Wrasses in QT; not sure what I'm dealing with

[MikeinCt001]

Let me ask you a question if I may.... When you quarantine fish from DD, do you always take preventive steps (Meds, hypo...) with them all, or only if they show signs that something wrong?
Thanks!

 

[snorvich]

Let me ask you a question if I may.... When you quarantine fish from DD, do you always take preventive steps (Meds, hypo...) with them all, or only if they show signs that something wrong?
Thanks!

Not necessary. I always QT from any supplier. Always. I do not believe in prophylactic treatment except for Prazipro. Any parasite will show up behaviorally within the 4 week observation window.

 

[MikeinCt001]

Thank you, appreciate you taking time to respond.

 

[snorvich]

Thank you, appreciate you taking time to respond.

You are welcome. One more thing. Although I always use tank transfer to eliminate ich from the picture, and always use prazipro, the reason I do not treat prophylactically, is that you do not know what you are potentially dealing with.

 

[Deinonych]

Let me ask you a question if I may.... When you quarantine fish from DD, do you always take preventive steps (Meds, hypo...) with them all, or only if they show signs that something wrong?
Thanks!

Personally, I treat all new fish for internal parasites (worms, flukes etc) with Prazipro - two rounds 7 days apart. Beyond that, I typically only treat when symptoms arise. For crypto, velvet, brook or uronema, I use chloroquine phosphate; for bacterial I use Kanaplex.

For fish that are prone to crypto infection (namely tangs and siganids), I proactively treat with CP @ 10mg/L for 4 weeks. I QT for a minimum of 8 weeks; typical length is 9-10 weeks.

 

[Deinonych]

So, quick update. 7 weeks in, the Blue Flasher is still doing well and has not shown any signs of ectoparasites thus far (yay!) One thing I have noticed is that he seems to get constipated every week to 10 days. He'll get shy for a day, and sometimes hide behind a PVC elbow. Usually the following morning at lights on he'll pass a large whitish stool, almost like it is covered in mucous. I have him on small NLS pellets, so his stools are typically brownish.

I suspect some sort of internal worm is affecting him, so I'll likely treat with something like Paracide-X. Does this seem like a reasonable course of action?

 

[snorvich]

I suspect some sort of internal worm is affecting him, so I'll likely treat with something like Paracide-X. Does this seem like a reasonable course of action?

Yes, but I am perplexed that it is not consistent.

 

[Deinonych]

Yes, but I am perplexed that it is not consistent.

Agreed. I may do a fecal smear and look at it under a microscope.

 

[SwampyBill]

Do I need a layer of sand in QT for wrasses or would a few pieces of pvc be enough? I've been in the hobby a long time, & love leopards & bipartitus wrasses & wanna do it right so they're comfortable in QT.

 

[triggreef]

So, quick update. 7 weeks in, the Blue Flasher is still doing well and has not shown any signs of ectoparasites thus far (yay!) One thing I have noticed is that he seems to get constipated every week to 10 days. He'll get shy for a day, and sometimes hide behind a PVC elbow. Usually the following morning at lights on he'll pass a large whitish stool, almost like it is covered in mucous. I have him on small NLS pellets, so his stools are typically brownish.

I suspect some sort of internal worm is affecting him, so I'll likely treat with something like Paracide-X. Does this seem like a reasonable course of action?

I was going to ask why Prazi instead of paracide d or x in the first place. Every single time I've treated flashers with prazi they stop eating for a day or 2 and sit on the bottom like they are dying. Emergency water change and they jump right back to life. I stopped using prazi for this reason. I only just recently found the paracide meds and they seem to work well and be much less harsh on the fish IMO. I understand you two are much more experienced than I and I actually hope to see responses from you guys every time I've posted in the fish disease section. So please don't take offense to my thoughts on prazi, but it really does seem to take a toll on about any fish that I've used it on, more so than any other meds.

Do I need a layer of sand in QT for wrasses or would a few pieces of pvc be enough? I've been in the hobby a long time, & love leopards & bipartitus wrasses & wanna do it right so they're comfortable in QT.

You should use some sand in a container for leopards at least.

I set up a QT specifically for leopards with several pieces of live rock and let it mature with tons of pods prior to beginning with them. That is how I got my first 3 through QT. I did not buy from DD though and I believe that I would have had better success if I did. That said, I lost about 10 others to get those 3. I always had them eating well and looking good. Dosed prazi right off the hop on them all. And they mostly seemed to die day 10. Day 10 was just about the tail end of the 2nd prazi dose. Coincidence?

More recently I ditched the set up with rocks and pods, stopped using prazi, and am right now successful 2 out of 3 (all LFS purchased). The one loss was a potters, which are tough any way.

 

[Deinonych]

Do I need a layer of sand in QT for wrasses or would a few pieces of pvc be enough? I've been in the hobby a long time, & love leopards & bipartitus wrasses & wanna do it right so they're comfortable in QT.

If you would, please start your own thread on this so this one doesn't get fragmented. Thanks!

 

[Deinonych]

I was going to ask why Prazi instead of paracide d or x in the first place. Every single time I've treated flashers with prazi they stop eating for a day or 2 and sit on the bottom like they are dying. Emergency water change and they jump right back to life. I stopped using prazi for this reason. I only just recently found the paracide meds and they seem to work well and be much less harsh on the fish IMO. I understand you two are much more experienced than I and I actually hope to see responses from you guys every time I've posted in the fish disease section. So please don't take offense to my thoughts on prazi, but it really does seem to take a toll on about any fish that I've used it on, more so than any other meds.

This particular wrasse actually did OK with Prazi, but I was careful to measure the exact water volume so I didn't overdose. He's always been a bit "off" compared to other wrasses I've had. Not very gregarious, gets startled easily, and of course this bizarre intestinal thing. I'm hopeful the Paracide will clear things up, and I like the fact that you can use it in food rather than as a bath. Hopefully his personality will improve once he graduates to the DT and is around other fish.

Oh, and don't assume I'm more experienced than you. I still consider myself a n00b. I just happen to be some sort of disease magnet for fish, so I've done a lot of reading on the topic.

 

[SwampyBill]

[QUOTEMore recently I ditched the set up with rocks and pods, stopped using prazi, and am right now successful 2 out of 3 (all LFS purchased). The one loss was a potters, which are tough any way.[/QUOTE]

So are you saying you just acclimate them directly in display tank now? That's what I've always done, thinking the extra stress of moving from QT to display was too much for them, & had mostly good results just dosed whole tank w/ Prazipro.

 

[SwampyBill]

If you would, please start your own thread on this so this one doesn't get fragmented. Thanks!

SHEESH!! My apologies...

 

[triggreef]

[QUOTEMore recently I ditched the set up with rocks and pods, stopped using prazi, and am right now successful 2 out of 3 (all LFS purchased). The one loss was a potters, which are tough any way.

So are you saying you just acclimate them directly in display tank now? That's what I've always done, thinking the extra stress of moving from QT to display was too much for them, & had mostly good results just dosed whole tank w/ Prazipro.[/QUOTE]

Nope I still quarantine, just stopped the prazi off the bat.

Oh, and don't assume I'm more experienced than you. I still consider myself a n00b. I just happen to be some sort of disease magnet for fish, so I've done a lot of reading on the topic.

Roger that. I just generally remember reading many your threads from my start, and you seem quite knowledgeable.

 

[snorvich]

In my opinion Deinonych is very knowledgeable.

 

[Deinonych]

SHEESH!! My apologies...

No worries - just want to make sure your issue gets the attention it deserves.