Foxface ulcer?!

[tnc112105]

Hi, hoping for an ID on this.

Foxface has been with me for about 10 months. No new fish added since, but I have added new corals from a trusted vendor (that I did not QT) and 3 emerald crabs. All other fish appearing healthy.

Only other recent changes has been dosing nitrates (ESV, <1ppm/day) and feeding more to try to bring nutrients up. Please advise!

 

[tnc112105]

I know the iPhone pic isn’t that great. I will try to get a better one. The spot is dark and appears swollen, with a light center

 

[Cannons Fish]

It looks like another fish nipped at it. One time it happened to my clownfish and eventually i just waited ad it healed. What other fish do you have in the tank

 

[tnc112105]

Ocellarus Clownfish, Melanurus wrasse, Swissguard basslet, Banggai cardinalfish, and a Squaretail tang

 

[tnc112105]

It’s possible, but I haven’t noticed any aggression issues with these guys. They’re all pretty chill.

 

[Cannons Fish]

Ocellarus Clownfish, Melanurus wrasse, Swissguard basslet, Banggai cardinalfish, and a Squaretail tang

In my tank my melanurus wrasse can be aggressive sometimes, but other than that all those fish seem pretty calm to me, so maybe it is something else

 

[tnc112105]

Thank you @Cannons Fish I definitely appreciate you chiming in!

 

[EmdeReef]

It could be an injury but there’s a risk of infection. Its possible it’s already infected. I doubt any of your fish could’ve caused this, a large emerald crab Is a suspect.

Is the wound increasing? Did it appear suddenly? Fish eating and swimming ok?

 

[Zionas]

Maintain good water quality, feed a nutritious and varied diet and I really hope it can recover soon. Bless the Foxy.

 

[tnc112105]

The spot appeared suddenly. Behavior is normal and he is eating well. No scratching, flashing, or twitching of fins, which I know are all signs of parasites.

I got the emerald crabs to take care of a small outbreak of bubble algae (which ironically is why I got the fox face, but he seems to ignore it) and they have done a stand-up job. But I am suspecting one or more has gone rogue for another reason (damaged scolymia) so if they're attacking fish, they may have overstayed their welcome. The trouble now is getting them out.

If you guys are convinced that this is some kind injury and not a disease or parasite, what reef safe options are there for preventing and/or treating an infection?

 

[tnc112105]

Although, all the emerald crabs were pretty small (0.5") when I got them a few weeks ago, and I don't think they'd have grown so much in the past 5-6 weeks that they'd attack a fish that's easily 20x their size? Or would they?

Is it possible this is from a coral or anemone sting instead?

 

[EmdeReef]

If it appeared suddenly it’s often an injury. In rare cases a serious bacterial infection could manifest itself the same way in a short period of time but it’s generally not localized to one spot or grows exponentially.

I would watch very closely for infections and spreading, if it starts looking infected, redness, white puss around or in the wound or very irregular shape of the wound then you have to treat with antibiotics ASAP.

Melafix is the only reef safe treatment for mild cuts, not sure if it will help with this but could try. Watch for O2 depletion etc if dosing. Some antibiotics can be safely dosed to a reef but there are no guarantees...