Fungus on Christmas Wrasse

i recently added a 4" x-mas wrasse to my 45 gallon system (75 gallons total volume) 7 days ago to be exact, and it formed some fungus on it's upper lip after the first couple of days. The fish was very active and eating like a pig so i all i did was keep feeding with garlic soaked frozen food hoping it would clear up.

Well today i noticed the fungus on the upper lip was gone but so was the upper lip! You can see the upper teeth of the wrasse exposed...I hope this injury isent as painful as it looks...It is not swimming as actively as before but it did eat alittle frozen food despite its missing upper lip.

He is the only fish in the tank...parameters are;
Calcium:440 mg/L
KH:12
Ammonia:0
Nitrate:0
Nitrite:0
PH:8.6
Phosphates:0
Copper:0
Salinity:1.025
Temperature: 79F

The tank is 2 months old stocked with coral, a CUC, urchin, brittle star all of which are doing well.

Is there anything i can do to help it out? or do i just need to wait and see if it heals.

 

im not familiar with that particular wrasse, but with just looking at your params the PH seems high. i was always told 8.1-8.4. perhaps another more experienced member can chime in.

sorry about the fish developing an illness. have you had any other livestock in the tank beside this wrasse or is this the first fish?

 

Lymphocysts, Try seeing if that might be what it is... Normally it develops on the fish, sometimes body... its like a cotton looking till it progresses. I know it can be fatal when it hits the mouth and prevents the fish from eating. Sorry to hear about that.

 

more than likely something not caused by you. was the fish QT'd or observed for several days/week at the fish store before purchase?

 

I've read that true fungus is extremely rare in saltwater. It could be a bacterial thing or lymphocystis. Google lymphocystis symptoms and images and see if that looks similar.

 

I had a pair of false perc clowns that i traded in for a maroon clown who for some reason never started eating so i lost it a week before adding this wrasse. None of those 3 fish had any signs of fungus tho. (thanks for the fact kcbrad, i just called it fungus for lack of a better term and well that what it looks like haha)

I will do a small water change asap to lower the ph...

I googled some pictures of Lymphocyst I am pretty sure that is it, he has alittle on this pectoral fins to but it seems to have cleared up around the mouth.

I am not sure how long it was at the LFS before i bought it, it came in with 4 or 5 other x-mas wrasses which all looked healthy to me, i watched mine eat before buying it

Thank you guys for the quick responses i will watch him best i can and try to keep him eating but as far as adding any type of meds is there somthing i should pick up?

 

My anthias had lymphocystis, and the good news is the virus is usually not deadly (unless it prevents the fish from eating). Keep the fish well fed and the water clean and the fish should get over it within a month. Good luck!

 

great writeup on this... Lymphocystis Disease of Fishes, by Dr. Adrian Lawler

looks like it could be an illness thats in the water. your other fish may have come down with it or brought it to the tank.

quote: "The disease usually runs its course in 4 or more weeks (depending on species involved, water temperature, and other variables) and then the enlarged cells rupture or slough off and release the viral particles into the water." " The viral particles in the water can go on to infect another fish of the same or closely related species. I suspect the virus can also become dormant and remain viable in sediments for years."

Sounds like that happened when its upper lip fell off.

No real cure, must let it run its course and keep water parameters as stable as possible.