Fish maladies

[Paul B]

I have a yellow wrasse that doesn't look too well. I don't remember how old it is but I don't have it that long, maybe a year or two. I got it full grown.
For the last few months he is having trouble swimming. Wrasses don't swim well anyway but this one seems to have a tail that is semi paralized.
He looks good, eats and gets around but fish, like people also develop other diseases and maladies that we can't see on their skin. We usually see spots, discolorations, fungus, fin rot or scratching but we often forget that fish also have internal organs, a circulatory system and a nervous system that are subject to disease just as we do. When we get sick, most of the time you can't tell just by looking at our skin. As a matter of fact, you can rarely tell just by looking at our skin. (unless we have an arrow sticking out of our head)
Fish also sucumb to internal problems and possably auto immune diseases even cancer (except sharks, they don't get that)
I would also imagine that fish can get heart attacks and strokes. Those things are just things that can happen to any animal with a heart and brain.
If this fish dies, I will not autopsy it because I know it is a nervous system problem and an autopsy will not reveal anything that I could see with "my" primitive equipment.

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh270/urchsearch/IMG_1339.jpg

[Paul B]

I changed my mind and will autopsy this fish as I have found out the cause of the wierd swimming. Kind of.
The fish now has a dark lump on both sides. This is a fairly common malady and I always thought it came from some type of trama like getting bitten from something large or having a rock falling on the fish. The autopsy (after it dies) will show internal bleeding and this is always fatal. I recently lost a copperband butterfly fish from it as I see it mainly on thinner types of fish.
It could also be from a tear in the digestional tract but I don't think so as the fish will not live very long if that happens.
I hope I am home when he dies so I can find out the cause. It is interesting no matter what it has.

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh270/urchsearch/IMG_1818.jpg

[Triton_Z]

Paul,

Very interesting. I look forward to reading what you find.

[b0bab0ey]

Paul, this kinda looks like the beginnings of Uronema. Discussed in these two threads:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2095740

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2093607

[Paul B]

That is what it looks like and I have seen it quite a few times, Unfortunately, whatever causes internal bleeding can not usually be cured or prevented in a fish. When you see a noticable lump, it is usually too late.
I do not think in this case it is Uronema.
In Uronema the fish loses color and gets listless. This fish is very colorful and eats well. There is no outward sign of injury, just a lump on both sides of the fish from the bleeding. An autopsy will tell me.
(if I am around when the fish dies and the bristle worms don't do the autopsy before I do)

[Paul B]

I don't know what happened to that fish but now he seems fine. The swelling is way down, almost normal, the dark spot is faded and he is swimming normally. Last week all he could do was swim in spirals while crashing into things and not being able to eat very well. I have seen this many times but never seen it heal. I am not sure if he is completely healed but he is swimming and eating like a wrasse should.
Wierd but interesting.