# Mandarine dragonet



## kea sasaki (Mar 2, 2009)

I need help because my mandarine dragonet has a lot of bumps all over it and i don't know what to do i just got it too help.
The bumps are at least 1/4 of an inch big and its all over the fish's body and the water is perfect compared to the charts i found on the internet. The color of the bumps are white and now there are scratch-like markings on the back tails of the fish. The fish is in a 25 gallon tank with no tank mates. But I bought this fish from Petco and the next day i went all of their salt water fish were under quarantine. I put a whole bunch of brine shrimp into the tank hoping that he will eat it. He has been staying upright the whole time but he rarely moves like when i look at him from the front and hes right there he will not move but just flip his fins really quick. he is also losing his color like hes dark and his colors barely show and he never lifts up his fins like the pictures on the internet. The fish is also breathing fast but not as hard as if it was really sick or needing oxygen. I also threw a bubble rock and a bubble machine into the tank so he would have more oxygen. There is also like about 20 bumps and there are also on its fins and pectoral fins. http://www.fishforums.com/forum/images/smilies/icon_fish.gif


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

yikes... sounds like you've got one sick dragonet.

Large white bumps sound like lympho, a virus kind of like a wart... usually not fatal but can let other diseases in that are. The heavey breathing and clamped fins indicate poor water quality or a fluke or ich infestation of the gills or possibly just extreme stress. 

Some quick steps to help you out.
1) gently pick the dragonet up with a specimen container or a rinsed tuberware container and gently rub the white bumps and see if they come off. If they come off its lympho, if not, its probably bacteria or a parasite.

2) keep the lights off only letting in ambiant light(it reduces stress)

3) buy some live copepods (what they eat, generally these fish will not eat anything else) http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=830+2190+2593&pcatid=2593
4) Never, ever, ever, buy fish from petco.


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## kea sasaki (Mar 2, 2009)

K thanks for that i will try that out but do u think my fish will eat brine shrimp? and the bumps look a little smaller like maybe half of 1 mm


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

No, he probably won't. Mandarin dragonets are very sensitive and hard-to-care-for fish that require an established tank with lots of live rock and copepods for them to feed on.


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## guppyart (Jan 22, 2005)

unless it was from a reliable pet store that you know the owner and trust, or a fellow reefer that guaranteed it was eating frozen food it 99% likely won't touch brineshrimp.
also brineshrimp aren't very nutritious either.
and I will stress yet again, NEVER EVER buy from box stores for saltwater let alone freshwater.
its never worth the risk/cost.

but do what fishfirst told you and see what happens


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

If it doesn't rub off I would highly recommend getting an antiparasite med like formalin.


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## kea sasaki (Mar 2, 2009)

so what do u guys think i should do know im scared to do anything to the fish because it might die even faster


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## guppyart (Jan 22, 2005)

fishfirst has given you all the info for a good start have you done any of that yet?
if not I suggest you do that ASAP


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

When in doubt and unsure of what to do... do a water change. 25% takes out 25% of pathogens and poor water quality is solved... if you do nothing, you probably are going to lose the fish. I deal with sick fish every day (I tend to thousands of dollars of fish at my facility) a gentle rub on the back will not kill the mandarin to find out if its lympho or not.


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