Filefish is not eating, no signs of diseases

[dendro982]

Have a problem, what to do:
The 1.5 years old filefish is not eating and loses body mass (not too visible so far). No visible sighs of any diseases, no problems with swimming.

It stopped eating after the second big fish - lionfish jumped from the tank and died. Still don't know, what caused this jump- no signs of any disease or traumas. It was more than a month ago, since then the filefish may be had eaten some white xenia stalks, may be not - didn't see that. Even doesn't come to the front glass during feeding, very unusual, it was an eager eater.

Tried to give any favorite food, Formula Two, mysis, live food (ghost shrimp) - nothing was taken. Food with garlic or Selcone too.

Other fish - the new mombassa lion, old valentini puffer (no troubles ever from his side), percula clown, chromises, damsel, scooter, blood shrimps, hermits and turbo snails, and the corals - LPS, softies, one sps - are not distressed and eat and behave as usual.

Tank parameters show no ammonia, no nitrites, 30 ppm nitrates, 0 - 0.25 ppm phosphates, 8-9 dKH alkalinity, pH 8.2. All as always. Fresh carbon in the sump.

Some red cyano now in the tank - visible behind the fish, but not in catastrophic proportions, had a worse episode an year ago.

Here is the fish:

Normally, there were no shadows/concavities on the body.

What can I do?

So far my course of actions could be: if the fish continue to lose body mass and I will have nothing to lose, I'll put it in 28g rubbermaid container (the fish, including the tail, is 10-12" long), and start broad spectrum antibiotic treatment - ampicilline, may be.
If not helps - antifungal. If not helps - antiparasitic.

I do realize, that this may lead to the fish death. Will do only if no hope for survival.

Anything better?
Thank you.

 

[dendro982]

Update: when the tail fin is stretched at full, not pointed, as usual, the end is white and disintegrating:

The less affected parts have non-even edge, blackened at perimeter:

Same, in lesser degree - on abdominal fin (black-edged concavity), seen on the full body shot.

Is it the fin rot?
What to use - kanamycin or Melafix and Primafix?

 

[Percula9]

I like Furan2 or Maracyn2. Looks like fin rot. Treat before it gets worse. Your Phosphates are to high. Throw some Phosban in a high flow area of your sump or canister filter. Pretty fish hate to see you lose it. Treat immediately before it's to late.

 

[dendro982]

Thank you! Will do. Just was confused - it's the first sick fish I have to deal with.

 

[dendro982]

Still not eating.

Information for the tassled filefish (Chaetodermis) keepers: if your fish stops eating, don't assume that it found something to eat in the tank, as I did.

The signs of weight loss are visible from only from above, at the different angles - take a chair or folding stairs and monitor the fish condition, before it is too late. Areas to watch - behind the waist, between the eyes, below the mouth. The belly will continue to be round - swimming bladder and internal organs take place too.

Mine already lost too much of the muscular mass, without any symptoms of particular disease, beside of stopping eating.

 

[_FishFreak_724]

I had a niger triggerfish that recently stopped eating, and he too began to lose body mass, after about a week , still with no eating his eyes became sunken in, and he could no longer hold posisiton in the water, about 2 hours later he died. The cause if death was probley either an internal infection or tuberculosis .....


If i was you, id move him to a QT tank and began treatemnt w/ antibiotics made for internal infection and continue to try feeding him with enriched food.

Your file doesnt look that bad so you probably can save him with proper treatment ...

Good Luck, and I hope he pulls through for you !!!

 

[dendro982]

I also suspect infection or tuberculosis... Still not eating, what is worst of all.

Already treated the main tank almost 3 days with Melafix and Pimafix, helped before for corals with necrosis in another tank, and other people treated fish for a fin rot and internal infections of unknown etiology. Used halfdose, as for a sensitive fish, but stopped, when translucent nodes started to appear on the side fin, in line, as if where was damage.

Then moved to QT and started treatment with kanamycin, that was supposed to be gentle on biofilter and treat from internal infections and fin rot to tuberculosis, this thread is here .

I also thought, that filefish looks not too bad from the side - but after moving to QT, where I can see it only from the top - it is very thin, except the belly. The spine extends farther asides, than the bottom muscles of the body.

I had to start the treatment of this much sooner.