Wrasse swimming funny - swim bladder?

[Taqpol]

I'm definitely having a problem with my female christmas wrasse. Last night at around 6:00 the wrasse was swimming around, hunting, doing its normal thing. I looked at the tank after dinner (8:00) and the fish was swimming vertically (head at the surface, tail to the sand) and kind of spinning in circles. There was also what looked like a dark bruise or even a perfectly straight pinch mark running from her anus straight up to her caudal fin. Both her caudal and anal fins were clamped and her tail was ridgid, she was only able to move with her pectoral fins.

I tried to catch her to move to an isolation tank but she was always able to regain mobility and swim away. The most worrying part is she did not eat that night when I fed the tank with mysis shrimp. That night she buried herself in the sand as normal.

This morning she was out of the sand but almost laying down and breathing heavily, she did eat formula two flake food when I fed the tank this morning, but still had trouble swimming.

I read that most swim bladder issues are bacterial, but I didn't think an infection could flare up like this in less then two hours. I've never dealt with stuff like this before, is there a type of medicine I should try giving her like mayacin 2? Kanamycin? Just let her be? I have a bunch of water brewing for either a big water change or a QT tank.

 

[leebca]

I would not suspect water quality an issue. So water changes will not likely help.

I would suspect an internal problem either from injury, parasite, or intestinal blockage.

Injury and blockage will be things we can't do much for. You can investigate to see if you can find any evidence of an injury source. Blockage is usually eating something the fish shouldn't like a contaminate in prepared foods, eating something off the substrate or surfaces of decorations, etc.

A parasite however can be addressed if more is known about it. If you want to assume we're talking parasite (internal worms, fluke, etc.) or pathogen (bacteria or virus) then a treatment in water with the appropriate medication is called for. Otherwise, without more information and clear, up close photos, there isn't much to say.

If you decide it's an internal parasite or want to move to treatment like it is, then moving to a quarantine tank is essential. Treatment for bacterial infections would use the antibiotics you have listed.

There are medications for flukes, and there are medications for worms. The latter is covered in this post: De-Worming and Fishes with Intestinal Problems.

Sorry I can't go much further on this without addition input.

 

[Taqpol]

I'm sorry I wasn't able to get any good pictures of her, even moving all special she was still too fast to get a good picture of in low light.

There is one visible mark on her body, and its only on one side. It is a darkened (bruise colored) indentation that goes straight up from her anus to the caudal fin, and only on the left side of her body. Also, sometimes her body stays contorted in an "S" shape. The fact that there is a mark on the body makes me think its an external injury (I have no idea what in my tank could have caused a perfectly rectangular injury), but her swimming funny makes me think swim bladder.

I was wondering if in your experience either of these symptoms meant something to you. If this fish was in your care, would you go ahead with a specific medication? I'm going to pick up Prazi and Maracyn 2 on my way home anyways...

 

[estanoche]

Could she have been sucked against one of your vortechs when it spun up? Seems unlikely, but the vents are rectangular........

 

[Taqpol]

That was my first thought, but it seems so unlikely due to the fact that the fish was so helathy and I haven't turned my vortechs down or off (even for feeding) in a long time. Literally the fish went from happy/normal to barely swimming in a two hour time window.

 

[FreakinReefin]

That was my first thought, but it seems so unlikely due to the fact that the fish was so helathy and I haven't turned my vortechs down or off (even for feeding) in a long time. Literally the fish went from happy/normal to barely swimming in a two hour time window.

That seems like injury for sure. Just the fact that it is so sudden. Especially how wrasses love to hug up on rock/equipment I wouldn't be surprised to find out that it was a powerhead.

 

[Taqpol]

Just tried to catch her and put her in a hospital tank (regardless, it sounds like a good idea right now), chased her around the tank twice before she buried in the sand under a rock....

 

[Taqpol]

Update for Tuesday. There was absolutely no way I can catch her with a net, multiple times she would just bury herself under the sand if I tried too hard.

Today she was out and about again, but still swimming funny. She also no longer has the vertical "indent" on the left side of her body. It seriously looks like her entire back end is dead weight and she can only move with her pectoral fins. Wasn't able to see if she ate again this morning...

If this is a bacterial infection, can she kick it on her own? What if its just an injury? Is there anything I can do for her with her still in the tank?

Thanks for any help!

 

[FreakinReefin]

Update for Tuesday. There was absolutely no way I can catch her with a net, multiple times she would just bury herself under the sand if I tried too hard.

Today she was out and about again, but still swimming funny. She also no longer has the vertical "indent" on the left side of her body. It seriously looks like her entire back end is dead weight and she can only move with her pectoral fins. Wasn't able to see if she ate again this morning...

If this is a bacterial infection, can she kick it on her own? What if its just an injury? Is there anything I can do for her with her still in the tank?

Thanks for any help!

Well I would stop trying to catch her. Especially if you can't, trying is just going to stress her out even more.(I think this is an obvious observation) It sounds like she'll be okay but I would just let nature take it's course. Unfortunately we can never control everything(another obvious statement)

 

[Taqpol]

Yeah, I stuck a net in the tank this morning and she immediately ran to the other side. If she's that active and alert then hopefully she'll recover on her own.

Still, any special foods or medicines I can give to the whole tank that might help her out?

 

[FreakinReefin]

Yeah, I stuck a net in the tank this morning and she immediately ran to the other side. If she's that active and alert then hopefully she'll recover on her own.

Still, any special foods or medicines I can give to the whole tank that might help her out?

Not really...maybe just some food infused with garlic to help ease her into eating a little better.

 

[leebca]

Injury is at the top of my list, although like yourself I really can't easily identify where or how. My course would depend upon how sure I was that it was or wasn't an injury.

If it was an injury I would treat the fish for a bacterial infection by moving it to a quarantine tank and treating with an antibiotic that goes through the skin (like a systemic infection), like Maracyn Two for Saltwater or freshwater fishes.

If a bacterial-based pathogen, the above would apply, too.

If viral, fluke, and/or worm induced then it would require a specific treatment (also in quarantine) for that diagnosis.

I can't go much beyond that and these recommendations.

 

[Lone Wolf]

Taqpol - I had the exact same thing happen to my Canary Wrasse. Symptoms sound exactly the same. One day in perfect shape, the next acting very strange and swimming as if half of its body was paralyzed. Swimming into the glass, upside down and every which way. I called Steve at Coral Reef in Spokane and talked with him. He said, it probably swallowed something that tore a hole in the lining of its stomach. Since they dive into the sand, it was possible it could be a small piece of rock or larger piece of sand. He said, if the tear is small enough it would heal itself and if it was to large the fish would expire with nothing that could be done for it. I did nothing but watch its misery. After about a week and a half it started to snap out of it. In about 2-3 weeks it was perfectly normal again. A couple of weeks later is had a small relapse, but seemed to come back out of it fairly quickly. It is currently healed up and doing very well. Hopefully this helps.
Duane
Lewiston

 

[Taqpol]

Thanks for all the support everyone! Im starting to think it definitely was "just" an injury of some type, quite possibly exactly what Lone Wolf just described above. It has been exactly a week since the first symptoms showed up and my wrasse is now swimming around and eating again. She no longer has the kink in her spine, is slowly regaining control of the back half of her body, but every once in awhile will still do a back flip or pirouette.

I'll update again in a week, but I really think she's going to pull through this!