coral fish disease??????

[stinky53081]

Three days ago I noticed my wrasses (4 of them) were not their "normal" selves. The following day, I found one lying in the front of the tank on its side gasping and the other three swimming around erratically, slamming in the side of the tank, scratching on rocks and also gasping. In a panic, I quickly diagnosed the problem from an old fish book I had and came up with gill flukes and treated with PraziPro. My questions are: should I have treated with something else?(I also have Formalin in my med. cabinet) and how do I know when the problem is under control? Why just my Wrasses?
Thanks,
Mike

[jhnrb]

Your initial diagnosis based on information given is what I would have concluded. now as to why only the wrasses

*Have any perfumes, insecticides, cleaning chemicals, detergents, excessive tobacco smoke, oils or strong vapors been released into tank water or sprayed near tank or air pump intake recently?

*Is either ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate levels high?

*Have any new landscape objects or equipment been recently added to the tank?.

*Are there poisonous fish or animals in the tank?

*Give specifics of when wrasses added to system, and anything else that may have affected the tank in the preceding 10 days to the onset of the problem. what else do you have in the tank and what kind of wrasses do you have.

I will try and help but need more information than you have given. as for the treatment of gill flukes I prefer formalin baths, but, you must be careful as the treatment is sometimes leathal as the disease. if you are going to treat the main tank, follow manufacturers directions.

Once done with the flukes treatment and if it solves the problem you may want to consider a treatment for secondary bacterial infection as well. just a thought.

[stinky53081]

Heres the info:
My tank levels are all o.k ammonia a little high but acceptable.
There have never been any chemicals use around the tank that I am aware of.
About 2 weeks ago I bought 4 clumps of Caulerpa and it seems this is when the problem started. The store I bought them from had pulled the plants from a refugium that was located in a back room, so I never saw the actual health of the tank.Needless to say, the plants are gone.
As far as the Wrasses, a Yellow Wrasse that I have had for about 6-8 months, a Solar Fairy which I had for about 6-8 months, a Yellow streak Fairy 3-4 months and a Formosa 1-2 months.
I have no venomous fish just 3 Cardinals,2 Chromis and a Flame Angel (at least I did this morning.) I feel like I'm up against the clock, should I do a massive water change (50%-60%) and treat with Formalin?
Thanks in advance!
Mike

[jhnrb]

Sounds more like poisioning to me, but if other fish are ok, yes I would do a large water change and treat. good luck. follow directions on the bottle for treatment. The large water change will deal with the poisoning and the formalin will take care of the flukes if they exist. if you know for sure its flukes treat soon. keep us posted.

[JellyMan]

Do you have a seperate tank set up?? It is always one of my highest suggestions, I recomend you segrigate the ones with the deffinate symptoms and treat and monitor both tanks regularly. There is also a parasite that causes those same symptoms and that is harder to treat because the parasite will host and then relinquish back to the substrate for a bit then return to host again. Good luck hope this helps.