Niger Trigger Problem

[1460sun]

Got home tonight and one of my favorites a Niger Trigger that I've had for about 6 months looks terrible. Has a white splotch on it's tail, both sides are pale and whitish. Just fed and it ate like a horse. It's hiding now can't get a pick. Almost looks like it's been fighting or something fell on it. Last night it looked and acted normal. All the other tank Inhabitants look normal and there does not seem to be any unnormal animosity. No rocks out of place that I can tell so it does not appear that any thing could have fallen on it. I'm at a complete loss for an explanation. I'd hate to loose this guy, any help from the more experienced would be greatly appreciated

[1460sun]

Heres some bad pics that show the damage

[carlinsa]

had that happen to a trigger i had and it died i didnt know how to fix it.

[1460sun]

Hate to loose him, but if I have to I want to learn from the experience. It's amazing and very frustrating 24 hrs ago he was in what appeared to be perfect health

[Richard]

Hard to tell from the pics. Since it happened so quickly my first guess is something beat him up. What else do you have in with him?

Disease wise the only possibilities that come to mind are bacterial or uronema that could look similar and happen so fast.
For bacterial, you would treat with antibiotics. I'd probably go with Furan II. Course you'd have to remove him but getting a trigger out of a reef tank is easier said than done. For uronema, well game over when it's that advanced.

[1460sun]

Other fish, Yellow Tang, Blue Tang, Purple Tang, Red Hawk, Cinnamon Clown, Clarkii Clown and a couple of Gobies. I did a search last night on the web and found several articles that outlined problems with Yellow Tangs and Niger Triggers. But last night during feeding they were swimming next to each other with out even a glance and it seems like if there was a problem you’d see it during feeding. Any other time I've had fish problems, the one getting beat up was still getting worked over by the bully even after it had surrendered. Hard to get good pics, he's still pretty active, catching him would be almost impossible at this point.

[1460sun]

He's back out today. Looks a lot better, still has a white splotch on his tail but the over all color is more normal. noticed the Yellow Tang making a run on him and he ducked for cover. Unusual behavior for this guy. He's been fisty since I put him in the tank. So I'm thinking (hoping) it was a fight. Wondering how long it will be before I come home and find the Yelolow Tang all beat up. Fish ya got to love them!

[Instar]

In addition to what Richard said and/or a fight, there is one another possiblity. A club anemone. Those things live up under, in the dark, where the trigger would lock up in the rocks. They are cave dwellers, non-photosynthetic and very potent. They extend to huge proportions during the night time hours and a brush with one little club tentacle is very toxic to any fish. It would leave a mark and often kills. A wayward large size bristle worm can also sting a fish by accident at night during the sleeping hours and make a mark. Occassionally happens to mandarins and scooter blennies when they leave their eyes exposed while buried in the sand at night and it occassionally kills. I wouldn't think this to happen to a trigger, but, it could. Those large worms climb around a good bit. To be safe on the club anemone, look very late after the lights are all off, maybe around 2 am, with a powerful flashlight up underneath in caves and behind rocks and see if you can see anything. Those things die back to the stub in the live rock holes and then regrow after the rock cycles and they have several months of recovery time in the tank. It looks like an anemone but with very short little stubby tentacles that look like the handle end of a baseball bat. If you have one, it may also sting you and its very potent.

[1460sun]

Thanks for the tip, I'll check it out. I hate when something bad happens in the tank, but it's a double edge sword. I learn so much looking for possible causes/solutions. Posts like yours and Richards really help!