Stressed out Royal Gramma in QT?

[pacificdiver]

I have a royal gramma undergoing treatment for a very mild ich outbreak. I did tank transfer successfully (I hope), and it's been about 2 weeks since completing TTM, but the little guy is still behaving as if he's infected with something (spends the entire day wedged between the heater and the side of the aquarium, despite numerous hiding places at the bottom. He's alone in QT, while the other fish are in a separate QT and doing perfectly fine after TTM was completed.

My question is, is this sort of behavior normal? He will eat, but only by darting out to grab 2 or three bites, and then wedges himself in hiding again - never comes out unless grabbing food. I'm doing 100% water change every 3 days in his 10G aquarium, and dosing Prime to keep ammonia in check.

So far, treatment has entailed TTM, with Prazipro done 2x during TTM process. I noticed discoloration on the head after completing TTM and Prazipro, so I did a third 5 day course of Prazipro, followed by a 3 day Paraguard course. Now, he seems clear of visible infections, but is still spending his complete day in hiding.

Is there anything else I can do at this point? Am I missing something?

[m0nkie]

Imo royal gramma are very shy in the tank. Mine took awhile to come out in the open. They would only come out to grab food at first.. I think mine started appearing after 3-4 weeks in tank after it got used to everything

[pacificdiver]

Imo royal gramma are very shy in the tank. Mine took awhile to come out in the open. They would only come out to grab food at first.. I think mine started appearing after 3-4 weeks in tank after it got used to everything

Yeah, he was pretty shy in the DT when he was first introduced, but was fine after a week or so. I removed him from the DT after about 6 weeks, and began TTM. Even when he was first introduced to DT, he was never this nervous.

I'm just hoping I'm not missing something that could be dealt with now. The only other treatment I can think of is copper, but I'm hesitant to use that in QT because I can't dose Prime.

[scooter31707]

He's probably stressed out from moving to a new home along with being irritated with ich. If it some time.

[ThRoewer]

Is he still scratching?
TTM can sometimes fail for various reasons (most commonly operator error). That's why you would want to have a sufficiently long observation period afterwards.

Grammas are are also highly susceptible to ich. They may not get sick, but can still harbor the parasite.
It is one of the fish that is unlikely to ever acquire full immunity against Cryptocaryon. This is likely due to the fact that they are easily stressed even when well established in a tank.

When in doubt, you might just want to repeat TTM. If you feel comfortable with it you may combine it with hyposalinity to add another layer of security.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

[pacificdiver]

Is he still scratching?
TTM can sometimes fail for various reasons (most commonly operator error). That's why you would want to have a sufficiently long observation period afterwards.

Grammas are are also highly susceptible to ich. They may not get sick, but can still harbor the parasite.
It is one of the fish that is unlikely to ever acquire full immunity against Cryptocaryon. This is likely due to the fact that they are easily stressed even when well established in a tank.

When in doubt, you might just want to repeat TTM. If you feel comfortable with it you may combine it with hyposalinity to add another layer of security.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk


No scratching, just wedges himself in between the heater and the wall of the QT. Only darts out to grab 3-4 pieces of food when I feed him, one piece at a time. Always returns to the same "wedged in" location. There's plenty of places to hide in PVC pieces on the bottom of the tank, so I'm puzzled as to why he likes the heater. No spots or signs of disease after 2.5 weeks post TTM.

He is pretty emaciated, with a noticeable excavation in the belly area. Can that cause this behavior?

[Deinonych]

No scratching, just wedges himself in between the heater and the wall of the QT. Only darts out to grab 3-4 pieces of food when I feed him, one piece at a time. Always returns to the same "wedged in" location. There's plenty of places to hide in PVC pieces on the bottom of the tank, so I'm puzzled as to why he likes the heater. No spots or signs of disease after 2.5 weeks post TTM.

He is pretty emaciated, with a noticeable excavation in the belly area. Can that cause this behavior?

Both of my RGs did this when they were in QT (separate acquisitions). They were out in the open prior to TTM, but once TTM started they became very shy. They would still eat (same way - darting out to grab food), but most of the time they stayed inside their PVC or up behind the inlet of the HOB filter. Once they got into the DT, both were fine.

If the fish is looking skinny, I would increase the feeding frequency (smaller meals more often).

[pacificdiver]

Both of my RGs did this when they were in QT (separate acquisitions). They were out in the open prior to TTM, but once TTM started they became very shy. They would still eat (same way - darting out to grab food), but most of the time they stayed inside their PVC or up behind the inlet of the HOB filter. Once they got into the DT, both were fine.

If the fish is looking skinny, I would increase the feeding frequency (smaller meals more often).

Sounds like I'm just being a little paranoid. I'm really hoping the little shaver pulls out of it. I'll increase feeding to 2-3x per day, as I had only been doing 1x per day.

Do most people do frozen food (mysis) during QT, or is it better to do a more nutrient dense food, like pellets? I'm concerned over using pellets since they pollute so much more quickly than frozen, but I"ve been told mysis is far less in nutrient content.

[Deinonych]

I start with mysis to ensure a feeding response, then typically migrate to Rod's Food and Reef Frenzy. I'll feed pellets occasionally. I try to feed at least twice a day in QT. I typically do 25% water changes every 2-3 days when a fish is in QT.

[scooter31707]

I start with mysis to ensure a feeding response, then typically migrate to Rod's Food and Reef Frenzy. I'll feed pellets occasionally. I try to feed at least twice a day in QT. I typically do 25% water changes every 2-3 days when a fish is in QT.

Also Cyclops can help.

[ThRoewer]

Most basslets I had liked secure hiding places where they could wedge themselves in with their dorsal and ventral fins. If the PVC pipes are too wide or roll around they won't use them but rather look for a spot that suits them better. They also usually like some overhangs and shaded areas adjacent to their shelter.
So best is to give Grammas PVC pieces where they just fit in and that are secured in place. Maybe also add a ceramic tile suspended above it.

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[Scurvy Dawg]

I have a royal gramma undergoing treatment for a very mild ich outbreak. I did tank transfer successfully (I hope), and it's been about 2 weeks since completing TTM, but the little guy is still behaving as if he's infected with something (spends the entire day wedged between the heater and the side of the aquarium, despite numerous hiding places at the bottom. He's alone in QT, while the other fish are in a separate QT and doing perfectly fine after TTM was completed.

My question is, is this sort of behavior normal? He will eat, but only by darting out to grab 2 or three bites, and then wedges himself in hiding again - never comes out unless grabbing food. I'm doing 100% water change every 3 days in his 10G aquarium, and dosing Prime to keep ammonia in check.

So far, treatment has entailed TTM, with Prazipro done 2x during TTM process. I noticed discoloration on the head after completing TTM and Prazipro, so I did a third 5 day course of Prazipro, followed by a 3 day Paraguard course. Now, he seems clear of visible infections, but is still spending his complete day in hiding.

Is there anything else I can do at this point? Am I missing something?

Just returned my Royal Gramma to my DT after a LOOOOOOONG fallow period and medication treatment. My RG acted the exact same way as yours for almost the entire 70 days. Very skittish, wedged itself between heater and wall and came out to eat only. Now that its back in the DT, it's acting normal again, defending its spot front and center. As long as its eating, no worrys.