Impaction?

[ataller]

I hate that I have to post in this forum. This is a bit of an odd case however, I have not experienced this particular phenomena during my reefing experience.

A picture is worth a thousand words so here is a before and after picture of a fairy wrasse I own. Lately he has been extremely cryptic, he hides most of the day. Finally today he is swimming about, so I could get a couple good pictures. I can take him out of the DT (I know where he sleeps) to treat him, but I do not know exactly what to do.

I am thinking he might have a food impaction? Or perhaps a swim baldder infection?

He swims relatively well, but a bit is a bit clunky. Like he is too heavy, has negative boyancy instead of neutral boyancy. He has no trouble getting around even now, and is swimming in the flow from my vortech.

I have not seen him eat and keep food in his mouth since he became cryptic and his stomach became swollen. I have seen him eat some mysis but eventually spit them back out again.


Here are the photos.

Before

After

Sorry to have to ask for the help.

Adam

 

[h2so4hurts]

Wow, I'm not sure there's a whole lot you can do. If it really is an impaction, anything short of surgery won't help

 

[ataller]

Yah impaction is bad news.

Does anyone know if this is actually impaction?

 

[h2so4hurts]

You could try antibiotics along with a wormer like prazi in a QT tank hoping that it's not a real impaction? It looks really bad though. That lump is right where his stomach and intestines are. If it was a swim bladder problem, I'd expect to see the lump higher and he'd have much more trouble swimming. If you could get him out of the tank and knock him out with some MS222, you might get a good feeling for it by touching it and seeing if it's a hard or a soft lump.