Mandarin not doing well

[Richard Newman]

Hi All,
Our new mandarin is not doing well. (Photos below). We got him on Monday.
He was swimming and exploring the tank as of this morning.
Simple drip acclimation (45 min). I know some will say not good, but it has been working for us.

Tank parameters on Dec-24:
Temp 76.6
Salinity 34.5
Ph 7.8
Alk 8.5
Nitrate 5
Phosphate .1
Calcium 485
Magnesium 1350

No changes to the tank for quite some time. Water parameters have been stable. Seemingly large population of copepods (they are all over the front glass and in the sand after lights out).
Unfortunately at the moment I don't have much in the way of treatments (fish stores are closed as it's 8:30pm EST). Some peroxide, RODI, and medicated caviar. Oh, I do have some Secham Reef dip.

He is still breathing, and occasionally moves his fins.

Ideas?

Many thanks!
Richard

 

[Malifry97]

@Humblefish @HotRocks #reefsquad

 

[DSC reef]

He doesn't look good in the pic but is this how he's been since you got him? The pic looks like its early and I know mandarins coat in a mucus and look horrible at night. Also, the items you have I would not use on the mandarin.

 

[Richard Newman]

He's been skittish since he was added. But he has been exploring around the tank. He normally sits in some spot of the tank idle, but his fins were moving. Right now, he's just laying on the ground. Fortunately he's still breathing. If he survives till morning I will take him back to the LFS where I got him to see if they can assist. They are really a good bunch of folks (Coral Corral in Tampa, FL).

 

[DSC reef]

Is the pic you just took currently or was that in the AM/PM just before lights came on?

 

[Malifry97]

Is the pic you just took currently or was that in the AM/PM just before lights came on?

+1 as it may be slime coat mucus stuff that mandarins secrete

 

[Richard Newman]

Sorry, the pics are current. Just at lights off tonight.
The picture below is right after he was put into the tank on Dec-23, along with the two corals that were added.

He is still moving around the tank as he is now somewhere in the back of the live rock. Can you tell if he has been eating? I tried to look to see if his stomach is sunken, but I'm not really sure what I'm looking at.

Thanks again!

 

[Uncle99]

Watch carefully, his behavior, after you feed the tank, but before lights out. He should take some time to hover around rocks and “peck” at the rocks. If he’s doing this he is eating. I doubt he would starve in 4 days. Generally speaking, a round of pecking might go on for 20-40 minutes, whereas the mandarin fish will pick at the rock, glass, substrate every 5-10 seconds, moving, then repeating. As long as he is the only pod eater, enough pods should always be available. In the dead of night, mine sleeps on the bottom and looks dead.

this is mine “hunting” pods, he moves, he creeps, he pecks and so on...

 

[Richard Newman]

Nice looking mandarin @Uncle99.
So he could just be sleeping?
The lights go off at 9PM, but our house has been rocking with all the kids home and their significant others, and grandson.

I will def keep an eye on him until I go to bed. I was going back to my LFS tomorrow anyway to get some type of wrasse as we have possibly hydroids and/or nubi's. Something has been eating our zoa's. I'll take a water sample tomorrow to get the trace elements tested. I have been dosing the Red Sea trace colors (A,B,C,D) 1ml twice weekly. Alk, Calc, and Mag, get dosed 1ml each daily to keep the numbers stable.

 

[Uncle99]

Thanks, he’s 2-1/2 years old now.
It depends on when the “heads down” pic was taken.....if sometime late late after lights out or before lights on, then they can look terrible. If in the middle of lights on, well, that’s a bit concerning.
Many wrasses will be competitors to the mandarins food source, I have no direct competitors, have never feed him once in 30 months.
Good luck!

 

[Richard Newman]

Update: RIP Mandarin
Unfortunately the mandarin did not survive.
There was more of the white (mucus?) film on his back. Still not sure what happened.
Thanks to all for the assistance!
Richard