ponging" situation for years hence... Much more likely "something/s" will change to shift the balance in the parasites favor... see WWM re Crypt... what you might do/consider for actual eradication. Bob Fenner>

My 6 line wrasse needs help 2/1/06 I am trying to save a 6 line wrasse I bought about 4 weeks ago. It had a large abdomen at the time but seemed otherwise healthy. Over the last few weeks its abdomen has swelled greatly. Its now has severe buoyancy problems, it tries to wedge its self to stay upright and flips upside down if not moving. Its vent is inflamed, and at times a thick ivory colored mass seems to protrude then retract. I am treating with MelaFix <Worse than worthless> in a hospital tank, and suspecting an intestinal worm or other parasite. <Maybe> The fish is still eating well. Is there any thing I can do to help this fish or is euthanasia the best option? Thank you for your help, Kim <Only if in your opinion the animal is "overly" suffering. I would add a level teaspoon of Epsom Salt per ten gallons of system water here... and see if "this too passes". Bob Fenner>

Re: my 6 line wrasse needs help 2/2/06 Hi Bob, Thanks for the response! I will try your suggestion, I hadn't considered Epsom salt. <A very useful, inexpensive, readily available, safe cathartic> I did use Prazipro last night, which is fish Droncit and ordered Discomed on line last night when no one in town had it. I gave a brief, 2-3 minute dip, which it didn't seem to enjoy much as it thrashed about, I removed it when its breathing became labored. But right away worms began being expelled. <Interesting> They were almost Â½ inch long, very thin on one end with the thicker part the last to come out. <Likely either nematodes or acanthocephalans> One was still alive but died right away. I looked at it under a microscope and didn't see any obvious segments. <Cutting a coronal section near the distal (head) end and looking end-on may reveal a roundworm definitive triradiate esophagus> The fish abdomen was much smaller this morning and it seems a bit better able to maintain its balance. Two more questions if I may: If it survives, I am wondering how I will know when it is "cured" and safe to go into a tank? <A few weeks...> This is my first experience with this problem, so I am also wondering how infectious this type of problem can be? <Mmm, as in spreading to other fish species? Not very in general... and all fishes (and humans for that matter) have gut and parasite fauna> I had hoped the MelaFix would help with the vent inflammation, I take it your not a fan. I will stop using it today. Looking forward to seeing you again at the WMC, Morgan tells me he may be coming as well. It should be a great time. Thanks again for your help. Kim <Will indeed... and twill be a hoot. See you then/there. Bob Fenner>

Re: Much improved but still has balance problems... 2/7/06 The 6 line wrasse I wrote you about is doing much better, the swelling is about gone. Tomorrow will be 1 week on the dewormer so I plan to stop that treatment. <Good> I have been using the 1 tsp per gallon Epsom salt treatment as well. The only remaining symptom is the balance problem. This hasn't gone away. <May, with time, or no> Other than a few more days on the Epsom is there anything else you would suggest to correct this problem? Thanks, Kim <Only good nutrition and water quality... and precious time going by. Bob Fenner>

Six-line wrasse in trouble WWM Guys, I wish my own GP physician were as helpful, available and funny as the WWM Guys. My six-line wrasse, who has done so well for 3 weeks, feeding and gliding through the rocks, is suddenly doing barrel-rolls as if he has no equilibrium. The rolling began yesterday. Tank conditions good--90 gallons well skimmed with a Euro-Reef, no ammonia or nitrite, ph 8.4, SG 1.023, temp 78F. Clown, Yellow Tang, Blue Damsel and Heniochus are all well, as are corals, peppermint shrimps, snails, stars and crabs. Just the wrasse. No marks of damage, fins look intact, no bulging is apparent (he has stayed in the rocks and has been hard to examine, but he seems ok). No aggression shown to the small wrasse--even the clown tolerates him in the anemone. No unusual additions to tank--just routine B-ionic dosing weekly Lugol's, weekly 5 gal water change, all (except B-ionic) done 3 days prior to symptoms. Any ideas of what is going on and how to correct will be greatly appreciated. <my friend...please accept our apologies for the delay in reply. Bob is still in Australia and I was out of town for several days at a conference. Poor Steve got stuck with all of the mail by himself for several days there. Please do update us about this situation if we can help... although from the description, I suspect it is already dead... dreadful symptoms. Best regards (and thanks for the compliment about our humor) Anthony>

Pyjama/Six line wrasse Hi Bob I wonder if you could offer me some advice. I have been reading your website articles since last December when I setup my very first marine tank (I have been a tropical freshwater fishkeeper for about 5 years) and would like to say (like most people do) that I appreciate the time you put into sharing your knowledge. It is very helpful. Back to the tank, here is what I have: Juwel Trigon 350 litre with internal filter box/heater etc -replaced the standard tubes with 3 Triton HO and 1 actinic Eheim 2226 canister filter Eheim 1060 pump powering Remora C Pro skimmer Vecton UV15 fed from 2226 <Nice gear> it was cycled for 10 weeks and tested religiously and after that period I bought my first fish: 2 Yellow Clarkii Clowns 1 Pyjama/Six Line wrasse <Good choices> The fish have been living in the tank for almost 2 months now and all appear very well and colourful, feeding well, becoming more and more confident and I am very happy with their progress. I do weekly 10% water changes and water tests and the parameters are so (at each recorded test): Salinity 1.022 Temp 25c Nitrite 0ppm Ammonia 0ppm Nitrate <12.5ppm PH 8.3 As I said everything is going well but I have one concern about the PJ wrasse. Although he appears fine in every way I can see he occasionally rubs against a rock. By occasionally I mean like 1-2 times per day, when I am around (normally for 6 of the 12 daylight hours). <This is normal. Not a worry> I have inspected all of them (and continually do so) and can see no spots, dust like films or anything out of the ordinary. The only thing I can see on the wrasse is 2 small patches on one side which are very slightly less coloured than the rest of him. These don't seem to get any bigger and could be described as neither ich or velvet symptoms (at least from what I can see). By that I mean they aren't spotty, couldn't really be described as white or gold or even dusty. <Natural coloration likely> Do you have any ideas or am I worrying about nothing? I did read the parasite FAQ on your site but couldn't really find anything that fit the bill. I am preparing my quarantine tank to buy my next fish but don't want to buy it until I am sure of the main tank being problem free. <Your relating shows nothing of danger, error. I would proceed with other livestock additions if you so desire. Bob Fenner> Thanks Andrew
Re: Pyjama/Six line wrasse Hi thanks for the very quick response and reassuring words. I will monitor him this week and then buy my next fish. Thanks! Andrew <Excelsior! Bob Fenner>

Pyjama wrasse Hi again Bob <Hello> you may remember I wrote about an "itchy" pyjama/six line wrasse the other day. I told you that at the time I could see nothing whatsoever on him apart from some slight discolouration which you believed to be natural. <Yes> Since then I have been away on a business trip and returned for my girlfriend to tell me that he had a swelling and raised scales. <Not good> On looking very closely, in fact he had a patch (reddish colour, like a blister) which could be described as a lesion (maybe from rubbing against the rocks?) and his scales are a little raised. This patch is about 1/2 inch square on his side. Since then a small white "thing" (technical term :-) ) has grown out of his scales. It is not a spot as in ich or anything like that and from all my site searching (including WetWebMedia) I have concluded that this is Lymphocystis. It appears like a small piece of shell stuck in his side for want of a better description. <Yikes> My question is (sorry about the long winded description), am I right with my diagnosis? Also what is the best thing to help him along to recovery? I know there is no direct cure but that good water quality (everything is stable at sg 1.022, ph 8.3, temp 25c, nitrite 0ppm, nitrate <12.5ppm, tested weekly with 10% weekly changes) and feeding antibiotic food additives is helpful. Any specific feeding suggestions? I am based in the UK so any internationally sold brand recommendations would be gratefully received. <I would likely continue as you are doing... perhaps add a cleaner organism to the system, (see WetWebMedia re choices) augment the food with Microvit, Zoecon soaking, otherwise keep the system stable. Of the "lined wrasses" the hexataenia can be easily lost through manipulation (compared with four, eight... lined species). Bob Fenner> Thanks again Andrew
Re: Pyjama wrasse Wow, once again thanks for the fast response. I will let you know how I get on with him, at the very least I don't think he is suffering (he has ceased rubbing and is feeding well, swimming well and trying to attract attention when people are present like normal with his amazing swimming patterns!). I am off to buy one of the medications and will consult the site for a suitable cleaner. Thanks!!! Just one little question I thought of, do I have to quarantine cleaner shrimps etc or can inverts not carry ich/velvet etc? what do you recommend. <Please see the site re this issue as well. I don't quarantine, and very carefully acclimate such crustaceans. Bob Fenner> Sorry to continue to question you. Andrew <Study and then apply yourself my friend>

Bloated 12 line wrasse 3/20/03 Please help. I have a 12 line wrasse that I have had since tank inception in Oct. of last year. It is a 55 galloon tank, with plenty of live rock. He/She survived a bout with some parasite which knocked off everyone else. He survived for 4 weeks in our quarantine tank as we recycled the big tank. He survived the introduction of other tank members into the quarantine tank, as well. This guy is usually pretty tough. <agreed... a durable species and genera> Three days ago he bloated up like crazy. Fins sticking out, the whole nine yards. <did the scales distend as well (looking like a pinecone) or was it simply bloated. If it looked like a pinecone, there may be more serious consequences (Dropsy). Either way, please dose the QT with Epsom salt (as from the pharmacy) at the rate of 1 Tablespoon per 5 gallons. Repeat with a half dose on the third day. If no improvement by then, you may need to run a broad-spectrum antibiotic> It has not affected his eating or buoyancy in the least. I see no signs of eye popping, either. I found him sitting on the bottom once in the past few days, but he doesn't seem to need or want to stay there. As usual, he goes to bed (believe or not) before the other fish (around 9 pm) and comes out to eat around 8 am. He looks horrible, but doesn't seem to be bothered by it. <the main display can be dosed with Epsom salt just the same if need be... its a common element of foods and sea salt (hardens water too)> We quarantine tanked all of the other members of the tank - two clowns, one Kole tang (who eats like crazy), one long nose hawk, and one fridmani Pseudochromis - before we moved them all to the big tank. We feed a combination of frozen blood worms, Emerald entrÃ©e, Mysid shrimp, brine shrimp (which I recently read is pretty worthless), <low nutritive value to be sure> and some seaweed for the tang. I am concerned about the wrasse, but obviously about the other guys as well. Any suggestions? <do try the Epsom salt and use the google search tool with that word/phrase to search our site for other FAQs on it for perspective> We haven't moved him back to the quarantine tank because the last time we did that we had to break down the entire tank to catch him. Additionally, the tang and fridmani are two week old additions and we don't want to freak them out. Please advise. Pamela <the Epsom salt helps many animals (including people... used as a laxative) regulate body fluids. If its going to work, you should see improvement by the third day. The are many causative agents for bloating. Best of luck... and do let us know if it works or if you need more advice. Anthony>

- Sixline Problems - Hello gents, everyone out there had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I've had a six-line wrasse in QT for about 3 weeks now. It's eating good and seems to be active. The problem he has developing is that his mouth is receding back on his top jaw. <Likely from an injury.> It is an increasing thing, he still can and does eat very well, but I know from having one before that is not how they look, clearly not the normal pointed snout that this wrasse should have. Does this sound like anything to you guys and do you have any remedies for it, thanks <It could be either an injury, which will heal in time or it could be a genetic defect which happens from time to time, and won't heal - you'll just have a unique-looking six-line wrasse. As long as it is getting along and eating well, I say no worries. Cheers, J -- >
- Sixline Problems, Follow-up - Thanks, I would probably agree that it is a genetic defect, but it has gotten worse from the day I got him, he almost has no upper mouth lip. <Well, again... as long as this fish is eating and staying out of harm's way, this will/should heal - it sounds to me more like a wound, but had to throw out the genetic defect because these things do happen often enough. Still, these fish are pretty tough customers for their size and should fare well given a good diet and enough quiet time to recuperate. Cheers, J -- >

Sixline Wrasse Questions (6/2/04) Hello- <Steve Allen tonight> I just got a sixline wrasse a few days ago, and I noticed that my Firefishes tail has been pretty well chewed up a bit. I was wondering if the sixline wrasse was going to create a bigger problem for my Firefish? <Sixlines can be rather aggressive at times, and Firefish, being shy, are easy victims.> The strange thing is, I haven't seen them fight each other, they seem to kinda ignore one another, so I don't understand why this happened. <You never know what they're doing the 23 hours per day you're not watching them. You may need to watch for longer periods ad different times of day and in different light conditions to know what's really going on.> Another thing I noticed on my wrasse was one small white dot. could this be ich? <Unlikely if only one spot, but watch or more.> My other fish doesn't have anything on it. The white dot is on the tail and seems to have come loose a little bit, it kinda moves when the wrasse moves-I-s this ich, or something I should be concerned about? <Could be Lymphocystis--read about this on WWM & look at some pictures.> Thanks, Heather <Hope this helps. Steve Allen>

Sick Sixline Wrasse? >I recently purchased (6 days ago) a sixline wrasse. I have been waiting for months for my LFS to get one in, so I jumped at the chance to get it. I was in a rush this particular day, otherwise I'd have set up a QT Tank, which I have used before with great success, and now I think I'll be kicking myself for not doing it this time! >>You and me both, eh? >Anywho, The fish is acting and eating normally, but I sometimes see some white patches on its left side (and ONLY the left side) sometimes they appear to come and go, I think they may POSSIBLY, look a little raised from the rest of the fish but I cannot validate this for sure. >>Probably moving too quickly about, which is a general sign of health as long as he's not spending an inordinate amount of time flashing. >Also its mouth looks to be white as well. I don't see any "cysts" on the fish, so I'm thinking it could possibly be velvet. >>No way, not affecting one side only, and NOT if the fish is behaving normally! Also, something as virulent as velvet (and often Brooklynella) will kill within a day or two of first onset of symptoms. Do look at our velvet and marine parasitic disease articles and FAQs for more extensive descriptors. >Also on the top fin, I think some of the tissue between the rays is missing. Overall, the fish does not look to be in terrible shape, but who knows when it could take a turn for the worse. I've already set up my Eclipse 6 QT just in case he needs to be pulled and treated. I already know, I may not be able to return him to the display for up to 4 weeks. >>4 weeks is a minimum, not a maximum. When quarantining or hospitalizing any fish, the standard protocol is 30 days *disease free*. >Sorry for picture quality, but this little guy can move! Any ideas? >>Not really helpful ones. Though I have no idea whether "sidedness", a preference for one side or the other, is present in fishes, I would say that if it were any other animal that I think he's "worrying" himself. Watch his swimming patterns, if they're constantly repeated, like a horse pacing its stall, then the fish may be feeling cramped or otherwise stressed. This could also be an individual coloration issue - the pictures seem to show what looks like about an 1/8"x1/4" stripe or patch located just under the dorsal fin on the midline. Whitening or darkening of colors could indicate stress, aggression, mating call (doubtful at this point), any number of things. Also, you give no water parameters, and without that I can't offer up anything more. Marina >Thanks again for everything you do for our hobby! I'd still be an "un-ethical" fish keeper if it wasn't for you!
Daniel

Reader Input Re: Patchy Wrasse >Long time listener, first time caller. In regards to "Daniel" who asked about his sick sixline wrasse, I too had the same issue. His pics, while blurry, look just like my new sixline. I was told by my LFS that they had already guaranteed the animal for 4 weeks and I had nothing to worry about. Live and learn on that issue. My params were all in the normal range and nitrites, nitrates, and phosphates were all undetectable. I thought he was a goner but I performed a couple of small water changes, fed various Selcon soaked frozen foods and in 3 weeks time, all of the patches were gone. Scott >>Great, thanks for the input, Scott! Marina

What's That Spot On His Wrasse? Hello, <Hi! Scott F. here today!> I have a small sixline wrasse, maybe 1.5 inches in length. When I got him he seemed fine, then I noticed a small white, raised dot above the false eye on his tail fin. A day or two after, he and the clowns with him got ich. <Grr...Frustrating. Did you quarantine him upon purchase? Be sure to do this in the future if you aren't engaging in this practice now, okay?> Well, I treated hyposalinity for 6-7 weeks, the clowns and wrasse cleaned up nicely, except for that one spot which seems to disappear sometimes, but always returns to the exact same spot . I have raised the salinity in the hospital tank from the hyposaline 1.007 to 1.015, and will be moving it up further to transfer my clowns back to the tank. However the spot on my wrasse remains, although he is eating well and looks very healthy otherwise. So my question is, is this spot actually ich or just a raised coloring of some kind? I've noticed the same spot on other pictures of sixline wrasse. <Funny you should mention this. I had a Sixline for years that always had a similar bump on this spot. It never went away, and never got worse. Does that mean it was nothing? Probably not. On the other hand, it was not contagious, nor did it annoy the fish in any way. I'd keep a close eye on the fish anyways, just to make sure that things don't decline> Anyway, my plan is to maintain the hospital tank at full salinity for another week or two with just him in it, and see if he develops ich, if he doesn't then I will transfer him back to the main tank. Do you have any ideas or suggestions regarding this spot? <As you are doing: Observe carefully, and treat only if it becomes a problem. Take care! Regards, Scott F.>

Mysterious 6-line wrasse death Hi Crew, <Greg> I hope you enjoyed a wonderful holiday season! <Yep, lots of projects, visitings...> During my vacation, I took the opportunity to purchase a 6-line wrasse (Pseudocheilinus hexataenia) and two firefish for my 180g reef. These fish have been in my 20g QT for 2 weeks and all appeared to be doing well (all eating flake food well) -- that was until this morning when I discovered the wrasse was dead. <Mmm, well, one thing... flake food of any sort is not "that" nutritious...> Yesterday I did notice the wrasse was very still (but still very alive), under a piece of PVC tubing. I do not understand what would have caused this fish to die. <Stress is easily a component here as well> It had no visible spots, fungus, worms, etc. and it had a good appetite. It had no nipped or cloudy fins (or eyes) and it did not appear at all emaciated. Do 'special' considerations need to be made for 6-line wrasses in QT? <Best to supply with a bit of live rock, some live and/or meaty food> This is a bare-bottom tank with only a few 1' PVC pipe fittings and some red Gracilaria for cover. Although the firefish did occasionally swim at the wrasses with its mouth open, I never noticed actual contact and they would typically even share a flake of food. I would really like to add a 6-line wrasse to my reef tank to control flatworms and because I really enjoyed watching this fish in my QT but I am concerned about the cause of this death after two weeks in QT. A secondary concern is the effect this fish could have on the 'pod population, since I already have a mandarin in my main tank. I do have a 50g refugium (5' DSB + LR. + Caulerpa & Gracilaria) attached to the 180g tank to help with 'pod stocking. <This size system and refugium can easily support both/all these fishes> My main tank also contains about 200 pounds of LR. and 2' of aragonite. Considering this, do you think it would be a problem to add a 6-line wrasse to my main tank (assuming I can get it through the 4 week QT period)? <I am inclined to suggest an extended bath/dipping procedure in lieu of actual quarantine. There are other folks here that are staunch four weeks or heck re quarantining, but I am of the opinion and experience that many smaller, shyer species of fishes are worse off for the experience... gobies, blennies, small wrasses included> Lastly, I would also like to add a H. chrysus or a H. iridis. Would either of these fish live peacefully with a P. hexataenia in my reef tank? <Yes, both these Halichoeres species are fine here> Would two wrasses begin to cause the 'pod supply to dwindle for the mandarin? <Would put a dent in it, but I say go ahead> As always, thank you (in advance) for the terrific advice! --Greg <Happy to proffer it. Bob Fenner>