Clown Trigger Pinched Stomach Appetite Problems

[RyanFish]

Hello everyone,

I have a 7 inch Clown Trigger that has a very pinched stomach, whose appetite is dropping, and that isn’t putting on weight. I do not know whether he has stringy poo. His middle bottom looks like someone vacuumed it. He actively is swimming and is quite an aggressive fish. In the pictures attached below, his right fin does have white marks from a small fight he had with a 2 inch undulated trigger over a cave (surprising) and I think some of them turned into small bubbles. But the fin problem came after the pinched stomach and I think the the pinched stomach is the main issue. All the other fish in the tank are good and the water parameters are great.
It was tough to get a good picture of him because he moves fast and the tank currently has a sun glare.
Any help would be appreciated. Thank you

 

[Mmun]

Hello everyone,

I have a 7 inch Clown Trigger that has a very pinched stomach, whose appetite is dropping, and that isn’t putting on weight. I do not know whether he has stringy poo. His middle bottom looks like someone vacuumed it. He actively is swimming and is quite an aggressive fish. In the pictures attached below, his right fin does have white marks from a small fight he had with a 2 inch undulated trigger over a cave (surprising) and I think some of them turned into small bubbles. But the fin problem came after the pinched stomach and I think the the pinched stomach is the main issue. All the other fish in the tank are good and the water parameters are great.
It was tough to get a good picture of him because he moves fast and the tank currently has a sun glare.
Any help would be appreciated. Thank you

Have used any medication yet? Do you have a QT tank?

 

[RyanFish]

I have not used any medication yet. I do have a QT tank but it’s only 30 gallons. Initially he was eating and then not eating so I mistakenly thought he was just going through a phase.

 

[Mmun]

I have not used any medication yet. I do have a QT tank but it’s only 30 gallons. Initially he was eating and then not eating so I mistakenly thought he was just going through a phase.

What do you normally feed it. How often

 

[RyanFish]

Normally eats thera and formula one/two pellets. Also eats clam, shrimp, krill. Even used to eat nori.

 

[Big G]

Based on your description of your fish's condition and behavior, the fish has either internal worms and or internal parasites (flagellates).
Treatment is a praziquantel product and Metronidazole. Both can be applied by dosing a QT with General Cure. Dose appropriate amount for your size QT. Wait 5-7 days. Do a 25% water change. Then re-dose. Wait 5-7 days. Do 25% water change. Then observe.
Can also feed the fish General Cure + Food + Focus (as a binder) while dosing the tank water as above, if the fish is eating.

More info from Humblefish: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/internal-issues.267419/

 

[RyanFish]

Thank you for the advice! I will immediately follow it and hope for the best.

 

[Big G]

Best of luck with your fish. Let us know how it does. Merry Christmas

 

[RyanFish]

Hi all,
I did the general cure treatment for the fish. But he doesn’t eat at all and still has the pinched stomach. Worried that he’s going to starve to death

 

[Mmun]

Hi all,
I did the general cure treatment for the fish. But he doesn’t eat at all and still has the pinched stomach. Worried that he’s going to starve to death

Did you do it in the food? So he ate then?

 

[Big G]

The internal parasites/worms have probably caused an internal bacterial infection (the not eating). Best to add a wide spectrum antibiotic to the QT. A mild one is Kanaplex.

 

[RyanFish]

He seems to be swimming with his head pointed down too. Like his tail is floating. Is this a swim bladder issue?

 

[RyanFish]

The first few days of treatment, he ate a few half clams that were soaked in general cure.

 

[Big G]

Swim bladder disorder
Symptoms: Fish swims vertically with its tail up. Basically, the back half of the fish will seem more buoyant than the front half, and the fish will swim in a way to compensate for that. The fish may also stay near the surface of the water (or even float), unable to swim downwards. A protrusion (i.e. gas bubble) may be visible near the swim bladder area. In most cases, swim bladder disorders are caused by improper decompression of deep water species of fish.
Treatment: If a gas bubble is present, you can lance the air out using a 30 gauge insulin syringe. For swim bladder infections, the following are possible treatment options:
(1) Dose magnesium sulfate (Epsom Salt) at 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons.
(2) Give the affected fish a 30 minute Methylene Blue bath.
(3) Dose Metronidazole in conjunction with Neomycin. (You can food soak this combination as well.)

 

[RyanFish]

So. Should I dump him in a 30 minute epsom salt bath, then 30 minutes of methylene blue, then put him in a qt of only kanaplex? I think hes had enough praziquantel and metronidazole.

 

[Big G]

The epsom salts will encourage the fish's digestive system to expel any dead parasites or worms that may be blocked.
If that doesn't get things moving the next treatment is the Methylene blue bath.
And then if that doesn't, it's time for a wide spectrum antibiotic treatment as the fish may have developed a bacterial infection from the parasite/worm damage to the digestive tract.

 

[RyanFish]

I’ve done what you guys suggested and he is now swimming horizontally and is a bit more energetic/angry.
Now he has developed a problem where he bites the food, shreds it, and spits it back out. Ive tried twice today to give him clam half shell, mussel, shrimp, fish, formula one cubes, and nori (he used to like it) but he just bites it, shreds it to pieces and spits it out. I had a healthy picasso trigger a few years back that I had for 4 years that developed the same problem with rapid weight loss and he didn’t make it. He would tear apart the shrimp and spit it out. The clown trigger is also pale. Any further suggestions? Currently the clown trigger is sitting in a kanaplex bath.

 

[Big G]

Antibiotics can take awhile to work on fish. 10-14 days of treatment.

Couple of other things to try with food:
Green peas, boiled just enough so you can remove the skins and then fed to the fish can get things moving.
Mix your Formula 1 + Metro + Focus + a dash of epsom salts to get right to the gut.

 

[RyanFish]

Thank you for the quick response. He’s not swallowing anything but I’ll try your suggestions. If he doesn’t eat for the next 10 days that’ll be a month he has not ate which is worrying.