Abnormal Wrasse Feces - How to Treat?

[nickkohrn]

I have an Exquisite Fairy Wrasse and a Blueside Fairy Wrasse that are in quarantine. I monitored them for the first few weeks without medications. They were acting and eating normally. Recently, they have become lethargic and have shown signs of appetite suppression. The Exquisite is awfully skinny, and it has been swimming strangely.





I performed a freshwater dip to check for flukes after being advised to do so. Since I didn’t see signs of flukes, I started treatment with Coppersafe, which is currently at a level of 1.7ppm, and has been for one day.

Today, the Exquisite is not swimming as it was in the videos above. It still goes to the surface occasionally, but not as frequently and for as long. It seems to be just as lethargic, but it’s been huddled near the PVC fittings and along the silicone seams on the bottom of the tank.

I noticed that the Blueside has normal-looking feces, which you can see float by the camera in the following video. If you look closely, then you can likely see the long, white, stringy feces that the Exquisite has attached to it. That’s new as of today.

How can I identify what the cause could be, and how to I determine what my next steps should be?

I’ve read some disease and parasite threads, but they describe diseases or parasites that appear when fish are active and eating. The Exquisite is showing opposite signs of that.

 

[Flippers4pups]

If there wasn’t any signs of ich or velvet before treating copper, I would discontinue it.

Wrasses are known to have internal parasites. White stringy poop is a give away.

Frozen food with Metro soaked in focus per directions for 10 days.

 

[nickkohrn]

If there wasn’t any signs of ich or velvet before treating copper, I would discontinue it.

Wrasses are known to have internal parasites. White stringy poop is a give away.

Frozen food with Metro soaked in focus per directions for 10 days.

Is there anything that I should do if the wrasse doesn’t eat? It hasn’t been eating for the last couple of days.

Also, when you say to discontinue the copper, does that include removing it from the tank completely?

 

[Flippers4pups]

Is there anything that I should do if the wrasse doesn’t eat? It hasn’t been eating for the last couple of days.

Also, when you say to discontinue the copper, does that include removing it from the tank completely?

Yes, remove all the copper. You can dose metro directly into the water as well if you have it or API general cure.

Internal/intestinal parasites:

Symptoms - Internal parasites are also “worms,” but these target a fish’s intestines. As a result, the main symptom is white stringy poop. It has to be white; brown stringy poop, for example, can just mean intestinal irritation which requires no treatment.

Treatment options - API General Cure(a medication containing both praziquantel and metronidazole). Some species of internal worms are resistant to prazi, while others are resistant to metro, but usually not both. :wink: Seachem MetroPlex can be dosed directly in QT, or soaking fish food with it provides an alternative (and reef safe) treatment option. Two other available options are: Paracide-X (mixed in food) and Paracide-D (in-tank treatment).



What foods are you feeding them?

 

[nickkohrn]

Yes, remove all the copper. You can dose metro directly into the water as well if you have it or API general cure.

Internal/intestinal parasites:

Symptoms - Internal parasites are also “worms,” but these target a fish’s intestines. As a result, the main symptom is white stringy poop. It has to be white; brown stringy poop, for example, can just mean intestinal irritation which requires no treatment.

Treatment options - API General Cure(a medication containing both praziquantel and metronidazole). Some species of internal worms are resistant to prazi, while others are resistant to metro, but usually not both. :wink: Seachem MetroPlex can be dosed directly in QT, or soaking fish food with it provides an alternative (and reef safe) treatment option. Two other available options are: Paracide-X (mixed in food) and Paracide-D (in-tank treatment).



What foods are you feeding them?

I have LRS Reef Frenzy that they seem to enjoy. The Blueside was ripping into the larger chunks of it today. I also feed Reef Nutrition TDO Chroma BOOST pellets.

The Exquisite is incredibly thin and hasn’t been interested in food for the last couple of days, but the Blueside does eat.

 

[Flippers4pups]

I have LRS Reef Frenzy that they seem to enjoy. The Blueside was ripping into the larger chunks of it today. I also feed Reef Nutrition TDO Chroma BOOST pellets.

The Exquisite is incredibly thin and hasn’t been interested in food for the last couple of days, but the Blueside does eat.

Try live brine shrimp with the LRS. Keep the lights over the QT low, try to keep traffic around the QT minimum. Keeping stress low. Change the water and treat the QT with general cure or metro. Best of luck! Hope they pull through.

For future reference, it's best to observe and treat when needed, but with wrasses it's best to treat right away for internal parasites. They are known to almost always have them.

The only time to do other wise would be ich or velvet. Especially velvet as it can kill very quickly.

Here's a good read:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/fish-diseases-101.189284/

Book mark it. Once again best of luck and I hope they make it.

 

[nickkohrn]

Try live brine shrimp with the LRS. Keep the lights over the QT low, try to keep traffic around the QT minimum. Keeping stress low. Change the water and treat the QT with general cure or metro. Best of luck! Hope they pull through.

For future reference, it's best to observe and treat when needed, but with wrasses it's best to treat right away for internal parasites. They are known to almost always have them.

The only time to do other wise would be ich or velvet. Especially velvet as it can kill very quickly.

Here's a good read:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/fish-diseases-101.189284/

Book mark it. Once again best of luck and I hope they make it.

Thank you so much for your help and for the references! I very much appreciate your time and wisdom.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Thank you so much for your help and for the references! I very much appreciate your time and wisdom.

Your welcome. Credit goes to @Humblefish