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Blue lunare wrasse; damage mystery
4/5/16 Blue head wrasse can't close his
mouth 3/14/12 Sick Lunare Wrasse 8/18/07 I have a sick Lunare Wrasse. I have had it for about 5 months it is about 10", <"Egads, what a monster!"> it has been doing great, awesome fish.6 days ago I missed a feeding. then I noticed it did not come out to feed 5 days ago. <Bad...> I searched high and low and found it curled up in a corner behind rocks. Thinking it had died, I reached in, grabbed it, and picked it up. It swam from my hand and when and hid under another cave. It sat upright on the sand, curled up, breathing rapidly, eyes moving, not swimming, not feeding. It has not moved in 4 days. He was eating shrimp and scallops, ate like a pig. I have a Blue Spot Puffer, Snowflake eel and a Maroon Clown in the tank with him. Water is great: <Are we going swimming?> 120 gallon display pH 8.2 ammonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate 10 Temp was an issue, jumped to 84.5, but now is maxing at just over 83. I have new fans in place, and one more going on tonight, to help keep the highs under 83. The tank low temp is around 81 every morning. I have the temp under control now, maxing at 82 <Not a worry> I have moved the fish to a hospital tank, 20 gallons, and is being treated with Neomycin. <For?> it has been in the tank for 60 hours, has had 1 100% water change. So far I am seeing no improvement. The fish sits on the bottom bent 90 degrees to the left 1/2 way down his length. Temp in the hospital is 77. The original theory was that an added fish or frag that was not in QT (Sorry, I know better) introduced a bacteria, the temp spike allowed the bacteria to bloom and the wrasse took the worst of it. A secondary thought is that the Wrasse went hypoxic. <A possibility... of the fishes you list, the Thalassoma would be most ill-effected> The temp spike reduced the O2 levels and the very active wrasse was burning more O2 that was available in the tank resulting in organ damage but not death (it looks like he has the bends). Is there anything I should be doing differently (aside from QT for my frags and that fish). <I don't think so... It may be that this fish is "just" old... cumulative genetic/replicate defects...> That's my story, sad but true. <And you're sticking to it... BobF> Thanks, -- Bryan Lunare Wrasse with large open wound - 05/01/07 Dear Crew: <Carol> We have a 5" lunare wrasse that has been extremely healthy and aggressive since we added it to our tank about 3 months ago. We have a 60 gallon tank with a yellow tang and Volitans lion. <Not enough room here...> A few days ago, we noticed a wound on the top of his head and thought that maybe he had a run-in with the coral or rocks in the tank. <The most likely scenario> Over the next few days, it has gotten progressively worse. It now has a large wound on its head with the flesh eaten away - there is no longer any coloration at the site, only white. The wrasse is still eating and swimming around the tank looking fairly normal, but this evening his breathing appears a little faster. Water quality is normal with no changes. Do you have any suggestions?? <Mmm, yes... doing what you can to reduce the overall Total Bacteria Count... all captive systems have more microbial activity, population density than most all natural environs... but when these are coupled with an "open sore", such events as your Thalassoma is experiencing occur, persist... Using better skimming, Ozone, perhaps UV (for the O3 mostly) will help... What you/they need though is a much larger system... by about twice this volume> We have been through your website (which is phenomenal), but have not been able to find anything similar. Any advice is appreciated - should we isolate it, treat it, and if so with what? <Just improved water quality... perhaps with bolstering nutrition... with Selcon soaked foods...> Thank you for your assistance, Carol <Welcome, Bob Fenner> Please Help Emergency Lunare Wrasse in Distress
3/3/07 <Hi Ivy, Mich here.> A few days ago I was replied to
very promptly by your staff, All Thanks. <Good to
hear!> My Fimbriated moray attacked my lunare wrasse.
<Yipe! Yipe! Yipe!> I was instructed to separate them if
possible. <Gotta keep'em separated.> I
did. <Good.> I took all invertebrates out of the
55-gallon reef. I took the lunare wrasse out of a 90 gallon
with 100ppm <!> of nitrate, a work in progress. Well
he was moved to a 55-gallon reef with only one other fish that does not
bother with him, shrimp goby. Anyway the 55-gallon has about
10 ppm of nitrates. <Much better.> As well other
parameters would be different. <!> The levels of calcium would be
higher, as well as the overall salinity and the temperature would have
dropped from 82F to 80 F. Well I acclimated the wrasse for
an hour, with a heater and drip line. He lay quite
still. All last night and today he has laid still eyes move
around, he looks around. Respiration is high but not
exceedingly for this fish. He seems to always have breathed
faster than some others. <OK.> I put my hand in the
tank today and he let me stroke his face before he swam
off. <STOP TOUCHING HIM!!!> He swam about half the
tank and then stopped again and still isn't swimming
around. He swam without difficulty though. He is
not eating. <Not a good sign, but still may recover.>
Anything I can do to help him. <Stop touching
him! Leave him alone and stop stressing him.> Already
treating with MelaFix and the cleaner shrimp gave him a once
over. <I would stop the MelaFix. Better to
concentrate of high water quality.> His wound from the eel was
severe. <I'm sorry to hear this.> But by this
time it had begun to close up, rather rapidly. He was
vivacious and active just before I moved him,. eating well.
<So he was doing better and now is doing worse?> He is my
pet. He has been in the tank with high nitrates for two
years. I need him to live. The wound doesn't
look bad, it looks like it is healing but it has white stuff on it,
right in the crevice of the deepest wound. Is this healing
tissue or fungus? <Hopefully healing tissue. Don't
pick it!> Oh my god I am just terrified I will lose
him. How can I help him? <Stop stressing him first
off. Maintain the best water quality you can, offer foods
soaked in Selcon and give him time. -Mich> Concerned
Ivy
Bloated lunar wrasse Hi Bob: I just found your site. After reading several pages of very interesting info. I would like to ask 2 questions. I have had a spotted and a figure 8 puffer a cinnamon clown and a lunar wrasse for about 7 years. About 2 weeks ago my figure 8 puffer got what looks like a bloated area on his left side by his fin. I netted him and burped him and felt the area. It felt like rock or coral, which he eats quite often. He was only able to swim on him side and stayed near the top of the tank. <Good work, observation, relating> He seems to be getting better now. He swims to the bottom and the area seems to be smaller. <Yes, fishes "do shrink" when sick, not eating...> Now my lunar wrasse appears bloated on both sides and appears to be gasping. My wrasse has always been an aggressive eater and would hardly eat today. I have never experienced anything like this with any tank. I love my fish and hope you can help me to help them. Thank you for any info. you have. Shamie <Sounds like manifestations of "old age", environmental degradation (do you have water quality tests? Am interested particularly in alkalinity), and/or nutritional deficiency of some sort... Would try improving their world by adding a bit of live rock, supplementing their foods, water with a vitamin, iodide and HUFA prep. (something like Selcon). Bob Fenner> Wrasse Ailment? Thalassoma in a tiny world... temporarily 3/25/06 Hello, love the website. I've got a 30 gallon FOWLR setup that's rather sparsely inhabited right now, a pair of tiny blue Chromis, a flame angel (Currently with a reflection fixation) and a Lunar Wrasse <These last two species need much more room> that I rescued from a PetCo. The wrasse is by far the most active outgoing fish I've ever seen and so far has gotten along great with all his tankmates. The other day though I was watching him and noticed an odd sort of bump about midway down his back. Curious I moved some rock and netted him to examine the dump. It doesn't resemble ich at all, or a piece of his small dorsal that's been pulled loose. <Very likely resultant from a physical injury...> It looks like a piece of blue lint. Figuring it was just something that had gotten stuck to him. I tried to brush it off. To my surprise it seemed to be attached to his back. Stumped, I released him back into the tank. After a few minutes of sulking I coaxed him back out with some Formula One pellets and now he's happily swimming around again. Near as I can tell it isn't bothering him. Any ideas? <The world's primary troubles are due to overly bloated large civil servant bases (including militaries... civil servants with guns)... The way out of this particular predicament is to do away with career, lifetime, free retirements...> And while I'm writing, is a 65 watt PC light fixture enough to do some photosynthetic corals and anemones? Or should I go for the 2x65? The tank is 18 inches deep. And don't say Metal Halide, between bulb, fixture and power costs I just can't afford it in the long or short term. <Posted... on WWM> Thanks Eric Jackson. <Please read re these species "Systems" needs... on WWM... Thalassoma wrasses should not be kept in under 100 gallon systems... Bob Fenner> A Lunar Phase? Hi there. <Good morning! Scott F. here!> I have a quick question for you, that I didn't find any info on your site about. I set up a 209G tank several months ago and is now home to a couple of baby triggers (3 inch Niger, 2 inch Queen, and 4 inch Blue line), "true" Black Volitans Lion (pitch black!), and a Arothron manilensis puff. <Wow! That's a lot of fish that get HUGE in one tank, even a large one. These are pretty messy eaters, too, and can degrade water quality in no time if you don't stay on top of things (but I know that YOU will, right?) You may need to move everyone around for the long term in order for this community to work. The Queen Trigger is absolutely one of the nastiest fishes around...do keep an eye on the interactions in this tank as the fishes mature..> Today at a LFS I work at a guy brought in a 4 inch Lunare or Moon Wrasse. I bought him from him for only 5 dollars since he has HLLE (didn't know wrasses could get it, but I guess anything is possible). <Yep- just about any fish can contract this malady> I know how to cure it and the 209 tank gets Formula One, Formula Two, Brine Shrimp Plus, Prime Reef, VHP Formula, Angel Formula, and Spirulina Formula all in the Variety Pack made by Ocean Nutrition. <All great foods- good choices! remember, water quality is also thought to play a role in HLLE, so be sure to keep on top of water changes and other maintenance relentlessly!> I figure this should cure it in no time. But the question is my boss said it is possible to keep a male female pair together in a large tank (Scott W. Michael also states this in his Marine Fish book). <Yes- I've seen it done before> We just got a 1.5inch baby Lunare in at my store. So if I were to add the smaller one would they pair up or would they fight? <Wow- really hard to say...could work, or could be a problem, due to the size disparity. also- there is the outside possibility that this little one could become "trigger food" in this tank...Personally, I'd think long term (particularly about how 3-4 fishes that can potentially reach 15-20 inches will live in this situation), and really avoid adding any more fishes to this tank. What a great excuse to set up another large tank! :). Seriously, you seem like a keen observer and fish lover, so I hope that you'll take this long-term view and make good decisions> Sadly, our store has not had good luck with the Lunare's but the one I got today is doing great. He is very active and is like a sky blue neon kinda color. Thanks for any help provided. Kim <Once again, Kim-I'd hold off on the purchase. Enjoy the fishes that you have now...Think about another tank in the future. Best of luck! Scott F.> Sick Lunare Wrasse 07/01/05 Hi Guys <And the divine goddesses here...> As you have helped me out in the past thought I might try again. I have a very sick Lunare wrasse. Have had him for some time now around 8 months and he has always had a bit of a belly Recently it started getting larger and he had a few white patches develop around the swelling. He is in a five foot x2x4 tank all by himself and the water quality is good. I thought it was possibly a bacterial infection So have treated him with the relevant LFS treatments, he has not responded and has become worse. I have been to the vets who also think it is bacterial and have given me some stronger antibiotics which I am now treating him with in a separate hospital tank. They have said if this does not work then they can inject however the mortality rate is high so am trying to avoid this. As he does not appear to be responding to the antibiotics is there anything else this could possibly be? <My first and best guess... as you state the fish has always had a belly... is an internal parasite... I would try (in succession) an anthelminthic (like Praziquantel) and Metronidazole (in foods)...> I have also notice a small hole developing behind his gills however it looks only skin deep at this stage? As the water is okay wondered if I am not feeding him the correct diet, have been feeding a mix of cockles and small mussels (rarely) is there anything better I could be feeding him? <A wider mix of meaty, marine-originating foods. Fresh or frozen/defrosted, home-made or store bought> Thanks any advice would be appreciated. Kind Regards Leigh <Please read re the use of the stated medicines on WWM. Bob Fenner> Constipation... ASAP fish help?! 9/21/05 Hello, <Hi there> I have a Red Sea Lunar Wrasse whom is severely constipated, I just recently noticed that his rectum is swollen and red.. I called the local pet store and they said to feed him Spirulina to loosen his bowels. This is a rare fish in which we paid quite a bit of money for and are very fond of....my question is can he die from this? <Yes> thanks for any information you can provide me with <I would quickly move this fish to separate quarters and administer (add) about a level teaspoon per five actual gallons of system water of Epsom Salt (Magnesium sulfate) to the water... monitor behavior, aspects of cycling. The Spirulina takes too long, may not work... be eaten. Bob Fenner> Strange growth under gill plate 11/15/05 Hi,
<Howdy> I have a lunar wrasse in a 90 gal tank along with a queen
angel, <Will get too large... psychologically first, then if it
survives, physiologically, for this system> a Condy anemone and some
hermit crabs. The problem is with the wrasse. He has a strange growth
protruding from under his gill plate, toward the rear. It sticks out
just past and along the edge of the back part of the gill plate. It is
bubble-like in appearance and sort of translucent, not a solid looking
mass of tissue. Kind of like little water filled balloons (it looks as
strange as it sounds). It labors his breathing and he is more lethargic
now. He has been lethargic with a decrease in appetite for
several months and I suspected something was wrong. Well, this problem
is visible now with this growth or whatever coming out from under his
gill plate. It has been visible for several weeks now. He's been
doing ok for a while now with it, other than the aforementioned
symptoms and just not being his normal energetic and curious self.
<Likely the actual gill, branchiostegal (supporting member)
itself... from a physical trauma... a bump, or jump...> The system
parameters are in healthy ranges - salinity 1.023-1.025 pH 8.1 temp.
76-78* Amm. 0 Nitrates 40 Nitrites 0 Everything else in the tank is
fine and show no signs of illness. Do you have any idea what this could
be? Any help is appreciated. Thanks! Tim <This genus, species of
wrasse/s are very active... the Angel could have "spooked"
it... Not much to do re... but hope for a self-cure. Bob
Fenner> |
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