Fish breathing heavy and swimming aimlesssly

[ReeferHD]

I’ve had these two fish for a couple weeks now in an observation tank, but the past few days the wrasse has started acting weird, swimming aimlessly and occasionally resting on the sand upside down, almost like it has a neurological issue. today the batfish started to as well, I’m suspecting it’s gill flukes or internal parasites? Any advice will be appreciated

 

[ReeferHD]

hello??

 

[RedReefer]

@Jay Hemdal I'm not an expert. Someone else will chime in.

 

[Sharkbait19]

Would you be able to post the video as a YouTube link for easier viewing? Check your water parameters to make sure nothing is off there.
Any recent changes to the tank?

 

[Shibaken3]

They look very weak. What kind of food are you feeding ( they look skinny)? When was the last fish addition? How long is a couple of weeks(need to be more exact)? Any other helpful information?

 

[ReeferHD]

They look very weak. What kind of food are you feeding ( they look skinny)? When was the last fish addition? How long is a couple of weeks(need to be more exact)? Any other helpful information?

feeding them LRS reef frenzy, they were the last fish added to the tank and the only fish in the tank. had them for less than 2 weeks and they were previously eating voraciously.

 

[ReeferHD]

Would you be able to post the video as a YouTube link for easier viewing? Check your water parameters to make sure nothing is off there.
Any recent changes to the tank?

i dont know how to do that. but parameters seem fine, 0 ammonia and ph is 7.9, i dont have corals in there so i havent tested anything else yet.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

i dont know how to do that. but parameters seem fine, 0 ammonia and ph is 7.9, i dont have corals in there so i havent tested anything else yet.

Sorry to see. Both fish are really thin and have become weak. Either they weren't eating enough, or they have some food malabsorption issue. This could be from internal parasites, but in most cases, internal worms won't kill a fish outright, and the food the worms eat can be offset by feeding the fish more.

Neither fish is breathing fast, so you can rule out gill diseases....

Jay

 

[ReeferHD]

Sorry to see. Both fish are really thin and have become weak. Either they weren't eating enough, or they have some food malabsorption issue. This could be from internal parasites, but in most cases, internal worms won't kill a fish outright, and the food the worms eat can be offset by feeding the fish more.

Neither fish is breathing fast, so you can rule out gill diseases....

The fish are breathing very fast, I have also been feeding them very well, I’ve dealt with finicky eaters before and have never run into this issue, the only time I recall something like this happening is when I had a filefish who randomly stopped eating and began showing the same symptoms, he also became super skinny BEFORE he stopped eating, still not sure what this could be if it’s not parasites or flukes

 

[sc50964]

I've had a few fairy wrasses that were doing fine for a few weeks before starting to swim like your leopard wrasse & seemingly unable to stay right side up at times. I have never had a bat fish nor has that happened to other species of fish that I've kept. After doing some research & comparing to my experiences, I ultimately believe that the wrasses I had suffered injury to their backs or spines as they darted super fast to crevice or simply just hit the wall when surprised. This also happened to my tilefish but I'm so glad that it was able to recover. I don't have an answer to why they're so skinny but the other symptom seems to match what many fairy wrasses experience living in captivity.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

The fish are breathing very fast, I have also been feeding them very well, I’ve dealt with finicky eaters before and have never run into this issue, the only time I recall something like this happening is when I had a filefish who randomly stopped eating and began showing the same symptoms, he also became super skinny BEFORE he stopped eating, still not sure what this could be if it’s not parasites or flukes

I can't see the wrasse's breathing clearly in the video, but the batfish is not breathing too fast, taking into consideration the stress of being in a container.

As I said, if you've been feeding them properly, it can be from food malabsorption. One common cause for this in newly acquired fish is their collection with cyanide. This destroys the fish's ability to absorb nutrients and the fish eats, but gets thin and dies. I did not push that as the cause here because while that wrasse species is commonly collected with cyanide, baby orbic batfish are not.

Two other relatively common causes for fish getting thin, despite eating well are viruses and coccidia. I didn't bring those up because they are not treatable, but also, these tend to be more species-specific, and I would not expect these diseases to hit both a wrasse and a batfish at once.

Jay

 

[ReeferHD]

they have unfortunately passed, though i still dont know for sure what caused the problem, i'm going to be setting up a quarantine system for future fish.