Longnose Butterfly Behaving Strangely

[bs80]

Hey guys, been a while since I've been on the site to be honest -- I've had a lot going on at home. So for the most part my tank has been on autopilot for a while now, but I've noticed that my LNB has stopped eating. When I mentioned that the tank has been on autopilot, I got lazy and went exclusively with spirulina flakes, which it had no problem eating from the beginning. However, it's stopped eating and I don't specifically remember it eating anything for weeks now. When I drop the food in, it seems interested, but I swear it seems friggin drunk as it will eye something and make a half-hearted jab at the food but completely miss. I've also noticed that it will try to poke its snout out of the water during feeding time. But it seems that tonight it's really going sideways, as it is swimming around upside-down now. I've attached a photo. I feel pretty crappy that I wasn't more proactive earlier on and now it may be too late, but could any of you guys shed any light on what may be happening? Thanks!

 

[fishguy242]

sorry to see, @vetteguy53081 @Jay Hemdal ?

 

[Kai K]

That's a bummer!
Judging from your story and the picture, it seems like your whole tank is out of wack. To sum it up: tank on autopilot, no variation in food, green foggy tankwater (please correct me if it's the picture's quality), and a sick fish.

IMHO you have now two priorities, get your water healthy and try to resque your fish.

To start with, do you have any idea about the nitrogen cycle going on in your tank? Where is it at, do you have any recent measurements of NO3, NO2, NH?

 

[Tamberav]

That diet is poor and I don’t see delicate fish surviving long term on it.

It should be eating things like frozen LRS, fresh clams from the market and live worms.

Nutrition is important especially for butterflies.

 

[Beau_B]

Going to guess it’s underweight and weak. May not recover, but if you can reduce the flow in the tank and get it to eat something highly nutritional for awhile maybe it can regain strength.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I agree, I think what's happened is that the single diet was missing some nutrient the LNB needed, and then, over time, it developed a nutritional deficiency (as evidenced by the possibly neurological behavior). The trouble is, once a fish has stopped feeding, there isn't any way to change that, since it will not longer accept new foods. You should TRY some mysids, or worms, just to see for sure though.

Sorry,

Jay

 

[vetteguy53081]

These are some of the members of susceptible butterflies:
Susceptible to lymphocystis and bacterial infections and dietary needs-as well as vitamin deficiency
Assure good water quality and diet. Feed at least:
LRS herbivore diet
LRS fish frenzy
Hikari marine cuisine
Mysis shrimp
Spirulina brine shrimp
Hikari mega veggie diet

Add selcon vitamins and garlic extract to the foods for stamina and immunity health

 

[bs80]

Thanks for all of your replies. I've tried mysid and other frozen foods but unfortunately it won't eat anymore. As for the question about water quality, the water tests fine for the most part -- zero NH3 and NO2. Sorry about the poor picture that I posted -- the water is not cloudy, the picture probably appears that way because of algae on the glass. At this point, it both figuratively and literally spiraling out of control -- poor thing is swimming out of control, doing flips. It seemed off for a week, but would still at least look at the food during feeding time until today. Now it's completely lost control of itself. I'm guessing it won't survive the night...? I don't have any special tools for euthanizing it -- do you suggest I intervene? Is it morally abhorrent to just wait for it to run its course?

Jay, you referenced neurological behavior in the same sentence that you mentioned nutritional deficiency -- does lack of nutrition lead to neurological disorders?

 

[fishguy242]

tapwater and freeze, believe clove oil also? unsure how to use..

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thanks for all of your replies. I've tried mysid and other frozen foods but unfortunately it won't eat anymore. As for the question about water quality, the water tests fine for the most part -- zero NH3 and NO2. Sorry about the poor picture that I posted -- the water is not cloudy, the picture probably appears that way because of algae on the glass. At this point, it both figuratively and literally spiraling out of control -- poor thing is swimming out of control, doing flips. It seemed off for a week, but would still at least look at the food during feeding time until today. Now it's completely lost control of itself. I'm guessing it won't survive the night...? I don't have any special tools for euthanizing it -- do you suggest I intervene? Is it morally abhorrent to just wait for it to run its course?

Jay, you referenced neurological behavior in the same sentence that you mentioned nutritional deficiency -- does lack of nutrition lead to neurological disorders?

What test kit(s) are you using? If API, you are likely getting false readings a API is notorious for false readings dissapointing Many reefers hence the low price for a master kit

 

[bs80]

What test kit(s) are you using? If API, you are likely getting false readings a API is notorious for false readings dissapointing Many reefers hence the low price for a master kit

Yup, API. I understand that it's not the best, but the other fish are fine and aside from this poor guy, I don't really have any reason to think that the parameters are out of whack. Nitrates are testing high and I'm having some algae issues lately so that makes sense, but aside from that, I'm not aware of any factors that would have led to an ammonia or nitrite spike.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Yup, API. I understand that it's not the best, but the other fish are fine and aside from this poor guy, I don't really have any reason to think that the parameters are out of whack. Nitrates are testing high and I'm having some algae issues lately so that makes sense, but aside from that, I'm not aware of any factors that would have led to an ammonia or nitrite spike.

If testing high- water change always helps. The other fish may be fine but remember the longnose is a little more delicate and is a Butterfly

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Thanks for all of your replies. I've tried mysid and other frozen foods but unfortunately it won't eat anymore. As for the question about water quality, the water tests fine for the most part -- zero NH3 and NO2. Sorry about the poor picture that I posted -- the water is not cloudy, the picture probably appears that way because of algae on the glass. At this point, it both figuratively and literally spiraling out of control -- poor thing is swimming out of control, doing flips. It seemed off for a week, but would still at least look at the food during feeding time until today. Now it's completely lost control of itself. I'm guessing it won't survive the night...? I don't have any special tools for euthanizing it -- do you suggest I intervene? Is it morally abhorrent to just wait for it to run its course?

Jay, you referenced neurological behavior in the same sentence that you mentioned nutritional deficiency -- does lack of nutrition lead to neurological disorders?

Sorry to hear….

B complex vitamin deficiency in fish brings neurological problems - lack of thiamin is a commonly seen deficiency issue. I supplement with thiamin and vitamin E.
Jay

 

[bs80]

Sorry to hear….

B complex vitamin deficiency in fish brings neurological problems - lack of thiamin is a commonly seen deficiency issue. I supplement with thiamin and vitamin E.
Jay

What kind of foods are most rich in B? And what supplements do you recommend? The only supplements I use are Selcon and Vitachem.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

What kind of foods are most rich in B? And what supplements do you recommend? The only supplements I use are Selcon and Vitachem.

Vitachem is a multi-vitamin complex, so it should have all of the B vitamins in it. Now, whether they stay on the food and are dosed in the correct amount, that is a question.

Jay