brown smudges

[pinnatus]

I noticed my Moorish Idol (which is 5 1/2 years old) had stopped eating yesterday, and is breathing faster than normal. After looking closer, I can see some brownish smudges on his sides. I have not seen this before, ever. I thought maybe it is flukes? I treated the tank with Prazipro last night, and the smudges were gone this morning. The breathing still seems fast. I don't know if he is eating again, since he just woke up when I left for work and they don't eat right away after the lights click on.

Would flukes look like brown smudges on the fish's side? Is there some other disease I should be thinking about?

I do not want to lose this fish. I have had it a long time and it is my favorite.

 

[HumbleFish]

Brown smudges wouldn't be flukes - possibly a bacterial infection, though. Mine got brown smudges one time after rubbing against a BTA. Any corals or nems in your tank he could have gotten stung by?

 

[pinnatus]

Nope. No inverts at all.

The smudges appeared to have gone away after treating with Prazi. I have never seen what a fluke looks like, so I don't know. But could the brown smudges have been a clearish flatworm of some type? I have been keeping fishes for a long time (40 years), and have seen a lot of things, but I have not seen this before.

 

[HumbleFish]

Flukes are clear; you usually don't see them until they reach the eyes. In FW, they turn white.

I've read that sometimes skin color may be faded at the insertion site. But this usually happens in the gills, or face, lips and eyes.

 

[pinnatus]

These were in the yellow section of its sides. I am thinking they may be clear but on the yellow part they look slightly brownish. Even then they were hard to see. I didn't see them anywhere else, and they were gone this morning.

Hopefully prazipro knocked it out whatever it is.

 

[treliantf]

I had an idol for 26 months and sadly died from fatty liver, which had very similar symptom of high breathing rate (~4Hz) in her last days. If the fish eat too much to a serious overweight, there aren't much we can do after that. All others can be cured by antibiotics and fresh water dip (make sure same temperature and oxygenated fresh water) for 2min and put it back to the tank. Good luck!!!

 

[pinnatus]

Looks like the Prazipro did the trick. Moorish Idol seems to be back to his old self, began eating again last night.

 

[HumbleFish]

Looks like the Prazipro did the trick. Moorish Idol seems to be back to his old self, began eating again last night.

:thumbsup: