Help! I have no idea what is wrong with my fish!

tkh

tkh

New member
Any (urgent) help would be appreciated here!

My radiant wrasse has been in my QT tank for 6 days. For the first 4 he swam about and looked great. Yesterday he was simply sleeping all day (or until after I'd left for work and went to sleep again before I'd returned), which I found odd, but not terribly so. This morning he looked pretty bad, but still had his colors. His mouth was open, his eyes appeared to be slightly enlarged (maybe), and he didn't seem interested in much food, although he did eat some. He stayed on the bottom of the tank for the most part, until I did a 25% water change, at which point he went to hide in a pvc pipe.

This evening I just got home, and he's just laying on the bottom - I'd thought he died, but he moved when I touched him, and he is breathing still. His colors are completely washed out, and he looks like he's about a goner :(. I'm rather upset, but I honestly have no idea what is wrong! My parameters;
Salinity: 35ppt
Ammonia: Not detectable (API test kit)
Nitrite: Not detectable (API test kit)
Nitrate: Not detectable (API test kit)
pH: 8.2

So far in the QT process I have not treated him for anything, as I wanted to just observe him first, so the tank has no medication in there as of now.

What can I do for him? Should I put him in the main tank - would that be better? (I have no fish in there, just emeralds, and shrimp). Or my sump? I'm just paranoid that something I do not test for in the water is killing him, and I do so want to save him! Any help would be very much appreciated! (Oh, the two white spots are not spots, but sand on the glass...)
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what's is your salinity? is your water oxygenated enough? do you have a powerhead or an air stone ? he felt better after WC I would suspect a lack of oxygen. Also invest in better kits than API, I don't trust them at all. I never quarantined wrasses, but I would put a small plastic container filled with sand so he can sleep in it, will make him a lot more comfortable IMO.
 
Dont put him in dt. He may have something. Most likely a gonner drom looks of pic . But changing tanks will be nail in coffen .sorry
 
Just an update - thank you very much to everyone who helped out in chat!! I guess I did not realize the picture did not also show the white "poo"/IP that he is trying to pass, and so the current advice has been to dose prazi and hope for the best.

With regards to the setup, QT is a 20g, bare bottom, plenty of PVC hiding spots, cup of sand for him to sleep in, 2 hang on the back filters, an airstone in the middle, and a small PH off to the side (currently switched off, as he did not seem to enjoy the current in the morning). He does look kind of semi-bloated, so hopefully it is only this IP, and hopefully he is still healthy enough to fight it off... I know, a lot of hopes, but, I suppose that's all I can do for now.

The tank will be dark, and stay that way for a day at least. Hopefully he comes to... thanks again everyone - gotta say its a great community we have here!
 
Yer welcome tkh. Remember, in situations like this stress is the "nail in the coffin" as MadJoe said. No drastic changes, keep lights off, and medicate as instructed. That's yer best chance at saving him.
 
Definitly use that meli blue crap too prazi takes three days to work min. If dicolored ans breathing heavyvthe meli blue with provide slime coat and hwlp with breathing hopwfully buying u enough time to get prazi working. Good luck
 
Checked in on the little guy today, and he didn't make it through the night. (I did add Methylene Blue too Joe! Guess not enough :() I knew he looked pretty far gone last night, but thank you all for helping me at least figure out one of the problems he was suffering from, and letting me at least feel like I tried to help him. I wish I could stop killing fish in my QT, I feel pretty terrible right now.

Any ideas on how I could have not killed him? I've read up on IPs, but honestly he looked happy, swam about, and seemed completely normal to my inexperienced eye at least, then one day stays buried, and the next looks bad, and dies overnight.
 
As long as you're keeping the QT temp, salinity, and ammonia in check and stable you're fine. It could just be the fish or how you're acclimating them to the QT. Personally, I begin a treatment regimen the second day I have a fish in quarantine. Since starting a quarantine tank I've successfully treated and introduced 9 fish into my DT without a single loss. I've also QT'd/treated fish for other reefers successfully. If you're interested I'll give you my parameters and medication protocol. Keep your head up, you'll get there.
 
Sorry for your loss. This has happened to me before. Sometimes you do everything right and a fish still dies.
 
Imo qt without meds is useless. Most diseases show no signs or very little signs until its to late. Ip can be in a fish for months and months before u notice something wrong. If u loseing that many fish in qt and u possitive u qt parameters r good maybe u have a parasite in there because u didnt treat last fish. I always have copper in my qt at all times i alway have quick cure on hand also which is that meli blue crap. U did nothing wrong in treatment last night. When i saw first pic i knew he was gonner. But was worth a shot. Maybe switch lfs too if u keep loseing fish. I never acclimate a fish thats just me i chuck em right into qt and when done i chuck em into dt. Sonetimes im bad and skip qt but got bit in butt fewvtimes by that. Good luck man and sorry for u lose. Remember for next time white poop equals bad things. Or just carry prazi and mixvfood in it as a precation to every fish
 
Thanks for all of the support and tips guys! I had a strong feeling he was a goner too - I had to try something though. Wish he'd made it.

As for how many have died in my QT.. well, just this guy and the last round of fish (which died due to ammonia poisoning, as my initial filtration was nowhere near enough, and I had purchased too many for the qt (4 at once! :().

I guess it just always sucks losing such a beautiful creature, and given that they rely 100% on us for care, I feel pretty bad for them. I'll try again, but I'll likely not try for a bit. I'll do a 100% WC and then let it sit for a while before doing another 100% and trying again.

In the meantime, I have a new coral/invert only tank to focus on setting up, and I'll take what I've learned to try again in a bit. Thanks again though for all of the advice and help!
 
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