Fishes with injuries/holes in the body?

[juanmanuelsanch]

Hi all ! Lately I have seen my fishes with some weird injuries in the body, Im assuming it could be aggression from the powder blue tang, but the type of injury have me in doubts...

So far its being 3 fishes, the tailspot blenny had a white round mark in the body, its healing now. The clown fish has a perfect circle in the head, like a puncture. The more damaged is my bicolor blenny, it gad a white mark on a side, now its gone but it has a "big" open wound on a side, I can see the red tissue beneath the skin. It looks like a cut.

I have 3 black urchins in the tank, I really doubt its that, another one could be they got chased by something and injured themselves. I dont know what could be causing this.

Any help is appreciated.

I will try to take some pics

Thanks in advance !

 

[top shelf]

Just throwing it out there as an idea but do you think maybe you could have a mantis shrimp in your tank? Not sure if they would just injure and not kill but thought it might be worth asking.

 

[mikem101]

Just throwing it out there as an idea but do you think maybe you could have a mantis shrimp in your tank? Not sure if they would just injure and not kill but thought it might be worth asking.

That's an interesting thought but they wouldn't leave holes the pretty much crush everything they strike! You should see what they do to clams! Oh and defiantly would kill those little guys! But that's a crazy thought it's like a mini sea monster! A tank monster lol!


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[sirclintler]

Hole in the head disease?

 

[mikem101]

Just throwing it out there as an idea but do you think maybe you could have a mantis shrimp in your tank? Not sure if they would just injure and not kill but thought it might be worth asking.

What other fish are in the tank? Sounds like to me you have a little jerk fish beating up your others! But hard to say without pictures and some more info.


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[juanmanuelsanch]

The fish list is as follows, the tank is 122 gallons

1 Powder blue tang
1 Blue tang
4 clownfish
1 bicolor blenny
1 Lawnmower bleeny
1 Tail spot blenny
1 Leopard wrasse
1 potters angel (currently in qt, but it will make it to DT)
1 wild caught fish (very small compared to the rest)

I will try to get some quality pictures tomorrow morning

Thanks for the help

 

[jjwillia]

It could certainly be one of the tangs. They have the "spike" at the base of the tail. They use it as an attack/defense mechanism. If the other fish are entering it's territory I could see it causing the wounds you describe.

 

[mikem101]

+1 with jj
My first thought would be one of the tangs being a jerk!
But most likely if the injuries are that bad, I would think you would see it!
keep an eyes out!

 

[juanmanuelsanch]

Yeah that's my main suspect. The problem is that I don't see any major aggression in the tank when I'm there. I have seen the powder blue chase other fishes but not to the extend to find it troublesome, he is the biggest in the tank and a grumpy too.

Thanks for the help.






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[heathlindner25]

That's an interesting thought but they wouldn't leave holes the pretty much crush everything they strike! You should see what they do to clams! Oh and defiantly would kill those little guys! But that's a crazy thought it's like a mini sea monster! A tank monster lol!


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Mantis shrimp do have a vicious spike curled under the club, And probably your culprit .

 

[mikem101]

Mantis shrimp do have a vicious spike curled under the club, And probably your culprit .

Defiantly have some spikes, I had a mantis tank for a couple years. Just have trouble thinking 1. you wouldn't see him and know he's in there and 2. Ive never seen then leave a hold in a fish when mine killed something it knocked this fish unconscious/ killed him them never just a puncture hole?

 

[juanmanuelsanch]

Is there a way I can go and find out if I have one? I haven't seen anything like it.

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[billdogg]

If you aren't seeing anything during the day, look at night. A few hours after lights out (house lights too, and leave them off) use a red flashlight to observe the tank. The creatures we keep don't see/aren't bothered by red light so you can observe without disturbing them. Look closely around the base of all your rockwork.

With two aggressive tangs in a marginally sized tank, I wouldn't be at all surprised if it's one or both of them.

 

[juanmanuelsanch]

If you aren't seeing anything during the day, look at night. A few hours after lights out (house lights too, and leave them off) use a red flashlight to observe the tank. The creatures we keep don't see/aren't bothered by red light so you can observe without disturbing them. Look closely around the base of all your rockwork.

With two aggressive tangs in a marginally sized tank, I wouldn't be at all surprised if it's one or both of them.

Just one of the tangs it's what I would call aggressive, the blue tang is extremelly peacefull.

I will look a red flash light and try to look for a shrimp.

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[juanmanuelsanch]

I actually took a pic of the blenny and the injury.

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[mikem101]

I actually took a pic of the blenny and the injury.

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NO WAY that's a mantis! you would see WAY more damage, to me seeing the actual injury I would say with 99% certainty that its your tang picking on people!

 

[juanmanuelsanch]

Here's a pic of the clownfish with the round wound in the head. I haven't seen any major aggression and the injuries are healing. But it's good to have an idea.

The injury it's the white bad in the upper part near the eye.

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[heathlindner25]

3 clown is not good.

 

[juanmanuelsanch]

Actually 4, they all live in peace. Never seen aggression between them

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