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.

 

[rookie07]

Paul,

I think that sharks do get cancer. There is a huge misunderstanding as to that, hence the reason Asians think that eating shark cartilage can cure cancer, but they can get cancer (or so I have read).
Sorry about your fish, and if it does not make it, you are welcomed to have my yellow Coris if you like.

 

[Paul B]

Phil, I have never met a shark with cancer.
Supposedly, they almost never turn up with cancer which is why they sell shark cartlige pills (which don't work) Other fish get cancer but sharks, almost never. They have been studying them forever to figure out why. Only the ones that smoke get cancer.
Thanks for the offer for the fish, but every once in a while a fish gets something that there is nothing you can do for. He may live forever and just swim wierd. :smokin:

 

[MIKE NY]

it may live a long life because it not full grown yet or have it's adult coloration...they grow to about 5"..if it turns male which it should if it's the only large wrasse in the tank it will get more red in the tail and anal fins..also will develop more green around the head with green stripes on the gill plates...good luck with it.

 

[Paul B]

Mike, that is correct. I forgot about the adult coloration of some yellow wrasses. I have had a few of them and like the yellow coloration better. I guess he just does not want to grow up.

 

[rookie07]

I guess he just does not want to grow up.

I dont think anyone does?

 

[MIKE NY]

LOL...mine does

 

[Paul B]

Nice looking fish Mike, mine needs a walker, or a swimmer

 

[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.
Notice also that he now has adult coloration

 

[duke62]

http://www.science20.com/science_paradise/busting_marine_myths_sharks_do_get_cancer

 

[MIKE NY]

sorry to see Paul..I think what ever type of growth it is it doesn't appear to be in any of the major organs or digestive system....but obviously the growth has grown in size and that isn't a good sign..

 

[Paul B]

Mike, I agree, there are no organs in that place but I have seen this a few times, quite a lot actually. I don't think it is curable being it is real tough to operate on a live fish of that small size on that place on it's body. Even if you could, I doubt you would be able to do anything. The last one I autopsied, a copperband, it just showed the same internal bleeding into the body cavity of the fish but the capilaries are so tiny that you can't even tell which one it is coming from. My microscope is not suitable to even find it too easily. But if I am home when it dies I will autopsy it. Hopefully before the bristle worms autopsy it.
Thanks for the shark cancer thing. And I thought sharks were lucky

 

[Paul B]

I don't know what happened to that yellow wrasse 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.

 

[MIKE NY]

good news!...it might have been some type of injury that caused internal swelling and it healed..