Sick YWG

[Janetsplanet]

Hi,

Sorta new to this, reef has been up since April 2015.

Looks like my YWG swallowed a basketball and over the last few weeks it's been getting worse. He's 'eating' (though not much more is going to fit into that belly), acting normal, digging around in the substrate and rocks with his pistol shrimp. Fed him mysis soaked in Prazi Pro, and have tried peas for constipation. He eats all of it but, no idea if anything is coming out the other end.

This is somewhat normal for him, as he had a small belly when I picked him up, but it's worse the last few weeks. His belly grows and never gets smaller.

Thoughts on anything else I can try? I don't want the little guy to starve to death.

Thanks!

Probably irrelevant, but may be asked...

Inhabitants: 2 Black Occelaris, Pistol, YWG, Purple Firefish, random small hermits, snails, and LPS dominant reef with a few SPS.

Aquarium stats: 65 Gallon (total volume) with heavy skimming, Monthly ~15% water changes, dosing as necessary (but it's usually not). SG: 34ppt, 77.8-78 degrees, Ca - 420, MG - 1400, dKH - 9.5, pH - 8.3. Mixed reef salts, but mostly SeaChem.

[Janetsplanet]

Also... no nitrates, and no phosphates, or at least undetectable with RedSea test kits.

[ThRoewer]

Is he still eating?
Is he eating a lot?
Is he behaving like something is bothering him?

If the answers on the first two questions is "yes" and "no" for the last he may have a fat-liver.

Some other options are:
- intestinal parasites
- intestinal blockage

[Janetsplanet]

Is he still eating?
Is he eating a lot?
Is he behaving like something is bothering him?

If the answers on the first two questions is "yes" and "no" for the last he may have a fat-liver.

Some other options are:
- intestinal parasites
- intestinal blockage

Right, but I'm hoping for solutions if there are any? I already treated for some of the above, and seen no improvement.

As noted above...

Yes he eats.
Define "eats a lot"? All my fish will keep eating until I stop feeding.
He's acting normal. Swimming, digging, etc.

[ThRoewer]

...
All my fish will keep eating until I stop feeding.
...

That may be the issue - too much food.

I wish my fish would be more like that. Some of my percula pairs eat rather like supermodels: just a few bites at a time.

[Janetsplanet]

Nope, that's not the issue either, because I definitely don't overfeed. If anything I underfeed. Every other day as much as is eaten in about 20-30 seconds. None of my fish have the same issue.

Corals get fed once a week.

[Janetsplanet]

Ok, so after weeks of a swollen belly, and treatment for parasites. I suspect my YWG has dropsy. He now has a gaping reddish hole in his side with rocks coming out of, or sticking to the wound. I can't tell which.

Is dropsy possible? Can I still save the little guy? Do I need to treat my other fish?

Despite the gaping hole in his side, he's not showing signs of weakness or illness. Still eats, still darts in and out of his hole, and feeds his pistol shrimp.

[ThRoewer]

As long as he is eating good and otherwise acting healthy I would just observe.

I had a dottyback developing a hole in its side and after a couple of weeks it went away on its own and never showed up again.

[Janetsplanet]

As long as he is eating good and otherwise acting healthy I would just observe.

I had a dottyback developing a hole in its side and after a couple of weeks it went away on its own and never showed up again.

Ok, observe it is. Just really don't want this spreading if it's bacterial, but also don't want to stress him if he can fight it off himself.

With his chunky tummy, he has been known to get wedged where he doesn't belong. So maybe this wound is related to being stuck in the rocks somewhere. Several weeks ago he got wedged in a candy cane coral, and to save him I had to crush/frag the coral. Both survived that, however 'the belly' has gotten bigger since.

Another pic attached if this helps at all.