Melanarus Wrasse disease

Ascartes · Mar 10, 2021

Hello,
I brought this Wrasse home from a LFS and he's been in QT since. These spots have developed on him and I don't know what else I can do. Been giving him kanaplex/metroplex/focus blended food.
Please help me ID and treat. Thanks

I can try to get more pics but these are the best I could with my phone.

BigAquaBob · Mar 10, 2021

Kinda looks like flukes or ich from the pics. Did you try a freshwater dip. I also have a melanarus wrasse who might have had brook or something similar. He has been in a copper qt for 2.5 weeks now and is doing great. I know copper doesn't treat brook so I am not sure if that is what he had but all I could get at the time was copper.

Ascartes · Mar 10, 2021

BigAquaBob said:
Kinda looks like flukes or ich from the pics. Did you try a freshwater dip. I also have a melanarus wrasse who might have had brook or something similar. He has been in a copper qt for 2.5 weeks now and is doing great. I know copper doesn't treat brook so I am not sure if that is what he had but all I could get at the time was copper.

I can/will buy whatever is needed. I did the freshwater dip before I put him in QT and didn't find anything after 5 mins at the bottom of the bucket. I've got all kinds of medicine stuff at the house for salt and fresh and the QT is a cycled 10g tank with just the sand in it.
I've gotttttt
Ichx
Super ich cure
Fritz coppersafe
General Cure
Lifeguard
Seachem:
Paraguard
Stressguard
Focus
Metroplex
Kanaplex
Pimafix
Melafix
Herbtania

I know I probably need to get some prazi but none of the stores around here have it.
I know that stuff isn't all for salt, just listing it cause who knows what mad science people come up with.

Ascartes · Mar 11, 2021

Anyone?

NJDragonet · Mar 11, 2021

Right here, by the pictures it does look like ick or flukes are the spots small and white are wide and white?

NJDragonet · Mar 11, 2021

Also how long has the tank been set up for?

Ascartes · Mar 11, 2021

Njcoral101 said:
Also how long has the tank been set up for?

The qt tank has been up for about 3 months. I always add BB when adding fish to it as well.
I would say the areas are much larger than ick, probably as wide as a dime, perhaps a tad smaller. Would prazi be the solution here?

NJDragonet · Mar 11, 2021

Ascartes said:
The qt tank has been up for about 3 months. I always add BB when adding fish to it as well.
I would say the areas are much larger than ick, probably as wide as a dime, perhaps a tad smaller. Would prazi be the solution here?

I cant tell if its bacterial or flukes from the pic do you have a clearer one?

Jay Hemdal · Mar 11, 2021

+1 on clearer pictures helping. Don't want to be an alarmist, but when I see a newly acquired wrasse with "injuries" , one possible diagnosis becomes Uronema. Here is an article I wrote up about that:

Uronema / Red Band Disease - Hemdal

Red Band Syndrome in Marine Fishes: Caused by the Protozoan; Uronema sp. Jay Hemdal Introduction: This moderately common disease of certain species of marine fish is so often misdiagnosed that most aquarists apply incorrect treatment methods...

www.reef2reef.com

I'm not saying that it is Uronema, just that I can't rule it out quite yet.

jay

Ascartes · Mar 11, 2021

Here are some better pictures.

Jay Hemdal · Mar 11, 2021

That does not look like Uronema. I also see some moderate fin damage on its pectoral fin. Seeing a skin lesion right next to a damaged fin kind of points to possible injury. Any other fish in the tank that could have attacked it? Any issues moving the fish, where it might have gotten damaged? At this point, based on the very clear photos, I would be leaning more towards a secondary bacterial infection. Of the list of meds you have, Kanaplex in the water, in a treatment tank, would be the best course of action.

Jay

Ascartes · Mar 11, 2021

Jay Hemdal said:
That does not look like Uronema. I also see some moderate fin damage on its pectoral fin. Seeing a skin lesion right next to a damaged fin kind of points to possible injury. Any other fish in the tank that could have attacked it? Any issues moving the fish, where it might have gotten damaged? At this point, based on the very clear photos, I would be leaning more towards a secondary bacterial infection. Of the list of meds you have, Kanaplex in the water, in a treatment tank, would be the best course of action.

Jay

Hey Jay, he was in a tank with about 8 other fish from the LFS and was in QT since. I do not recall any lesions being so pronounced. He has been getting Metro/Kana for about 4 days now. I can say affirmatively that the moving on my end of the journey should not have caused injury. I also have some prazi now as well.

vetteguy53081 · Mar 11, 2021

Looks like injury damage to me. At first suspected lympho but infection more likely. Does this fish startle easily?
I noticed bright white light in pics, and you may want to lower the white and increase the blue a little as it becomes accustomed to tank.
As for injury, follow Jay who is already giving good recommendations.

NJDragonet · Mar 11, 2021

Ascartes said:
Hey Jay, he was in a tank with about 8 other fish from the LFS and was in QT since. I do not recall any lesions being so pronounced. He has been getting Metro/Kana for about 4 days now. I can say affirmatively that the moving on my end of the journey should not have caused injury. I also have some prazi now as well.

Prazi only treats Flukes, Tapeworms, Flatworms and turbellarians. I do not think it could have been injury based off the info given. I am at a loss if you have already been treating Kanaplex and its not gotten any better I can't rule out HLLE or Flukes yet. Currently I will keep treating with Kanaplex but if it does not get better Prazi would be a good solution because it does treat flukes and can slow HLLE down. Currently how is he doing swimming and breathing wise?

Ascartes · Mar 11, 2021

Hey, he seems to be okay. I would assume he is either blind or very close to it in the cloudy eye based on how he eats (ignores food on that side pretty much) but he still swims around for a few hours a day, breathing seems okay, and is still fine burying himself in sand when he goes to sleep. I can say since treating he certainly has not gotten worse, but no marked improvement either. I'll get pictures every few days if you wouldn't mind following the thread for a bit.

NJDragonet · Mar 11, 2021

Ascartes said:
Hey, he seems to be okay. I would assume he is either blind or very close to it in the cloudy eye based on how he eats (ignores food on that side pretty much) but he still swims around for a few hours a day, breathing seems okay, and is still fine burying himself in sand when he goes to sleep. I can say since treating he certainly has not gotten worse, but no marked improvement either. I'll get pictures every few days if you wouldn't mind following the thread for a bit.

Wow a cloudy eye this is above my level @Jay Hemdal could it be a mix of popeye and something bacterial by the looks of it i can't be so quick to rule out HLLE either.

NJDragonet · Mar 11, 2021

Ascartes said:
Hey, he seems to be okay. I would assume he is either blind or very close to it in the cloudy eye based on how he eats (ignores food on that side pretty much) but he still swims around for a few hours a day, breathing seems okay, and is still fine burying himself in sand when he goes to sleep. I can say since treating he certainly has not gotten worse, but no marked improvement either. I'll get pictures every few days if you wouldn't mind following the thread for a bit.

Could you possibly provide a picture of the eye?

Jay Hemdal · Mar 11, 2021

Ascartes said:
Hey Jay, he was in a tank with about 8 other fish from the LFS and was in QT since. I do not recall any lesions being so pronounced. He has been getting Metro/Kana for about 4 days now. I can say affirmatively that the moving on my end of the journey should not have caused injury. I also have some prazi now as well.

I saw you were dosing kanaplex I focus, but that won’t work for this, the dose is uncontrolled, and oral meds for an external infection isn’t as good as an antibiotic bath in a treatment tank.
Jay