Mandarin help... fdg?         4/21/16
Hi,
<Marco>
Please help, I recently purchased a male mandarin dragonet to go with my female mandarin I have had for over a year with 2 clowns, a lawnmower blenny, a recently purchased copperband and some inverts.
At first the male mandarin looked skinny and didn't appear to be eating (I load tank with 1-2bags of pods daily). I found out last week that he loves mysis and have been feeding live daily. He still seems skinny and a few days ago I noticed a small white ulcerish mark on his head that has started getting bigger. He is still eating (eats 2-4 mysis twice daily) but starting to look skinnier also.
<I would offer the Mysis more frequently and lace (soak) them in a HUFA/Vitamin supplement 5-10 minutes before feeding... and if the fish doesn't appear to gain weight within a week or two, add some Prazi/quantel to the food as well>
Please help.
Many thanks
Kind regards,
Marco Cifaldi
<Have you read on WWM re Mandarin health? Bob Fenner>
Re: Mandarin help        4/21/16
Hi Bob,
Many thanks for your prompt reply and help. I have indeed read through the mandarin health page.
<Ah good>
I couldn't see anything regarding ulcers
<There was just one last week.... due to a likely "poke" or run into something sharp. Look again>
(appears to be getting bigger) do you think the hufa/vitamins would help
with this also?
<? Why else would I suggest it?>
I am concerned to what has caused this (possibly Bacterial?) and worried it may pass to the healthy female. Thanks again.
Kind regards,
Marco Cifaldi
<Don't write; read. BobF>

Mandarin goiter?   4/10/16 Hi crew! <Charles> I have a (hopefully) straightforward question. My mandarin has a fairly large bump next to his mouth (see photos). <I see this> From what I've read so far, I think it is a goiter. Am I correct? <It may be> It hasn't affected his behavior at all. He even enjoys eating pellet food! <Good> For treatment, I had started dosing iodine, as I read that an iodine deficiency leads to goiters. Should I use a more aggressive treatment? <I'd add weekly (double or triple dose) to the water during water changes/regular maintenance... of iodide/ate... Are you using a commercial prep.?> I had hoped the iodine would help the mandarin heal on his own, but it's been there over a month now, and it seems a little bigger than before. <Mmm; and I might try soaking foods in the prep. ahead of offering... in an effort to get a physiological titer into the animal> Thanks for your help. I love your site and always come here first when I have questions. Regards, -Charles <Cheers, Bob Fenner>

Re: Mandarin goiter?   4/10/16 Hi Bob! Thanks for the quick response! <W> I'm using Kent Marine iodine; dosing every evening (with a dosing pump). I'll up the dosage right away and start soaking the food. <Real good. BobF> Regards, -Charles

Mandarin; injury likely        3/29/16 Please help my female mandarin has developed a large lump on her head. Her male friend is perfectly fine. I have had them for 6 months no problems. Looks like a bump or a bony growth, have you seen anything like this before. <Have seen these "bumps" at times; and suspect they are due to these animals getting stuck, stung, swimming into something... Generally not fatal or apparently deleterious. I would do nothing treatment wise. Very likely this bump will heal itself in time. Bob Fenner> Thank you Cathy Napoli

Re: Mandarin       3/30/16 Thank you, it certainly looks like a bump just wanted to make sure. <Sure> Kind Regards Cathy Napoli <And you; BobF> Re: Mandarin         4/5/16 Hi Bob <Cath> Just thought I'd update you. The lump seemed to burst and then cleared to a hole. Now she is dropping colour and becoming lethargic, can't get photo she is hiding. There is nothing around the hole it seems clear but around her fins is like cotton candy. This has only developed overnight. Unfortunately I think I will lose her. <Don't lose hope here. I urge patience. Bob Fenner> Re: Mandarin       3/8/16 Hi Bob <Cath> Sadly I lost her, I think the hole in her head was just too deep. It stayed clear but she wasn't able to heal it. Thank you for this service it has helped me out many times. <Welcome. BobF> Kind Regards Cathy Napoli

Help! 2 New sick mandarins      9/20/15
Sorry about the file size! I linked to YouTube instead..full screen will make it easier to see..
Dear WWM crew,
First of all, thank you for building such an incredible site with such a wealth of reliable information! I would be lost without you! I believe the new pair of mandarin dragonets I just got in 2 days ago (in QT) are infected with Costia (Ichthyobodo) and I can't seem to get rid of it!
<What have you tried thus far?>
I looked at the shipping bag water under a microscope and found lots of  them.
I attached a video I took of them if you don't mind confirming that this is in fact Ichthyobodo.
<From the shape, movement; likely so: Here's a better vid:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGX8oR9NqFs>
Unfortunately, I did not dip the mandarins before putting them in QT- I was nervous about the high ammonia levels of the shipping water (0.50 ppm)
<At times MUCH higher>
and wanted to transfer them quickly.
<For browsers, see my Acclimation protocols on WWM. Once ammonia is diluted out of shipping water and fish/es, not a big deal to dip if they're otherwise in health>
After I discovered the parasites a couple hours later, I took them out of QT to give them both a dilute formalin/Methylene blue dip for 30 minutes and they both seemed like happy fish the whole time. The next day I fed them baby brine shrimp and they both ate. I repeated the dip, but took them out after 20 minutes because they appeared stressed like they were looking for a way out of the dip container.
<Typical behavior; had it been freshwater, formalin containing or seawater>
Today I fed them baby brine again and decided to leave them alone, however now the female looks extra slimy and is breathing heavy.
<Mandarins are naturally very slimy>
I took a look at the tank water under the microscope and the parasites are in the tank too. I don't think another dip would help at this point. Should I treat the whole tank now??
<Yes I would>
What course of action do you think I should take???
<A quinine compound... see WWM Re. Bob Fenner>
parameters look fine- 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, pH 8.2, temp 78F. I greatly appreciate your help!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKa1gQU5mkE
-Lindsey
Re: Help! 2 New sick mandarins, Ichthyobodo and Tea Tree Oil    10/7/15
Hi Bob!
<Lindsey>
Thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly! I just wanted to give you an update, and perhaps offer a theory? I was able to order Crypto-pro (Chloroquine phosphate) which came in two days later. Unfortunately, one of the mandarins didn't make it that long. I began treatment on the surviving mandarin as soon as the medication came in with a single dose at 15mg/l, although by that time his breathing was already labored. He lived for 4 more days, and a post-mortem skin scrape showed he was heavily infected with Ichthyobodo.
<Ahhh>
So since at that point I had the medication on hand, I figured I'd try again and ordered 2 more mandarins, figuring I could cure any infection if I treated it early. When they arrived I found the parasite in the bag water, again, this time both were breathing heavy from day 1. I immediately dosed CP at 15mg/l, but one of the mandarins died just 2 days later, the other was excessively slimy, breathing heavy, and did not appear to be improving. So I put some carbon in the filter and did a 25% water change to remove the medication. Then as I was combing the internet for ideas on what to do, I read that mandarins are sensitive to medications (like copper) and can cause them to produce so much slime that their gills become congested and they suffocate. I also know that tea tree oil is used on people to dry out wounds like cuts/scrapes/blisters/acne (take a good whiff and it'll clear your sinuses too!), is found in Melafix and is considered safe to use on most fish. Now, I know how you feel "natural" treatments like this are pretty much useless, and I completely agree with you, but I may have actually found a use for it!!! I thought if I could dry up some of the mucus to decongest her gills and help her breathe, then maybe her immune system will be able to fight off the parasite?? So I grabbed some 100% tea tree oil from the pharmacy and put 2 drops in the tank (10 gal) while she was sleeping. By morning she had shed some of the mucus and was able to breathe normal again! She still wasn't eating so I did this for 4 more days, and now she is very active, healthy, and eating like a pig! I finally have a happy mandarin! I'm sure the tea tree oil didn't directly kill the parasite or anything, but maybe it at least helped
her breathe? What do you think??
<Got me.... as all anecdotal accounts go; it's impossible to sort out cause/effect w/ one trial and multiple factors>
I'd love to know your thoughts on this
idea!
Thank you for all your help!
-Lindsey
<Thank you for your report. Bob Fenner>

Kindly request your help. (Marine Fish Disease Mandarin Dragonet - Coral Beauty)    9/24/15 Dear all, <Juan> Thank you for all the information in the website, it is amazing how much I've learnt and the enjoyable time I've spent reading about marine tanks and species! <Ahh; deeply gratifying to realize we have been of help to you> My issues... A mandarin dragonet and coral beauty have something I can't determine. <I see these... sores, non-emarginated... in your pix> 8 weeks ago (1 week after buying it) the dragonet had a small bubble on his right part of the head which became something like a pimple and then exploded leaving an open gap. <Mmm> A few days later the coral beauty had a bit of an injury on side, maybe done by a rock. <May be> I was recommended (lfs) to dip of them in Ro/di as suggested 3 times in a span of a week. <Just the freshwater alone? Not of use; and for browsers, DO NOTE that such water has NO oxygen; needs to be aerated before and likely during dip/bath procedures> The injuries seemed to get better however two weeks ago I left for holidays and came back 10 days later and found them worse. It seems like something is chewing on the skin. <Yes; at least bacterial and/or Protozoan involvement likely here> So I did 10% water changes every day for a week (lfs suggestion) and then treated the tank with Myxazin for 5 days as the instructions said but it didn't seem to work, they also told me to apply a bit of directly to the fish's wound for three straight days which I did however it didn't work as my coral beauty is dead (RIP). The mandarin is eating and active. I'd appreciate your help to identify the disease or cause so I can treat them properly or prevent it from happening again. Maybe both each fish has is a different case. Thank you! Data: Levels after coming back from holidays: (08/09/2015): salinity 1.026, phos 0, no2 1, no3 0, ammonia 0, pH 8, kH 6 .... Levels after Myxazin (21/09/2015); salinity 1.026, phos 0, no2 .5, no3 10!!!, <Not a worry> ammonia 0, pH 8, kH 6 .... My tank: 40 gallon tank, skimmer, phos reactor, wm Jebao rw14 . no sump. Livestock: frags ( ZOA's, hammer, pulsing Xenia.), small rbta, 2 fire shrimp, Nassarius and turbo snails, small paired clownfish, mandarin and coral beauty. Pics attached <Well; w/o microscopic examination of sampling, possibly culture; one can only guess in these situations.... Which I REALLY don't like. Were it me/mine, I might try lacing foods of use for a few day treatment of Metronidazole... but otherwise would seek to make the environment optimum and stable and hope the Mandarin comes to stasis. Bob Fenner>