Pink Margin fairy wrasse swimming vertically

[kaxt]

I added this wrasse to my tank 3 weeks ago. It has been acting normal up until tonight when I noticed it swimming vertically and periodipcally struggling against the flow.

Any ideas what might be going on? Other fish are picking on her.

I have an empty 10 and 20 gallon aquarium, and this is the current content of my fish medicine cabinet. I'm open to any suggestions. I really like this fish and would be upset to loose her.

 

[motortrendz]

The video wont play for me

Never mind it loaded. It almost looks like its swimming submissive to the other fairy wrasses. I have a dominant flame and a submissive exquisite that swims that way

 

[kaxt]

I think there is something wrong. I easily caught it and put it in the acclimation box. It's still swimming the same. Here is another video showing it a little better.

 

[motortrendz]

Yea I see it now. Looks extremely weak. My son fairy was doing that. It lasted about a week and a half got progressively worse till eventually it passed. Could be a swim bladder issue or just weak to where its fighting to stay straight.

 

[HotRocks]

This looks like a spinal injury to me.

This can often be caused by internal parasites that weaken the spine.

 

[kaxt]

Thanks for the quick responses. I'll leave it in the acclimation box and feed medicated foods. I know the prognosis is not good on this, but is there anything else I can be doing?

 

[Brad Miller]

Or he jumped and injured himself, causing a spinal injury, some recover from that and some don’t.
Couldn’t load the video, but I think I remember that vertically head up is prob injury and head down vertically is swim bladder.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Looks very thin as well. I, as @HotRocks believe internal parasites could be at play here.

 

[kaxt]

I just ordered Metro, Focus, and Garlic Guard. Fingers crossed.

From the reading I just did it looks like I should feed the entire tank this way for 14 days regardless of if the fairy wrasse makes it or not. Is this correct? Or is there a better route?

Thanks again for all the timely responses.

 

[HotRocks]

I just ordered Metro, Focus, and Garlic Guard. Fingers crossed.

From the reading I just did it looks like I should feed the entire tank this way for 14 days regardless of if the fairy wrasse makes it or not. Is this correct? Or is there a better route?

Thanks again for all the timely responses.

That is correct. Feed the entire tank. If you have coral then running carbon isn't a bad idea to remove any medication that possibly leaches out of the food.

 

[jd371]

This looks like a spinal injury to me.

This can often be caused by internal parasites that weaken the spine.

Yeah, I had to euthanize a Fairy Wrasse recently to a spinal injury. The telltale sign was a banged up snout from hitting something. Swam the same as in the video and got tossed around quite a bit from the current. I was able to move it to an acclimation box so it wouldn't have to fight with the current and the fish during feeding time. Unfortunately even when trying to spot feed it for a week in the acclimation box it wouldn't eat and I was left with no choice but to euthanize instead of watching it struggle to swim and slowly starve to death.

 

[Salty Irishman]

Purchased a fairy wrasse a month ago and he went straight into QT. First problem I noticed was ich, started him on copper power, did a FW bath and got a number of flukes off him as well so dosed GC. Yesterday was day 14 of copper and day 10 of GC so did another FW bath (only a minute as he couldn't stay upright from the air-stone current and then appeared dead) no flukes though. Then moved him into a sterile tank. The reason I didn't go with 30 days of copper was because he didn't appear to be doing well and figured it was the meds (it wasn't). I was watching him this morning before lights on (sleeping I guess) and he could not stay upright, at times literally upside down and I thought he died. I'm now thinking he's got a spinal injury as he can't keep upright sometimes or, swims erratically back and forth against the glass like he's trying to escape, or just hangs vertical head up, or lays on the bottom? He's never eaten aggressively either, just enough to survive. Time will tell, freaking stressful for sure.

 

[kaxt]

I got my focus and metro today. The focus box says to use a 5:1 ratio while the bottle said 1:1. Any thoughts on which ratio I should use?

 

[kaxt]

I'm not sure what to do at this point. She doesn't seem to be able to swim at all really and is just floating in a c shape pressed up against the lid of my acclimation box.

I soaked some frozen brine shrimp in the metro, focus ,and garlic gaurd and she eagerly ate maybe 3 of them as I squirted them right in front of her with a pippette.

Is it possible for her to recover if she keeps eating? I hate to see her suffering like this. But I also am going to have a really hard time if it comes down to euthanasia.

 

[motortrendz]

Time to put her down bud.