thick slime coat

featherblue · Mar 10, 2018

fairy wrasse has been in QT for 3 days. still super shy, only active when fed. Picking at pellets, and potions of rods food. This morning I noticed it's slime coat seems really thick, and it's kinda gasping. Gasping may be stress, it's still hiding constantly. I moved the air stone from the back compartment to the display (using an old biocube as qt). no detected ammonia (tested this morning, and a ammo alert on tank), but I added a dose of prime just case. No meds in tank currently, just observing.

do I treat? With what?

EmdeReef · Mar 10, 2018

Can you post a pic? It could be brooklynella or something bacterial. Check the thread below and see if it seems like that

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/brooklynella.247938/

Big G · Mar 10, 2018

Turn the lights off on the tank. Increase the O2 as much as possible. Just use the ambient light in the room. Are there plants or pieces of PVC fittings in the tank for the fish to hide and feel secure?

featherblue · Mar 10, 2018

qt is kinda dark, so pics have been awful, but I'll post what I've got
no sign of skin slouching, no visible slime like the article. I noticed it because of how much sand sprinkles stuck to her when she swam out of her corner (there's a sand bowl for the corris wrasse, both were in the same tank at the lfs).

featherblue · Mar 10, 2018

does anyone have a pic of their wrasse just waking up? The more reading I'm doing on blue headed fairy wrasse, I discovered they sleep in a mucus cocoon in the rockwork. I'm wondering if what i saw could have been it's normal sleeping cocoon, with a sand coating from his messy neighbor

HotRocks · Mar 10, 2018

Wrasse are very different. Also did you order from an online seller? I have specific wrasse that come from LA California facility, that have come with major jet lag. Takes them a week or two to get acclimated to my light cycle. I would go down in the morning after lights had been on for at least an hr fearing they were dead because they were still in cocoon, to my dismay they were not! I'd get home from work and completely lively. I don't keep any sand in my QT. So they are just laying on bottom of tank or in a piece of pvc. That is my experience, if I were you I would give it some more time and see what happens (if you are only wanting to treat if something is present). I treat all fish that I get with copper and prazi as a preventative, and just assume they have been exposed to parasites. Cheers! Good luck!

featherblue · Mar 11, 2018

This guy came from my LFS, with 2 other fish from the same system (a clown goby and a yellow coris wrasse). the sand is in there for the corris wrasse.
My qt goal is to give everyone a week to just settle in QT, get happy eating, the do some preventative treatment before going into their new homes. Pretty new to the whole QT process, went with the acclimate to display and hope method for years. Got super lucky with it til recently, uronema is quick n vicious. thankfully it seems to have run it's course.
I've read copper and wrasse don't mix well, is there a safe way? a good alternative?

Deinonych · Mar 11, 2018

Fairy wrasses do sleep in a mucous cocoon at night. Do you have any PVC in the tank for the wrasse to hide in? They will get pretty stressed if they have to sleep out in the open, as it appears yours is doing.

I would not start throwing meds in the tank unless you know what you are treating.