Coral Beauty injury or illness?

[OliverArk]

The last couple weeks I had noticed my coral beauty having some issues with her face, it is discolored or maybe a loss of scales. Not sure if it an illness or an injury as it likes to swim through the rocks. I am hoping someone can identify this. thanks!



Thanks for any help.

[leebca]

Both the severity and location of the condition pretty much rules out an injury.

The fish should be moved to a hospital tank. Although I cannot tell from the photo the exact problem, I can see that if this isn't a bacterial infection, then one will soon follow. Thus treatment with a systemic antibiotic like Maracyn Two for Saltwater fish is something to do immediately.

To be sure the matter hasn't been exacerbated by other stressors, please provide the following information:
How old is your tank? When did it originally cycle?
What is the size (dimensions and gallonage) of your aquarium? Does the gallonage include the volume from the sump and any refugium? Does your system have a sump and/or refugium?
Do you use carbon, skimmer, mechanical or other chemical filtration? List all along with their maintenance.
Do you have live rock in the system? How many pounds or amount and where is it put?
Other than live rock hitchhikers, list all marine life & sizes in the tank (fish, inverts, corals, clams, snails, crabs, shrimp, etc.).
Do you use a quarantine tank and procedure?
Foods you use and feeding schedules.
How long have you had this fish? If the fish was recently acquired (6 weeks or less), two more questions: Did you treat it or give it a dip before it went into the aquarium? How did you acclimate it – what procedure?
Do you use any vitamins? Fat additives? Any elemental or other additives? Please list all.
Chemistries – Do you test for Phosphate, alkalinity, calcium and magnesium? Please give actual current numbers for everything. I would like test kit test results, not dip stick results and actual numbers even if you think all is fine/okay. Have these numbers been changing lately?
Water parameters – please give actual numbers (pH and your pH range, salinity or sp. gr. & range, temperature range)
Water changes (how much and how often).
What is your source water? (Tap water, RO water, DI water, RO/DI, distilled, etc.)
List what you added or taken out of your aquarium system (living, decorations, and equipment) during the past 6 weeks.
Maintenance schedule. What have you done lately?

[OliverArk]

Thanks for the quick reply, the tank is 18 months old, 40 gal, 40lbs oolite base, 30lbs LR. Skimmer, magnum 350 with carbon changed monthly,t-5 4 lamp fixture. 10gal water change every 2 weeks. There are 2 black clowns, neon goby and a purple firefish, cleaner shrimp and various snails and a couple hermit crabs. None have any symptoms. The coral beauty has been in the tank about 7 months. All corals look healthy and are doing good. The only additive I use is a 2 part for calcium and alk. Keep the calcium at about 400 and salinity at 1.025. I use an ro/di for top offs and water changes. Tonight I will set up a 20 gal for quarantine. I have not done anything different, same foods, brine, cyclopeze, sometimes a little flake. Food is given every other day, the corals that need spot feeding are done once a week. I haven't checked any other water parameters lately, as things have been running smooth. I will check tonight though and get back to you with the results. One thing I did notice the other night, the coral beauty went to the cleaner shrimp for a going over. the picture wasn't the greatest, but the face is the only part with this at this time.
Thanks again, I will get back with the water test results after work.
-Don

[leebca]

I am looking forward to the test results.

The most outstanding thing I see out of the ordinary in your response is the feeding schedule and choice of foods. Both are below standards. Did you know that this fish, along with the Anemonefish, eat a few dozen times a day in the wild?

The feeding should be no less than 3 times a day. The foods you've listed have low nutrition. You need to read and follow this: Feeding Marine Fish and Fish Nutrition

In short, you want whole foods from the sea and you want to supplement the foods with fats and vitamins. The details are in the above post.

Seven months is about long enough for the fish to suffer from malnutrition. Once this is set, it leads to a variety of conditions, one of which looks just like what you're seeing.

Once the fish is in the QT administer the Maracyn Two. Use double the dose recommended on the medication packaging. Then, start serving up MUCH better food.

Waiting to see your numbers.

[OliverArk]

Hi Lee, I re-read my post, the schedule isn't quite right, I do feed daily, just alternate foods every other day. They get flake in the morning and enhanced brine or other frozen in the evening. The article you had on feeding is real interesting. I see I do need to take a different approach. Set the tank up, but I want it to stabalize before acclimating the coral beauty to it. Also need to go up to MO to get some Maracyn Two. Our lfs does not have it in stock.
Here are the water results.
ph 8.3
alk 2.2
calcium 385
nitrate 0-1
amonia 0
phosphate 0
salinity 1.025
I don't have a mag test kit yet. The coral beauty does look a little better tonight, and seems normal as far as eating and swimming around. I will transfer it tomorrow morning after I test the QT. One thing I have seen this fish do, when I feed the curly anemone, open brain, bubble coral some chopped silverside, the coral beauty will dive into the curly anemone and steal it's food, seems like it got stung a few times too while doing this. Not sure if it has any effect.
Thanks again for your reply and the link to the nutrition page. I will be sure to pick up some of the proper foods tomorrow.

[leebca]

The Coral Beauty hasn't got any defense against the stings of polyps. The condition could well have been fostered by the stings. However, the fish's behavior is trying to tell you something about the foods, feeding frequency, and quantity. Right?

Separated, treated and fed properly should bring the fish back to its 'perfect' health and coloration.

So from the numbers you've reported, the calcium and alkalainity are not in balance. Get the three: calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium into balance according to the table found here: What is Water Quality

[OliverArk]

Thanks again Lee, I am off to MO, there is a pretty decent reef store up there. An 80 mile trip one way, but it is worth it. Have my list in hand. going to get a magnesium test kit also. Very good post on water quality.....always learning.

-Don