Blue throat trigger

[SirDukelll]

I noticed my blue throat trigger has cloudy eyes and he is also hiding a lot more than usual. He still eats like a horse and swims around a few times a day but something is up with him and i dont know what. I have tested the water and everything is normal, and i have done 2 small water changes (its a 75 gallon).
any ideas?

 

[Cory]

If hes eating a lot then imo its a water quality issue causing a bacterial disease of some sort. Ime fed good, good water quality, and not being bullied is a recipie for a healthy fish. Whats all your parameters?

 

[SirDukelll]

If hes eating a lot then imo its a water quality issue causing a bacterial disease of some sort. Ime fed good, good water quality, and not being bullied is a recipie for a healthy fish. Whats all your parameters?

off the top of my head
Ph -8.2
Nitrates - around 10 ppm
Nitrites - 0
Alk- 153 ppm
Ammonia - 0
Phosphates - 0.05 ppm
Im pretty sure these are the results from testing this morning. Let me know if i missed something

 

[Cory]

Okay looks fine. Salinity and temperature? What do you use for all the tests including salinity and temp?

 

[SirDukelll]

off the top of my head
Ph -8.2
Nitrates - around 10 ppm
Nitrites - 0
Alk- 153 ppm
Ammonia - 0
Phosphates - 0.05 ppm
Im pretty sure these are the results from testing this morning. Let me know if i missed something

Okay looks fine. Salinity and temperature? What do you use for all the tests including salinity and temp?

My temp is 76.1 and my salinity is 1.025 - 1.026. And what do you mean by what test i use? Like what brand?

 

[SirDukelll]

He looks a little worse today. He started to not eat and it looks like his fins have white bloches on them. It looks like ich but he has bad ich before and survived and he didn’t act like this. He stays under the rock with his horn up all day, and he stares in one direction like he is asleep or something. I thought it might be a bacterial infection but i keep my water quality good and do water changes often so idk how it could be a BI. Also, all the other fish (2 clowns, 1 neon dotty, one blue damsel, and one dragonnet, many snails and crabs) they are all fine and healthy. As well as the corals.

 

[Cory]

My temp is 76.1 and my salinity is 1.025 - 1.026. And what do you mean by what test i use? Like what brand?

Yes. Salifert api refractometer or hydrometer etc.

 

[SirDukelll]

Yes. Salifert api refractometer or hydrometer etc.

I use api for ammonia, coralife hydrometer, i test ph digitally, and runbo test strips for everything else.

 

[SirDukelll]

I use api for ammonia, coralife hydrometer, i test ph digitally, and runbo test strips for everything else.

And imagitarium test strips, i think they are better quality

 

[Cory]

I dont believe any of your test kits excpet api as a ball park figure.

Try a refractometer for salinity or conductivity meter. That coralife could have way high or way low salinity readings. Test strips wont be very accurate.

Id take a sample to the lfs and habe them test your water. And get a refractometer and salifert alkalinity test kit.

 

[vetteguy53081]

While water quality is essential in prevention, unless its ammonia burn due to high ammonia and/or nitrates, it can be as simple as a weakened immune system.
What foods are you feeding ?
Additionally , cloudy Eyes Cloudy eyes may be a sign of a bacterial infection or due to an injury on the fish. If bacterial, the bacteria enters the body of the fish and then can migrate to the eyes, causing the cloudy appearance.
Are you running a skimmer and if so, is the stuff its' pulling dark or light?
Treatment if bacterial will be with use of maracyn 1 and even adding Chemipure Blue to polish water and remove what a skimmer misses.

You should have:
temp 77-79
salinity 1.024-1.025
ph 8.0-8.3
ammonia < .03
nitrate < .04

Reliable test kits:

Hanna
salifert
Nyos

 

[HB AL]

He looks a little worse today. He started to not eat and it looks like his fins have white bloches on them. It looks like ich but he has bad ich before and survived and he didn’t act like this. He stays under the rock with his horn up all day, and he stares in one direction like he is asleep or something. I thought it might be a bacterial infection but i keep my water quality good and do water changes often so idk how it could be a BI. Also, all the other fish (2 clowns, 1 neon dotty, one blue damsel, and one dragonnet, many snails and crabs) they are all fine and healthy. As well as the corals.

You mentioned that it stopped eating today that is not a good sign. I would immediately treat it for a bacterial infection in a separate tank. If he continues to not eat the outcome is not gonna be good. Try some live food to try and get it to eat, that is crucial if it gonna survive.

 

[SirDukelll]

You mentioned that it stopped eating today that is not a good sign. I would immediately treat it for a bacterial infection in a separate tank. If he continues to not eat the outcome is not gonna be good. Try some live food to try and get it to eat, that is crucial if it gonna survive.

Will do

 

[SirDukelll]

You mentioned that it stopped eating today that is not a good sign. I would immediately treat it for a bacterial infection in a separate tank. If he continues to not eat the outcome is not gonna be good. Try some live food to try and get it to eat, that is crucial if it gonna survive.

I went to my LFS and they only had a big bottle of Imagitarium Bacterial remedy. Hopefully it works, im gonna set up the quarantine tank and put him in there tonight and dose it with remedy.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I went to my LFS and they only had a big bottle of Imagitarium Bacterial remedy. Hopefully it works, im gonna set up the quarantine tank and put him in there tonight and dose it with remedy.

Increase oxygen as many bacterial treatments will lower appetite and O2 levels.

 

[Cory]

.

 

[SirDukelll]

Increase oxygen as many bacterial treatments will lower appetite and O2 levels.

Will do!

 

[Jay Hemdal]

He looks a little worse today. He started to not eat and it looks like his fins have white bloches on them. It looks like ich but he has bad ich before and survived and he didn’t act like this. He stays under the rock with his horn up all day, and he stares in one direction like he is asleep or something. I thought it might be a bacterial infection but i keep my water quality good and do water changes often so idk how it could be a BI. Also, all the other fish (2 clowns, 1 neon dotty, one blue damsel, and one dragonnet, many snails and crabs) they are all fine and healthy. As well as the corals.

I think people are focusing way to much on water quality here. Key is that your corals are doing well. Fish have less discriminating needs for water quality than corals, so by deduction, the water is fine.
Is the fish’s tail fin damaged? I also see the possible spots of ich that you noticed. Have you tried a FW dip to look for flukes?
Jay

 

[SirDukelll]

I think people are focusing way to much on water quality here. Key is that your corals are doing well. Fish have less discriminating needs for water quality than corals, so by deduction, the water is fine.
Is the fish’s tail fin damaged? I also see the possible spots of ich that you noticed. Have you tried a FW dip to look for flukes?
Jay

I have never done a FW dip before and im a little scared to try it because i dont want to mess it up, can you explain how to do it for me? Also note that the trigger is not in good health, so would dipping him be to risky by stressing him out more?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

So - yes, FW dips are stressful. However, if a fish dies from a FW dip, it was destined to die in a few days anyway.

I thought I asked, but it seems I didn't - how long have you had the triggerfish? That has some bearing on if the
FW dip is warranted or not. If you've had the fish less than 3 months, then flukes are much ore likely, and that is what a FW dip helps diagnose. If you've had the fish longer than that, then the diagnosis would point more to a bacterial infection.

If you do decide to try a dip, here is some info:

“Freshwater dips” are commonly used to dislodge parasites from the skin of marine fishes. To perform these dips, the fish is captured and placed in a dimly lit dark colored container of clean freshwater the same temperature as the aquarium system it came from. Do not use reverse osmosis or deionized water, as there is no buffer capacity and the pH can drop too low. Dechlorinated tap water is suitable unless it is very acidic. The dip container should be covered with a clear material so that the fish is kept from jumping out, yet can still be observed for overt signs of stress. Hold the fish in the freshwater for five minutes to seven minutes. If acute stress is seen, the dip may need to be terminated early. The idea is to dislodge the parasites, without unduly harming the fish. Many aquarists opt to use reverse osmosis water, and adjust the pH to match the aquarium, but this is simply not necessary if the pH of the freshwater is between 7.5 and 8.5. Some advocate to not aerate the water during the dip, but the water motion from air bubbles can help keep the fish active so that they can be better assessed for stress. Additionally, the air bubbles help dislodge some parasites during the dip process.

Some caveats:
1) Some fish will give extreme reactions to being dipped (hepatus tangs for example), as long as they were swimming well before the dip, it is best to ignore that behavior and continue for a full five minutes.
2) Moribund fish can be dipped, but understand that the acute stress from the dip may prove fatal. The dip water should still be checked for parasites in order to possibly help any remaining fish. Moribund would include any fish that was easy to capture or a fish with a respiration rate of 200+ BPM.
3) Choose the type of net wisely, some fish have spines that will become caught in the netting. Have a pair of scissors handy to cut the net if this happens.
4) Dropping a fish while moving it to and from the dip is common, take care. Some fish have venomous spines, so know that before trying to handle any fish.
5) Fish shaking their heads violently after capture is one cause of mechanical exophthalmos (popeye), so try to gently restrain them in the net while moving them.

After the dip let the water settle and look for tiny gray "seeds" or fish scales on the bottom, these are a sign of flukes. They will need to be treated accordingly.

Jay