Distended Abdomen and white stringy thing from anal vent

[CavalierReef]

As the title implies, I have a McCosker's flasher wrasse in my aquarium who has been hiding in the aquascape for the last day+. He finally came out briefly but I couldn't get a photo before he returned to the rock structure. I could tell that his abdomen was distended and he had one single strand of white substance hanging from his anal vent. He has always been a voracious eater, active swimmer and generally all-around king of the tank. His diet hasn't changed. None of the other inhabitants harass him and there have been no additions to the tank in the past 6 months. The tank is 14 months old and he has been a resident for 12 months. I feel I need to catch him if I can and isolate him for treatment. ????? Thoughts??

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

As the title implies, I have a McCosker's flasher wrasse in my aquarium who has been hiding in the aquascape for the last day+. He finally came out briefly but I couldn't get a photo before he returned to the rock structure. I could tell that his abdomen was distended and he had one single strand of white substance hanging from his anal vent. He has always been a voracious eater, active swimmer and generally all-around king of the tank. His diet hasn't changed. None of the other inhabitants harass him and there have been no additions to the tank in the past 6 months. The tank is 14 months old and he has been a resident for 12 months. I feel I need to catch him if I can and isolate him for treatment. ????? Thoughts??

Is the wrasse still feeding? If so, I wouldn’t worry too much, fish sometimes develop stringy feces for no apparent reason. However, if the fish has stopped feeding, that is an issue; viral, bacterial or protozoan. Can’t say what direction to go in treating, but one common idea is to isolate and treat with metronidazole.
Jay

 

[CavalierReef]

Thanks for the response, Jay. No, he isn't eating and hasn't been out of the rock work for 2 days except for one brief lap and back into the rocks. Using a flashlight I can part of him so I know where he is. Unfortunately, I'll have to remove most of the rocks to get him out but that is the plan. If he isn't out by this afternoon I'll do what it takes to remove him to quarantine and treatment. Thanks for the information and your advice. It would be a shame to lose this guy.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Sorry to hear - metronidazole (metroplex or general cure) in the water would be an option….
Jay

 

[CavalierReef]

Again, I appreciate your response and advice. I thought of that option and have Seachem Metroplex and Focus arriving tomorrow. I've been told that the combination can be effective and the Focus addition will save my corals if I treat the whole tank. Thoughts on that option?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Again, I appreciate your response and advice. I thought of that option and have Seachem Metroplex and Focus arriving tomorrow. I've been told that the combination can be effective and the Focus addition will save my corals if I treat the whole tank. Thoughts on that option?

I'm confused - Focus+Metroplex only works if the fish is feeding. I'm not sure how that product would have any benefit to corals. Then, most everyone gets the metroplex dose wrong. It is very tricky to do correctly, you can't just mix some in with focus and feed some to the fish, as then, you have no idea how much medication the fish is actually receiving. Don't dose your DT directly with metroplex. Here is a link to an article on medicated foods:

Proper Dosing of Medicated Foods

Proper Dosing of Medicated Foods Jay Hemdal c. 2020 Oral medications are an excellent way to target internal diseases of fishes. Marine fish absorb aquarium water, so in certain cases, they “drink” enough medication from the water to effect a cure. However, freshwater fish actively export...

www.reef2reef.com

I still think you'll need to move the wrasse to a QT and dose the water - unless you can get the fish feeding again.

Jay

 

[CavalierReef]

Sorry for the confusion. I'm sure that I'm the one whose confused. I currently have a few corals in the QT. I was hoping to treat the wrasse in the QT tank without removing the corals. Now I'll remove the corals and treat as you advised. Thank you for your time and expertise.