Tail spot blenny lethargic, heavy breathing, not eating

[reef2021]

Hi Everyone,

As stated in the title my tail spot has been lethargic/hiding, heavy breathing, and not eating for two days. His stomach looks caved in and generally he looks thin. Recently he’s been more aggressive to his tank makes but hasn’t been bullied. I’ve had him for almost a year.

I added two new fish to the tank in the last month are a pink streak and a biota mandarin.

Any suggestions on what could be happening would be very helpful.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi Everyone,

As stated in the title my tail spot has been lethargic/hiding, heavy breathing, and not eating for two days. His stomach looks caved in and generally he looks thin. Recently he’s been more aggressive to his tank makes but hasn’t been bullied. I’ve had him for almost a year.

I added two new fish to the tank in the last month are a pink streak and a biota mandarin.

Any suggestions on what could be happening would be very helpful.

As these are algae eaters , when the absence of algae occurs, it becomes hard to supplement them and thin is never good with this type of fish.
What foods have you offered?
What is current ammonia-nitrate-ph and salinity ?
What is age of tank?

 

[blaxsun]

As @vetteguy53081 pointed out, these types of fish are diehard algae eaters and can be hard to keep in smaller tanks when there isn't enough of a nutrition source available. I haven't had any success keeping similar fish in small tanks for the same reason. You may have some (limited) success with some green seaweed wrapped and rubberbanded to a small rock.

 

[reef2021]

As these are algae eaters , when the absence of algae occurs, it becomes hard to supplement them and thin is never good with this type of fish.
What foods have you offered?
What is current ammonia-nitrate-ph and salinity ?
What is age of tank?

He’s offered nls flakes and pellets (aways refused the algae pellets). I’ve offered nori with garlic to entice but I’ve never seen him eat it as well as mysis occasionally but it’s been about a month or so. He’s always been fat and happy until a few days ago.

ammonia: 0
Nitrate: 1.5 on 12/11
PH 8.21
Salinity: 1.026

Age of tank is about a year. I took my established tank 12/24/2021 and upgraded it at the end of 02/2022.

 

[vetteguy53081]

He’s offered nls flakes and pellets (aways refused the algae pellets). I’ve offered nori with garlic to entice but I’ve never seen him eat it as well as mysis occasionally but it’s been about a month or so. He’s always been fat and happy until a few days ago.

ammonia: 0
Nitrate: 1.5 on 12/11
PH 8.21
Salinity: 1.026

Age of tank is about a year. I took my established tank 12/24/2021 and upgraded it at the end of 02/2022.

Yeah, these are not flake and pellet feeders while they’ll take some occasionally
Feed LRS fish frenzy, nori algae sheets, marine cuisine, formula 2 frozen and small plankton which the other fish too will eat

 

[Uncle99]

Lethargic and not eating can be a symptom of parasite infection however I see no visible signs in the pic.
Keep a close watch. You recently added fish.

 

[Blake509]

He’s offered nls flakes and pellets (aways refused the algae pellets). I’ve offered nori with garlic to entice but I’ve never seen him eat it as well as mysis occasionally but it’s been about a month or so. He’s always been fat and happy until a few days ago.

ammonia: 0
Nitrate: 1.5 on 12/11
PH 8.21
Salinity: 1.026

Age of tank is about a year. I took my established tank 12/24/2021 and upgraded it at the end of 02/2022.

I just went through this with a new starry blenny and what got him eating was mysis with a little minced garlic juice mixed in like only a drop or 2 he hadn't touched any food up until I put that in and he went crazy for it then started eating anything completely changed how he was doing getting little food in him

 

[MnFish1]

Hi Everyone,

As stated in the title my tail spot has been lethargic/hiding, heavy breathing, and not eating for two days. His stomach looks caved in and generally he looks thin. Recently he’s been more aggressive to his tank makes but hasn’t been bullied. I’ve had him for almost a year.

I added two new fish to the tank in the last month are a pink streak and a biota mandarin.

Any suggestions on what could be happening would be very helpful.

If you have kept the fish for a year without a problem (and it's now thin) - there are 3 possibilities to me - 1. Lack of food causing thin-ness (i..e. the food is not enough). 2. Parasites 3. Something else.
Where could something else come from - a new addition. BUT - here is the key - unless your blenny is dying of old age - there is no reason for rapid breathing - except for parasites. whether Flukes, velvet, etc.

People sometimes shoot from the hip - without all the information required. IMHO - More information is required - because - that is a thin fish - and this didn't happen overnight.

 

[MnFish1]

I will state - every organism - from bacteria to human - will eat what they can - If provided algae - an algae eater will eat to survive. Etc, etc. The rapid breathing, etc - is not an algae problem - IMHO

 

[reef2021]

I will state - every organism - from bacteria to human - will eat what they can - If provided algae - an algae eater will eat to survive. Etc, etc. The rapid breathing, etc - is not an algae problem - IMHO

If you have kept the fish for a year without a problem (and it's now thin) - there are 3 possibilities to me - 1. Lack of food causing thin-ness (i..e. the food is not enough). 2. Parasites 3. Something else.
Where could something else come from - a new addition. BUT - here is the key - unless your blenny is dying of old age - there is no reason for rapid breathing - except for parasites. whether Flukes, velvet, etc.

People sometimes shoot from the hip - without all the information required. IMHO - More information is required - because - that is a thin fish - and this didn't happen overnight.

Thank you for your reply. It’s been a few days since I posted this and I’m starting to believe that my blenny is a female.
Turns out it, after researching, that her resp rate is normal for a blenny. Not only was her abdomen caved in but on closer inspection it appeared that her abdomen was swollen and it looked a little lumpy.
She’s now readily picking at the rocks/glass again, swimming around, and eating her pellets. Her upper abdomen (by her head) is no longer swollen and her lower abdomen is no longer concave. I firmly believe that she may have just had some eggs that she needed to release.