Reef Discussion

Susan Bates

Member
Jan 18, 2015
880
117
Wrasse
Hi,, My wrasse seems to be losing his tail, can anyone tell me what is wrong please
 

suta42

Member
Aug 13, 2011
211
120
sydney
Hi Susan,

Don't know about the cause, maybe another fish nipped it and then a bacterial infection set in?? At any rate, I'd be very careful with this fish because if you see a reddish patch at the base of the body where it meets the tail, that means you have a bacterial infection in the flesh. It can then go downhill very fast.

If it was caused just from nipping, and the water quality is good then it should regrow the tail eventually.
Only problem is if you have a high bacterial load in the water that gives opportunistic bacteria such as vibrio a foothold. But wrasse are very hardy. If it was my fish, and I was confident in the water quality I would leave it as is.

Sorry for the ambiguous reply,

Angie.
 

Susan Bates

Member
Jan 18, 2015
880
117
Do you have any fish that might have caused this @Susan Bates ?
Not that i am aware of, he has been in the tank for 18 months or more,with yellow tang, saifin tang, clown fish, chromis, flame angle, flame hawk and dragnet , none have bothered him before, he is one of my favourite , oh and blenny in there 2
 

IJG3145

Member
Oct 27, 2015
442
162
South Gippsland
I would beg, borrow or buy some Melafix and some Pimafix asap. While not a fan of API products in general, I always have these handy. Melafix is a natural antibiotic and Pimafix a natural anti fungal agent. In cases like yours they are best used together. These can be treated in tank if you can't catch the fish but you'll need to disable skimmer and any carbon type filters.

BTW I haven't forgotten you. I'm head down and bum up catching up on some study before my exam.
 

MagicJ

Moderator
Jul 11, 2011
9,650
3,761
Hobart, Tasmania
Is it possible that it ventured into a pump when it was off and got caught out when it turned back on?

(I'm just trying to come up with a possible cause of the injury :rolleyes )
 

Susan Bates

Member
Jan 18, 2015
880
117
I would beg, borrow or buy some Melafix and some Pimafix asap. While not a fan of API products in general, I always have these handy. Melafix is a natural antibiotic and Pimafix a natural anti fungal agent. In cases like yours they are best used together. These can be treated in tank if you can't catch the fish but you'll need to disable skimmer and any carbon type filters.

BTW I haven't forgotten you. I'm head down and bum up catching up on some study before my exam.
These are safe for corals??
Is it possible that it ventured into a pump when it was off and got caught out when it turned back on?

(I'm just trying to come up with a possible cause of the injury :rolleyes )
It is possible but he has never gone near them before, I just caught him and dipped his tail in some Melafix and now he is lying on the bottom of the tank, I think i have killed him
 

Azfish

Member
Sep 23, 2011
599
222
Sydney
I had this happen with a freshwater tank I had years ago, fish would just start to lose their tails; put it down to fin/tail rot which can be a reflection of water quality going downhill.

FWIW - melafix/pimafix at that stage of loss will not grow the tail back, its too far gone from the look of the picture. Also, you can make your own melafix with some melucca oil and water, much cheaper than the API version of the same stuff.