Dead Melenarus in QT

AMBER NICHOLS · Mar 7, 2019

After 2 weeks in QT with copper at 1.75-1.8 I woke up to a dead Melenarus. I have been treating with GC medicated food as well. I am really not sure what caused it. I woke up and went to feed and found the body stuck in the power head. Eating and acting fine last night... actually has been super active. I have a lot of other fish in QT so I could use some help diagnosing so I know how to treat the rest. Maybe a spot of uronema by his eye? Or an injury?

HotRocks · Mar 7, 2019

Are you sure it was eating? Sometimes Wrasse spit food back out. The belly looks very pinched which would lead me to believe it wasn't eating.

AMBER NICHOLS · Mar 7, 2019

Yes and pooping a lot. (Looked normal too) I have been feeding 3-5 times a day bc of Anthias in QT too.

drstardust · Mar 7, 2019

I had something similar happen with a melanurus about a year ago. Never found out what happened exactly, but it was right around the 2 week mark in copper. Granted, this was before I had a Hanna copper checker, so copper toxicity was my thought, but didn't know that for sure, and that doesn't appear to be the case here. Given the red markings I do wonder about uronema versus a bacterial infection. Did you dose GC or metro into the water too? Did you dose any antibiotics? Copper is an immunosuppressant, and sometimes we see bacterial infections with copper use, which is why @HotRocks doses with antibiotics from the get go. I have started doing the same. Bacterial infections can indeed literally kill overnight.

AMBER NICHOLS · Mar 7, 2019

Here is a belly picture.

AMBER NICHOLS · Mar 7, 2019

I was actually going to start GC in the water today! I wrote an entire dorky treatment calendar. I do have Hanna Checker. Makes me sad as literally the only fish I absolutely wanted was melenarus. Sigh.

drstardust · Mar 7, 2019

Sigh indeed. This is how this process goes sometimes, unfortunately.

AMBER NICHOLS · Mar 7, 2019

@HotRocks remember last weekend my message about my heater exploding and I got shocked. If this guy was in the sand, think he could have got shocked?

HotRocks · Mar 7, 2019

AMBER NICHOLS said:
@HotRocks remember last weekend my message about my heater exploding and I got shocked. If this guy was in the sand, think he could have got shocked?

He certainly could have gotten enough of a jolt that it caused internal damage. Definitely a possibility.