Fat Lip McCosker
- Thread starter dsinsocal
- Start date
- Tagged users None
Looks like damage, probably rammed the glass or if it’s a new fish... could be from shipping/collection.
I recently had a lineatus with similar damage... it never seemed to get “worse” so I just let it go, and it mostly healed on it’s own.
If it starts to look red or fuzzy, or it looks like the mouth is receding... then you’ll want to pull for an antiseptic bath/antibiotics, but otherwise if it’s still eating and active can probably just keep an eye on it for now.
I recently had a lineatus with similar damage... it never seemed to get “worse” so I just let it go, and it mostly healed on it’s own.
If it starts to look red or fuzzy, or it looks like the mouth is receding... then you’ll want to pull for an antiseptic bath/antibiotics, but otherwise if it’s still eating and active can probably just keep an eye on it for now.
It definitely looks to be getting worse, not better. Still white, but two or three visible lumps growing off the bottom lip. I'm trying to get a newer/better picture, but every time I put the camera up there he hides.
The last McCosker I had, about 2 years ago, had chronic bacterial infections that I had to treat with Kanaplex every 3-4 months. He'd just start looking "hazy" on the fins and side. Are such infections a "thing" with McCoskers?
I had something similar happen with a flame wrasse in QT... every time I’d pull the antibiotics he would look terrible within a day or so... hazy film, tattered fins, rapid breathing. In antibiotics, he seemed ok.
After several back to back treatments, I had to just pull the meds and let whatever happens... happen. He didn’t last long without them.
I don’t think they are all like that, though. A rhomboid in the same QT as the flame had the same initial infection and it’s face swelled up like crazy! But, after one course of antibiotics it was as good as new, and went on to graduate QT and become “tank boss” until I decided to re-home it over a year later.
This could still be bacterial in nature, but even if it is Lymphocystis, it's usually the ensuing bacterial infection that kills the fish, so I was thinking about whipping up a batch of Kanaplex food for him.
Can I treat Kanaplex infused food (with Focus) in a reef tank? (I think the answer is yes) Will it hurt to broadcast feed to the tank even though the other fish aren't exhibiting signs of infection? (I think the answer is no).
I just want to make sure before doing it.
Thanks.
Can I treat Kanaplex infused food (with Focus) in a reef tank? (I think the answer is yes) Will it hurt to broadcast feed to the tank even though the other fish aren't exhibiting signs of infection? (I think the answer is no).
I just want to make sure before doing it.
Thanks.
I had a clown with something like that. Antibiotics didn’t help it much, but a 90-minute bath in ruby reef rally did make a difference.
Honestly, if you were going to treat that with antibiotics it would be more effective to treat the water directly, in a quarantine tank.
But yes, binding kanaplex to food with focus is fine to feed in tank. Just turn down the flow and feed small amounts at a time.
Honestly, if you were going to treat that with antibiotics it would be more effective to treat the water directly, in a quarantine tank.
But yes, binding kanaplex to food with focus is fine to feed in tank. Just turn down the flow and feed small amounts at a time.
reef lover
It's a reef thing....
Excellence Award
Reef Tank 365
Hudson Valley Reef Keepers
Hospitality Award
518 Reefers
My Tank Thread
It just sucks because getting him out of the tank for real treatment isn't really an option. There's no way to get him out, that I can think of, without removing every single rock and putting all of my corals at risk. Not to mention, I already have a rescue fish in my QT for treatment right now anyway. My only real hope was to treat him with Kanaplex food (and hope the problem was bacterial rather than viral) but I don't think he's eating enough at this moment for that to make enough of a difference.
4FordFamily
Tang, Angel, and Wrasse Nerd!
Unfortunately NFG in QT is probably your best choice (nitrofuracin green). It is a tough choice. You can just hope it goes away on its own, but I don’t see that as likely...
+1, you’d probably need to move pretty quickly to save him at this point as well. At the very least, I would try to trap him and give him a 90-minute bath in acriflavine (ruby reef rally or API fungus cure) but, I do think antibiotics in QT will be his best chance.
Do you have an acclimation box? Even one of those little critter keeper type things? I’ve had really good luck catching fish in an acclimation box with a few clams (on the half shell), especially wrasses. They are food junkies.
