Severe Looking Mark and Growth on Royal Gramma's Face

nautical_nathaniel · Feb 17, 2018

My Royal Gramma has a pretty severe looking mark on it's face. It started out as a dark grey looking scar and gradually turned whitish yesterday. Today it almost looks like there are tiny growths inside the cut or mark. Poor fella is scratching like crazy on the sand so I almost feel like the growths are actually sand grains. Anything I can do for the little guy?

P-Dub · Feb 17, 2018

Can you post a short, high-resolution macro video of the guy? Might help see what is going on better....

Humblefish · Feb 17, 2018

Can you pull him out and QT?

Whatever the underlying reason is, I'm pretty sure that is getting infected.

nautical_nathaniel · Feb 17, 2018

Humblefish said:
Can you pull him out and QT?

Whatever the underlying reason is, I'm pretty sure that is getting infected.

I'd have to tear the whole tank apart and my girlfriend is using my QT tank for something currently.

I'm currently feeding him some LRS reef frenzy soaked in Selcon in an attempt to keep his immune system in good shape, still eating like a champ despite the issue with his face.

Humblefish · Feb 17, 2018

nautical_nathaniel said:
I'd have to tear the whole tank apart and my girlfriend is using my QT tank for something currently.

I'm currently feeding him some LRS reef frenzy soaked in Selcon in an attempt to keep his immune system in good shape, still eating like a champ despite the issue with his face.

In addition to what you are doing, I would soak Kanaplex in his food. Also use Seachem Focus to bind it.

nautical_nathaniel · Feb 17, 2018

Humblefish said:
In addition to what you are doing, I would soak Kanaplex in his food. Also use Seachem Focus to bind it.

Thanks for the advice, I'll get on that ASAP

nautical_nathaniel · Feb 17, 2018

@Humblefish, managed to find the Kanaplex but no luck on the Focus. I've got LRS Reef Frenzy, Chopped Squid, PE Mysis Flakes, and some other flakes. Which food would be best without the Focus?

melypr1985 · Feb 17, 2018

nautical_nathaniel said:
@Humblefish, managed to find the Kanaplex but no luck on the Focus. I've got LRS Reef Frenzy, Chopped Squid, PE Mysis Flakes, and some other flakes. Which food would be best without the Focus?

The focus binds the kanaplex to the food and makes it reef safe. Without that you run the risk of the kanaplex leaching out of the food into the water to play havoc with your inverts/corals. The alternative is a QT, and I get that catching him will be a pain.

nautical_nathaniel · Feb 17, 2018

melypr1985 said:
The focus binds the kanaplex to the food and makes it reef safe. Without that you run the risk of the kanaplex leaching out of the food into the water to play havoc with your inverts/corals. The alternative is a QT, and I get that catching him will be a pain.

Thanks for the info. I may try to trap him tomorrow. His hiding hole is the biggest rock in my tank so there's no easy way to get him out. If the mark is bigger tommorow or he stops eating I will break down the rock and get him into a QT tank of some sort.

nautical_nathaniel · Feb 17, 2018

@Humblefish @melypr1985 how similar to Seachem focus is Acurel Asorptol?

melypr1985 · Feb 17, 2018

nautical_nathaniel said:
@Humblefish @melypr1985 how similar to Seachem focus is Acurel Asorptol?

The only thing I was able to find with a quick google search (and I mean the ONLY thing) says that it is a water clarifier or conditioner. Not a binder.

nautical_nathaniel · Feb 17, 2018

melypr1985 said:
The only thing I was able to find with a quick google search (and I mean the ONLY thing) says that it is a water clarifier or conditioner. Not a binder.

I wasn't able to find anything on it while at the store but the packaging states that it is for increased effectiveness of medicine and vitamin addatives, sort of a similar claim to Seachem focus. The packaging looked old so I decided not to bring it home, it only cost like $4 or something at a Chain store known for inflated prices.

melypr1985 · Feb 17, 2018

nautical_nathaniel said:
I wasn't able to find anything on it while at the store but the packaging states that it is for increased effectiveness of medicine and vitamin addatives, sort of a similar claim to Seachem focus. The packaging looked old so I decided not to bring it home, it only cost like $4 or something at a Chain store known for inflated prices.

Hmmm. We should probably wait for humble on this one. He's more familiar with some of these weirder things.

Humblefish · Feb 18, 2018

Unfortunately, I have no experience with Acurel Asorptol. Sorry

nautical_nathaniel · Feb 18, 2018

Humblefish said:
Unfortunately, I have no experience with Acurel Asorptol. Sorry

It's at Petland in Pensacola if you want some experience

Humblefish · Feb 18, 2018

nautical_nathaniel said:
It's at Petland in Pensacola if you want some experience

I’ve only been to the one in Ft Walton. Looks like a great place to get some diseased fish to experiment on.

Humblefish · Feb 18, 2018

Have you tried SB Reefs? They might carry Focus.

nautical_nathaniel · Feb 18, 2018

Humblefish said:
I’ve only been to the one in Ft Walton. Looks like a great place to get some diseased fish to experiment on.

I guarantee it! Learned too many lessons with their fish and corals.

nautical_nathaniel · Feb 18, 2018

Update: Tore the tank apart and got the little fella out. Said some choice words a few times. He's now in an old Betta Aquarium (3.5 gallons, I believe) with some cycled liverock. Currently waiting on the poor guy to settle down before trying some Kanaplex soaked food. The marks on his head have grown some more and his eratic scratching has eroded a but more skin around his nose and eye

nautical_nathaniel · Feb 23, 2018

Update: I had to put the poor little guy down last night, I couldn't take watching him suffer anymore. The fungal/bacterial infection/growth was eating into his skull and had completely eaten off his upper jaw and nose. There was no tissue at all between his eyes. He had not eaten anything since Monday so I started adding kanaplex to the water as the instructions stated. I did manage to get some Focus in but it was too late since he wouldn't eat the treated food.

Hopefully whatever this stuff was sticks with the one fish, all of my other fish look completely fine. I will keep a close eye on them and immediately QT them if anything out the ordinary pops up.