New regal angel with fin rot

Haunted · May 4, 2019

Hey guys recently picked up a 5 inch regal, hes currently in a bare bottom qt with a porcupine puffer

First day in he ate some frozen food, today though I noticed part of his left fin looks a little shredded at the tip and under his fin is a little red, additionally he refused food and has been scratching his side on the PVC I have in there

Looks to me like bacterial infection but I was hoping to see if you guys agree or maybe think its parasites

I could freshwater dip if you guys think it could be parasites

Now for a bacterial infection I have a few options:

Ati Furan 2 which I actually dont like as I think it's too strong

Ati Melafix which I dont think really does anything

Seachem metroplex which would be good if it were still eating

Seachem kanaplex which is my preferred method

I personally think I should go with kanaplex, (can/should I combo it with melafix?)

All thoughts welcome, thanks for your input guys

BestMomEver · May 4, 2019

What are the odds that puffer took a chunk out of him? How big is it? All you might need is antiseptic if that the case.

Haunted · May 4, 2019

The regal is 5 inches
Puffer is I think 8 or 9

I've seen zero signs of agression from the puffer, hes really passive and keeps to himself

What kind of antiseptic? I'm not familiar with that with regard to aquarium fish

Frtdrmrose7 · May 4, 2019

Haunted said:
Hey guys recently picked up a 5 inch regal, hes currently in a bare bottom qt with a porcupine puffer

First day in he ate some frozen food, today though I noticed part of his left fin looks a little shredded at the tip and under his fin is a little red, additionally he refused food and has been scratching his side on the PVC I have in there

Looks to me like bacterial infection but I was hoping to see if you guys agree or maybe think its parasites

I could freshwater dip if you guys think it could be parasites

Now for a bacterial infection I have a few options:

Ati Furan 2 which I actually dont like as I think it's too strong

Ati Melafix which I dont think really does anything

Seachem metroplex which would be good if it were still eating

Seachem kanaplex which is my preferred method

I personally think I should go with kanaplex, (can/should I combo it with melafix?)

All thoughts welcome, thanks for your input guys

Tattered fins are also a sign of flukes just as flashing is. I would definitely FW dip him to check for flukes.
A 90 min bath in Ruby Reef Rally would help as it has antiseptic properties. If he’s not eating I would suspect internal parasites and you could dose the water with metro or General Cure in hopes he ingests enough of the meds to induce eating again. Once he starts eating again I’d recommend GC +Focus+food for 14 days to cover internal parasites.
Lastly do you have a pic of the fish? It would help tremendously.

Haunted · May 4, 2019

Ruby reef rally? I'm unfamiliar with that, I imagine it's a chemical you pour into a bucket with the tank water and bathe the fish in? Would lfs have this or would I have to go online?

You recommend metroplex over kanaplex? I have both so can go either way

Heres a pic

Frtdrmrose7 · May 4, 2019

Haunted said:
Ruby reef rally? I'm unfamiliar with that, I imagine it's a chemical you pour into a bucket with the tank water and bathe the fish in? Would lfs have this or would I have to go online?

You recommend metroplex over kanaplex? I have both so can go either way

Heres a pic

Metro or a GC both treat internal parasites

Frtdrmrose7 · May 4, 2019

Haunted said:
Ruby reef rally? I'm unfamiliar with that, I imagine it's a chemical you pour into a bucket with the tank water and bathe the fish in? Would lfs have this or would I have to go online?

You recommend metroplex over kanaplex? I have both so can go either way

Heres a pic

You’ll probably have to order RRR but check your LFS

ngoodermuth · May 5, 2019

I’ll +1 to flukes being a high probability. A 5-minute freshwater dip will tell you for sure. Regal angels can be pretty delicate, and often won’t eat if they are sick...

Haunted · May 5, 2019

Hey guys did the freshwater bath, white spots fell off of him so that means flukes. What treatment options do I have and should the puffer also be fw dipped since hes been with the angel for a few days? I have 2 bottles of prazipro

Haunted · May 6, 2019

Hey guys so I did the freshwater dip and treated with prazipro on Saturday

The regal refused food today again not sure if thats typical, wondering where I go from here, wait the full week and then treat with more prazi? 5 days and then more prazi? More freshwater dips? Something else like kanaplex/metroplex or melafix? General cure?

Frtdrmrose7 · May 6, 2019

Haunted said:
Hey guys so I did the freshwater dip and treated with prazipro on Saturday

The regal refused food today again not sure if thats typical, wondering where I go from here, wait the full week and then treat with more prazi? 5 days and then more prazi? More freshwater dips? Something else like kanaplex/metroplex or melafix? General cure?

Prazipro will suppress appetite, if it’s been more than 24 hours since you treated Prazi do a large WC and see if he starts eating. If he does don’t forget you’ll still need the second dose 5-7 days from the first.

ngoodermuth · May 6, 2019

Regal angels can be difficult to get eating, they don’t always adjust well to captivity.

Have you tried fresh clams?

Haunted · May 6, 2019

ngoodermuth said:
Regal angels can be difficult to get eating, they don’t always adjust well to captivity.

Have you tried fresh clams?

He was eating mysis and pellets before fin rot showed then stopped and now with the fw dip and prazi treatment he still has not eaten yet

Haunted · May 6, 2019

Frtdrmrose7 said:
Prazipro will suppress appetite, if it’s been more than 24 hours since you treated Prazi do a large WC and see if he starts eating. If he does don’t forget you’ll still need the second dose 5-7 days from the first.

Oh I though prazi cycles for 5 days before you need to do a wc

So do a water change then try to feed then another dose after it's been 5 days since the first one, should I freshwater dips him again as well?

Frtdrmrose7 · May 6, 2019

Haunted said:
Oh I though prazi cycles for 5 days before you need to do a wc

So do a water change then try to feed then another dose after it's been 5 days since the first one, should I freshwater dips him again as well?

Prazi is still in the water but pretty much. Ineffective after 24 hours. Flukes are typically dead around the 10 hour mark.no you don’t need to FW dip again just do a WC and see if that helps.

jsvand5 · May 6, 2019

Regals are definitely prone to flukes. I’d do fresh clams on the half shell until it gets back to eating well. I rinse the clams first but they still foul the qt quickly. They are definitely the best food for regals until they are fully acclimated to aquarium life though. If they don’t take clams they usually won’t take anything.