Help! Need you help with Sick Cooper Band Butterfly Fish

[DanSReef]

Hi Everyone…. I have an issue that has come up with my Copper Band Butterfly…. I have had him for almost a year now. His original home was my 29Gal Oceanic tank. Then about 10 weeks ago I moved him into a new 72 Gal Bowfront… The water parameters are all great…. Salinity 1.025, Phosphate 0, Nitrate 5.0 - 10.0 …Water Temp 78. The Nitrates just recently came up from zero. Until yesterday he has been an active, friendly and charismatic fish…. He has always had a robust appetite….

It now appears that the CBB has gone blind…. His appearance is perfect, good color, clear eyes…no blemishes on him. There are no apparent parasites I can find. He just seems lost in the tank… He has been a terrific eater until last night when food just blew right by him. It was as if, he could smell and taste the food….but he could not see it. You could almost feel the frustration he was experiencing….. he would react…like chasing ghosts…..

This morning his condition has not changed. His color is still great…but he is not engaged, not interested as he had been in the past.

As far as new inhabitants…. I have a new LT Anemone, a new Blue Spot Jaw Fish, and a Red Star Fish. As for Food…mostly Frozen Brine, Mysiss and Krill along with Articpods which I feed twice a day.

I would appreciate any thoughts on what could be the problem. I am afraid his time is short. If he cannot somehow see to eat… he will certainly die. Is there something I am missing? I am planning a water change….to hopefully address the slight rise in Nitrates.

Ideas? Suggestions?

 

[Frankie]

Other then being a bit under weight that fish looks awesome.
Have you checked your equipment recently to make sure there is not stray voltage entering the water?
As for the nitrates I suggest doing 2x weekly water changes of 30-40% until zero. Make sure the temperature and water parameters match prior to changing and mix salt for minimum of 24 hrs.
Does the fish react when you try to touch it? can it see your hand?

 

[DanSReef]

Hi Frankie – Thanks for your response. Here are answers to your questions….and additional comments

• I find your comment on him being underweight interesting. He really has not been underfed. In fact even today he does not appear to be emaciated or have a sunken stomach. I have seen other specimens at the LFS….and they never look as good as he does

• Stray voltage…. I hope not. I will need to check that. I was working in the tank this morning to do a little rearranging of some items….and then razor the sides and I did a 20 gal water change…..fortunately it was not an enlightening experience… I will need to get a voltage meter and see if there is indeed any stray current of some sort.

• Reaction of the fish – He is still actively swimming around the tank. He does not appear to react to my hand from a vision standpoint. I was able to touch him lightly and he did react to get away….

• One observation that gives me the additional sense that he seems to have gone blind is that I noticed in the past how his eyes would follow me, food, different things….now they almost seem fixed in place. They do not move at all….

• The other fish in the tank are vibrant and active.

• All the corals are vibrant

I wonder…if he could have some how tangled with the LT Anemone….and that has stun him in some way. I never have seen him get near it…..but perhaps he got zapped while hunting around for food… Has anyone seen a fish react like this after being stunned by Anemone?

Any other thoughts people have would be appreciated.

 

[DanSReef]

Quick Update: The CBB seems to be waking up from his stupor…. He seems to have been swimming around the last few days …blind….to things around him. This morning he seems to be tracking items with his eyes and seems to have regained both his sight and his appetite. He took some frozen Mysis this morning…though he is not 100% as some still just wafted by.

I did a 20% water change yesterday to help reduce the Nitrates that had come up a bit. I had tested them the other day between 5-10 ppm. This morning I tested the Nitrates and they are at 0 ppm….. I even did a second test as it seemed odd that they would disappear like that….and there is no color tinge in the test sample at all…. Perhaps I got a false positive reading originally….hmmm…..

Anyway… I will continue to monitor the CBB…. Hopefully he recovers completely…

Any additional thoughts from those on this forum would be appreciated. I am curious as what might have caused such a reaction to this fish and only this fish……

 

[GrendelPrime]

i was stumped but im glad he seems to be doing better

 

[Frankie]

I sent Leebca a pm asking him to come check this out. I trust no other as I do Lee in evaluating the health of a fish.
To me, not only does it looks under weight but the growth looks stunted also.
Yes, It is very possible that the fish had a bad encounter with the anemone and this is the problem. I am just trying to help you see the other observation of this otherwise very handsome fish.

 

[lcstorc]

I am very glad the fish seems to be recovering.
One comment about the underweight. He could be eating great but not getting enough of a necessary nutruent.
The fact that you have kept him alive for two years speaks highly of your methods. You are obviously doing something(s) right.

 

[Frankie]

I agree. That fish looks awesome and your doing a great job. There are just few things that need to be addressed that will make your skills in keeping fish that much better is all. Thanks for pointing that out Lynn. Geezer I hate text sometimes! Such a poor form of communication imo~

 

[DanSReef]

Hey Thanks Everyone. I just got back from some meetings today and checked the tank and it seems as though the CBB is doing better. He seems engaged. He is tracking food and he is eating…. A big relief on my part.

So…. I guess the question I have is I feed twice a day; when I turn the lights on and then an hour or so before they go off. I feed a combination of frozen Mysis, Brine Shrimp, Rod’s, and Krill. I generally feed as much as they can eat in 3-5 minutes….and add a little at a time. With the new BSJF….I am finding I need to feed more volume as he is truly a hog. All the fish seem to get plenty…but I am concerned about the comments on the CBB being stunted and underweight. Should I increase the number of feedings, quantity, types of foods….?

You all have been a rich source of information and inspiration for me. I would appreciate your continued thoughts and guidance.

 

[Frankie]

I stand corrected in my last post. I was making assumptions with my information and have been corrected in PM. I am quick to admit I was jumping the gun on my viewing and apologize for any inconveniences.

There is no way to tell the weight of the fish from the angle in that picture so I will stand down.
If you care to you can take a picture of the fish head on for an appropriate response to the weight issue. Other then that I have to say this fish looks pretty good.
I am happy it is coming around and doing better. Well done!
As for feeding, you can take a look at this thread for proper guidance on future feeding habits:
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums...eeding-marine-fish-marine-fish-nutrition.html

 

[DanSReef]

Frankie – I appreciate your thoughts and guidance. Please continue!

I thought I would upload a couple of pictures that I just took while giving the tank a little Rod’s. Unfortunately the CBB was a little less than cooperative. He would not hardly stand still long enough to get a decent picture….let alone one from the front. Here are a couple of pictures to review.

 

[Frankie]

Nice shots! Your tank is very clean and the water looks very clear. Are you using filter socks to polish the water?

 

[DanSReef]

Yes. My sump drains directly into a sock with about 1 1/2 cup of carbon. I am running it about 2 weeks at a time and then I put a new sock and fresh carbon. I was told by a friend who cultivates coral as a hobby that if I ran carbon with my filter sock it would clear the water to a point where the effectiveness of the T-5’s would be much improved.

I am running 48” T-5’s – 2 daylight and 2- Actinic with four lunar LEDs. I also have a protein skimmer running but I am not sure how effective it is as it really does not pull out that much….but when it does it is nice a dark.

I just ran the Nitrate test again and the reading is zero. I wonder if I somehow got a false reading the showed it go up to 5-10 ppm. Which….if so….does not explain the comatose state the CBB was in. The only explanation is that he got too close to the LT Anemone….and got zapped…..or he and the BSJF kicked one too many back the other evening celebrating the Black Hawks Stanley Cup Championship...and he was suffering a hangover….

In any event…he seems to be nearly 100%. He is active. He is eating.