sketchy miniatus grouper

[lion king]

I've never kept a grouper before, so I am a little frustrated. About a 6" miniatus went in a 90g observation tank alone 4 weeks ago. The water conditions are good and while he had been coming around, his appetite waned over the last couple of days, and he did not eat today. He had been eating chunks of shrimp, silversides and squid. He has been a very shy fish, very jumpy and always hiding when someone comes in the room. 2nd and 3rd week he started to come and take the chunks of food, then retreat in the rocks after each chunk. He did get a treatment of general cure.

His coloring goes from normal to the faded striped look I see on some groupers, likely a stress reaction. His eyes look clear, breathing normal and no signs of spots, lesions, or injury of any kind. He tends to lay on the bottom, I've seen groupers do this, so this may be normal. He is suppose to go into the dt tomorrow but I am concerned just in case there is a disease waiting to surface. I am also wondering if he would benefit from being with other fish, like some others.

Overall I am not real thrilled with this fish. Given his size and he is in a 90g he should be comfortable, but he is just a very sketchy fish. So should I give it more time in observation or risk the dt to see if it brings him out of his shell.

 

[RedFrog211]

Honestly, this just sounds like a nervous fish. I’m no expert, so please take this with a grain of salt; but if there are no other implications that something may be wrong, I’d add him. If he’s eating, swimming and breathing fine, then I see no reason not to. I think he’s just scared my female clown falls on her side and breathes heavily any time she’s stressed (drip acclimating, moving from QT to DT, etc) shes probably given me 3 minor heart attacks. She’s completely healthy and beautifully colored, she just doesn’t handle stress well! Haha

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I've never kept a grouper before, so I am a little frustrated. About a 6" miniatus went in a 90g observation tank alone 4 weeks ago. The water conditions are good and while he had been coming around, his appetite waned over the last couple of days, and he did not eat today. He had been eating chunks of shrimp, silversides and squid. He has been a very shy fish, very jumpy and always hiding when someone comes in the room. 2nd and 3rd week he started to come and take the chunks of food, then retreat in the rocks after each chunk. He did get a treatment of general cure.

His coloring goes from normal to the faded striped look I see on some groupers, likely a stress reaction. His eyes look clear, breathing normal and no signs of spots, lesions, or injury of any kind. He tends to lay on the bottom, I've seen groupers do this, so this may be normal. He is suppose to go into the dt tomorrow but I am concerned just in case there is a disease waiting to surface. I am also wondering if he would benefit from being with other fish, like some others.

Overall I am not real thrilled with this fish. Given his size and he is in a 90g he should be comfortable, but he is just a very sketchy fish. So should I give it more time in observation or risk the dt to see if it brings him out of his shell.

As you know, miniatus are very shy. They carry their fright coloration a lot. Have you dosed it with copper? I wouldn’t move it to your DT until you’ve done that and then give it a FW dip to screen for flukes.
Jay

 

[piranhaman00]

Im a big proponent of having tank mates bring out the best in shy fish. Ive done it in freshwater with skittish peacock bass and currently with a red breasted wrasse. Alone they were skittish but when added to a display with others they perked up. Good luck.

 

[lion king]

Im a big proponent of having tank mates bring out the best in shy fish. Ive done it in freshwater with skittish peacock bass and currently with a red breasted wrasse. Alone they were skittish but when added to a display with others they perked up. Good luck.

I've had this experience as well, that's why I'm thinking this may be the case here.

As you know, miniatus are very shy. They carry their fright coloration a lot. Have you dosed it with copper? I wouldn’t move it to your DT until you’ve done that and then give it a FW dip to screen for flukes.
Jay

I don't do prophylactic copper treatment, copper is such a bad deal I find more harm than good unless you are treating a diagnosed disease. So question is, "is 4 weeks long enough in observation?'.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I've had this experience as well, that's why I'm thinking this may be the case here.



I don't do prophylactic copper treatment, copper is such a bad deal I find more harm than good unless you are treating a diagnosed disease. So question is, "is 4 weeks long enough in observation?'.

Well, we have a major disagreement there, I’ve used copper quarantines for 40+ years, and never had any major issues...I wouldn’t have any frame of reference for you for observational quarantine, even the 76 day fallow period won’t work because there are fish present in the system. It is possible for Cryptocaryon to be sub-acute in the QT fish for a very long time. Then, the simple act of moving the fish to the DT can cause it to break...often starting with the fish in the DT, since the ones in the QT have acquired some immunity.

Jay

 

[lion king]

I dosed prazi pro and his color is better and he is eating again. I initially dosed gc after having him a week and his color faded and appetite waned. I commonly see internal parasites and thought that's what it was, a day or 2 later he was fine. I dosed gc twice 2 days apart. I did a water change and added a poly filter like 3 days after 2nd dose of gc. His faded coloring and poor appetite returned a little over a week after removal of gc. Gc does contain Praziquantel and is used to treat flukes, but I'm thinking some eggs must have hatched and re-infected. He started hanging on top of the circulation popwer head and would do a couple of skips across the bottom, I'm thing his gills miust have been bugging him. He started eating ahgain the day after prazi dose, and 2 days after

Rather than introducing him into the dt, I gave him a friend and dosed the pp. I had been waiting for my friend to come through with an Indian black trigger, so I had to take him when he came in, I was hoping the miniatus would be ready for the dt before he came in. It actually has brought him out a bit, and they are sleeping in the same cave, I'll likely follow up with the metro mixed into the trigger's food, just in case of parasites.