Need Advice On Harlequin Tusk Issue

[Forsaken77]

For some reason my tusk is acting like he can't see well or is going blind. He was the most aggressive fish in the tank and would chase the Blue Throat Trigger away at feeding time.

But now, out of nowhere, when I feed them, he chomps at open water completely missing the food. If he apots a big piece, he goes for it but quickly loses sight of it. I have to put half pieces of krill in there so it's big enough for him to find it.

I've had this tank setup for almost a year to the day and he was the first fish in it.

What could cause something like this? I mean he still has his juvenile markings on his top fin, so it's not old age. All his tank mates are all fine and there's been no new additions to the tank.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated as to what this could be and how to treat it?

 

[eatbreakfast]

How do his eyes look? Clody? Clear?

Maybe try feeding directly, by giving him food by hand or stick.

Do you only feed krill? A diet of predominantly krill has been linked to health issues in some fish.

 

[melypr1985]

How do his eyes look? Clody? Clear?

Maybe try feeding directly, by giving him food by hand or stick.

Do you only feed krill? A diet of predominantly krill has been linked to health issues in some fish.

+1 ^^ Krill should not be the staple in his diet.... only a small part of the whole. Pictures would be good as well

 

[Forsaken77]

I feed mostly mysis soaked in selcon or Kent Zoe. I rotate. I also feed New Life Spectrum pellets. He used to pick them off the floor but now can't find them.

And yes, his eyes are a little hazy but not a complete film. My nitrates are very high... Over 50ppm, which I'm about to do a 40 gallon water change on a 93 gallon cube tank.

I don't usually feed him krill. It's just that I had to give something big enough for him to find and be able to eat.

But both Nitrite and Ammonia are zero according to the Red Sea kit. I know I had high phosphates because of algae on the glass constantly, so I recently installed a reactor running Rowaphos. I was wiping the glass weekly.

I'm thinking it may be bacterial. On my sump walls and on my heater in the overflow I have white liitle strings (very small).

If it's not bacterial than it could be a Nitrate issue, but like I said, eveyone else is fine. His coloring is also fine, has no bodily symptoms of anything aside of the hazy eyes, and he swims around the tank good but when he's looking for food he'll sometimes bump into the wall or chomp at the wall.

I only use rodi and a 50 micron filter sock.

Any suggestions?

 

[melypr1985]

Are both eyes cloudy? Flukes can cause this and yes it's a sign of infection when they get cloudy. They arn't swollen at all are they? Could you possibly pull him out for a freshwater dip? This would confirm/rule out flukes as the cause.

Freshwater Dip: Provides temporary relief for Brooklynella, Flukes & "Black Ich", Marine Velvet disease (Amyloodinium); possibly even Ich & Uronema marinum (both unproven). Can be used to confirm the presence of Flukes.

How To Treat - Fill a bucket with RODI water, and use a heater to match the temperature to the water the fish is coming from. Aerate the water heavily for at least 30 minutes prior to doing the dip, then discontinue aeration while performing the dip. Fish aren’t overly pH sensitive for short durations like this, but you can squirt a little tank water into the dip just before the fish goes in to help bring it up.

Place the fish in the freshwater (FW) dip and observe closely. It is not unusual for them to freak out a little at first. Also, tangs are notorious for “playing dead” during a FW dip. The important thing is to watch their gills; they should be breathing heavily at all times during the dip. If breathing slows, it’s time to exit the dip. Dip the fish for no longer than 5 minutes. Multiple dips may be done, but it’s important to give your fish a day to recuperate in-between dips.

For flukes, use a dark (preferably black) bucket so you can see if tiny white worms fall out of the fish (especially out of the gills) at around the 3-4 minute mark. The worms will settle to the bottom, so you can use a flashlight to look for them there as well.

Pros - Provides temporary relief for a wide range of diseases in a chemical free environment. Can “buy you more time” until a proper treatment can be done.

Cons/Side Effects - Not a permanent “fix” for any disease, as FW dips are not potent enough to eradicate all of the parasites/worms afflicting the fish. Some fish can have an adverse reaction to a FW dip by appearing unable to maintain their equilibrium once returned to the aquarium. If this happens, hold the fish upright (using latex, nitrile or rubber gloves), and gently glide him through the water (to get saltwater flowing through the gills again). It is also a good idea to place the fish in an acclimation box until he appears “normal”.

 

[Humblefish]

Photos of his eyes would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Forsaken77]

I will try the dip. I know it's not ich because I treated the main display tank with Cupramine for 2 months at proper levels, then used cuprisorb left in a high flow area in the sump for another 3 months to get it all out. He's not flashing at all though either.

Yes, both eyes are cloudy, but it doesn't look like an external protruding cloud, more of like it's a haze. Like not on the surface, if that makes sense.

Thanks for your help. I hate trying to diagnose fish problems because it's not like I can just take him to the vet (or her, more likely).

 

[Denali08]

I bet the copper had something to do with it. I had a puffer go blind after I used this.

 

[Forsaken77]

I don't think so. I used Seachem Cupramine, because a lot of the fish were flashing against objects and I saw a few spots, and even through water changes in the display tank I maintained it at perfect therapeutic levels.

This was about 7 months ago. None of the fish showed distress. But when I tried hypo, the tusk was the only one that had a problem with it. He couldn't go to low enough levels for it to be effective.

It's a FOWLR tank. The other night around midnight when they're sleeping, the tusk, which was my first fish in this tank btw, was swimming straight up until his head popped out of the water and then straight down until he hit the floor.

I immediately put him in the quarantine tank with a dose of Seachem Kanaplex antibiotics. He really looked like he was on his way out. He's in there with a juvenile Magnificent Foxface. I really think it's bacterial. Because a few fish have hazy eyes.

But as for the Cupramine, it worked great. I left it at the correct level, according to Seachems copper test kit, for 2 months and then added carbon and 2 bags of Cuprasorb in a high flow area of the sump for 3 months.

There's too much of a bioload that skyrocketed the Nitrates over 100. I bought a 3 inch Magnificent Foxface online and they sent me a full grown adult. She's gorgeous and has the best coloring, but is putting too much of a load on the tank. I've even been using Aquaforest Probiotic salt, Pro Bio-S, & NP-Pro to lessen the organic load but it's not working. Snake oil crap.

The place online refunded my money, but left me with an oversized fish. No LFS would take her (Foxxy is her name) because I didn't get her there.

I ordered a 3 incher because I am upgrading my tank to either a 125 or 180 soon. So it would be fine by the time it grew up. But I recently saw a small one in a local place and made a deal that if I buy it, they will take my big one. So the small one is in quarantine with the tusk now.

Only problem is that we've grown attached to Foxxy. I would feel terrible giving her away now because she's become so personable to me. Anyone else walks by and the spines come out. But with me she comes right to the front and gets all excited, lol.

I'm going to try to keep them both when I get the new tank. I realize they fight each other, but I read that if you put a big one with a small one, so a pecking order is already established, in a new tank at the same time that it is possible.

 

[eatbreakfast]

I don't think so. I used Seachem Cupramine, because a lot of the fish were flashing against objects and I saw a few spots, and even through water changes in the display tank I maintained it at perfect therapeutic levels.

This was about 7 months ago. None of the fish showed distress. But when I tried hypo, the tusk was the only one that had a problem with it. He couldn't go to low enough levels for it to be effective.

It's a FOWLR tank. The other night around midnight when they're sleeping, the tusk, which was my first fish in this tank btw, was swimming straight up until his head popped out of the water and then straight down until he hit the floor.

I immediately put him in the quarantine tank with a dose of Seachem Kanaplex antibiotics. He really looked like he was on his way out. He's in there with a juvenile Magnificent Foxface. I really think it's bacterial. Because a few fish have hazy eyes.

But as for the Cupramine, it worked great. I left it at the correct level, according to Seachems copper test kit, for 2 months and then added carbon and 2 bags of Cuprasorb in a high flow area of the sump for 3 months.

There's too much of a bioload that skyrocketed the Nitrates over 100. I bought a 3 inch Magnificent Foxface online and they sent me a full grown adult. She's gorgeous and has the best coloring, but is putting too much of a load on the tank. I've even been using Aquaforest Probiotic salt, Pro Bio-S, & NP-Pro to lessen the organic load but it's not working. Snake oil crap.

The place online refunded my money, but left me with an oversized fish. No LFS would take her (Foxxy is her name) because I didn't get her there.

I ordered a 3 incher because I am upgrading my tank to either a 125 or 180 soon. So it would be fine by the time it grew up. But I recently saw a small one in a local place and made a deal that if I buy it, they will take my big one. So the small one is in quarantine with the tusk now.

Only problem is that we've grown attached to Foxxy. I would feel terrible giving her away now because she's become so personable to me. Anyone else walks by and the spines come out. But with me she comes right to the front and gets all excited, lol.

I'm going to try to keep them both when I get the new tank. I realize they fight each other, but I read that if you put a big one with a small one, so a pecking order is already established, in a new tank at the same time that it is possible.

I would strongly recommend against keeping both.

Your tank is already dealing with enough stressors, that adding a fish that will result in chasing and competition will stress out, not just the foxfaces, but the other fish too.

Get rid of one of the foxfaces, clear up the bacterial issue, bring the nitrates down before adding anything else.

 

[Forsaken77]

I would strongly recommend against keeping both.

Your tank is already dealing with enough stressors, that adding a fish that will result in chasing and competition will stress out, not just the foxfaces, but the other fish too.

Get rid of one of the foxfaces, clear up the bacterial issue, bring the nitrates down before adding anything else.

Oh, I plan on clearing up the issue first. Right now the smaller Foxface is in quarantine. But once the main tank is stable and the fish ok, I'm going from a 93 gallon cube to a 6 foot 180. That's where I plan to introduce the 2 Foxfaces. I was going to make them the first 2 fish in the new tank at the same time.