Well, This fish has been in my hands for 15 days now. He was put right into a QT by himself(with a Marine Betta for less than 1 day). I just monitored him the first 9 days, he ate like a pig. Whatever I put in the tank he would eat it all(minus mysis shrimp) no matter if I fed him 3 times a day or 20 times a day. I started Prazi on day 9.
(Start of Prazi)
He didnt eat any meaty foods during treatment.
Day 1: Seemed to be content with the treatment, little less of an appetite, but would still eat all the nori I put on clips.
Day 2: Less of an appetite, same as day 1, ate the nori.
Day 3: Ate the nori off the clips as usual, but started noticing the shaking action with his head and gills, and it would only occur after he picked at something, either off of the rocks or the nori
Day 4: Eating less and I tried some meaty foods he picked at them but would spit them out in a violent way. He would eat it and 3 seconds later spit it out and do his head shake as if something was bothering him immensely
Day 5: Did a 75% water change charged after the food in the tank but couldn't eat it. Whatever was bothering him(is still) wouldnt let him eat. He would eat it and want to it eat and do a violent head twitch and shake, even open and flutter his gills.
Day 6: Wasn't really picking at much and seemed to rarely pick at the nori, tried all sorts of food and still the same hasty violent shake. Its almost as if he is hungry, he wants to eat, charges the food, and can't swallow it. Almost like its so painful to swallow he can't or he has some open soars in his mouth that is causing tremendous pain when something enters it. Did a FW dip, nothing came off of him, there was some excess mucous that was coming off of him and stayed on for 2 hours after the dip, it was not on him this morning at all.
Day 7(today): Really the same action, less aggressive at charging the food in the water but still tries to pick at it.
He is very "steady" lets say, He just swims and goes throughout his business. No charging or erratic behavior(but when he picks or tries to eat something), just kind of sluggish. I have noticed fin rot on is left(facing you) pectoral fin. It started off as a little bump(thought it was lympho), was pretty much completely gone yesterday. Today the whole side of the fin is showing fin rot with a white edge to it. Its very clear it is fin rot and its pretty even on the entirety of the fin. No other fins are showing it, he is using that fin less than his other one. No discolorations what so ever on his skin anywhere. Very pretty fish since day one, coloration has not changed but when he goes through a mood change. Very dominant colors and no grey coloration. That is the best way I can describe everything I have monitored from this fish.
I have 2 theories:
1. He had gill flukes, flukes in his mouth or esophagus. When I treated prazi it killed these(not this started happening worse the longer prazi went on) and left many open soars which irritates him to eat anything.
2. I have been trying to observe his mouth. I see its not 100% smooth, maybe raggedy as if he has a soar there. Nothing big enough to photograph or confirm first hand. My GF said(Day 3 into prazi), "See him pick off the heater", I didn't think anything of it, could he have possibly burnt his lips?
I understand fin rot is a fungal infection, negative bacteria, and is usually the cause of another infection or illness. I just can't think of one, I have honestly grown tired of reading 6 hours a day, forum after forum, article after article to come up with a plausible solution or diagnosis.
