Who or What is eating Ozzie's Tail??

OrQidz

New member
Ok, first the parameters: 14 Gal Biocube

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Ca 400
SG 1.024-1.025
Alk 8.6
Phosphate 0
Temp 80.5

Started tank about 6 weeks ago. Filled it with tap, and have been changing out 2 gallons a week with RO ever since. (yes, I've learned that lesson!)

Livestock added 2 weeks ago is:
1 small ocellaris clown
frags of frogspawn, zoos, green star polyps.
Hitchiker xenia and mushrooms (actually they've been there all along)
3 turbo snails and 5 or 6 small scarlet hermits

All the corals are doing great, well expanded, look happy. The poor fish however is losing his tail! It started with a little ragged appearing at the tip 2 days ago and now his whole tail is GONE. I'm shocked and sad for poor Ozzie. What could this be? Is he a lost cause? Should I humanely euthanize him? He does seem somewhat distressed.

HELP!
 
Can you post a pic?
Unless you have seen another tank mate messing with him, it's "most likely" tailrot.
We lost a goby to it about a month ago. If the whole tail is gone, you are going to have a tough time saving him...the stuff progresses rapidly.
Sorry to say...The worst part, is that it will most likely spread to your other fish. Our goby gave it to our coral beauty, but we caught it quick and saved him.
We used Maracyn-Two in our QT.
Our diamond gobys tail was gone by the time we got the medicine and we weren't able to save him. I would say get him out of the tank.
Go buy the Maracyn- Two.
Keep a -CLOSE- eye on your other fish, and at the -FIRST- sign you will want to take your clown out and treat him. Best of luck.
 
Tagging along - we have the same issue with the male of our mated pair of true percs.... his tail is a mess.... hers has a chunk out of it -- like someone took a razor to her tail -- his looks jagged and awful.... They are both active swimming and eating like pigs so they feel good -- actually bothers us more than them....

No sign of any other tank mates messing with either one of them...

So we're interested in what is causing this too....

We "think" we have a mantis but have not seen it -- only hearing it... could that be it?
 
SpankinNew
I couldn't tell you about the mantis. I will say this though, tail rot moves quick. One minute they are eating and the next thier whole tail is gone. I would be interested in what others have to say about the mantis....but if it is tailrot, then waiting isn't worth the risk. If they still look happy, I would treat them now. If it is tailrot, it is your only hope of saving them.
 
Thanks for the info.... here's a couple of pics - he's fast so it's a little blurry.... and we just cleaned the tank so the water is a tad cloudy... but you'll see what we mean....

IMG]http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/1722/img0307ny7.jpg[/IMG]


img0306pi6.jpg
 
The "bruises" we think are from the torch or the alveopora stinging him. Doesn't seem to bother him at all..... acting very normal..... but looks awful....

poor thing...
 
Yeah he looks awful....

Amazing though he is still acting normally...

He's been looking awful like that for the longest time (3-4 weeks now) -- but it is lookng it's worst yet today...

I 'll have to do some research because I thought ich as well as fin rot was fast...
 
Thanks for the replies!
Yes, Ozzie is the only fish in there. It must be the tail rot, sigh. I hadn't heard of it before, but it is moving quickly. I tried to take a pic, but it came out all blurry. Right now he looks like a fish with no tail. It has a chewed appearance, and is whitish.
I need a close up lens for my camera I guess. One more thing to buy for my tank, lol.
I will keep an eye on the poor guy and see if my LFS has any ideas too.
Thanks reef people!
 
Hey OrQidz
Just for future refernce, I would pick up a package of the Maracyn, and the Maracyn 2....it treats quit a few problems. We were able to save pur poor Coral beauty from tail rot one week.....then he got popeye two weeks later. With quick treatment, his eye looks perfect, his fins look healthy and are already growing back. best of luck:)
did you loose him, or were you able to treat him?
 
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