Rescue fish :)

[littlefoxx]

Today I came across a fish that needed some help. Me being me, of course I took her. Shes a fiji bi color foxface. Went to a LfS that isnt a usual one I visit, decided to go as this is where I got Ivar my jeweled eel!

Anyway, I saw this bi color in a tank all to herself. Looking at her I could tell she had a mild case of ich. The guy said she wasnt for sale because of the ich. He was telling me he started just recently and was trying to get the saltwater section back in order, the store is mostly freshwater and they specialize in chiclids mostly so none of them really have a clue about salt.

Back to my friend! So he was saying a few days ago he came into work and found her and a particularly nasty tempered purple tang (said the purple had been sold and brought back many times for its aggression) brawling with each other. He was surprised at how feisty the foxface was considering they are usually shy. He separated them. The fox had a nasty gash on her face. She has a small spot now thats still healing. He was saying he wasnt sure she would heal well but has. The tank he put her in was empty and he thought she would recover there. She then got ich. He did a FW dip thinking it was stress from the fight but turned out it was in the tank. He has no tank to put her in that isnt occupied. He was saying only way to clean the tank would be hydrogen peroxide and other vigorous and not exactly good for sick fish treatments with her in the tank. In talking with him I told him I had a QT set up and would be willing to take her on and try to get her well. He then called the store owner and they let him sell her to me for half price.

So in case yall didnt want to read my long post, long story short I have a new rescue to add to the family today! Very excited for her.

 

[Uncle99]

Great stuff!
I am interested in it goes!
Best wishes.

 

[littlefoxx]

Great stuff!
I am interested in it goes!
Best wishes.

Thank you! Plan is to treat for 30 days with coppersafe in a 32 gallon. Had some pare rock so I made a little over hang for her!

 

[littlefoxx]

Also if @vetteguy53081 @Jay Hemdal @MnFish1 or any other medics have anything to suggest totally open to that as well. Cant get a good picture of her right now with the ich due to her fox stress coloration but when shes settled in QT Ill get some pictures! Beautiful girl, good weight too!

 

[littlefoxx]

This is her in the acclimation bucket with airstone.

 

[Cthulukelele]

My pygmy angel, one spot foxface, clown goby, and banded possum wrasse were all fish I got and added to the tank because they were in rough shape and needed immediate intervention. IMO medications are fine but honestly really tough on heavily weakened fish. Focusing on getting a good diet into it in a comfortable environment is what I do.

 

[littlefoxx]

My pygmy angel, one spot foxface, clown goby, and banded possum wrasse were all fish I got and added to the tank because they were in rough shape and needed immediate intervention. IMO medications are fine but honestly really tough on heavily weakened fish. Focusing on getting a good diet into it in a comfortable environment is what I do.

Thank you! I add vitamins and stuff to my fish’s food all the time, Im going to be giving her lots of greens and some meaty foods and always having some nori for her! I just wanted something to help kick the ick off and not let it linger in the tank so she becomes re infected. I have a good feeling about her!

 

[vetteguy53081]

I had one and was a tank jerk and went after my soft coral in which i had to evict however every fish has a different disposition

 

[Cthulukelele]

I had one and was a tank jerk and went after my soft coral in which i had to evict however every fish has a different disposition

Seems like foxfaces are like 80/20 good with coral. My foxface will take a little nibble of softies but doesn't actually eat them. They don't seem to understand what is and isn't food haha

 

[littlefoxx]

I had one and was a tank jerk and went after my soft coral in which i had to evict however every fish has a different disposition

I have a mushroom colony and thats it lol moved the rest of my surviving corals to my nano. Cant get that dang butterfly out, had a fish trap in for 3 weeks and couldnt get the dingbat to go near it. Every fish but him went in it!! So tank is fowlr now except the mushroom colony no one messes with!

 

[littlefoxx]

Update, kinda got some pictures of her. I counted six white ick spots today. Boy is this fish one feisty girl. She jumped at my face a few times and tried to slash me full in gangster style with her spines when I went to clean the glass to see her better! Shes for sure going to be getting a warrior name. Not convinced shes a foxface lol doesnt act like any foxfaces Ive seen as far as temperament! Best pictures I could get of her, especially since I gave up scraping the glass after she nearly got me… do not want to experience fox venom again!!!

 

[littlefoxx]

She also eats like a piggy! I can see the injury on her face now that shes not in stress coloration. Does not appear infected and it doesnt impair her eating at all. I will keep an eye on it. Very spunky fish

 

[littlefoxx]

Okay so she does have more ich spots tonight than this morning. Should I leave her be or do a 100% WC and dose cupramine? Appetite is still good, breathing is a little rapid it seems. But I cant tell if thats just her being a foxface and being nervous

 

[i cant think]

Okay so she does have more ich spots tonight than this morning. Should I leave her be or do a 100% WC and dose cupramine? Appetite is still good, breathing is a little rapid it seems. But I cant tell if thats just her being a foxface and being nervous

Do you have a video of her breathing?
I’d not dose anything and see if you can beat it the natural way - Plenty of algae and meaty foods several times throughout the day.


Also, if you plan to introduce her into the DT remain cautious. I know I’ve got success with two rabbits but I have seen it go the opposite way a couple of times.

 

[ErikVR]

Haha foxfaces are usually big babies! Never seen one lashing out at a person.

 

[i cant think]

Haha foxfaces are usually big babies! Never seen one lashing out at a person.

I work around atleast 5 rabbits every Sunday and have 2 in my reef, not once have I been stung. They all fear hands in the tank. My wrasses however, they do love to go at a hand if there’s food near it.

 

[littlefoxx]

I found her dead this morning.

 

[littlefoxx]

She seemed to just tank really fast. Looked to be getting better than she just tanked really fast over night. Wondering if this was velvet possibly?

 

[i cant think]

I found her dead this morning.

Dang, that’s a shame… she was a beauty.

She seemed to just tank really fast. Looked to be getting better than she just tanked really fast over night. Wondering if this was velvet possibly?

Velvet does show similar signs as ich once in the later stages - like the spotting except it looks more like a dust coverage over what appears to be sand particles.
Looking at the latest photos of her, she did appear to have later stages of velvet.

 

[littlefoxx]

Dang, that’s a shame… she was a beauty.


Velvet does show similar signs as ich once in the later stages - like the spotting except it looks more like a dust coverage over what appears to be sand particles.
Looking at the latest photos of her, she did appear to have later stages of velvet.

Yeah her body did look like it was velvet too. Her slime coat slugged off when I touched her and her body looked very similar to when I had velvet in my tank last year. Should have tried with the cupramine first but the guy was convinced it was ich, which in the store appeared to be as ich usually does look like velvet in the beginning.