Goldbar wrasse scratching, none Ich related....

[AquaKnight]

Well after the usual dinner, my 5.5" Goldbar wrasse is scratching himself, for how long, I'm not sure, I'd say at least 2 weeks. I don't believe it to be Ich, as he was copper treated in QT (at .35, I couldn't find a solid answer as to if large wrasses are sensitive to Cu) for 3 weeks.

He's only doing it right after he eats, for about 10-15mins and then like one flash every 15 minutes for about another hour. During the day he's fine. I'd like to say the flashing isn't aggressive, but at times he's kicking up debritus from the rocks.

Could it be food related? He eats anything that hits the water, including Angel-sponge food and seaweed sheets. Could one of those just not be agreeing with him?

 

[AquaKnight]

Observed a bit more today. Noticed him going over to the right side of the tank and getting "serviced" by my pair of neon gobies. I thought they were going to be food, but they hopped on and cleaned him for a bit. After a moment or two the wrasse swam off and flashed twice into the sand. Acted fine afterward. So wondering if they have any part in it? Can't say I paid too much attention to them.

 

[leebca]

Fishes that are irritated, usually seek out a cleaner fish or shrimp, if one is available. On the other hand, a cleaner fish or shrimp can't get enough food from fish parasites, so most end up eating some of the mucous coating form the fish. This can and sometimes does irritate the fish. As you can see, this becomes a bit of a ongoing circle and identifying who/what the culprit is, can be very challenging.

A stressed fish can show its stress through flashing -- a kind of displaced response to a stress not having direct connection to the gills. Make sure all stressors are reduced to the best of your ability and consider reviewing all your water quality chemistries by doing test kit analyses. Perform a 50% water change and see, at the next feeding, if the fish still reacts the same.

I'd give low credibility as the cleaner fish being the cause of the irritation. More likely there is something in the mouth or gill area which irritates the fish at the time of and just after feeding.

This is a very interesting set of symptoms, but the only way to determine what is going on for sure is to examine the synthesized fish closely.

It could be a particular food. You can experiment by varying the food AND varying the manufacture of even the same food to determine if food has any connection.

 

[AquaKnight]

Thanks Lee. The 125 is way overdue for a large water change. I will get on top of that. However the water quality has stayed perfect (part of being lazy), 0 amm, nitri, nitra, phos, according to Seachem and API tests. Though I'm battling red algae. Thought it was the big window adjacent to the tank that shined onto the tank for most of the day. I covered that up and the algae went away and now is back. I will try running a phosban reactor.

Thanks for varying the food tip. I have been wanting to get more stuff, this will be a good reason. I will also switch my vitamen supplements to Zoe (from Selco). This guy is a torpedo (at 5.5" long, he's at least an 1" thick), so I haven't been adding fats. Do you think I should?

 

[leebca]

I think a once or twice a week fat additive is good. It isn't the fat that is stored, it is the fat that is utilized for metabolism -- for energy. You want to support the fish's energy supply as much as possible.

If you are feeding decapsulated brine shrimp eggs combined with Cyclopeze in a home mix, it will probably replace the need for a fat additive.

 

[AquaKnight]

Thanks Lee. I actually haven't been adding fat suppls, much, I'm surprised this guy can bend to be honest, but I have been adding garlic (what the heck, you know?) and Selco (the vitamins) everyday now (last 2 weeks or so). I stopped at the LFS and didn't have Zoe, but I picked up Marine-C. Shouldn't hurt right?

 

[leebca]

I find that Selco and Zoe and Vita Chem are all good vitamins. I just wouldn't use it every day. Every other day, or every 6th meal. The fat supplemnts, Zoecon, Selcon, etc. are also all good ones, but not daily. Like the vitamins, every 6th meal, but not together with the vitamins. Marine C is good, just not complete.