Heni trouble

[mojoreef]

Hey Teri one of my Heniochus (sp??) seems to be in trouble. The fishes over all color has really darkened, it seems to have lost its sence of direction and is not eating. Its swims around the tank but bumps into things. Eyes are clear, no spots but has a few small damage spots from bumping into stuff.

Any ideas on what to do here??


Mike

 

[DonW]

You gota stop feeding them Budweiser (just kidding). Mike do a search on sleeping sickness, and see if it sounds like your Heni.

Don

 

[NaH2O]

Mike, how's the Heni doing?

BTW - your avatar is a riot!!!

 

[Terry B]

It sounds like the fish is either blind which can cause them to change color or it is seriously stressed and ill. This can also cause the fish to appear to be blind. I would start with a large water change with well aged and aerated saltwater. Do you have a cycled quarantine tank? I would also have a good antibiotic handy. You might want to consider using my consulation service to get at the root of the problem. It is very easy to miss something when just using a message board. Just out this link:
http://www.marineaquariumadvice.com/consultation.html

HTH,
Terry B

 

[mojoreef]

I shall terry


Mike

 

[dgasmd]

Mike:

Are you using ozone? How? Is this a fairly young fish or has it being here for a while?

 

[mojoreef]

Well the fish passed on, before I could get going with you Terry. I think the fish died from injuries sustained while in this condition. I pulled him last night and put him in the QT tank so he wouldnt bump into the rocks and stuff. At that time he was developing popeye (it had a scare on the lense to).

Alberto I do use ozone but it hardly ever comes on as my orp stays in the low 400's (370 and 410). The fish has been in my tank for about 3 and a half years?? went from about a silver dollars size to about 6 inches long. They have all been very good eaters and I never had a problem with them. I had a school of 4, One died right away from the sailfin tang (first couple of months), the second was attacked by the rest of the henis about a 1/2 year ago. So down to one now.


Mike

 

[Terry B]

Sorry your fish didn't make it Mike. Considering that you have kept this fish for years and I know that you are on top of the water quality it would have been a challenge to determine a probable diagnosis. That is why I thought a consultation could help because it covers so many questions and possible causes. Have you considered how you store your foods? On the other hand, fish do sometimes have health problems that we cannot cure. If you haven't already read this article it may be helpful:
http://www.marineaquariumadvice.com/feed_your_fish_better.html

HTH,
Terry Bartelme

 

[mojoreef]

Wow Terry that is a great article!!!!!! I know I have a few things to change.
In regards to the Heni it still baffles me. Health wise he looked very strong, belly, color, eating habits and so on. One thing I did notice is that when it was in that state, swimming around semi-blind, it would react with fear when the other heni came over to check him out. All other fish he carried on his way. i am wondering if their was a territorial battle their??

Mike

 

[Terry B]

Hi Mike,

I think that henis tend to get along for a long time and then that can change as they mature. How many henis do you have now?

Cheers,
Terry B

 

[mojoreef]

Down to one from the original 4. Maybe thier was some staking out done after the recent rescape.


Mike

 

[Alice]

Mike, sorry to hear about the Heniochis; they looked so great in the tank.
You brought the Henis in after the big tank went up, however long that has been now. You tried those cool looking Chromis first that everyone ended up losing and then brought in the school of Henis.

I'm younger than you - my memory is better.

Terry, the referral service is a great tool. I can remember a few times being in an absolute panic over fish disease and it would have been nice to make use of your service.

 

[Terry B]

Thanks Alice,
I built my consulation service because there are so many fish that die from disease or improper care. Its actually a good way to learn a lot quickly and avoid problems. It takes me at least an hour to write out an answer to each customer. The people that use it tell me that it is well worth having it done and a good investment.

Cheers,
Terry B