Royal Gramma died(weird stuff on rear fin)

[RedJourney143]

Any idea what this is?

 

[Big G]

Might be a bacterial infection. Hard to tell as they decompose so quickly.

 

[fishguy242]

have anything in tank could have grabbed by tail ?

 

[RedJourney143]

have anything in tank could have grabbed by tail ?

I don't think so... all I had was small hermit crabs and a valentini puffer in with him.

 

[RedJourney143]

Might be a bacterial infection. Hard to tell as they decompose so quickly.

I'm seeing similar discoloration on my firefish and my puffer is puffing a lot on her own. What do I do?

 

[Big G]

Bacterial infections are usually a secondary presentation. Something else is the primary actor here. Breathing heavy or rapidly can usually be caused by flukes on the gills or ich/velvet. The rapid death would lean toward velvet. Often velvet can kill a fish without any spots appearing on the body of the fish as the parasite attacks the gills unseen, doing tremendous damage. Here's Humblefish's velvet id and treatment:

Velvet (Amyloodinium ocellatum)

Marine Velvet Disease (Amyloodinium ocellatum) What You Need To Know: * Fast killing parasite capable of wiping out most of your fish in just a matter of days. Sometimes there are survivors, sometimes not. * Can be treated in a quarantine tank using Chloroquine phosphate or Copper. A 5...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[RedJourney143]

Bacterial infections are usually a secondary presentation. Something else is the primary actor here. Breathing heavy or rapidly can usually be caused by flukes on the gills or ich/velvet. The rapid death would lean toward velvet. Often velvet can kill a fish without any spots appearing on the body of the fish as the parasite attacks the gills unseen, doing tremendous damage. Here's Humblefish's velvet id and treatment:

Velvet (Amyloodinium ocellatum)

Marine Velvet Disease (Amyloodinium ocellatum) What You Need To Know: * Fast killing parasite capable of wiping out most of your fish in just a matter of days. Sometimes there are survivors, sometimes not. * Can be treated in a quarantine tank using Chloroquine phosphate or Copper. A 5...

www.reef2reef.com

Do you really think it is this bad? I have now noticed that my fire fish has white dots on him. Should I take him out to save my puffer? I dont have another tank so the best I could do for him is a puffer. Please let this be ich.

 

[Big G]

Can you post a pic of the fire fish? Here's a thread with pictures of the most common fish parasites and diseases so you can compare to your fish's condition:

Fish Disease Index - Pictorial Guide

Pictorial Guide to Marine Fish Diseases Use this guide to find a picture that most closely matches your fish's symptoms. Click the link, if available for more detailed information on the disease and how to treat it. Ich (Cryptocaryon Irritans) One of the most well-known parasites in the...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[DungSl1nger]

@Big G thank you for being on top of all these threads. As a new to reefing person it saves me a lot of time looking for the threads you post.

 

[RedJourney143]

Can you post a pic of the fire fish? Here's a thread with pictures of the most common fish parasites and diseases so you can compare to your fish's condition:

Fish Disease Index - Pictorial Guide

Pictorial Guide to Marine Fish Diseases Use this guide to find a picture that most closely matches your fish's symptoms. Click the link, if available for more detailed information on the disease and how to treat it. Ich (Cryptocaryon Irritans) One of the most well-known parasites in the...

www.reef2reef.com

It was almost impossible to see last night since he is white. Looking from his head to his rear you could see three-dimensional dots poking out from his body. However this morning(as far as I could tell) all of the dots were gone, which I have been told is part of the ich process. But does this mean he is healthier now or is he still vulnerable to stress and poor water parameters. I think I need to lower my nitrates ASAP.

 

[Big G]

From your description, sounds like the culprit is Ich. And you are probably seeing the cycle of the parasites. The spots are not the parasite; they are a mucous response to the insertion points from the parasite. The parasite had already dropped off to begin the cycle again. Here's a thread by Humblefish with the complete description and treatment advisory link.

Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans)

Marine Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans) What You Need To Know: * Mild fish parasite which is often managed by using a UV Sterilizer, Ozone, Diatom Filter, Oxydator, herbal remedies, enhanced nutrition, etc. etc. * Can be treated in a quarantine tank using Hyposalinity, Chloroquine, Copper or...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[RedJourney143]

From your description, sounds like the culprit is Ich. And you are probably seeing the cycle of the parasites. The spots are not the parasite; they are a mucous response to the insertion points from the parasite. The parasite had already dropped off to begin the cycle again. Here's a thread by Humblefish with the complete description and treatment advisory link.

Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans)

Marine Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans) What You Need To Know: * Mild fish parasite which is often managed by using a UV Sterilizer, Ozone, Diatom Filter, Oxydator, herbal remedies, enhanced nutrition, etc. etc. * Can be treated in a quarantine tank using Hyposalinity, Chloroquine, Copper or...

www.reef2reef.com

Hey man, thank you so much for the help, but I am still unsure if the culprit is Ich. Would Ich make the fire fish's and the Royal Gramma rear fin discolored. The discoloration is in the same spot too. Could the white spots be his scales peeling off? Could the fish just be having a reaction to the high nitrates? Again, thank you so much.
(I have performed a 40% water change and cleaned up my tank a lot since the issue began, the puffer and the firefish both seem happy but the firefish still twitches strangely.)

 

[Big G]

Fairly common for fish to develop bacterial infections due to the numerous insertion points of ich or velvet parasites. Check out the pictures of the fish in this thread.

Bacterial Infections

Why fish get bacterial infections What You Need To Know: * Infections can be caused by either Gram‐positive or Gram-negative bacteria. Gram-negative infections are typically more virulent, and more common in marine fish. * Bacterial infections are often "secondary" to a preexisting parasitic...

www.reef2reef.com