Help, Unknown Mouth/Head Ailment

[rchilder]

I purchased 3 fish from my lfs 2 weeks ago and after a few hours of drip acclimation, added them to my 90 gal, fowlr, deep sand bed tank. Within 24 hours, I noticed several small white spots on the head of the Gold Band Wrasse. In the next 24 hrs, they had grown into small pill-shaped ovals, about 2-3 mm long, and a large white spot appeared on the upper lip. Over the next 24 hrs, the white areas on the head fell off and left open sores/lesions. Also the whole upper lip turned white and swelled to about 2-3 times normal size. The Wrass stopped eating and laid on the substrate most of the day. When he wasn't lying at the bottom, he was swimming up and down the glass in apparent panic/distress. Over the next few days, the lesions did not heal and remained open sores. The white on the upper lip also fell off/went away and the whole area deteriorated into a large open sore. I did a 7 minute freshwater dip and returned it to the main tank where he went straight to the bottom and hid under the live rock. He never resumed eating and was dead less then 24 hrs later. He was dead in less than 1 week after the first visible signs of ailment.

I mourned the loss for a few days and then returned to the lfs where they stated no fish had come back recently with any problems and they were unable to offer any ideas as to what killed it. I hoped that the problem was isolated and kept an eye on the remaining fish. Two days ago, almost 1 week after the death of the Wrasse, I noticed a small white spot on the lower lip of the new Blue Chin Trigger. Over the last 2 days, the spot has doubled in size and covers almost 1/2 of the lower lip. If this is the same ailment, it appears to be progressing much more slowly. The Trigger is still eating normally and does not appear to be in distress. The spot on his lip is pretty much identical to the ones on the Wrasse. I've included a few pictures of the Trigger, but it's not easy to make out the area of concern. I'll try to get better pics if it will help the diagnosis.

Any suggestions on identification/treatment? I only have 5 other fish in my tank at this point, but don't want to lose them all! (Of course.) I've only been in the Saltwater hobby for a little more than a year and have tried to be very cautious with my setup. This lesson is teaching me the hard way about the necessity of a QT system.

[Dentoid]

Seems like a parasite, possibly a Cirolanid isopod.

[AQTCJAK]

Welcome Aboard - I agree with Scott

[leebca]

There are several possibilities here. But you have not provided enough information for determining the most likely problem. We need to know:

1. All about your marine system (size, setup, equipment, total volume, etc.)
2. The fish, their size, and other marine life in your system (by scientific name if you can) before this addition.
3. The kind of and sizes of the fish you added (by scientific name, if you can).
4. I wold like to know current actual test results for the following: ammonia, nitrite, alkalinity, calcium, magnesium, pH, temperature (range is okay), specific gravity.
5. Lastly, tell us how long the system has been up and running. When did it finish its cycle? Do you have any nuisance algae, microbes, red algae, etc.?

You obviously don't use a quarantine process and I would recommend you stop adding fishes directly to your marine system. As you can see, it can lead to harming those marine lifeforms already there. Get into setting up for that in the future. This is good info on that: A Fish Quarantine Process - Step by Step

Lastly, I don't recommend drip acclimation for marine fish under your circumstances. If you obtained the fish from your LFS and they were in the bag for under a couple of hours, drip acclimation is too slow and unnecessary. The usual water adds and dump is the way to acclimate such fish. It is faster, effective, and more than adequate.

[rchilder]

Thanks for the responses.

I've done some research on various parasites and can't be sure, but it doesn't seem to be a parasite. The current area of concern has gotten a bit larger but I'm unable to discern any segmentation or apendages. I also didn't see anything like this on the Wrasse. On the bottom lip of the Trigger, there appears to be a second small white spot merginig into the first, larger bulge.

As far as my setup, I have a 90 gal, FOWLR, deep sand bed setup with a Fluval 404 canister filter, about 80 lbs of live rock, a HOB Coralife Super Skimmer for up to 125 gal and regular flourescent lighting with a stock bulb and a blue actinic. I bought an RO/DI system for this thank and only use water from it. Cycling ended a little more than a year ago. I was very cautious and cycled with only live rock for about 6 months before adding any livestock. Once everything was completely settled and stable, and after a substantial algea bloom was cleared up, I added a Coral Beauty Angel (Centropyge Bispinosus - now about 3"), a Gold Stripe Maroon Clown (Premnas Biaculeatus - 3") and a Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma Flavescens - 4 1/2"). These 3 were in the tank with some assorted snails, a peppermint shrimp and assorted small hermit crabs for almost a year before I added the 3 most recent fish. I've had a few moderate algae blooms over that time, but all have been brought under control by the addition of snails/crabs and a few days of reduced lighting. I currently see no nuisance algae and an abundance of coraline on the live rock and back glass. The 3 fish added 2 weeks ago were a Gold Band Wrasse (Thalassoma Hebraicum - 6", currently in freezer), Blue Throat Trigger (Xanthichthys Auromarginatus - 5") and Pink Tail Trigger (Melichthys Vidua - 7"). The Wrasse appears to have come into the tank sick and showed first symptoms within 24 hrs and was dead in about 6 days. The Blue Throat Trigger is now sick and has had a growing white bulge on it's lower lip for about 6 days, but otherwise is acting normal.

I test pH (currently 8.2), Ammonia (.1 - .2) and trates (less than 1) about once a month. Alk currently reads "normal". Trites are about .15. I don't have a test kit for calcium or magnesium and don't know these values as I don't intend to keep corals until I can afford to upgrade my lighting. Temp is on the high side and is pretty constant at 78 - 80 F. I currently measure specific gravity with a swing arm and it reads 1.021.

Hope this helps. Awaiting any responses with possible diagnosis and treatment recommendations.

[rchilder]

After further hours of research, I'm considering running out and adding a UV Sterilizer to my setup. Any opinions on whether that could/would assist in the current situation?

[JWarren]

You have a situation with your water column which may be the cause of the illness. You should have no detectable ammonia or nitrites. There is an imbalance of bacteria in your system to combat the build up and your tanks equalibrium is out of whack.

I would get a bottle of Seachem Prime and add one cap full for every 50 gallons of water of your tank size. give it two hours and check your levels again. If levels are still high add another cap full wait two hours and check again. If level are still detected, do a five gallon water change with one half cap of prime. Buffer the water.

You also need to get your salt level up to at least 1.024.

[JWarren]

When was the last time you cleaned the filters in the Fluval?

[rchilder]

I clean the fluval filters monthly and last cleaned them about 3 weeks ago, just before adding the new fish. The ammonia and trites barely register on my tests and I pretty much approximated them from slight color changes. They are both near 0, but I'll work on getting them to 0.

As far as the salt level, everything I've read says that for a fish only tank, 1.021 - 1.024 is ideal. I usually try to keep it about 1.022, just a bit low right now. I usally do a 5% - 10% water change weekly and can fix that fairly quickly.

[JWarren]

Always best to keep your levels near sea water levels. 1.024 will get you closer.

I have several friends that have Fluval units in line and I listen to their complaints about this and that and they have all had a similier situation such as yours at one time or another.

What type of bio media are you using in that fluval?

[rchilder]

I use pre-filter media, ceramic biomax filter media, carbon and polishing pads in the last media basket, all Fluval brand.

[JWarren]

Looks like a fungus. A close inspection will tell you if is a leaching type pod. You will be able to see it. If it looks sorts like cotton it's fungus.

Most fungal infections are fairly easy to treat. You can just add a saltwater fish fungicide (which you can find at your LFS, NON COPPER) to the tank water and hope for the best, but a more thorough procedure will greatly improve the odds of a cure as well as prevent another outbreak.

Remove the fish to a QT (five gallon bucket with ro/di, salted and buffered to tank water, as well as same temp). Perform a thorough tank cleaning, including vacuuming the substrate and water change. Add a dose of fungicide from your LFS. Remove the infected fish from the QT and place it on a soft towel soaked in saltwater. Cover the fish's eyes with a corner of the towel to reduce struggling. With a dry paper towel, carefully scrape the fungus from the fish. Wet a cotton swab with tincture of iodine or Lugal's solution ( I prefer the lugal's) and daub the infected area until covered. Let the solution sink in for a few seconds then return the fish to the tank not the QT water. Add a pump and stone to the QT while you work on the fish.

If you go this route don't use the prime. It's a good idea to have a small 2.5 oz bottle on hand for emergancys.

You also need to clean the filters in that canister more frequent.

Get some pods and build up your population as well they will help keep the pollutants down.

[JWarren]

Here are some links for you to consider for more info.

MarDisIndex

FISH HEALTH PROBLEMS IN AQUARIUMS

Fungal Diseases of Fish

Diseases

Saltwater Aquarium Guide -- Saltwater Fish Health and Disease

FAQ: Diseases

[JWarren]

Originally Posted by rchilder

I use pre-filter media, ceramic biomax filter media, carbon and polishing pads in the last media basket, all Fluval brand.

Check you media now and then and make sure it does not have a build up of waste from feeding. I would clean the pads on a weekly basis. As waste builds up in the canister, it brakes down into what? Ammonia, first thing! Keep those pads clean my friend!

[leebca]

Very glad to hear how slowly you started off, but I'm unsure why now the rush? As I originally suspected, but withheld until I got further information. . .

1. The aquarium is overstocked with marine fishes.
2. The addition of fishes is too fast for the bio-load to adjust.
3. The water quality is sub-standard.
4. The fish are severely stressed.

The above will lead to a wide number of possibilities of infection. There are many different kinds of bacteria in the water waiting for their opportunity to infect a stressed fish. Although the problems begin as bacterial, they may lead to fungal (both the true fungal and the 'fake' fungal pathogens) and death. Those spots are most likely the reaction to the water quality which will quickly become infected areas.

I would back off. Read this as part of your 'research:' Fish Stocking Limit - for FO and FOWLR