Midas blenny internal parasite?

FortyFour44 · Jun 30, 2022

My blenny seems to have an internal parasite based on its weight and how much I’ve seen it eat. Have not been able to get it to gain weight for month. It also looks like it was subject to aggression from a tank mate. Just got back from a work trip and it lost a lot of weight and has a torn fin.

I’m moving it to the hospital tank tonight. I have metro, kana, focus, ruby reef rally, macryn1 on hand. Also have prazi and general cure.

Can someone please help me figure out the right treatment or combo of treatment. It’s still eating btw.

#fishmedic

ReefEco · Jun 30, 2022

wow, that is a thin fish - glad you are isolating him. I would try general cure, which has prazi in it. Trouble is, prazi can be an appetite suppressant. Feed feed and feed more - good luck.

vetteguy53081 · Jun 30, 2022

What foods are you trying to feed and what is salinity and tank temp?

Regarding treatment, best bet is seachem Metroplex in a seoerate quarantine combined with food IF the fish is eating.

@Jay Hemdal has a method he recommends for syringe feeding which may benefit the fish and allow it to consume the metroplex

ReefEco · Jun 30, 2022

I don't believe Metroplex is a treatment for internal parasites - if that is what you are aiming to treat. Metroplex is a treatment for "protozoan and anaerobic bacterial diseases of fish" per Seachem...

FortyFour44 · Jun 30, 2022

vetteguy53081 said:
What foods are you trying to feed and what is salinity and tank temp?

Regarding treatment, best bet is seachem Metroplex in a seoerate quarantine combined with food IF the fish is eating.

@Jay Hemdal has a method he recommends for syringe feeding which may benefit the fish and allow it to consume the metroplex

It’ll be in a hospital tank at 77 degrees and 1.026.

It is eating everything. Neptune crossover and seaweed extreme pellets, freeze dried brine with selcon, reef chili. Eating ferociously too.

Given the fin damage, would I be able to (or should I) treat the QT with ruby reef rally while feeding with medicated metro+focus?

vetteguy53081 · Jun 30, 2022

ReefEco said:
I don't believe Metroplex is a treatment for internal parasites - if that is what you are aiming to treat. Metroplex is a treatment for "protozoan and anaerobic bacterial diseases of fish" per Seachem...

Metroplex will treat both internal and external infections regardless of the delivery method (food or in water) and most effective mixed with food. Praziquantel also works but via absorption and metro is first choice.

vetteguy53081 · Jun 30, 2022

FortyFour44 said:
It’ll be in a hospital tank at 77 degrees and 1.026.

It is eating everything. Neptune crossover and seaweed extreme pellets, freeze dried brine with selcon, reef chili. Eating ferociously too.

Given the fin damage, would I be able to (or should I) treat the QT with ruby reef rally while feeding with medicated metro+focus?

Part of issue may be diet as this fish needs fats and aminos. Midas blennies are Omnivores requiring veggie and meat diet. They as you noticed are quick eaters and need a varied diet consisting of clam, mussel, spirulina brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, LRS herbivore diet and seaweed, hikari veggie diet with selcon vitamins added to foods occasionally.

FortyFour44 · Jul 1, 2022

vetteguy53081 said:
Part of issue may be diet as this fish needs fats and aminos. Midas blennies are Omnivores requiring veggie and meat diet. They as you noticed are quick eaters and need a varied diet consisting of clam, mussel, spirulina brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, LRS herbivore diet and seaweed, hikari veggie diet with selcon vitamins added to foods occasionally.

Noted, and thank you. Have a few of these boxes checked but will add to the diet.

Jay Hemdal · Jul 1, 2022

ReefEco said:
I don't believe Metroplex is a treatment for internal parasites - if that is what you are aiming to treat. Metroplex is a treatment for "protozoan and anaerobic bacterial diseases of fish" per Seachem...

Some gut protozoans, Hexamita or Spironucleous, can cause problems like this, so I prefer general cure as this is metro and prazi.
Jay

Jay Hemdal · Jul 1, 2022

FortyFour44 said:
My blenny seems to have an internal parasite based on its weight and how much I’ve seen it eat. Have not been able to get it to gain weight for month. It also looks like it was subject to aggression from a tank mate. Just got back from a work trip and it lost a lot of weight and has a torn fin.

I’m moving it to the hospital tank tonight. I have metro, kana, focus, ruby reef rally, macryn1 on hand. Also have prazi and general cure.

Can someone please help me figure out the right treatment or combo of treatment. It’s still eating btw.

#fishmedic

Sorry to see - Midas are very prone to getting thin like this, lots of conjecture but nobody really knows why.
This one may be too thin to save, they digest their livers for energy, and that tissue won’t repair itself.
Still, to try, you should treat it with general cure in a treatment tank, and feed it 4x or more a day….
Jay

FortyFour44 · Jul 8, 2022

I have this guy back in the display after medicating with general cure and feeding metro + focus in the hospital tank. Wasn’t eating initially in QT, and didn’t like it in there in general. But now that it is back in the display, it already looks much better. Still thin, but behaving normally and eating.