Foxface acting weird

[btb72]

All my fish have gone through the humble fish protocol for quarantine to the letter of the law. Today my foxface started acting weird. It goes from hiding in the cave, goes to the cleaner shrimp, then even lets my melanarus wrasse pick stuff off his skin. I know foxfaces supposedly shed but don’t see anything on him. Zero spots, color is a little white towards his tail but a little later he is full yellow again. Still eating like a champ. Just worried. Tried taking pictures but it shows zero anything. Don’t see anything on his skin anywhere.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

How long have you had the fish? What was its schedule for fluke treatment?
Jay

 

[btb72]

The wrasse isn’t picking at its gills. It was going after it’s back half. But I did it around 6.5 days ,using api GC,I think based on when the website told me to. I’ve had him for little over 2 months. Been out of qt for about 7 weeks. Started acting weird today.

 

[btb72]

With the actinics on I noticed that from 1/2” in front of his tail back is a little white. (I know they change colors) but whiter then normal. Picture just shows everything the same. I’m sorry I can’t show pics. Maybe tomorrow when the lights come back on.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I'm trying to rule out a Neobenedenia or gill fluke infection. These are egg layers and a single (and sometimes even a double) praziquantel treatment won't eradicate them. These infections slowly become acute, and at first, you won't see any visible symptoms, just behavior changes, and you need to do a freshwater diagnostic dip to confirm their presence.

Jay

 

[btb72]

I'm trying to rule out a Neobenedenia or gill fluke infection. These are egg layers and a single (and sometimes even a double) praziquantel treatment won't eradicate them. These infections slowly become acute, and at first, you won't see any visible symptoms, just behavior changes, and you need to do a freshwater diagnostic dip to confirm their presence.

Jay

Sorry ya I did 2 doses of GC 6 days apart. Wrasse and cleaner are more on the belly/back half of foxface.

 

[btb72]

So pretty much I need to catch the foxface then FW dip to verify correct? Is prazi or GC considered reef safe? Mostly sps frags.
inverts are snails, copepods, cleaner shrimp, sand sifting starfish

 

[btb72]

I'm trying to rule out a Neobenedenia or gill fluke infection. These are egg layers and a single (and sometimes even a double) praziquantel treatment won't eradicate them. These infections slowly become acute, and at first, you won't see any visible symptoms, just behavior changes, and you need to do a freshwater diagnostic dip to confirm their presence.

Jay

Here is a picture as of this morning. The white starts in bottom half of the fish about the 1/3 back part of the body.

 

[btb72]

The brown comes and goes. Didn’t like me being up close and personal with the phone

 

[btb72]

He did seem to get into a fight with a tang the other night.
Just trying to get any information out there.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

So pretty much I need to catch the foxface then FW dip to verify correct? Is prazi or GC considered reef safe? Mostly sps frags.
inverts are snails, copepods, cleaner shrimp, sand sifting starfish

Yes, a 5 minute FW dip in a clean container. Don’t use RODI, dechlorinated tap water holds its pH better. I use an air stone to keep the fish in motion so I can assess how it’s handling the dip. Afterwards, look at the bottom of the container for tiny dead worms...a magnifying glass helps. Remember that foxface have venomous spines.
GC is not reef safe, prazipro will kill feather dusters and you need to increase aeration when dosing it.
Jay

 

[btb72]

Yes, a 5 minute FW dip in a clean container. Don’t use RODI, dechlorinated tap water holds its pH better. I use an air stone to keep the fish in motion so I can assess how it’s handling the dip. Afterwards, look at the bottom of the container for tiny dead worms...a magnifying glass helps. Remember that foxface have venomous spines.
GC is not reef safe, prazipro will kill feather dusters and you need to increase aeration when dosing it.
Jay

Ok thanks. Yes thanks for the warning. My son lets everyone know it’s venomous haha. I have zero feather dusters, all dry rock. So you would have no worries using prazi with sps, and a few lps? Just don’t want to wipe out my sps.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

As long as you dose based on the net volume of the tank, how much water it actually holds, and as long as you aerate it well, the prazipro will stress, but not outright kill, the corals.
Jay

 

[btb72]

As long as you dose based on the net volume of the tank, how much water it actually holds, and as long as you aerate it well, the prazipro will stress, but not outright kill, the corals.
Jay

Thanks for your advice. As long as he is eating good if I can’t catch him and confirm flukes, would you just let him be unless takes a turn for the worse or other fish start acting the same?

 

[btb72]

As long as you dose based on the net volume of the tank, how much water it actually holds, and as long as you aerate it well, the prazipro will stress, but not outright kill, the corals.
Jay

Well he is pretty much back to normal. Yesterday the purple tang was eating something off his side. Really weird.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Well he is pretty much back to normal. Yesterday the purple tang was eating something off his side. Really weird.

So it improved with no dip and no treatment?

Jay

 

[btb72]

So it improved with no dip and no treatment?

Jay

Yes. It was very shy and was hiding and going to the shrimp every 10 minutes. Now it is out and about like normal. It visits the shrimp once ever couple hours. But hasn’t tried to let the wrasse pick at it. And zero dips/treatments. I’ll keep watching it. I’m home with the kiddos all day so I watch it a lot.

 

[Pistondog]

All my fish have gone through the humble fish protocol for quarantine to the letter of the law. Today my foxface started acting weird. It goes from hiding in the cave, goes to the cleaner shrimp, then even lets my melanarus wrasse pick stuff off his skin. I know foxfaces supposedly shed but don’t see anything on him. Zero spots, color is a little white towards his tail but a little later he is full yellow again. Still eating like a champ. Just worried. Tried taking pictures but it shows zero anything. Don’t see anything on his skin anywhere.

Foxface will change colors when stressed, this is normal behavior for them.
Might be pale or stripes. Their spines are also poisonous.

 

[btb72]

Foxface will change colors when stressed, this is normal behavior for them.
Might be pale or stripes. Their spines are also poisonous.

Yes thank you. Had many over the years. First one was back in 2000