Longnose butterfly breathing hard

[th365thli]

Seems like I'm having trouble nowadays.

The longnose butterfly i just got is breathing hard. It's kind of just hanging out at the top left corner. Is it scared? Or is there an underlying condition? No marks on the body.

The LFS said it came from a salinity of 1.026. My tank is 1.024 to 1.025. I did a fairly fast acclimation due to this. Should I do anything?

Longnose butterfly

www.youtube.com

 

[th365thli]

All other fish in tank are active and healthy, including a fox face I acclimated slower from lower salinity. Debating if I should do a water change. Sometimes the longnose will swim around some rock, but then goes back to the upper left corner

 

[fishguy242]

[HASH=55964]#fishmedic[/HASH]

 

[th365thli]

Nitrates 3-5 ppm. It's a FOWLR tank

I should add no fish displayed aggression towards it, not even my copperband butterfly. Just kinda looked at it then went back to its rocks

I have a hyposalinity dip ready, as well as methylene blue. But I'm just not sure what can be ailing it. I wonder if the LFS made a mistake and took it from a lower salinity sell tank. I should've checked the bag *facepalm*

 

[vetteguy53081]

Nitrates 3-5 ppm. It's a FOWLR tank

I should add no fish displayed aggression towards it, not even my copperband butterfly. Just kinda looked at it then went back to its rocks

I have a hyposalinity dip ready, as well as methylene blue. But I'm just not sure what can be ailing it. I wonder if the LFS made a mistake and took it from a lower salinity sell tank. I should've checked the bag *facepalm*

To start with- How was fish acclimated to tank and for how long?
Hanging at the top may be associated with adjustment to tank but can be from introduction into bright lighting. Lower white intensity and see if it comes down into tank. Does Tank provide areas in the system for hiding ?
Heavy breathing can be due to :
Fear
Osmotic shock from poor acclimation)
Low oxygen ( high ammonia or nitrate)
flukes or other parasite

Please provide video under white lighting and increase oxygen with addition of air stone

 

[th365thli]

To start with- How was fish acclimated to tank and for how long?
Hanging at the top may be associated with adjustment to tank but can be from introduction into bright lighting. Lower white intensity and see if it comes down into tank. Does Tank provide areas in the system for hiding ?
Heavy breathing can be due to :
Fear
Osmotic shock from poor acclimation)
Low oxygen ( high ammonia or nitrate)
flukes or other parasite

Please provide video under white lighting and increase oxygen with addition of air stone

15 minute float, 30 minute no drip, slowly using cups of tank water to fill the bag.

Lowered light intensity and added airstone. My phosphates are high at .25 ppm, but for fish only that should be okay?

 

[vetteguy53081]

15 minute float, 30 minute no drip, slowly using cups of tank water to fill the bag.

Lowered light intensity and added airstone. My phosphates are high at .25 ppm, but for fish only that should be okay?

Phos good for fish yes and nitrate and ammonia of importance. The acclimation was not adequate- Did you empty the bag water into tank with the fish?
What was the salinity of the water in the bag?

 

[th365thli]

Phos good for fish yes and nitrate and ammonia of importance. The acclimation was not adequate- Did you empty the bag water into tank with the fish?
What was the salinity of the water in the bag?

No, I poured the fish in a specimen container and drained most of water and put it in. Nitrates 3-5ppm

It was "supposed" to be 1.026, that's what the LFS told me. Very close to my 1.024-1.025 tank. I didn't test myself.....that was my mistake. Just trusted LFS.

 

[th365thli]

I should mention, it twitches its head every so often. Sign of flukes?

 

[vetteguy53081]

I should mention, it twitches its head every so often. Sign of flukes?

Head twitching is a sign of flukes but also something ive seen many do. For acclimation. . . . .
For the future, your acclimation is simply not long enough. Just alone, you would have floated bag to equalize temperature and you want to empty bag and fish into a CLEAN bucket and they add tank water until AT MINIMUM you matched the salinity in the bucket with that of the tank. I add a cup of water every 15 mins until you have assured salinity, ph have been equalized
My acclimation method (not the only one out there):
I generally:
Float for 20-30 minutes
Transfer fish and water into a clean bucket
Then . . . .
Measure the Ph, salinity and temperature of the bag water. If you can, make up some water in a container that has exactly the same measurements as the bag readings and move the fish right over, then you can add a cup of tank water to bucket every 15 mins 6 times (almost 1.5 hours)
Then check salinity in bucket and compare to tank. If no match or very close, add a cup of water every few mins until youve reached salinity and trap fish in same cup and pour off water and release into display. Release under LOW light before lights out. Fish in shipped bags produce carbon dioxide and ammonia. The carbon dioxide lowers the pH of the water in the bag, That in turn makes the ammonia non-toxic to the fish. When you acclimate them, if not done just right, you drive off the carbon dioxide faster than you are diluting the ammonia. That raises the pH of the water in the bag, and that in turn, makes the residual ammonia very toxic to the fish. Sometimes, the fish will die right in the bag

 

[th365thli]

Head twitching is a sign of flukes but also something ive seen many do. For acclimation. . . . .
For the future, your acclimation is simply not long enough. Just alone, you would have floated bag to equalize temperature and you want to empty bag and fish into a CLEAN bucket and they add tank water until AT MINIMUM you matched the salinity in the bucket with that of the tank. I add a cup of water every 15 mins until you have assured salinity, ph have been equalized
My acclimation method (not the only one out there):
I generally:
Float for 20-30 minutes
Transfer fish and water into a clean bucket
Then . . . .
Measure the Ph, salinity and temperature of the bag water. If you can, make up some water in a container that has exactly the same measurements as the bag readings and move the fish right over, then you can add a cup of tank water to bucket every 15 mins 6 times (almost 1.5 hours)
Then check salinity in bucket and compare to tank. If no match or very close, add a cup of water every few mins until youve reached salinity and trap fish in same cup and pour off water and release into display. Release under LOW light before lights out. Fish in shipped bags produce carbon dioxide and ammonia. The carbon dioxide lowers the pH of the water in the bag, That in turn makes the ammonia non-toxic to the fish. When you acclimate them, if not done just right, you drive off the carbon dioxide faster than you are diluting the ammonia. That raises the pH of the water in the bag, and that in turn, makes the residual ammonia very toxic to the fish. Sometimes, the fish will die right in the bag

I understand. I did the bucket and more methodical for the foxface. I should've done the same for the butterfly.

What can I do for the butterfly right now? Just wait and see?

 

[vetteguy53081]

I understand. I did the bucket and more methodical for the foxface. I should've done the same for the butterfly.

What can I do for the butterfly right now? Just wait and see?

Monitor the fish, yes

 

[th365thli]

I turned off all the lights and am able to heavily aerate the water. The long nose is now swimming around the tank. Perhaps it was scared out of its pants. However it is still breathing fast. Will continue to monitor.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I should mention, it twitches its head every so often. Sign of flukes?

That sometimes is a sign of gill flukes.

If it was in 1.026 then acclimation stress isn’t going to be a major issue. If it was actually in low salinity, then yes, that could be an issue.

I would just reassess in the morning - if it eats, that’s a major hurdle.

Jay

 

[vetteguy53081]

I turned off all the lights and am able to heavily aerate the water. The long nose is now swimming around the tank. Perhaps it was scared out of its pants. However it is still breathing fast. Will continue to monitor.

Great. As I said at beginning- lower the lights
See also if the head twitching has stopped since it started swimming around

 

[th365thli]

Is the breathing fast a sign of great concern? I suppose I shouldn't do anything about it now aways

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Is the breathing fast a sign of great concern? I suppose I shouldn't do anything about it now aways

I couldnt see the video clear enough to get a respiration rate. If it is higher than about 150 gill beats per minute, that is pretty serious. Changes in respiration rate can be important - if the fish is just under stress, it will breathe slower tomorrow. If it is breathing faster tomorrow, that’s a bad sign.
Best way to get the rate is video the fish and then count the number of breaths in 10 seconds and multiply by 6.
Jay

 

[th365thli]

It's faster than that, even with aeration. Not normal at all

 

[th365thli]

Great. As I said at beginning- lower the lights
See also if the head twitching has stopped since it started swimming around

Still twitching head. I've seen stressed out fish before. This seems like an ailment but don't want to act too hasty

 

[vetteguy53081]

Still twitching head. I've seen stressed out fish before. This seems like an ailment but don't want to act too hasty

See if still doing this in the morning. PraziPro will be the treatment if treatment s necessary