Foxface Rabbit Fish Is Sick

[jerseyguy1996]

My foxface is acting really sluggish. He is hiding a lot and when I fed the tank he didn't eat at all. Usually his apetite is really strong. This just started today. I noticed it when I got home from work. Yesterday he was fine and swimming all over the place as usual.

Water params are

PH 8.2
Amm/trite/trate are all 0
Calcium 420
Alk 10

I just changed the carbon to try to clean out any toxins.
He has been fine ever since I got him and this is the first time he has ever looked sick.

Any suggestions on what else I can do to get him better? None of the other fish seem to be struggling at all.

[crvz]

Couple questions.

How long have you had it?

Have you added anything to the tank lately?

Have you made any changes to husbandry lately (temp changes, salinity, water change schedule, feedings or feeding schedule, etc)?

[jerseyguy1996]

Originally Posted by crvz

Couple questions.

How long have you had it?

Have you added anything to the tank lately?

Have you made any changes to husbandry lately (temp changes, salinity, water change schedule, feedings or feeding schedule, etc)?

I got him in February. The only change I have made was adding a fan to the sump to bring the temperature from 83 down to about 79. I did a couple of big water changes last week to clean up a bit of a nutrient problem I was having but that was a full week ago. I just noticed that my bicolor pseudochromis seems to be taking an interest in him which he has never done before but I am not sure if that is a cause of the stress or merely the result of stress (i.e. fish tend to pick on other fish when they are sick or weak).

[crvz]

Hmm, it could be stress or shock from all the maintenance in the last couple weeks, but there's no way to be certain. Not sure what to say, try some Nori (my rabbitfish loves it), and good luck!

[jerseyguy1996]

Thanks. Nori is definately part of my food regiment. I usually add it in with blender mush. The foxface turned his nose up at it this time although he usually loves it. I have the lights off right now and I am just hoping to find a happy fish when they come on this afternoon, as opposed to a fish carcass.

[Geoff]

how thin is it? it sounds like what i go through on occasion. it may be an internal parasite. Metronidazole might help. it has not helped me, but some people have had success with it. it could also have been a low dose of cyanide and is now taking its toll.

i find this the most frustrating thing about this hobby.

G~

[jerseyguy1996]

The store that I got it from supposedly doesn't get any cyanide caught fish but really......how would they know. They (whoever they is) really need to figure out how to aquaculture all of these fish. I'm just hoping that when the lights come on he will look a little better. This was our first fish and he is very special to us so I hope he pulls through.

[jenajet]

This happened with my Volitan. He was great for about 6 months, suddenly he quit eating, tho there were no signs of illness. I also tried the metronidazol but like Geoff it didn't help. I agree cyanide is a possibility because it still happens even tho it is illegal in most places. Unfortunatly many of the fish people want are nearly impossible to breed so capturing wild ones is the only option. Good luck with him.

[jerseyguy1996]

Well I found my foxface today, caught in the stream of a powerhead, pinned up against a rock. He is still moving but he looks terrible. I put him in the sump so that if/when he dies it will be easier to get him out. I don't want to give up on him since he is still alive but I think all hope is pretty much lost. I am really bummed and my wife is crying. I am still wondering if my royal dottyback was picking on him. He has never bothered him in the past and I am wondering if maybe he is either getting more territorial with age, or if he just saw a sick fish and felt that it was an opportunity. If he was the cause of this (and I have a sneaky suspicion that he was because the only other fish in the tank, a maroon clown, is starting to show little nips in his fins) then he is getting netted and I will check with the LFS to see if he will trade me for another foxface. I had no idea when I got him how aggressive they could be and the LFS didn't volunteer any info. I know that I should have checked it out before hand but I was still very new to the hobby when I got him.

[partobe]

I'm really sorry

[crvz]

Man, that's just the worst. I hope he pulls through, but it doesnt sound too good.

It would be cool to be able to purchase all fish as captive bred, but we're probably a couple decades away from having that as a reality.

[jenajet]

Sorry to hear that.

[dobejazz]

Sorry for your loss