Blue throat trigger acting non-responsive

[mberger915]

My female blue throat trigger has starting acting almost completely unresponsive. Yesterday she started hiding more than usual which is completely unlike her. She’s usually swimming around all day and especially likes to come visit when you come near the tank. We’ve had her for about two months and she’s been eating great. Today she had absolutely no interest in eating and was seemingly just suspended in animation. Her eyes were moving around but nothing else about her was. She was completely unphased by my hand in the tank and let me even scoop her out of the cave she was hiding in so I could see her skin. There are no abnormalities I can see on her skin or her eyes and her breathing is unlabored. She moved her fins around and put her trigger up and down when I brought her out of the cave, but did not really try to swim. She is currently in an acclimation box so I can try to keep an eye on her. Can’t get her to eat even if I pipette it almost directly into her mouth. Please help. I’m trying to get pictures to post as well.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

My female blue throat trigger has starting acting almost completely unresponsive. Yesterday she started hiding more than usual which is completely unlike her. She’s usually swimming around all day and especially likes to come visit when you come near the tank. We’ve had her for about two months and she’s been eating great. Today she had absolutely no interest in eating and was seemingly just suspended in animation. Her eyes were moving around but nothing else about her was. She was completely unphased by my hand in the tank and let me even scoop her out of the cave she was hiding in so I could see her skin. There are no abnormalities I can see on her skin or her eyes and her breathing is unlabored. She moved her fins around and put her trigger up and down when I brought her out of the cave, but did not really try to swim. She is currently in an acclimation box so I can try to keep an eye on her. Can’t get her to eat even if I pipette it almost directly into her mouth. Please help. I’m trying to get pictures to post as well.

Sorry, not many clues to go on here. Lethargy, by itself doesn’t really point to a specific issue.

Can you post a video so I can measure it’s respiration rate?

What other animals are in with it and are they all symptom free?

Jay

 

[MnFish1]

My female blue throat trigger has starting acting almost completely unresponsive. Yesterday she started hiding more than usual which is completely unlike her. She’s usually swimming around all day and especially likes to come visit when you come near the tank. We’ve had her for about two months and she’s been eating great. Today she had absolutely no interest in eating and was seemingly just suspended in animation. Her eyes were moving around but nothing else about her was. She was completely unphased by my hand in the tank and let me even scoop her out of the cave she was hiding in so I could see her skin. There are no abnormalities I can see on her skin or her eyes and her breathing is unlabored. She moved her fins around and put her trigger up and down when I brought her out of the cave, but did not really try to swim. She is currently in an acclimation box so I can try to keep an eye on her. Can’t get her to eat even if I pipette it almost directly into her mouth. Please help. I’m trying to get pictures to post as well.

This kind of sounds like a toxin - but if not affecting other fish - unlikely. It sounds neurologic - OR - stress - did you add something new - or change the Aquascape? It would be very nice to have parameters. BTW - it would be great if you could make it clear - because unresponsive to me means - not hiding, etc etc - does she respond to stimuli - or? Was anything else added recently? Any other information about the rest of the tank

 

[vetteguy53081]

As requested- video over pics under white light intensity will be helpful with assessment
These guys subject themselves often to injury within rocks and crashing into glass as well as bloating

 

[mberger915]

Sorry, not many clues to go on here. Lethargy, by itself doesn’t really point to a specific issue.

Can you post a video so I can measure it’s respiration rate?

What other animals are in with it and are they all symptom free?

Jay

Tank is a mixed reef with two clowns and a flame hawk. They all seem to be doing perfectly fine. I’m working on getting a clear video. I finally got her to eat a few pieces of mysis though and I’ve seen more movement in her eyes and fins the past few hours

 

[mberger915]

This kind of sounds like a toxin - but if not affecting other fish - unlikely. It sounds neurologic - OR - stress - did you add something new - or change the Aquascape? It would be very nice to have parameters. BTW - it would be great if you could make it clear - because unresponsive to me means - not hiding, etc etc - does she respond to stimuli - or? Was anything else added recently? Any other information about the rest of the tank

Other fish are acting completely normal. She responds slightly to food being put right in front of her. Her eyes will move a little to track it and she may swim a little further under the rock, but that’s about it. So I suppose she is hiding, but mostly just laying there looking around. Nothing new added to the tank in a while. Tank has all sorts of corals, anemones, two clown fish, and a flame hawk.

 

[mberger915]

Other fish are acting completely normal. She responds slightly to food being put right in front of her. Her eyes will move a little to track it and she may swim a little further under the rock, but that’s about it. So I suppose she is hiding, but mostly just laying there looking around. Nothing new added to the tank in a while. Tank has all sorts of corals, anemones, two clown fish, and a flame hawk.

Will need to test for parameters

 

[mberger915]

As requested- video over pics under white light intensity will be helpful with assessment
These guys subject themselves often to injury within rocks and crashing into glass as well as bloating

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Will need to test for parameters

It is unlikely to be an issue with the parameters - if something was so far off as to cause the trigger to do this, the other fish and invertebrates would also be affected.

I think something like what @vetteguy53081 said about an injury more likely.

Jay