Emergency triggerfish

[hellas]

Hi everyone
i have a small niger triggerfish who went missing 2 days ago and i had assumed the worst, after finding the body i moved the rock he was wedged in and to my surprise he swam out. although this was good news at first i noticed he was very disoriented and discoloured. the other trigger however is 100% and i cannot explain why only one is so unwell. i have no quarantine tank so i used a small plastic basket to seperate him from other fish attacking but he now is shocked and is pretty much just floating. i have dosed melafix to help with stress. really would appreciate any help on what i should do or at least what the problem is with the fish.


1. How old is this aquarium? 8 months

2. If less than six months old, what is ammonia level?
0.25 although i do weekly water changes and just last week the ammonia was 0

3. What is SG of this aquarium? How measured?
1.26

4. When was the last fish added to this aquarium?
2 months ago although it was the fish itself

5. Was it quarantined? If so, how? And how long? Was it prophylactically treated? How?
no quarantine

6. If you are using a copper based medication, which one? How often do you measure level? When?
N/A

7. If you are using hyposalinity, how did you calibrate your refractometer?
N/A

8. Please describe in detail, the appearance of the fish? If there is one or more pimples, are they lumpy? What color?
slight discolouration as is when stressed, no noticable parasites or spots.

9. Please describe the behavior of the fish as best you can. Is it acting reclusive? Is it always up towards the top of the aquarium? Is it avoiding light? How active is the fish?
fish was hiding for two days before disturbed and seemed disoriented and now is not moving with occasional attempts to swim

10. Is the fish eating? What?
no

would appreciate any help.

 

[MrTuskfish]

Wedging to rocks is very common behavior for a new trigger, especially small Nigers. If you have any ammonia, ever, your tank isn't really mature or completely cycled. There is no liquid remedy for "stress" and I'm not sure why you dosed
Melafix. This stuff claims to be an herbal antibiotic and general cure-all elixir. I've never heard of it doing anything. I don't know what your triggers problem is; could have be acclimation problems, ammonia poisoning, or a dozen other things. Nigers are tough fish and he may bounce back and he will disappear for long periods until he really adapts. I sure wouldn't add anything until you have ammonia under control....and get a QT/HT, its the best investment in the hobby you'll ever make.

 

[Triton_Z]

The ammonia reading on an established tank is odd. How large is your tank and what are the other fish present?

I agree with MrTuskfish as these fish are hardy and tough. I would not advise any more additives in the tank without good reason.

 

[hellas]

haha ok i thought melafix sounded too good to be true. the ammonia wasnt a problem until recent which actually led me to believe the fish had passed away in the rocks somewhere and was decaying.

Its a 4 foot aqua one tank with a jbl canister filter but no skimmer at the moment... i had a red sea prizm pro but it was a nightmare to keep working properly so i need to find a replacement.

Thankyou for your help guys