flame wrasse died suddenly after 4 months

[Sweetelfmaiden]

I bought a flame wrasse pair 4 months ago. The male was super healthy and active. The female never did well and was always small, shy, and sickly, and died after a month. I got the male a new girlfriend, but soon after both of them and a number of other fish showed signs of ick, so I removed everyone with spots to the quarantine tank. Again, the female became sickly and died (she was the new female and I had only had her also for about 3 weeks or so).

The male flame had previously been in quarantine before when I first got them, and he did fine both in QT and after transferring to the main tank. When he got returned to the QT about 3.5 months later, the male flame did ok and acted normal for about 2 weeks, then became listless, stopped eating, and died all within a couple days. Does anyone know what happened? I was using coppersafe to treat the ick.

All the other fish in the QT were successfully treated (basselet, 2 chalk basses, and a goby) and have just returned to the display tank. The display tank also has a long nosed hawkfish, mandarin goby, and purple tang, all of which I have had for 8 months and who are doing fine. There was also a orange prawn goby which seemed unaffected by the ick and which I was unable to catch, anyway. Ammonia, Nitrites, and Nitrates were always negative in the QT, and the QT tank is about 10 months old and running continuously.

 

[HARRYMANIA]

Wrasses generally do not do well with copper. For the future i would advise you looking into herbtana from micolift...

 

[albano]

...a number of other fish showed signs of ick, so I removed everyone with spots to the quarantine tank.
I was using coppersafe to treat the ick.

All the other fish in the QT were successfully treated (basselet, 2 chalk basses, and a goby) and have just returned to the display tank. The display tank also has a long nosed hawkfish, mandarin goby, and purple tang...

If you only treated some of the fish, there is probably ick still in the DT

 

[bonomo53]

Its most likely the copper that killed him. Like harry said they don't do well with it. If you need to qt a wrasse for ich you should use the tank transfer method. Also if you did not treat all the fish and go fallow for 72 days you still have ich in the tank.

 

[heuerfan]

I guess I'm the exception to the rule. I have never had problems with cupramine with my wrasses specifically flame and lineatus. I used salifert copper test kit and made sure to get to treating dosage slowly.

Sorry you lost your flame, I know how it feels.

 

[lagatbezan]

old thread i know, but in addition to what others said, did you also treat for flukes?
I'm not a big fan of copper and prefer tank transfer for ich and prazipro for flukes (some wrasses do not do well with prazi).