Orchid Dottyback attacked?

[LARedstickreefer]

So I wake up to my Orchid laying on the bottom and with a really wounded tail. Looks like something attacked him last night. He’s still trying to swim around but not looking promising.

This guy usually keeps to himself and I rarely see any aggression in the tank. The clown is the only one that picks on anyone. Been in tank for a few years and readily eats each day.

Tankmates: Clownfish, Black cap Basslet, Six Line, Flame Hawkfish, Flame Angel, and Midas Benny.

Also: Pithos crabs, and two peppermint shrimp, snails, tiny hermits, and a pom Pom crab that disappeared on day one.

Could the peppermint shrimp be the culprits? They recently ran out of aiptasia and have been venturing out during feeding time.

A coincidence worth mentioning: A Yellowfin fairy wrasse that has only been around for a few weeks now is acting really lethargic as if it’s on its last leg. No physical signs of disease or wounds, but maybe related?

-Matt

 

[vetteguy53081]

So I wake up to my Orchid laying on the bottom and with a really wounded tail. Looks like something attacked him last night. He’s still trying to swim around but not looking promising.

This guy usually keeps to himself and I rarely see any aggression in the tank. The clown is the only one that picks on anyone. Been in tank for a few years and readily eats each day.

Tankmates: Clownfish, Black cap Basslet, Six Line, Flame Hawkfish, Flame Angel, and Midas Benny.

Also: Pithos crabs, and two peppermint shrimp, snails, tiny hermits, and a pom Pom crab that disappeared on day one.

Could the peppermint shrimp be the culprits? They recently ran out of aiptasia and have been venturing out during feeding time.

A coincidence worth mentioning: A Yellowfin fairy wrasse that has only been around for a few weeks now is acting really lethargic as if it’s on its last leg. No physical signs of disease or wounds, but maybe related?

-Matt

This is severe damage and will be a 50/50 chance of full recovery but has ability to heal if fish is isolated and I suggest treating with broad spectrum medication such as Seachem Kanaplex and removing the aggressor in the tank moving forward.

 

[LARedstickreefer]

This is severe damage and will be a 50/50 chance of full recovery but has ability to heal if fish is isolated and I suggest treating with broad spectrum medication such as Seachem Kanaplex and removing the aggressor in the tank moving forward.

Any idea who might be the aggressor? I’m leaning towards the peppermints since those are the only ones that seem to attack anything. I’ve never seen a shrimp go after a fish before though.

-Matt

 

[vetteguy53081]

Any idea who might be the aggressor? I’m leaning towards the peppermints since those are the only ones that seem to attack anything. I’ve never seen a shrimp go after a fish before though.

-Matt

I can’t see shrimp doing this unless orchid was that weak
It’s likely a fish such as gramma, clowns or similar
What other fish are in with this fish?

 

[Tcook]

Basslet, clowns, six line or hawk are all possible. Those are some potentially aggressive fish. What size tank and how new is this fish. It’s not the shrimp.

 

[LARedstickreefer]

Basslet, clowns, six line or hawk are all possible. Those are some potentially aggressive fish. What size tank and how new is this fish. It’s not the shrimp.

It’s a 43g tank, fish has been in there for years along with the Clown. The hawk, six line, and basslet are new.

The six line and basslet are much smaller than the orchid. The basslet is very shy and hides a lot in the rocks except during feeding time.

The hawk spends its time perching on the rocks and doesn’t bother anyone. Seems it would go after the shrimp before going after the Orchid no?

Whatever happened, it was last night while everyone was asleep.

Maybe a slim chance it went rear end first into a power head? It sleeps in the rocks at night.

-Matt

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

So I wake up to my Orchid laying on the bottom and with a really wounded tail. Looks like something attacked him last night. He’s still trying to swim around but not looking promising.

This guy usually keeps to himself and I rarely see any aggression in the tank. The clown is the only one that picks on anyone. Been in tank for a few years and readily eats each day.

Tankmates: Clownfish, Black cap Basslet, Six Line, Flame Hawkfish, Flame Angel, and Midas Benny.

Also: Pithos crabs, and two peppermint shrimp, snails, tiny hermits, and a pom Pom crab that disappeared on day one.

Could the peppermint shrimp be the culprits? They recently ran out of aiptasia and have been venturing out during feeding time.

A coincidence worth mentioning: A Yellowfin fairy wrasse that has only been around for a few weeks now is acting really lethargic as if it’s on its last leg. No physical signs of disease or wounds, but maybe related?

-Matt

I think you could be right in tying in the wrasse being lethargic and this incident - nothing in your stocking list strikes me as something that would trash a healthy purple dottyback like this. However, a few of those would go after one that is slowed down due to some issue.

Th dottyback eye pupil is white - is it like that in person, or is that just a function of taking the picture? If the former, how does the other eye look?

 

[LARedstickreefer]

I think you could be right in tying in the wrasse being lethargic and this incident - nothing in your stocking list strikes me as something that would trash a healthy purple dottyback like this. However, a few of those would go after one that is slowed down due to some issue.

Th dottyback eye pupil is white - is it like that in person, or is that just a function of taking the picture? If the former, how does the other eye look?

That’s just from the camera.

The wrasse looks “normal” too, just acting like he’s got the flu or something.

The rest of the tank seems fine as if nothing is going down.

Seems that the wrasse would have also been brutalized if it was due to some illness? Strange thing is that the wrasse “wakes up” when food comes out and he darts after it. Afterwards, he’ll go snooping a bit around before going back into this “daze”.

-Matt

 

[radiata]

The Flame Hawk did it! I've learned never to keep a Fridmani and a Flame Hawk together. My Fridmani would periodically show marks on both sides of its spine at about the top center of the fish. They would heal, and then show up again. This is typical of Hawk Fish hunting - they pounce on a smaller fish from above, grab it by the spine, and shake it violently to try ank kill it.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

The Flame Hawk did it! I've learned never to keep a Fridmani and a Flame Hawk together. My Fridmani would periodically show marks on both sides of its spine at about the top center of the fish. They would heal, and then show up again. This is typical of Hawk Fish hunting - they pounce on a smaller fish from above, grab it by the spine, and shake it violently to try ank kill it.

My prime suspect was either the flame hawk or the blackcap (they may mistake a fridmani for another blackcap). Still, unless the hawkfish or blackcap were a lot larger than the fridmani, I would think that a healthy fridmani would be able to escape them (they are much better at sliding into crevices).

 

[LARedstickreefer]

Hmm, could be the Hawk, but wouldn’t he go after smaller fish and shrimp first? The 6 line, basslet, and peppermints are all smaller than the Orchid (now passed away btw). Also, he’s totally ignoring the sick fairy wrasse…

-Matt