White scales on wrasse

[Miller Aquatic]

I have just noticed that my green bird wrasse has a weird white area that I don’t see any scales on. What could this be or is this normal? It is very hard to get a good pic of him.

 

[Miller Aquatic]

Unless brackish flukes

 

[Miller Aquatic]

I can try prazi pro too

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I can try prazi pro too

Brackish flukes are rare, and only get into aquariums through brackish water fishes that are rare in aquariums.

Given how good the wrasse looks, I’d just observe it for now, and not run prazi unless it gets worse, or other symptoms crop up.

 

[Miller Aquatic]

Brackish flukes are rare, and only get into aquariums through brackish water fishes that are rare in aquariums.

Given how good the wrasse looks, I’d just observe it for now, and not run prazi unless it gets worse, or other symptoms crop up.

So you think they are white flukes then?

 

[Miller Aquatic]

Brackish flukes are rare, and only get into aquariums through brackish water fishes that are rare in aquariums.

Given how good the wrasse looks, I’d just observe it for now, and not run prazi unless it gets worse, or other symptoms crop up.

Are there any other posibilities for diseases

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

So you think they are white flukes then?

No - I don’t think this is flukes. What are “white flukes”?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Are there any other posibilities for diseases

Sure - but not the common external parasites.

It could be a bacterial issue, but it still looks superficial to me.

 

[Miller Aquatic]

Ok I will observe him and if anything progresses or acts any different I will tap back in here. Could this be uronema

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Ok I will observe him and if anything progresses or acts any different I will tap back in here. Could this be uronema

Uronema grows under the skin, in the muscles. It then breaks through the skin like an angry red sore - this just doesn’t look like it to me.

 

[Miller Aquatic]

This morning I woke up and he was under the sand completely he has never done that before. I assumed he was dead but when I took my shower and came back he is up and looking like he always does. Is this weird behavior a sign of anything?

 

[Miller Aquatic]

All I could see was tail and nose

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

All I could see was tail and nose

I've never had a bird wrasse bury under the sand - they usually sleep in crevices or near the base of rocks. Could it have gotten frightened by something?

I think you can rule out Uronema, since that would have caused a severe infection/death by now.

 

[Miller Aquatic]

Yeah he normally sleeps in his cave. I don’t think he did . He is the biggest by a lot and is the boss of the tank id say. He isn’t aggresive with anyone and no one is aggressive with him .

 

[OrchidMiss]

@Slocke Has personal experience with bird wrasse and is extremely knowledgeable on wrasses in general.

 

[Miller Aquatic]

Does anyone have any idea what could have happend when I first got him he was a beautiful full Green. We’ve kinda ruled out a lot of the main diseases.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Does anyone have any idea what could have happend when I first got him he was a beautiful full Green. We’ve kinda ruled out a lot of the main diseases.

I think due to the time frame, you’ve also ruled out any acute disease - anything really serious would have progressed to death by now. That leaves some chronic condition.
Has it gotten worse?
Is the discoloration symmetrical?
Can you post new pictures?

 

[Miller Aquatic]

It’s gotten a little worse not a lot but a same type of patch on the top of head no it’s not symmetrical it’s random spots. I can try later to get pictures. He still has been going under the stand at night. Idk why but he’s still acting normal and eating. Does this rule out flukes/ would he still be alive if it was flukes? Will his original color come back?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

It’s gotten a little worse not a lot but a same type of patch on the top of head no it’s not symmetrical it’s random spots. I can try later to get pictures. He still has been going under the stand at night. Idk why but he’s still acting normal and eating. Does this rule out flukes/ would he still be alive if it was flukes? Will his original color come back?

Fish can live for long periods with flukes - years in some cases. In other cases, the flukes gain the upper hand and the fish can worsen and die in just a few weeks.
Sorry, I can’t say if the color will come back or not.

 

[Miller Aquatic]

Fish can live for long periods with flukes - years in some cases. In other cases, the flukes gain the upper hand and the fish can worsen and die in just a few weeks.
Sorry, I can’t say if the color will come back or not.

But because I did hyposalinity it can’t be flukes right? Unless the rare chance of brackish

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

But because I did hyposalinity it can’t be flukes right? Unless the rare chance of brackish

Correct, 30 days at 1.012 will eliminate the commonly seen gill flukes, skin flukes and Neobenedenia.