Question about color of long fin fairy wrasse... help!!

M

missmandy

New member
Hi everyone,

This is my first time using a forum so please be patient! I've been in the hobby for a couple years now. Usually I can do my own trouble shooting... But this time my problem had to do with my favorite fish! I've had this wrasse for quite a while and am attached to him.

Anyway he's been sluggish lately and is turning white in color! He hides most of the day and no longer makes his mucus cocoon at night. I am not sure if he is missing a mate??

I had my water parameters checked less than a week app at the LFS, all is good there. Any help would greatly appreciated.

I will upload pics asap.
 
I think this belongs on the disease forum. Is that his color, or does it look like a film or spots? And new additions to the tank recently? New fish, corals, CUC, change in supplements?
 
Oh, thank you for the heads up. I'm still getting familiar like I said. I'll try to figure out how to move the thread over there....

It is more of an overall color change, with more extensive changes on his head.
 
If it is that may be the root of the problem, can you list the tankmates this may be because of bullying by other fish
 
Yes the wrasse is in the 15 gallon... Along with a Mandarin and very small royal gramma..
Yes, I do know that is too small of a space for that many fish! But they have been together in that tank since it came to be mine about a year ago. They all get along and mind their own business. Everything has been fine for the most part until now.

But reading that Brookynella info made me think... I did a water change about 2 Weeks ago. I moved the liverock around to siphon underneath. Then my corals started dying off after 24 hours. I did testing obviously, and found a crazy amount of phosphate & nitrate. The only reason I can think of for these being so high after a water change is the gases within the substrate being allowed to escape into the water.
I thought I had found the problem n corrected it! Ugh! So i'm guessing this is some sort of bacteria taking advantage of my poor stressed fish?

Should I get the melafix regimen ready lol??
 
What's your filtration like? I have a feeling a chemical toxin like ammonia and/or nitrite is killing your livestock. That's a lot of bioload for a 15 gallon. Fairy Wrasses are super active, feed aggressively and as a result can have a substantial impact on water quality in tank that size.
 
My ammonia and nitrite are both at 0....

I have a 5 gallon refugium under the tank, as well as the typical sponges and bioballs/stones that are used with a nano cube. There's also a poly pad & baggie of phosguard i've added.

Thank you for the responses so far!!!
 
Wrasses turn white when they sleep, if you have the mandarin eating prepared food it is fine in that tank but fairy wrasses generally need 4 foot tanks so there are many diseases that will show in this tank but not in say a 75 gallon. I say the root of this problem is tank size and you should upgrade to a 40 soon becuase you are basically torturing this fish. I am going to take it easy on you becuase we all make mistakes but I urge you to get them a bigger tank soon
 
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