Firefish copepod parasite or something else? Please help

[TeeJay87]

This guy was hiding all day while his 6 other buddies (4 firefish, 2 purple dartfish) have been out and about and acting normal. He finally popped out for a few seconds during the final feeding today and I snapped a few pictures. Some black object (perhaps a copepod parasite) near his underside and damage/blood above the object about 2/3 the way up the fish.

Is there anything I can do? It might be tough to get him out of the tank, but I will do my best. I‘m new to the hobby and don’t have a QT or hospital setup at the moment, but I should be able to get something together quickly if needed.

 

[Uncle99]

Looks like an bite mark, the result of an attack by another fish.
Is that possible?
Pretty common.
If he eats, I’d do nothing.
I have no idea what the black is.

 

[DinoMagnet]

Ill firefish - looks like black bulge in mid section

I have had this fire fish for three years. Super hardy and made it through my tank crack/ new tank adventure back in May. This week he went into his nighttime cave and didn’t come out for two days. Very abnormal. He usually awaits me for meals with the rest of the fish. I could see him in...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[TeeJay87]

Looks like an bite mark, the result of an attack by another fish.
Is that possible?
Pretty common.
If he eats, I’d do nothing.
I have no idea what the black is.

It could be a fish. All 5 of the firefish are sharing the same burrow area under a single rock (though there are many other rocks). They seem to be buddies during the day. 3 days ago I noticed a separate firefish was damaged, I presumed it was a gorilla crab that became large and very bold that morning. I got the crab out of the tank right away thankfully. And have since found and eliminated 3 other smaller gorillas (and I know there are atleast 2 others I haven’t been able to get to yet).

What do you think, was this likely also fish damage or potentially a gorilla crab snipping? This guy was hiding most of that day, but was totally back to normal the next day like nothing happened.

 

[Uncle99]

Looks a bit like a sting mark, but certainly that’s just a guess.
I have a purple orchid that was bitten in the same area, much much worse than yours, does appear that violent.
All the bites, marks, scratches I have seen healed in about 4-5weeks fully, provided, the attack is not a regular occurrence.
stable water chemistry and good high protein diet will heal that.

 

[Uncle99]

DinoMagnet posted something above which is very interesting.

 

[sugarsean]

Black thing is a parasitic isopod. Likely the red marks are bite marks from that one you see attached or others of the same species.
You should definitely catch the firefish and treat it.

 

[GoldeneyeRet]

Cirolanid isopod

 

[TeeJay87]

Black thing is a parasitic isopod. Likely the red marks are bite marks from that one you see attached or others of the same species.
You should definitely catch the firefish and treat it.

I agree it looks like the isopod. Thanks!

I'm a complete newb to the hobby. Any advice/links on catching & treating the firefish from anyone would be greatly appreciated.

 

[TeeJay87]

Cirolanid isopod

Thanks for sharing! Based on the article below, these things sound like a nightmare.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/bp/index.php

 

[TeeJay87]

Update: the isopod was detached when the firefish came out this morning. He popped out before first feeding, I fed immediately, and firefish ate until the food was gone and returned under the rock to rest.

I also trapped atleast 25 of those isopods overnight. I’ll keep setting traps and research if there is anywhere to get rid of them entirely while keeping/feeding fish in the same tank.

As for the bite mark… It seems to be happening overnight while the 5 are under the same rock. I have seen zero nipping/aggression during the day (and I’ve been watching them like a hawk for the 3 weeks since I got them) other than occasional minor jockeying for position, which I assume is pretty normal schooling behavior. I guess I’ll monitor for now and start another thread if it continues (but open to advice for anything I should try to do now).