Moray Trauma F

Moray Trauma FAQs:

FAQs on: Moray Disease 1, Moray Disease 2, Moray Disease 3, Moray Disease 4, Moray Disease 5,
& by Species: Dragon Moray Health, Snowflake Eel Disease/Health, FW Moray Disease, Morays and other Eels, Velvet & Crypt,
FAQs on Moray Disease by Category: Diagnosis, Environmental, Nutritional, Social, Infectious, Parasitic, Treatments

Morays jump out, get burned on heaters, sucked up against pump intakes, bitten/stung hassled by other life in their systems.

Golden Dwarf Moray issue 10/19/16
Hello,
<Hi Sam.>
I have a pair of golden dwarf moray eels recently added to my 55 gallon reef tank. PH 8.3, Salinity 1.026, Nitrites 0, Ammonia 0, Nitrates 0, Phosphates >.5 ppm. There are no other aggressive fish in the tank. Today I noticed something wrong with the larger of the two eels that I have not seen before. One side of his head seems slightly distended and there is some sort of protrusion near the lower left corner of his mouth. The color of this protrusion is whitish. Around the protrusion is a small area of redness. I have tried desperately to get a clear image but have failed utterly. Could I be dealing with worms? He has yet to eat like his younger tankmate but I know that morays can go for protracted periods of time without eating.
<Can't tell from the pictures in your other email what the moray is dealing with. I know it's hard to get proper pics, these pics are quite blurry and I'm not sure this is a parasite. If it occurred suddenly, could it be a flap of skin from a wound, maybe a bite from the other eel? Dwarf moray eels don't always tolerate conspecifics and can start fighting for
territory. If it developed with time it is more likely a bacterial infection.>
My suspicion is that they may be linked. Any input you could provide will be invaluable. These are my absolute favorite fishes in the trade and would hate to lose one to parasites. Thanks, Sam Porter
<Check if the protrusion could be a wound and if hostilities occur. If it's a bacterial infection and grows you might need antibiotics. Let's hope the latter is not the case. Good luck. Marco.>

Re: Golden dwarf moray issue - pics 10/20/16
Hello,
<John>
I just emailed you regarding a problem with one of my two golden dwarf morays. I just managed to get a couple pics for your examination.
<Yes; did you (not) see MarcoL's resp? Is archived on WWM; here on the dailies: http://wetwebmedia.com/daily_faqs3.htm
Otherwise; I believe Gabe was also going to respond. Bob Fenner>

Re: Golden dwarf moray issue. Wound 10/23/16
Marco, Lord of Eels,
<Lol... Hi Sam.>
Thank you for your assistance. I believe I have identified the wound as a laceration from a sharp piece of rock jutting from my wounded eels favorite hole. I have since removed the sharp edges from that area and the wound is already healing nicely.
<That's good news.>
However, I am still concerned as he had not eaten in over 3 weeks. I've read the other moray faqs/threads on here and have tried giving him uncooked table shrimp, silversides, mussels, squid and krill all soaked in Selcon with a drop or two of garlic.
<Quite a diverse selection. I sometimes had success with offering uncooked salmon to eels on hunger strike. Didn't always work, though.>
He has refused all offerings. I am getting increasingly concerned as he has lost a significant amount of girth. Should I attempt live feeders or is there something else worth trying first?
<Usually hunger strikes can go on for much longer than 3 weeks, but since you noticed a significant loss of girth I think you could try feeders, especially if the eel has not eaten in captivity, yet. Personally, I used home bred shrimps (for very small morays even red cherry shrimps, for larger ones ghost shrimps and Procambarus crayfish) or fishes (guppies and
mollies), but only a few times until dead food was accepted and mostly with recently caught morays.>
Thank you for your assistance, Sam
<Good luck with feeding the eels. Marco.>

Injured snowflake moray eel 12/22/14
Hello WWM crew!
<Hey Wend>
I am sending along two pictures, one from 11/3 the other from 12/12. These are of a chronic wound on a 2 foot long snowflake moray who was actually the winner of a dispute with a Huma Trigger. They were having an ongoing feud, which I tried to resolve with the addition of four more caves into their 150 gallon tank. I get rejected, nasty, mean fish from work and try to offer them a second chance at life instead of a trip to the dumpster.
Sadly, before I could rehome the Trigger, the eel are him! But the trigger left his mark, in the form of two deep bites. These are down near the vent, on both sides of the body, and they refuse to heal. I don't have another tank that is large enough or secure enough to remove the eel. Is there anything you could suggest I try to facilitate healing?
<Mmm; yes (the usual) lacing of foods with vitamins and HUFAs and such (commercial or DIY prep.s); and optimized, stable high quality water conditions. I would not advise much more... though IF you had occasion to
be netting the specimen, perhaps a topical (mercury based likely, like Merthiolate) rinsed off outside the tank... might make my hit list>
He is still eating, but not as much as normal, and he is often restless and agitated, I'm sure this must hurt a great deal.
<Actually... I've encountered MUCH worse damage amongst Muraenids in the wild and captivity... Appeared not bothered much at all by... these are VERY tough fishes>
They almost appear to be growing deeper into the tissue... frustrated and worried.
Any suggestions welcome, I've had him for ten years, started out the size of a pencil!
Wendy Amaral
<The prep.s mentioned... SeaChem's Vitality, MicroVit, Selcon and such. Bob Fenner>

Injured snowflake moray eel /MarcoL 12/23/14
Hello WWM crew!
<Hi.>
I am sending along two pictures, one from 11/3 the other from 12/12. These are of a chronic wound on a 2 foot long snowflake moray who was actually the winner of a dispute with a Huma Trigger. They were having an ongoing feud, which I tried to resolve with the addition of four more caves into their 150 gallon tank. I get rejected, nasty, mean fish from work and try to offer them a second chance at life instead of a trip to the dumpster. Sadly, before I could rehome the Trigger, the eel ate him! But the trigger left his mark, in the form of two deep bites. These are down near the vent, on both sides of the body, and they refuse to heal. I don't have another tank that is large enough or secure enough to remove the eel. Is there anything you could suggest I try to facilitate healing?
<As Bob already suggested, vitamin enriched food and the cleanest water possible.>
He is still eating, but not as much as normal, and he is often restless and agitated, I'm sure this must hurt a great deal. They almost appear to be growing deeper into
the tissue... frustrated and worried.
<Yes, they seem somewhat infected and apparently they have not healed a lot in the last 7 weeks. If you can remove the eel, try antibiotic baths. Seachem Neoplex (Neomycin) is worth a try for such external infections or maybe you find a store that still carries Maracyn.>
Any suggestions welcome, I've had him for ten years, started out the size of a pencil!
<Good luck. Marco.>

Injury on my Hawaiian dwarf moray eel 8/25/14
Hi,
<Frank>
I noticed my dwarf golden eel having some type of growth on his bottom part of his jaw. He is still eating fine. Do you think this is something I need to worry about or is there something I can do for my eel? Enclosed are some pics, thank you.
<Nothing to be done w/ such a tear... but good water quality, nutrition and time going by. Bob Fenner>

Re: Injury on my Hawaiian dwarf moray eel 8/26/14
Hi Mr. Fenner,
<Mr. M.>
Thank you for the prompt response. Is this injury common for these eels?
Thank you again,
Frank
<Quite common for Muraenids in captivity and apparently in the wild. Their vision is celebratedly poor and their actions at times violent and uncoordinated... about sharp objects. They do heal quickly as well. Cheers, BobF>

Honeycomb Moray Eel with possible infection -- Please help! 1/24/14
Hello,
<Reid>
I’m writing because my 3’ honeycomb moray has been exhibiting some very worrisome symptoms in the last 48 hours. The day following a 30G water change in the 125G display tank where he lives, I noticed a large, puffy protuberance on one side of the eel’s mouth - where the cheek would be on a human.

Tonight I checked in on him and the puffy, soft bulge in his cheek has deflated somewhat, but has narrowed to a point, with the skin broken and soft, white tissue poking outward.
125G display tank
~30G sump
No skimmer currently running
Wet/dry filtration w/ double overflow
Bio balls, nitrate reducing pads, floss pads
Powerhead providing lateral flow
Temp: 80.2 degrees F
Salinity ~1.022
pH 8.3
Nitrates: unknown (usually 15 ppm)
Nitrites: unknown at this time
Significant population of Caulerpa algae in display tank
2-3” sand bed
The eel’s diet includes silversides, butterfish and large sardines from a local fish market, which I occasionally dip in a vitamin solution. However, the eel will sometimes refuse to take food if he smells the vitamin supplement, so I haven’t been using it as diligently as perhaps I should. All of the water I use for top-off and replacement comes from my home pipe work, which is then treated with Prime or StressCoat and allowed to mix with Instant Ocean salt for several hours.
<All good>
Given the sudden appearance of this swollen area and now the broken skin, I’m extremely worried for my beloved eel and would greatly appreciate any help WetWebMedia could provide.
Gratefully,
Reid Connolly

Re: Honeycomb Moray Eel with possible infection -- Please help! 1/24/14
Bob,
<Reid>
Thank you so much for taking the time to look into this. I've been working to find this eel a more permanent home with a public aquarium here in the NY/CT/NJ area and was so worried that he might not make it that far.
Have a great evening,
Reid
<Welcome. BobF>

Question for Mr. Fenner, Moray hlth., injury 6/17/09
I have a white eye moray that has been getting a skin disorder on his head.
It is starting to get worse. Could this be diet related?
<Mmm, no, not directly... Looks much more like a physical injury, perhaps with a secondary infectious component>
I only feed raw shrimp to him and my Zebra moray. It looks like his skin has just peeled off. Any suggestions?
<Mmm, yes... I'd expand the diet here... see WWM re feeding Muraenids>
I have been in the hobby for 5 years and consider my water quality to be pristine. The Zebra moray is perfect.
Thanks for any help.
BILL
http://s271.photobucket.com/albums/jj149/rbu1/?action=view&current=DSCF1172.jpg
http://s271.photobucket.com/albums/jj149/rbu1/?action=view&current=DSCF1174.jpg
<Bill, am going to share your email with Marco Lichtenberger here... he is much more up to date re eels, their husbandry. Bob Fenner>

Question for Mr. Fenner, and Marco
White eyed moray; dis. -- 06/17/09
I have a white eye moray that has been getting a skin disorder on his head. It is starting to get worse. Could this be diet related?
<Not directly, but indirectly as Bob already noted. A not-so-varied-diet can easily result in a weak immune system and consequently even a small scratch can become infected quickly. This looks like a possible bacterial infection.>
I only feed raw shrimp to him and my Zebra moray. It looks like his skin has just peeled off. Any suggestions?
<Varied diet and vitamins. If it does not stop or if the eel stops to eat: antibiotic baths or preferably antibiotic treatment in a hospital tank. An antibiotic for gram negative bacteria should be tried.>
I have been in the hobby for 5 years and consider my water quality to be pristine. The Zebra moray is perfect.
<Should also get a varied diet and vitamin additions.>
Thanks for any help. Bill
http://s271.photobucket.com/albums/jj149/rbu1/?action=view&current=DSCF1172.jpg
http://s271.photobucket.com/albums/jj149/rbu1/?action=view&current=DSCF1174.jpg
<Good luck. Marco.>
Re: Question for Mr. Fenner
I greatly appreciate your help Bob. Thanks

Green moray - loss of slime coat -- 5/25/07 Have been referred to you all for help. Moray eel is very sick. I came home today and the pump had lost its siphon. The tank temp (210 gal) had risen to 85 deg. My wife called me and told me that the eel was swimming near the top of the tank and swimming erratically. Fixed pump issue water moving slowly back down (81 now). Eel laying on bottom upside down breathing slowly but looking very bad. The thing I notice is that he is usually dark green but is now VERY PURPLE. I have included a link of a pic (color not really good enough to see). But he is still green near top and purple down the rest of his body. <Green morays in fact are rather blue. Due to their mucous coat, which is a little yellow, they appear green. Your specimen has lost its coat possibly due to an accident with the pump, which also resulted in the loss of the siphon.> Couple of white spots on him make me think the pump thing today just stirred him up and he may have gotten hit by the Foxface. <If those white spots are salt grain like see WWM re Cryptocaryon, this would be an alternate explanation for the loss of the mucous coat. If it is crypt consider a hyposalinity treatment in another tank.> He is also shriveled up like your hand would be if it were under water too long. Please let me know if this is something you have heard of before and can point me in the right direction. Thanks for WetWebMedia, where I have probably learned more about marine life than anywhere else! <In case of an accident with the pump, there is not much that you can do except hoping that it will pull through and ensuring that the other fish do not pick at the moray eel. In case of crypt go for hyposalinity. Green morays (at least the Atlantic G. funebris) can be found in brackish waters and river mouths, while the parasites (at least the free stages) have serious problems with low salinity. I'm glad you like the site and wish the best for you and your eel. Marco.> http://www.flickr.com/photos/mitchelliii/512800176/ Link above is a pic. Everything else in the tank - clown, Foxface, and royal Gramma is doing fine (albeit hovering over the eel some) 0 Ammonia, 0 nitrite, 0 nitrate. Alk 7 (little low is usually around 9).

Moray Eel with Eye Issue 4/22/07 I have a 24" Fimbriated moray. He recently was moved to a 40 gallon tank because he has been extremely aggressive. <Much too small a volume for this specimen, species... not able to be kept stable/filtered... This fish is a piscivore (and eats crustaceans)... http://wetwebmedia.com/moraysii.htm> Anyway the move went well he settled in well. That night he jumped out of the tank. <...> I found him on the brink of death, dried up. I put him back in the tank and since then his eyes have looked different. Okay the tank is newly cycled, but nitrates are present, high, at 100 ppm. <Way too high...> There is no ammonia or nitrite. I cycled the tank by using old water, old sand, old filter media. <Good> The result was virtually no waiting for cycling but high nitrates that need to be worked on. However he was accustomed to this exact water environment in his previous home. He shed a layer of skin after he jumped out but didn't appear overly stressed for such an ordeal. But his eyes have changed. His entire eye used to be a purple color. The entire eye area up to the edges. Now when I look closely the purple area has shrunk. It would look on a person like the pupil was half its normal size. However the light is dimmer in this tank, so if it were like a person, the pupil would have been larger? How do fish eyes work? <What do you want to know? Most fishes can "see"/register some color... do have focusable lenses...> Does he have a pupil that adjusts in size. <Yes> Did the prolonged air exposure when he jumped out damage the eye? <Yes> Is it some kind of stress response? Should I be worried? <Yes and yes... if this causes you to action...> He has eaten since the move to this tank but not heartily. Please let me know what you think. Worried Pet Owner <Translate that concern into activity... move this fish to more adequate quarters... larger volume, solid/escape-proof top, sufficient filtration... no more than 20 ppm. nitrate... All covered on... WWM. Bob Fenner>

Sick Eel, No - Injured & Hunger Strike = Typical Behavior Hi Crew, <Steve> I have a rather large (I would guess about 3 feet long) Snowflake Eel whom I have had for several years. <Neat animals> A little over a month ago he stopped eating and pretty much went into hiding. <Happens> At first I wasn't too concerned because he has done this before and always pulled out of it. But this is the longest it has gone on and today he finally came out of hiding and I saw something disturbing on him. His right gill isn't opening, so he's only breathing on one side. (I don't think I would have much of an appetite if I had a collapsed lung either.) <No lungs, and likely not a problem> Furthermore, that whole side of his body seems to be deteriorated, I attached a picture. <Nice pic. Looks like a "simple" mechanical injury to me... a gouge if you will...> After reading the FAQs I'm afraid it may be from me not feeding him a properly balanced diet. I regularly fed him raw shrimp (human edible grade shrimp) and occasionally krill.. but I didn't do that too often because it's very messy and the shrimp is nice and clean. I don't think he's ready to kick the bucket yet because he still keeps his head up (i.e. he doesn't just lay on the rocks waiting to die) and he has started moving around more, but I don't know what to do about him not eating. Once a week or so, I've been waving some shrimp in his face (with tongs of course) with no success. Is there anything that can be done for him? <Mmm, really... just patience at this point... an Echidna nebulosa of this size can go w/o feeding for months (really), and yours looks to be in good shape otherwise...> I've been considering getting some live ghost shrimp to see if that will entice him to eat, but I'm afraid my clown fish will just pick at the shrimp and make me watch them suffer. <I'd try the shrimp... and adding vitamins to the water, food> If I can get him eating again, can you suggest some other foods that are relatively clean (like shrimp) that would give him some variety in his diet? Thank you. Steve Weatherly <Most any live to fresh, frozen/defrosted crustaceans are worth trying. Bob Fenner>

Gymnothorax melatremus dumped on floor repeatedly, overheated, chilled... what's wrong? 10/16/05 Alright <All right?> I hope you guys can help me quick cause I'm getting impatient and I think that's really the problem here. My question is about Gymnothorax melatremus. I had em in a 10-gallon quarantine tank for about a month. I know the time period was a bit excessive but I saw him at the LFS and had to have him and the tank for him was being set-up. Anyways, in the quarantine tank he was doing more than fine. He ate daily and pooped daily. I did daily to bi-daily water changes on the q-tank. I got em to hand feed and even feed from the top by hand which was great. He even to the side of the tank if you tapped on it. So as it came to moving him (my roommates tried to move him) they got him into a bowl and he slithered right out. <Very common> I wasn't in the room while they were doing this as I was prepping the tank. <Time for new roommates> They didn't even tell me they were doing it as I was planning on moving him myself. Well apparently he fell to the floor and they got em back into the bowl and then he came out again so I rushed in after hearing the commotion and got him into a bucket (high enough where he wouldn't come out). Well after acclimating him for an hour to the tank water I moved him in. That night he was swimming all over the place.. guessing he didn't like his new surroundings so I let it go for a bit. During this time period he wasn't eating either. <... would you?> I tried feeding him his favorite enriched prawns every day and nothing. I tried feeding him with lights on and off. Then I found out the temp was a bit high in the tank…86F. I know I know, so I removed the cover and put a huge fan on it and slowly got the temp down to 79-80. This took about 2 hours. <Too much change too soon> He still hasn't been eating but I've noticed his facial area around his upper and bottom mouth and nares seem to be a bit inflamed and reddish. Pretty much his nose region. Is this a bacterial infection or am I just being paranoid and should just give him some time? <Likely a bit of both and trauma, and rubbing...> I'm really worried, as I've already gotten attached to this guy. Oh also the param.s in both tanks were the same so that is highly unlikely the cause. Only thing that was different was the temp. The sand type was also different. <Do these statements make sense to you? Me neither> Q-tank sand was normal aragonite but the display tank was oolitic. Thanks for any help you guys can give me. Mike <Very likely this eel will survive, heal... Bob Fenner>

Ribbon Eel with Nose Leprosy 8/16/05 Hi Guys, I've learned a ton from this site, and/but never been driven to ask a question until now. I've had a ribbon eel in my 72 gallon tank for about 2 years, and watched it transition from black to blue. I noticed when feeding him today (he did eat) that his nasal flares were missing! They were still there when he was fed on Thursday. He seems otherwise happy and has no other fin damage. I've never heard of or seen this before today. My tank has a yellow tang, cleaner shrimp, and a couple of brittle stars that he's been coexisting happily with for a long time, plus a maroon clown that I added a couple of weeks ago (after a freshwater dip). I have never seen any of these tankmates picking on him (or vice versa). Water quality is good (84 degrees, ph 8.2, nitrate 10ppm). I had a sea hare die in the tank about a week ago and release ink, which my AquaC protein skimmer seemed to remove completely over a couple of hours. . . could this be related? <Maybe...> Any other ideas? Do you think the flares will ever grow back? Thanks for your help. Regards, Pat <My first and best guess is that the nasal extension was shorn off by a physical trauma... a quick mis-pass by a sharp rock... and yes, have heard of this before, and yes, should grow back. Bob Fenner>

Moray out of water - 6/7/05 Hey there, quick question.... approximately how long can a Moray survive outside of water? <Morays can survive quite a while out of water. All day would be pushing it but within a few hours they have been known to recover.> I came home tonight to find my Moray lying on the floor in front of the door... apparently he jumped out of his tank, Be sure to cover all the open areas where he might slip out. Do not underestimate the size of the open area> slithered around and then dropped about 4 feet to the landing. he was kind of clammy when I picked him up to put him back in the tank, he immediately started 'gasping' and then just laid there with his mouth open for a while looking like he was breathing hard. Also it seems that his entire slime coat is coming off... any of this seem normal for a Moray that may have been out of water for anywhere from 1-2 hours? <Watch for abrasions, developing bacterial infections. Look reddening and an increase in size of abrasions. treat with an antibiotic, something like Furan2 or Furanace> any suggestions to help him if he's still alive in the morning? <Do a water change some time soon as well ~Paul> Thanks in advance for your help!
Moray out of water pt. II - 6/7/05 Thank you for the quick answer! One last question (I hope!), would it make sense that he isn't going to eat right away? <Try and offer some food see what happens, but my guess is he will want to be left alone. I would only feed him every other day or two anyway> I went and got him some squid, also some shrimp... he's not wanting any, he mostly just looks irritated... just hanging out in his hiding spots. <Is this normal behavior? I bet it is. This is likely a good sign> also, he was just moved into this tank yesterday, maybe he's also just getting over the move? How soon should I expect him to eat something? <Try everyday but keep water quality high. Of grave importance> will his slime coat shedding have any affect on the water quality? <Yes> Should I test for anything specific or just do the water change? 25 %?? <Absolutely. Definitely do a water change of 20-25% nothing to test for> Thanks for your help! You guys are so informative, love the website! <Thanks for being part of it all. ~Paul> ~Tessica

-Cletus the slack jawed eel- I have a 2' snowflake eel. I notice that is jaw is crooked. <Have you been abusing your eel?!> What would cause that? <Haha, I've seen some like that, even in the ocean. I wouldn't worry about it unless it appears that he has trouble closing/opening the mouth. You might also want to contact your local orthodontist ;) -Kevin> Thank You Brian

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