Sick Fish, Almost no signs.

[Edward Watts]

I have a Indonesion Harliquin Tusk, and he started to lay at the bottom. I saw no signs of disease. I had thought maybe the trigger was chasing him. But then hes stopped eating, lying around all the time. Hes breathing rather quickly. Cant really see into his gill area. The only thing I see is his left eye seams cloudy and slightly enlarged , just a hair and when he does come up top for a swim he swims sideways, like he cant see out of that 1 eye. No slyme, No white dots or cotton.

Hes in a QT by himself, no substrate, just large plumbing pipe for him to hide in

Whisper over the rim filter

Ph 8.1
Ammonia 0
Nitrite o
Nitrate 5.0
Salinity 1.024
Temp 78

 

[Humblefish]

How long have you had him? Are you treating with any meds? The cloudy eye could be flukes or a bacterial infection starting up. The rapid breathing could mean something - flukes or parasites - are afflicting the gills.

 

[Edward Watts]

How long have you had him? Are you treating with any meds? The cloudy eye could be flukes or a bacterial infection starting up. The rapid breathing could mean something - flukes or parasites - are afflicting the gills.

Had him 3-4 months...Any idea how to treat ? With what? I have CP, Furan 2,E.M. Erythromycin,Kanaplex,Neoplex,Cupramine ...Anything different I will have to get tomorrow. I live rurally so if its nit available locally I will order it, hoping to get it quick enough.

 

[melypr1985]

It's not good. I would usually advise and freshwater dip to clear the gills of whatever parasites or worms are in there (at least enough to buy some time). From the little experience I have with Tusks though, once they stop eating it's tuff to get them back. Its always worth trying though!
So I would try the freshwater dip in a dark bucket (temp and ph matched with lots of air bubbles) 5 mins max! You should see the flukes turn whiteish and fall off if they are present. I always use this as a first step so you know which direction to go in treatment... plus its Free!!

 

[Edward Watts]

It's not good. I would usually advise and freshwater dip to clear the gills of whatever parasites or worms are in there (at least enough to buy some time). From the little experience I have with Tusks though, once they stop eating it's tuff to get them back. Its always worth trying though!
So I would try the freshwater dip in a dark bucket (temp and ph matched with lots of air bubbles) 5 mins max! You should see the flukes turn whiteish and fall off if they are present. I always use this as a first step so you know which direction to go in treatment... plus its Free!!

ok. I am going to go do it now. Thanks very much so far.

 

[Humblefish]

^^Agree. FW dip would be my first step in trying to determine what's wrong.

Freshwater Dip: Provides temporary relief for Brooklynella, Flukes, Marine Velvet disease (Amyloodinium); possibly even Ich & Uronema marinum (both unproven). Can be used to confirm the presence of Flukes.

How To Treat - Fill a bucket with RODI water, and use a heater to match the temperature to the water the fish is coming from. Aerate the water heavily for at least 30 minutes prior to doing the dip, then discontinue aeration while performing the dip. Fish aren’t overly pH sensitive for short durations like this, but you can squirt a little tank water into the dip just before the fish goes in to help bring it up.

Place the fish in the freshwater (FW) dip and observe closely. It is not unusual for them to freak out a little at first. Also, tangs are notorious for “playing dead” during a FW dip. The important thing is to watch their gills; they should be breathing heavily at all times during the dip. If breathing slows, it’s time to exit the dip. Dip the fish for no longer than 5 minutes. Multiple dips may be done, but it’s important to give your fish a day to recuperate in-between dips.

For flukes, use a dark (preferably black) bucket so you can see if tiny white worms fall out of the fish (especially out of the gills) at around the 3-4 minute mark. The worms will settle to the bottom, so you can use a flashlight to look for them there as well.

Pros - Provides temporary relief for a wide range of diseases in a chemical free environment. Can “buy you more time” until a proper treatment can be done.

Cons/Side Effects - Not a permanent “fix” for any disease, as FW dips are not potent enough to eradicate all of the parasites/worms afflicting the fish. Some fish can have an adverse reaction to a FW dip by appearing unable to maintain their equilibrium once returned to the aquarium. If this happens, hold the fish upright (using latex, nitrile or rubber gloves), and gently glide him through the water (to get saltwater flowing through the gills again). It is also a good idea to place the fish in an acclimation box until he appears “normal”.

 

[Edward Watts]

ok. I am going to go do it now. Thanks very much so far.

I Placed him in a fresh water for 4 minutes. Did not have a dark bucket. I really didn't see anything dropping off him turning white. There was stuff in the water I think from the net that we got him with. How big would they be. I used a clear fish holder the largest I had. Nothing that we could see came off of him.

I do remember 1 thing. 2 weeks ago, my daughter left 1 side of the top open he jumped onto the other glass top and I scooped him back into the tank. Could that have harmed him?

And now what would be the next step.

 

[melypr1985]

I wouldn't think that jumping on TOP of the glass lid would hurt him too much, though it could have. These are such small creatures and it's difficult to tell how much damage they can take.

The flukes will turn opaque and fall off. They are pretty small, but visible with the naked eye. If you didn't see anything fall off of him, or out of the gills, then I would lean more towards a parasite being in the gills. It's blocking up the gills with excess mucus caused by the parasites in there, which is making it difficult for him to breathe. I wouldn't want to eat or get out of bed if that was happening to me.

If you can get a hold of Chloroquine Phosphate that's ideal (treats a LOT of diseases) but if not, then copper might be the way to go here. CP requires a perscription from a vet and not all of them are willing to give that out without seeing the fish IN PERSON.... which is crazy, but I get it since it's a controlled substance. I'd like to know what @Humblefish thinks here. I have little experience with Tusks and know they can be sensitive and finicky.... so maybe he has a better idea.

I'd really like to see a picture if you can get a good clear one of him.

 

[Edward Watts]

I wouldn't think that jumping on TOP of the glass lid would hurt him too much, though it could have. These are such small creatures and it's difficult to tell how much damage they can take.

The flukes will turn opaque and fall off. They are pretty small, but visible with the naked eye. If you didn't see anything fall off of him, or out of the gills, then I would lean more towards a parasite being in the gills. It's blocking up the gills with excess mucus caused by the parasites in there, which is making it difficult for him to breathe. I wouldn't want to eat or get out of bed if that was happening to me.

If you can get a hold of Chloroquine Phosphate that's ideal (treats a LOT of diseases) but if not, then copper might be the way to go here. CP requires a perscription from a vet and not all of them are willing to give that out without seeing the fish IN PERSON.... which is crazy, but I get it since it's a controlled substance. I'd like to know what @Humblefish thinks here. I have little experience with Tusks and know they can be sensitive and finicky.... so maybe he has a better idea.

I'd really like to see a picture if you can get a good clear one of him.

I have CP and used it for a couple of things. It worked when nothing else did. I just didn't know if I should use it now. Before we had ick and Brooklynella. Not much helped until I got CP.

Let me know what you think. Again I have CP ...

 

[melypr1985]

I have CP and used it for a couple of things. It worked when nothing else did. I just didn't know if I should use it now. Before we had ick and Brooklynella. Not much helped until I got CP.

Let me know what you think. Again I have CP ...

That's great!! I would go with the CP then since it's pretty gentle on the fish and covers a lot of different scenarios. I'm still curious to see if humble has another idea in his genius head though. If you had seen something from the FW dip I would have said prazi/metro to deworm... but that's not the case now.

 

[Edward Watts]

That's great!! I would go with the CP then since it's pretty gentle on the fish and covers a lot of different scenarios. I'm still curious to see if humble has another idea in his genius head though. If you had seen something from the FW dip I would have said prazi/metro to deworm... but that's not the case now.

I treated as I was instructed when I purchased the CP. I really hope I can save this little guy.

I thank you all for the help advice and expertise that you shared with me.

 

[Humblefish]

If he got hurt when he jumped out, there shouldn't have been a 2 week delayed reaction. CP is probably your best bet right now - it doesn't have nasty side effects like copper, so at the very least it won't hurt anything. I would also add Erythromycin, Kanaplex or Furan-2 to deal with the eye infection.

I've only owned one tusk, so I can't say I'm entirely familiar with their behavior. I would also post this in the Predatory Fish Discussion forum just in case: https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/predatory-fish-discussion.772/

 

[Edward Watts]

If he got hurt when he jumped out, there shouldn't have been a 2 week delayed reaction. CP is probably your best bet right now - it doesn't have nasty side effects like copper, so at the very least it won't hurt anything. I would also add Erythromycin, Kanaplex or Furan-2 to deal with the eye infection.

I've only owned one tusk, so I can't say I'm entirely familiar with their behavior. I would also post this in the Predatory Fish Discussion forum just in case: https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/predatory-fish-discussion.772/

My Tusk died . I treated him as I stated I was going to. I think he was just too weak and too far along. I wanted to thank you for your time patients. Again, Thanks

 

[melypr1985]

My Tusk died . I treated him as I stated I was going to. I think he was just too weak and too far along. I wanted to thank you for your time patients. Again, Thanks

I'm so sorry to hear this.

 

[Humblefish]

My Tusk died . I treated him as I stated I was going to. I think he was just too weak and too far along. I wanted to thank you for your time patients. Again, Thanks