Help my Bangai Cardinal is slowly losing her fins!

[hann1bal]

Over the past month or two, my Bangai Cardinal lost most of her fins. I have checked my chemistry and keep doing water changes but nothing seems to work. I wanted to see if anyone has seen this before.

P.S. We just removed an ArcEyed Hawk Fish that we recently bought and returned as it was picking on our goby (not letting it leave its burrow). But we never noticed the Bangai get picked on by it and we both believe we noticed it start right before purchasing the HawkFish.

We didnt realize how bad it was until my wife found this before picture. Any help or advice would be appreciated.

*I will post my tank chemistry when the tests are done.

 

[hann1bal]

Ok so here it goes:

Ammonia 0.25
Phosphate 0.00
Nitrate 40
Nitrite 0
Alkalinity 7.8
Calcium 380
Magnesium 1200
PH 8.2
Salinity 1.025
Temp 79


I'm afraid my ammonia may be the problem, I guess a water change is in order.. again.

 

[hann1bal]

Here is a pic of my ammonia reading, I suck at color.

 

[farfromsea]

I feel like in this situation the cause is likely to be infection or aggression (attack by another fish) do you not have any other fish in there except the goby now?

I can't ever read the API ammonia kits properly either. I would just get another kit ha. Anyways if the ammonia was to blame I think you would be seeing other issues going on not just your cardinalfish being affected.

If I had to bet I would bet on some other fishing nipping the fins when you're not watching. I would try isolating the fish and offering night feedings and seeing if the fins improve.

 

[MuShu]

I would bet fin-nipping or possibly a bacterial infection (though I would expect to see something like fin rot on more than one fish).

 

[hann1bal]

Ya I have several healthy happy fish. A clown, Yellow Tang, Sleeper goby, and of coarse the Bangai. I sure hope it was that hawkfish nipping at her fins. It could have been the other fish but they have all lived together peacefully for over a year with no issues.

Is there anything I could do for a bacterial infection? She is hanging in there but staying near the top. In the past the end was always near when I noticed any issue with any fish but I'm try anything to give her a shot.

P.S. The hawkfish did make my other fish more aggressive with just his presence. After 1 day being out of the tank I can already tell their is more peace and less stress.

P.P.S. As a side note this Bangai has had two bouts of its mouth being stuck open. Its eventually closed but poor girl has had a tough life.

 

[hann1bal]

On another thread they mentioned using Melafix but it seems the concensus is probably fin nipping and I wouldn't want to harm my other fish as well. Damn this hobby is hard!

 

[farfromsea]

Just put the banggai in a quarantine tank and let them chill and eat food without the other fish around and see if their behavior improves. I am not one to make suggestions for antibiotics or anything but I would go with a conservative treatment first since fin rot seems unlikely considering the duration IMO

 

[hann1bal]

Thanks for the help. Never had a QT tank but prolly time to set one up.