Unknown Neurological Wrasse Disease (UNWD)

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Interesting I’ve never dealt with swim bladder issues before. Are there any steps I can take to help this guy? From what I’ve read, UNWD and swim bladder issues are usually 100% fatal.

UNWD seems to be 100% fatal, but swim bladder issues are not always fatal, but symptoms may be permanent.

 

[Ross]

Would love to get some thoughts on this pink margin fairy wrasse. He came quarantined from a reputable online source. I kept him for a week in observation and he’s been in the display for a week now. Over the last couple days he’s holding himself in a vertical position more and more. Still has a strong feeding response.

Sadly I have to report this was UNWD, just caught at the very beginning. Over the last few days he went downhill quickly and died this morning.

 

[felda001]

Sadly I have to report this was UNWD, just caught at the very beginning. Over the last few days he went downhill quickly and died this morning.

Sorry to hear.

 

[One Reefing Boi]

Does this look like it??

It happened so quickly - like this morning perfectly fine and no issues than got home from work and found him like this.


Is it worth preserving and doing the biopsy lab you said in one of your earlier posts that was $600? I spent more than that trying to keep yellow/purple and yellow Cori’s alive over the years and this just always has ended up happening. Other wrasse so far don’t seem impacted in my system (yellow banded possum wrasse)

 

[Ross]

Unfortunately yes, that is exactly what mine looked like. Sorry.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Does this look like it??

It happened so quickly - like this morning perfectly fine and no issues than got home from work and found him like this.


Is it worth preserving and doing the biopsy lab you said in one of your earlier posts that was $600? I spent more than that trying to keep yellow/purple and yellow Cori’s alive over the years and this just always has ended up happening. Other wrasse so far don’t seem impacted in my system (yellow banded possum wrasse)

How long have you had this wrasse?
Can you see any damage around its mouth?
Is it still trying to eat today?

UNWD is tricky to diagnose in some cases. In this case, while yellow wrasse have been seen with it, it isn't all that common with that species. There is always the idea that sudden onset of symptoms can be due to a strike injury (thus the question about the condition of the fish's head/mouth). Finally, with UNWD, the fish will still try to eat.

Sending one of these out for histopath is costly, and really, it is best for the lab to receive the fish alive and let them do the workup - port mortem artifacts can mess with their results.

 

[One Reefing Boi]

How long have you had this wrasse?
Can you see any damage around its mouth?
Is it still trying to eat today?

UNWD is tricky to diagnose in some cases. In this case, while yellow wrasse have been seen with it, it isn't all that common with that species. There is always the idea that sudden onset of symptoms can be due to a strike injury (thus the question about the condition of the fish's head/mouth). Finally, with UNWD, the fish will still try to eat.

Sending one of these out for histopath is costly, and really, it is best for the lab to receive the fish alive and let them do the workup - port mortem artifacts can mess with their results.

I had the wrasse for 10 days at this point. And virtually zero damage to its body. No agression either by any other tank mates (2 pajama cardinals, rainfords goby, Firefish, and possum wrasse). Has been active, swimming, eating like a pig. And suddenly it just started happening. I have it in a breeder box still, and it is still about the same. Doesn’t seem to try to eat when I feed it, or if it does, it’s not able to eat.

Body, fins, nose - everything perfect. It seemed today that its belly/the white portion looked a bit more pinkish/red to it. Not sure if a stress response or something else, but gave it a dip in Hydroplex for 10 min according to instructions on bottle to try something. I’m not sure if it’s suffering and I should euthanize it or see if it can recover.

This is my 3rd Halichoeres wrasse I’ve lost over the years (tank is just shy of 5 years old). All have been perfect one day and then suddenly the next, either dead, missing, or this. I’m not sure if I’m just super unlucky or what… I sent out an ICP test to Triton to double check things are okay.

Part of me wonders if it is something in my sand at night that causes issues, I probably kiss the border on a DSB and wondering if hydrogen sulfide is causing issues, or some other *thing* in the sand. The possum wrasse is doing okay.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I had the wrasse for 10 days at this point. And virtually zero damage to its body. No agression either by any other tank mates (2 pajama cardinals, rainfords goby, Firefish, and possum wrasse). Has been active, swimming, eating like a pig. And suddenly it just started happening. I have it in a breeder box still, and it is still about the same. Doesn’t seem to try to eat when I feed it, or if it does, it’s not able to eat.

Body, fins, nose - everything perfect. It seemed today that its belly/the white portion looked a bit more pinkish/red to it. Not sure if a stress response or something else, but gave it a dip in Hydroplex for 10 min according to instructions on bottle to try something. I’m not sure if it’s suffering and I should euthanize it or see if it can recover.

This is my 3rd Halichoeres wrasse I’ve lost over the years (tank is just shy of 5 years old). All have been perfect one day and then suddenly the next, either dead, missing, or this. I’m not sure if I’m just super unlucky or what… I sent out an ICP test to Triton to double check things are okay.

Part of me wonders if it is something in my sand at night that causes issues, I probably kiss the border on a DSB and wondering if hydrogen sulfide is causing issues, or some other *thing* in the sand. The possum wrasse is doing okay.

I think you can rule out anything in the sand.

The best way to differentiate between UNWD and other issues is that feeding response. If you fish isn’t trying to eat, then I still wonder if something else is going on with this fish?

 

[tandanl86]

Long time follower, first time poster.
I believe I’m dealing with UNWD, and thought I would share my experience so far so it is documented. I may be dealing with 2 diseases, but my wrasses are the ones being affected. Sorry in advance for the long post. I have lost 5 wrasse now and currently have 3 sick. I feel it may present in different ways depending on the type of wrasse, and is especially potent in fairy wrasse.

The first incident I can recall was on a cleaner wrasse. It was a large cleaner wrasse that was in my tank for about a month. One day I noticed a very large sore on his side, like he had a bite taken out of him. Hear me out… I know that is not a symptom of this disease. I thought the wound would do the wrasse, but he was otherwise fine and it healed. Almost immediately after the wound completely closed, the wrasse started to show symptoms of UNWD. Curved body, trouble swimming, sinking to bottom. He stayed hidden in a hole most the time, but would come out to attempt to eat. It progressed over several days where I was finally able to catch him and euthanized. During this time I had a bicolor cleaner wrasse in QT and moved to the DT. About a week after euthanizing the first cleaner, this one started showing the same symptoms. I found his body a few days later in the tank.
Next my Scott’s fairy wrasse started to show symptoms of something. He didn’t have the difficulty swimming or curved body, but he was extremely lethargic and stayed hidden in his ‘hole’ (the nori nibbler) unless it was feeding. I tried, but couldn’t catch him, so I started dosing peroxide. He otherwise looked normal, and after about 3 weeks he was back to being active and out all the time.
After a few weeks of monitoring I ordered 2 fairy wrasses (raspberry and blue flanked) and began QT. One arrived seeming off, so it stayed in QT a bit longer than the other. The one added to the DT was fine for a couple weeks and then started showing symptoms of UNWD. I was able to catch and put back in qt. And added the other wrasse to the DT.
During this time my Solon fairy wrasse (existing resident, not new) started acting very lethargic and stayed in its cave. It disappeared and I found the body a few days later.
Also during this time my maintenance provider came and completed maintenance on both my DT and predator tanks.
Shortly after that, my harlequin tusk and Paddlefin wrasse started showing symptoms of lethargy and staying in their caves. However, I don’t think they were eating. I pulled both of them and put them in QT and started chloroquine phosphate (as a Hail Mary).
That brings us to current. The tusk and Paddlefin are in observation. They are eating and a little more active, but no where near the activity before becoming sick. With that I don’t know if the CP did anything or they are still just recovering like the Scott’s.
I noticed yesterday that the other new wrasse wasn’t out. I looked and didn’t see it, but found it today hiding in my tile fish’s cave when it was trying to grab some food. I have it in QT with CP, but it is laying at the bottom.

I no longer have any new wrasses in my tanks. The remaining ones have been residents for 6+ months and seem to be doing ok.
List of remaining wrasse in the DT:
Scott’s fairy (recovered)
Royal pencil
Blue star leopard
Pink streak

In the predator:
Dragon
Red corris

I also have added a Red Sea bicolor cleaner wrasse, before I realized I have some kind of wrasse ailment going on.

If you’re still with me thanks for reading. I mostly wanted to share my experience, but open to any questions or comments too.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Long time follower, first time poster.
I believe I’m dealing with UNWD, and thought I would share my experience so far so it is documented. I may be dealing with 2 diseases, but my wrasses are the ones being affected. Sorry in advance for the long post. I have lost 5 wrasse now and currently have 3 sick. I feel it may present in different ways depending on the type of wrasse, and is especially potent in fairy wrasse.

The first incident I can recall was on a cleaner wrasse. It was a large cleaner wrasse that was in my tank for about a month. One day I noticed a very large sore on his side, like he had a bite taken out of him. Hear me out… I know that is not a symptom of this disease. I thought the wound would do the wrasse, but he was otherwise fine and it healed. Almost immediately after the wound completely closed, the wrasse started to show symptoms of UNWD. Curved body, trouble swimming, sinking to bottom. He stayed hidden in a hole most the time, but would come out to attempt to eat. It progressed over several days where I was finally able to catch him and euthanized. During this time I had a bicolor cleaner wrasse in QT and moved to the DT. About a week after euthanizing the first cleaner, this one started showing the same symptoms. I found his body a few days later in the tank.
Next my Scott’s fairy wrasse started to show symptoms of something. He didn’t have the difficulty swimming or curved body, but he was extremely lethargic and stayed hidden in his ‘hole’ (the nori nibbler) unless it was feeding. I tried, but couldn’t catch him, so I started dosing peroxide. He otherwise looked normal, and after about 3 weeks he was back to being active and out all the time.
After a few weeks of monitoring I ordered 2 fairy wrasses (raspberry and blue flanked) and began QT. One arrived seeming off, so it stayed in QT a bit longer than the other. The one added to the DT was fine for a couple weeks and then started showing symptoms of UNWD. I was able to catch and put back in qt. And added the other wrasse to the DT.
During this time my Solon fairy wrasse (existing resident, not new) started acting very lethargic and stayed in its cave. It disappeared and I found the body a few days later.
Also during this time my maintenance provider came and completed maintenance on both my DT and predator tanks.
Shortly after that, my harlequin tusk and Paddlefin wrasse started showing symptoms of lethargy and staying in their caves. However, I don’t think they were eating. I pulled both of them and put them in QT and started chloroquine phosphate (as a Hail Mary).
That brings us to current. The tusk and Paddlefin are in observation. They are eating and a little more active, but no where near the activity before becoming sick. With that I don’t know if the CP did anything or they are still just recovering like the Scott’s.
I noticed yesterday that the other new wrasse wasn’t out. I looked and didn’t see it, but found it today hiding in my tile fish’s cave when it was trying to grab some food. I have it in QT with CP, but it is laying at the bottom.

I no longer have any new wrasses in my tanks. The remaining ones have been residents for 6+ months and seem to be doing ok.
List of remaining wrasse in the DT:
Scott’s fairy (recovered)
Royal pencil
Blue star leopard
Pink streak

In the predator:
Dragon
Red corris

I also have added a Red Sea bicolor cleaner wrasse, before I realized I have some kind of wrasse ailment going on.

If you’re still with me thanks for reading. I mostly wanted to share my experience, but open to any questions or comments too.

Hi,

I suspect you have multiple issues going on here. There are a couple of clues in your post that don't seem to point to UNWD; I've not had any reports of this in cleaner wrasse (maybe the sample size is too small though). Also, there are few reports of this showing up in captive wrasses that have been in a tank longer than perhaps 40 days or so. Finally, despite a lot of looking for this, I've not been able to show that it is very contagious, if at all. I have one report of a group of fairy wrasses that had a majority of fish contract it, but they were all new imports, brought in from the same dealer and the same time.

So - I think you are seeing a mix of some UNWD, but against a background of some other issue. Now, what that might be, I don't have enough to go on really. I presume there are other non-wrasse fish in these tanks? None of them were lost? If so, then you can usually rule out flukes and other external parasites. Diseases that are more host-specific include viruses and some odd organisms like Microsporidians. Neither of those have any real treatment other than supportive therapy.

Jay

 

[Ricox]

Hey sorry to start this thread again but I was quite sure that my yellow Coris wrasse contracted the disease, not properly swimming with tail sometimes upright and uncontrollable but still trying to feed spending a lot of time just lying on the sandbed. However, I became hopeful for my wrasse as despite its disease actually managed to grab a few pieces of frozen brine as it swam around in feeding just but constantly biting. After this it's condition seemed to improve and regained its ability to swim as well as fully burying itself at night but it's dexterity in grabbing food was still limited. However, over the past few days it has become even more lethargic and once again sticking pitifully upright in the sand at night and no longer has any luck getting food. I have also just added a ruby longfin fairy wrasse that I love and hoping doesn't contract the disease. Just wondering if anyone has any opinions on the best option for me? Whether I should euthanize and if so how to safeguard my new fairy wrasse or keep trying to get it to eat. It still can swim well when not lying on the sand. Thanks for the help any response is much appreciated!

Also should mention that it had been in my tank a couple months before I noticed the disease eating everything it could swallow from clam, frozen and pellets.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hey sorry to start this thread again but I was quite sure that my yellow Coris wrasse contracted the disease, not properly swimming with tail sometimes upright and uncontrollable but still trying to feed spending a lot of time just lying on the sandbed. However, I became hopeful for my wrasse as despite its disease actually managed to grab a few pieces of frozen brine as it swam around in feeding just but constantly biting. After this it's condition seemed to improve and regained its ability to swim as well as fully burying itself at night but it's dexterity in grabbing food was still limited. However, over the past few days it has become even more lethargic and once again sticking pitifully upright in the sand at night and no longer has any luck getting food. I have also just added a ruby longfin fairy wrasse that I love and hoping doesn't contract the disease. Just wondering if anyone has any opinions on the best option for me? Whether I should euthanize and if so how to safeguard my new fairy wrasse or keep trying to get it to eat. It still can swim well when not lying on the sand. Thanks for the help any response is much appreciated!

Also should mention that it had been in my tank a couple months before I noticed the disease eating everything it could swallow from clam, frozen and pellets.

There have not been any/many cases of one fish definitively injecting a second fish from a different batch of fish.

If the yellow wrasse is no longer getting any food, you might consider euthanasia:

Fish Euthanasia

Euthanasia Euthanasia is a word derived from two Greek words that roughly translates to “good death”. In other words, euthanasia is the painless killing of an organism. In general usage, there is also the underlying understanding that euthanasia is performed on terminal patients only. This...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[eecummins]

this is an interesting theory, but are there any studies to back it up?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

this is an interesting theory, but are there any studies to back it up?

What theory? There are only various hypothesis for causes at this point.

I worked with one veterinary service that was able to rule out one type of virus as a cause.

There is another public aquarium that is working on a case, but they haven’t published yet.

 

[eecummins]

the theory that the symptoms are neurological in nature

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

the theory that the symptoms are neurological in nature

Not sure how it could be considered anything else. The fish still trying to feed is key in differentiating this issue from other cases where a fish is moribund (those won’t try to feed).

 

[Ricox]

There have not been any/many cases of one fish definitively injecting a second fish from a different batch of fish.

If the yellow wrasse is no longer getting any food, you might consider euthanasia:

Fish Euthanasia

Euthanasia Euthanasia is a word derived from two Greek words that roughly translates to “good death”. In other words, euthanasia is the painless killing of an organism. In general usage, there is also the underlying understanding that euthanasia is performed on terminal patients only. This...

www.reef2reef.com

Thanks for the help, I didn't have clove oil so considered tea tree however the next day it had passed. Could not being myself to crush/kill it with a knife myself. Very sad and painful experience though but it is now part of my bta.