FAQs about the Diseases of Clownfishes, Environmental Stress
Related FAQs: Clownfish Disease 1, Diseases of Clownfishes 2, Diseases of Clownfishes 3, Clownfish Disease 4, Clownfish Disease 5, Clownfish Disease 6, Clownfish Disease 7, Clownfish Disease 8, Clownfish Disease 9, Clownfish Disease 10, Clownfish Disease 11, Clownfish Disease 12, Clownfish Disease 13, Clownfish Disease 14, Clownfish Disease 15,
Clownfish Disease 16,
Clownfish Disease 17, Clownfish Disease 18, Clownfish Disease 19, Clownfish Disease 20, Clownfish Disease 21, Clownfish Disease 22,
Clownfish Disease 24,
Clownfish Disease 25,
Clownfish Disease 26,
Clownfish Disease 27,
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FAQs on Clownfish Disease By: Nutrition,
Social/Behavioral/Territoriality,
Trauma/Mechanical Injury, &
Pathogens: Lymphocystis, Infectious Disease (Bacteria, Fungi...),
Protozoans: Cryptocaryon/Ich,
Amyloodinium/Velvet, Brooklynella (see article below), &
Mysteries/Anomalous Losses,
Cure, Success Stories,
&
Clownfishes in General, Clownfish Identification, Clownfish Selection, Clownfish Compatibility, Clownfish Behavior, Clownfish Systems, Clownfish Feeding, Clownfishes and Anemones,
Breeding
Clowns
Related Articles: Clownfish Disease, Brooklynellosis, Clownfishes, Maroon
Clowns, Marine Disease ,
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Sufficiently large, uncrowded, stable,
optimized, "Reef" conditions... well-established,
non-aggressive tank-mate situations... Absence of any ammonia or
nitrite, very little nitrate (less than 5 ppm.)...
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Faded clownfish... beginner, chatting
6/29/19
Hi my name is Brian delp
<Hi Bryan>
I have a clownfish that I just purchased a week ago and yesterday his orange
color has faded a lot and his he's swimming
around real fast up by power head and then he will swim in between heater
and the glass..he's been doing fine all this time and just like that total
change his swimming is very erratic and it doesn't seem like he's eating but
he was eating the day before he is being housed in a Nano 24 tank
<At first glance, I would say, it is stressed by environmental conditions
but, I need to know more about your tank; water parameters, filtration, tank
mates, maintenance practices...
Thanks
Brian Delp
< You´re welcome. Wil.>
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Yeah; some consideration now. |
Re: Faded clownfish
6/29/19
2 clowns total and 1 red star fish so far
Ph is 8.2 ammonia 0 and salinity is 1.026 and the test after ammonia is 0
and the 4th test was in the middle < ?? > I'm not at home now my other clown
is
fine which is the smaller of the 2 they were both fine yesterday morning
<How about nitrites and nitrates?...Wil.>
Re: Faded clownfish
6/29/19
The test after ammonia test is 0 and test after that was in the middle for
the master testing don't remember the 1 number
<Brian, please send us more accurate information of your water parameters,
nitrites, nitrates, water temperature, and if possible an image of your
clown fish; it is hard to diagnose with just ammonia info. Cheers. Wil.>
Re: Faded clownfish
6/29/19
Ammonia. 25, nitrite 1.0 and nitrate 20ppm,
<Too high, toxic levels, only nitrates are in a safe range>
Water temp 76 degrees just tested again to double check and I just did a
10% water change tank has only been running since may 7th it's a new tank
<I can see in your pic that your clown fish is stressed, I would do more
partial water changes, also your water surface looks stagnant, do you have
enough water movement/ oxygenation? What is your biological filter composed
of, only live rock, how many pounds? Do you run a protein skimmer? Your tank
is relatively new and may not be completely established. Wil.>
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Clown Fish; hlth.; env. 2/4/16
Hello,
I’m wondering if you could help me?
<Will do my best; as always>
I’m new to this hobby. I have a newly cycled 65 gallon tank with live rock, one
coral, some snales/hermit crabs and two new clown fish. Bought them a week and a
half ago. My water tests are all good. PH 8.4, Ammonia 0, Nitrate and Nitrite
are 0.
<No accumulated Nitrate? Odd>
I did have an issue with the gravity as I had a faulty hydrometer and had to
lower it from 1.30 to 1.25. I noticed that my clown has been pooping a white
stringy poop and recently I saw a white speck under his eye. He is swimming
around and eating fine. Wondering if anyone can identify what it might be? I'm
posting pics.
<Can't tell from your images or writing what is going on here. Could
well be that the too-high spg is all that is causing the marks here. I would do
nothing other than read for now. See WWM re Clownfish diseases>
Thanks!!
Jay
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>
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Re: Clown Fish 2/4/16
Thank you, actually when i came home today the mark was almost gone.
<Ah yes; good>
Thanks for your help
Jay
<Welcome. BobF>
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A couple questions! Clownfish
disease concerns bordering on.... Crypt, lumenal parasites?
8/5/14
Hi crew,
Long time fan, I really appreciate all that you guys do around here.
Please excuse me if these questions have already been answered, but I
have tried to use the search function to no avail. I believe my
questions are a tad too specific.
<Let's see>
I currently have 2 clownfish in my QT, and I've just finished the 4th
transfer using the tank transfer method to prophylactically treat them
for Ich.
My QT is a 20 gallon tank, currently sg is hovering around 1.025,
temperature is at 80-82 degrees. All parameters are in check, as the
fish have only been in the water for 3 days so ammonia is at 0,
nitrate/nitrite 0, pH. around 8.0-8.2. I have also been dosing with
AmQuel plus, to make sure to detoxify any possible ammonia.
I just have a couple questions regarding the health of my fish before I
throw them into my display:
1) One of my clowns has ONE "dot" which is white, on one of his pelvic
fins. Now this "dot" has been there for about 4 days, and hasn't
expanded/multiplied or changed in any way.
Is it possible for ich to show up as only ONE dot?
<Yes; but unlikely. This spot is probably "consolidated body mucus" from
general stress>
and remain that way for up to 4 days? I have a feeling this isn't ich,
but rather something else, possibly an injury?
I THINK it might just be a "hole" because when I look at the pelvic fin
from the other side as well, there seems to be a white dot on the same
spot, but it's weird to think that he found a way to make a "hole" in
his
fin, rather than a tear. If it were just a single Ich spot on his fin, I
wouldn't see the same white dot from BOTH sides of the fin, would I?
<Could; yes>
Would ich behave in this manner at all?
<... again; not likely>
I'm thinking if it was ich, it would have multiplied by now, or fallen
off, or changed in any way, or the fish would show signs of the disease,
breathing heavier, flashing, appetite loss, anything. The fish has not
changed his behavior in any way. Still eating like a pig. Currently I am
only feeding them the Thera-A new life spectrum pellets. I'll add more
variety to their diet once they're in the display.
The other clownfish has shown 0 signs of ich, no dots, nothing.
Any ideas? am I just being paranoid?
<The latter>
My second, unrelated question:
2) The other clownfish has weird stool patterns. Sometimes he has really
long, stringy white poop, similar to that of an internal parasite.
Please find attached a picture of the poop that I saw a few days ago.
<Again; most likely "just" stress... You could look at a specimen under
a microscope...>
Now this poop looks very similar to what an internal parasite looks
like, but both of my fish have gone through a PraziPro treatment, twice.
The clownfish will show this poop one day, and then the next day he'll
have somewhat "normal" poop, which would not be long white and stringy
like pictured. He has continued to have normal poop for the past 2-3
days, which is the strange part for me.
Is it normal for a fish to show this type of stool one day, and then
seemingly normal stool the next day? It seems like he'll go a week
without showing stringy poop, and then one random day he'll show it for
a day or two and then go back to normal poop. I was under the impression
that if it were internal parasites, then the fish would continue to show
stringy poop until the parasites have been cleared. Not show stringy
poop one day, and then normal poop the next. Am I mistaken here?
Do fish get different poop from stress?
<Yes; same as humans>
He showed the stringy poop right after the 4th tank transfer, and then 1
day later, he had normal poop again, so I'm thinking is it possible for
his stool patterns to change simply due to stress? or diarrhea? haha.
Any ideas?
I want to throw my fish in the display in a couple days, as they seem
healthy and happy, but I'm just worried about these two issues right
now, which makes me doubt if they are 100% ready.
Any input is much appreciated.
Thank you very much, and enjoy your day.
Cheers,
Fahd.
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>
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Ocellaris Clownfish, hlth. 8/8/12
Hi!
I hope you can help. I have 2 clowns (they've been in hypo-salinity
<Not advised for Amphiprionines, or other fishes that live in close
association w/ invertebrates that also don't tolerate low Spg>
QT for 6 weeks so far because they got Ich when I first got them), they're
both basically the same size, they do fight, but I'm hoping they'll
establish their pair before the lesser one is a goner. Anyway, the one that
seems to be the one to stay male, since i got him has had this 'cracking' on
him. It was only a bit when i first got him, and it has expanded to both
sides, and longer lines. Have any idea what it is? I've attached a photo,
he's not dead! Just a quick snap while I was taking them out for cleaning
the QT.
Thank you!
<These fish need to be returned to normal water density. Bob Fenner>
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Re: Ocellaris Clownfish 8/9/12
I read online to do hyposalinity for Ich for clowns?
<? Not on WWM>
You're saying copper should have been done? It was like this when I saw him
at the pet store, just has gotten more/longer. I've started slowly raising
the salinity, to be normal by the 8 week mark. Like instructed. You didn't
answer my question, what's the issue with him?
<Don't write... Read. B>
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Clownfish eye problems 6/26/12
Hello Mr. Fenner,
<Jeff>
I have an ocellaris clown that is having some troubles with it's eyes
that first started 5 days ago. I noticed a white pimple like bump
on the right eye of the fish with some slight cloudiness. This
bump stuck out noticeably when looking from the front or top of the
fish. After reading on your site I figured this was an injury
since it was only on one side of the fish, so I did a %15 water change
and waited it out. The eye cleared up on its own after 3 days
which made the injury theory seem more likely. However on the 3rd
day I noticed the same type of white pimple looking bump on the fishes
left side about half way down below the second dorsal fin. I have
seen Ich and Oodinium before and this looked much larger and stuck out
noticeably from the fishes side. The white part of the bump was
gone the next day with just a slightly raised area left however there
was another bump right next to it on the side. This one also
cleared to only a small raised area in about 12 hours. Then this
morning I woke up to find both the eyes have this same white bump with
the right eye cloudy and the
left eye clear. I am now confused as to what this might be.
<I agree closely w/ your observations and speculations thus far...>
I wanted to get your advice before I start any treatment. The
reappearance of this makes me think it isn't just an injury and that
there is something else in play here.
<Might be... what else is in this tank?>
I have had this fish and its female mate for over a year now. They
both went through a quarantine as well as all my other fish and corals
<Ahh!>
and I have added nothing to my tank for over 3 months and about 6 month
since the last new fish. All other fish have no signs of any
problems and the tank parameters check out good. Nitrite and
ammonia undetectable, nitrate around 1 ppm. I have a wide range
medications on hand but am hesitant to treat anything unnecessarily.
Could this be coming from the
torch coral that the clowns host in?
<Oh yes>
Or just some sort of injury?
<The same in this case... a sting, burn to the eyes by the Euphyllia>
Or is this more likely an infection of some sort? I have attached a
few pictures of the eyes so you can see what I am referring to. In
the picture you can
also see a little bit of a damaged pectoral fin. Could this be
part of the same problem?
<VERY nice images>
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
<Mmm, well, I would move these clowns to another established system if
you had one... but otherwise, the eyes should clear up on their own in
time; as the clown and host "get to know each other better".>
Thank you for your help.
Jeff
P.S. I really enjoyed your talk a few months back at the Southern
California Reef Keepers meeting. I hope they get you to come back
to talk to us again sometime.
<Ahh, I as well. Cheers, Bob Fenner>
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Please help Clownfish trouble!
5/28/11
I am really stressed out guys. I have little time to explain and am
deathly sorry about this I normally am REALLY specific with my intro
specs. I have finals all week, drama crap in classes, and a clownfish
who looks like a zombie from 28 weeks later!!! 29 gallon Biocube
restocked from an overstocked tank with too many fish, lost my test kit
so sorry!, 1.22 salinity,
<Mmm, would raise/keep near 1.025/6>
80 degree temp, stock lights, a pistol shrimp and goby, ocellaris
clownfish baby less than 2 n long, a cleaner shrimp, and a cleanup
crew.
After I removed my old temporary stock of a baby eel, and maroon
clown
<These can't fit here>
(with others), I added the clown and cleaner. The tank got murked up
when I removed the eel but I thought it would be clear by the time I
got home so I bought a clown and shrimp. I didn't look at the clown
really close in the bag or at the store but a hour after acclimation to
my tank, his tail fin (back section) was weird. He swims with to
<too> much push on his back tail thing. even with no flow, (I
turned filter off) it was swimming overly back crazy. HE swam around
near the top and later, he was gulping at the air at the top of the
tank. I added a powerhead and changed 7 gallons of the 29 in water.
The powerhead murked things up more but got a good flow. I turned off
the lights for about four days fearing the murk was partially an algae
bloom, and turned the back on today. I nearly passed out. I can see
over 6 veins in the Clownish tail!!!!!!!!
<... water quality. "murk">
they are all red and sick looking. He is fine other than his back
section. He eats fine and everything but weird swimming and veins! Is
this a disease or my fault? How can I fix it in ways other than water
changes?
<Time going by; patience>
I only have my drivers permit and no one will take me to get de
chlorinzer as I have just run out! Please help people I have nowhere
else to go and am very stressed. I have never had a fish die in my tank
and feel awful about this guy.
<Take a chill pill, ten big breaths... Focus on your schooling and
ignore the tank for now. Bob Fenner>
Clownfish seizure? 5/2/11
Dear Mr. Fenner,
Thanks for the info on LPS toxicity. I do have a
concern about one of my Ocellaris clownfish and I'm not sure if
it's related to coral allelopathy or some sort of internal or
external parasite. I've had this Clown for about 3 years and
I'm very familiar with his behavior. Today, however, it looked as
if he were turning his head to the side to try and bite his own tail
and then straightening back up again. He would do this rapidly, back
and forth, over and over, for 2 to 3 seconds at a time. It looked like
a mini seizure. This is not the same "twitching" that
Clownfish usually display when they are near each other.
<Am familiar w/ these displays>
Plus, along with these "seizures", he also flaps his pectoral
fins rapidly, either one at a time or sometimes both at the same time,
also for a second or two. It almost reminds me of a cat shaking his paw
after stepping into something wet, he just shakes the fin/fins rapidly
as if he's trying to get something off of them. He is scratching a
bit during these seizures , so I can tell something is irritating him.
He was not scratching before this started. When he does scratch,
it's only the front of his mouth that he scratches, not the side of
his body or his gills. In the past 3 years, when he would rarely
scratch against something, it would always be in this manner. He did
eat and his breathing seems normal. There are no signs of external
parasites and the other fish, and other Clownfish, are all acting
normal. When this behavior started, the seizures were happening every 5
to 10 seconds. Now, a few hours later, they have slowed to one every 3
or 4 minutes and they are nowhere as intense. At this rate I'm
hoping that by tomorrow morning he'll be back to normal. All my
water parameters are where they should be. Any ideas? Sincerely, Art
S.
<This behavior is likely related to the ills your corals are
involved w/.
It will abate with their improvement, or if you have room elsewhere, I
would move these fish. Bob Fenner>
Please Help! "Fix"/API poisoning
of Clownfishes 4/18/11
Hi to my favorite aquabuddies!
<Mich>
I am in need of some help- as the more I research, the less I know what
I am looking at.
Can you please look at my link, and tell me what you think.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AknE7rg5qYM
(if the above link does not work... I am listed as Volitans2007 on
YouTube, it is there in my video list, but I hope this works for you to
get an idea of what I am seeing)
Tiny white nodules / bumps on one of my Picassos.
History: when I had acquired them (very very small babies), they were
fine, in fact "found" each other, so I bought the pair in
hopes they will mate. Upon being home for a few weeks, they began to
bicker, fight, bite, etc- I figured to establish dominance?
<Likely so>
They both had 'wounds' that looked fuzzy on their mouths, where
they had been biting, I began dosing Melafix, and they were fine.
The one (whom I think is the female - to - be) is doing well. The
smaller one is the one I am concerned about.
He had broken out in little bumps when I stopped the Melafix (thinking
they were fine I stopped it). And it goes away.
I noticed if he gets stressed, it comes back, like when I add coral or
change the rockwork. So my initial thought was Ich. But this is raised,
I can see it, it looks more like nodules. Not a dusting of salt like
Ich is referred to.
A fellow hobbyist suggested this link:
http://www.chucksaddiction.com/disease.html
I am not sure - monogenean parasites? Nematodes?
<Not likely, no>
Any ideas at all of what this could be, and what course of treatment I
can take?
<Some sort of irritation to the skin... not Crypt, nor
Lymphocystis...>
( I have fish flex forte in the house, but have never used it on my
fish... if this may help- how do I dose it?)
<Don't know>
Thank you- I am stressing out - not sure what to do.
Michelle Yingst
<I'd work on improving the environment, perhaps bolstering
immunity (supplementing foods)... Not add Mela- or any other
"fix". Bob Fenner>
Re: Please Help! 4/18/11
I have come to love contacting the Crew, as you all respond VERY
quickly, and it is appreciated!
I moved the pair into a separate tank, with a foam filter for now, a
clay pot, and a heater (a few rocks to keep the filter in place)
I just dosed some Melafix before I sat down and saw your response.
<... please see WWM re this phony product Michelle... of all people,
you work in the real medical sciences. This material is toxic>
Ok- I will hold off on continuing to add that, and will continue
instead with a wider variety of food, the garlic diced very fine as
suggested by another hobbyist,
-VitaChem? - Selcon? essential elements?
<The first two>
I will be sure to boost these little guys up, as I am soo in love with
them, I can't wait for the day I can be a proud mamma to a clutch
of their babies! Their coloration / patterns have come in nicely :) So
I want to be sure to help them heal. And keep them around for a very
healthy, happy life. :)
Question- though... lower the salinity/sg and temp? Or remain at
78degrees and 1.036, had read 1.018 would help kill any parasite?
True/False? And would that affect the fish in a negative way?
<Leave all else as is... there is no parasite here>
(* on a totally separate note, but since I have you here lol, I am
going to take advantage of being able to share with you: on my
"Percularis" babies you helped me ID, only one is still going
very strong, the others have not survived. Today the little guy is 87
days old! Whoo hoo!!! That is a big accomplishment considering I
haven't been able to get any of the babies from this pair to
survive. I have another clutch due this week, so excited to see how
many this time around will make it. I do notice the egg clusters are
getting bigger in size/count- so I am hoping this helps.- Just wanted
to share :) )
Have a great evening-
Your friend, Mich
<And you dear. BobF>
Re: Please Help! 4/19/11
Good morning, and thank you.
<Welcome>
Well, I woke up this morning to 2 happy Picassos. :)
<Ah good>
*I will definitely stop using this product, and will look into it.
<It's worse than a placebo...>
(I went on the suggestion of a LFS owner, something I usually NEVER do,
as I always go with my gut, but for some reason thought I should try
the 'natural' remedy of Melafix.
<Would you do this if it were important for your own health? I would
hope/trust not>
I work in the office part of the field, collections specialist :
accounts.
<Ahh>
But I will be jumping into the reviews of this product.
Thank you for pointing it out to me)
Thank you again- you are a wealth of help and knowledge.
Until next time :)
'Chelle
<Be seeing you. BobF>
Clownfish acting crazy! /Bob
4/14/2011
Hi hope you can help. I've checked all you're faq and can't
find an answer to my Clarks Clownfish's sudden very odd behaviour.
I have a 29g tank running with v2 Nano skimmer, Fluval 305 canister
filter and approx 25lbs of live rock. Inhabitants are the one
clownfish, one yellow tail damsel, one peppermint shrimp and 10ish
hermit crabs.
Parameters as of today are;
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 80 - high I know but its slowly coming down and its no worse
now than it always has been
<Toxic, stressful... Likely the canister filter...>
ph 8.2
Temp 75
SG - 1.020
<Too low... see WWM re>
Tank has been setup now for approx 14 months and my clownfish was the
first addition so he must have been in there for a year now with no
obvious problems. Today however he is acting crazy - spinning upside
down, whizzing around and smashing into stuff, hiding up by the skimmer
and it almost seems like he's trying to jump out of the tank. In
between bouts of craziness he is gasping for breath and lying at the
bottom of the tank. I'm thinking of doing a big water change even
though all the parameters seem ok
<?! The NO3?>
but maybe that would make things worse?
<It is a good idea>
The damsel seems fine so maybe whatever it is, is just specific to
him?
<No; all are being mal-affected>
I haven't made any recent significant changes other than adding the
canister filter but that was over six weeks ago now. I really hope you
can help, he's my first ever marine fish and I would hate to
see him go.
Thanks,
Tom
<See the above. Environmental; the too-low density, too-high NO3.
Bob Fenner>
Clownfish Acting Crazy!/Clownfish Behavior/Disease 4/14/2011
/James
Hi hope you can help.
<Hello Tom, and will try to help.>
I've checked all you're faq and can't find an answer to my
Clarks Clownfish's sudden very odd behaviour. I have a 29g tank
running with v2 Nano skimmer, Fluval 305 canister filter and approx
25lbs of live rock. Inhabitants are the one clownfish, one yellow tail
damsel, one peppermint shrimp and 10ish hermit crabs.
Parameters as of today are;
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 80 - high I know but its slowly coming down and its no worse
now than it always has been
ph 8.2
Temp 75
SG - 1.020
Tank has been setup now for approx 14 months and my clownfish was the
first addition so he must have been in there for a year now with no
obviuos <obvious>
problems. Today however he is acting crazy - spinning upside down,
whizzing around and smashing into stuff, hiding up by the skimmer and
it almost seems like he's trying to jump out of the tank. In
between bouts of craziness he is gasping for breath and lying at the
bottom of the tank. I'm thinking of doing a big water change even
though all the parameters seem ok but maybe that would make things
worse? The damsel seems fine so maybe whatever it is, is just specific
to him? I haven't made any recent significant changes other than
adding the canister filter but that was over six weeks ago now. I
really hope you can help, he's my first ever marine fish and I
would hate to see him go.
<Does the fish appear to have white spots (Ich/crypt) or any
abnormal coloration?
For starters I would do a 20% water change and clean out the canister
filter and replace media with a unit of Chemipure. There may be a toxin
of some type present in the water (barring no disease issues) that
the
Chemipure will remove. Based on the information you have provided,
I'm leaning toward a parasitical disease.>
Thanks,
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Tom
Clownfish prob., BiOrb -- 07/17/10
Hi guys,
I have a clownfish problem I hope you can help with.
<Me too>
I have recently purchased a BiOrb 30l and changed it over to
marine.
<... these small, roundish tanks/systems are more a gimmick
than viable aquatic environments... not much can be kept in such
aquariums well or for long>
I have also purchased two Perculas and a cleaner shrimp.
<Won't live here...>
It's my first time keeping clowns and I've noticed a thin
red line down the inside of the body running from head to tail
with a large bit behind the gills. I'm hoping it's
nothing and maybe just the fishes insides? The lines and
'blob' are almost transparent but are on both fish.
I've kept all the parameters with the water as close to how
it should be, if not spot on.
They are very happy eating and swimming I'm just a bit
concerned about the lines. Please help. Thanks alot
<... there is no such word as alot... And the only solution
here is to get a real system. Please read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/fishes/FishInd2.htm
the last/bottom tray, re Systems et al.. Bob Fenner>
Damn sorry. Re... cont. of BiOrb/Clown env. dis.
7/19/10 This is a Biocube. 16 or 19 and that
White stuff started to grow. Is it good or bad?
<? Generally bad... BobF>
dmc
What is the white stuff? 7/19/10
Thanks much
<Mmm, can't tell for sure, but likely bacterial secondary
infection from environmental "stress". Please read
here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/clnfshdisart.htm
and especially the FAQs file: http://wetwebmedia.com/clndisenv.htm
Bob Fenner>
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Re: re: Damn sorry. BiOrb soon to be bygone Clowns
7/19/10
It seems that you thought I meant the clown fish was sick, I
meant the white slag-(growing up) The fish look OK to me.
dmc
<... both are not. Doug Adams>
Re: re: Damn sorry. Ongoing re Bi (Necro) Orb,
Clownfish hlth./deaths 7/21/10
My friend said that you are the best, so we all make mistakes,
ESP me In Gmail. But, what are those white things that grow up
like stalagmites?
THANK VERY MUCH
D Mc
<Mmm, decomposition products... the result/s of bacteria,
fungi et al. accumulated metabolites... I'd like to state
some related, hopefully useful statements... This system is not
"completely filtering"... hence the presence, growth of
this material... You should take the time to study what
you're about here... unfortunately... these systems are not
at all easily modified, able to be added to. Do seek others input
on the Net re. B>
Re: re: Damn sorry. 7/22/10
I just erased a complete message, d basically thank you, I fell
20' broke ribs and a vertebrae,
<Yowwww! Am glad you're still alive! Have had much
slighter falls, and it hurts to breath period>
I LL do more when I "LLC do more when I feel when. I can
thanks, can we it's easier then typing? Let me know.
Duncan McIntosh (not rich, retired cop from NY, 30 miles
north.
<Do take care. BobF>
|
White growth on percula clown 04/18/10
Hi,
<Morning John>
I'm a big fan of the site, visited many many times over the
years, and I usually can find the information I need by simply
searching through your site. This time I need a little more help
if you can spare it.
<I can>
My percula clown has developed a rounded white growth just above
his gills on the side of his body. I just noticed it a few days
ago. I took some photos on Wed when I noticed it (attached) and
now on Sat (attached), and it has grown quickly. The lesion is
mostly white, with an irregular surface, with some component
under the surface of the scales, grown from about 2 mm 4 days ago
to about 3 mm today, and raised about 2 mm or so.
There may also be a tiny new lesion close to the dorsal fin now
that wasn't there Wed.
He is a few years old, not a recent member of the tank.
<Is the Euphyllia new?>
I have a 45g reef tank with healthy coral and invertebrates, and
my water parameters are good. As far as I know he has not been
injured recently, and his activity level/feeding are normal.
However, he has had a major stressor in his life, since his
beloved years-old anemone disappeared a couple of weeks ago, and
he has taken to hanging out with some hammerhead coral
instead.
<Yes>
Reading through your site and others, I was thinking this could
be viral Lymphocystis (cauliflower disease), or possibly a
parasite, epitheliocystis, or a reaction to injury.
What do you think?
<The last>
He is not in quarantine at the moment. Clearly the treatment,
prognosis, and infectiousness are different depending on the
diagnosis. What would you recommend?
<Mmm, either trying to be patient, removing the Euphyllia or
replacing the lost Anemone>
Thanks in advance,
John V
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>
|
|
Re: White growth on percula clown
4/18/2010
Hi Bob,
<Hey John>
Thank you for the quick reply. I really appreciate your opinion.
I am relieved that it probably isn't an infection of some
kind.
<I'm very confident that this injury is resultant from
sting, irritation here>
The Euphyllia has also been in the tank for a few years, and the
clown has previously gone to it many times, when the anemone
would retract for example. I would rather not remove the
Euphyllia since it seems like a good citizen otherwise (and
because I have 5 heads of it). I will try to have some patience
to allow the sore to heal, but it isn't easy. I will look
into getting a new anemone as well.
Thank you for your help,
John
<Welcome. BobF>
|
Clownfish Question.... hlth., env....
4/15/10
<Hello Angie>
I have searched the different topics on the website, but found nothing
specific to my issue.
Any help is appreciated!!
<Ok, lets go!>
I have a 2 Clownfish, a Frog Spawn, Mushrooms, Colt Coral, Snails, and
Polyps in my tank. So to add a little colour to the tank I purchased a
Yellow Tang 3 weeks ago.
<Is your tank large enough for this fish?>
He seemed healthy upon purchase. After a week he had a cloudy eye. I
took him to my friend that owns an aquatic store and he told me that he
had a "parasite".
<Not likely the cause. 99% of the time, one cloudy eye is an injury,
two is poor water quality>
The Tang was put in the sick tank and died a week later.. sad :(
<No doubt due to poor maintenance/ set-up of said hospital tank.
Probably ammonia et. al.>
Then my new concern become my two Clownfish. They did not look sick,
but they were hiding, but eating well. We checked the salinity and it
was high.. around 29
<Do you mean 1.029? I am going to assume you are in S.G.
here>
...BAD!! So last week I did frequent water changes and added freshwater
to get the salinity back around 22...
<Do you mean 1.022? This is far too low. Wants to be 1.025 -- 1.026
especially if you have corals. Read: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/maintenance/maintindex.htm>
water looks GREAT! BUT my clownfish are still hiding; eating well, but
hiding. The water has been at 22 for about a week.
Is the hiding something with the salinity "shock" or could it
be a parasite?
<Probably not the salinity, unless indirectly. By changing this
quickly to such a low level you could have killed of something in your
system which is having a negative effect on your fish. I would run some
carbon here and gradually raise the salinity to where it should be. Do
you see any external signs of parasites?>
If it is a parasite, what am I looking for
<Read: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/parasiti.htm>
and will my tank ever be able to host other fish again?
<Mmm, you are probably ok here'¦ I would just watch and
observe, these will probably settle down again after a while. You make
no mention of any other test results re: water quality, or the size of
your system>
Angie
<Simon>
Re: Clownfish 4/15/10
Good Morning, thanks for the speedy response!
<It's late afternoon/ early evening for me!>
With the fact that the Tang had both cloudy eyes let's chalk it up
to poor water quality since the Salinity level was at 1.029.
<Actually this would not cause this, more likely the cause is high
organics in the water. Overloading the system. Nitrates, excessive
D.O.C.>
Not sure about the maintenance of the hospital tank, he was at the
local store.
<? The shop took this fish back?>
I put him there on a Sat. and went back and checked on him Wed., he
looked great!
<This is at the store?>
But, when I went back on Fri. he was on his side, on the bottom of the
tank, fighting for air.
<Mmm, not sure what to say here.. there is something missing/ not
quite right about this..>
Great article on maintenance,
<Yes! One of many such marvelous articles written on here>
I topped the tank off this morning with salt water (about 1 gallon) and
the salinity looks to be at 1.025. So, I guess the salinity may have
been a little higher than 1.022 originally
<Ok>
Looked at the articles and I don't THINK that we have anything like
this. I want to protect my clownfish.
<Then you should be quarantining every animal before you introduce
it to your Clowns http://www.wetwebmedia.com/QuarMarFishes.htm>
Still not positive about the death of the Tang, not that there is
anything that I can do about the Tang now, but I would really like
another one soon.
<Your tank is far too small for any Tang. At a minimum it needs to
be three times bigger http://www.wetwebmedia.com/tangsysfaqs.htm>
I tested Ph, Nitrite, Ammonia, all the tests were in normal range
<This statement is of no help to me. What is normal for one, is not
normal for another. What about Nitrate?>
except the Carbonate Hardness. It was really low, 170, not sure
why.
<Mmm, this is ppm? Actually equates to about 9.5 dKH. Perfectly
fine.>
I use one capful of Purple Up every night after the lights are off.
<An expensive means of supplying a two part additive to the
system.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/calcalkmar.htm>
I have done this for years and everything has always been good. My
carbon levels always looked good until now.
I have a 30 Gallon tank-the clownfish that we are discussing are tank
raised orange and white Ocellaris.
<If it were me & mine I would not be adding any more fish at all
here, but if you do then you want to look for ones that grow to no more
than two inches max. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/nanoreefsysart.htm>
Angie
<Simon>
Stressed or sick clown fish
4/14/10
I have had 2 clown fish for over two years and both have been very
content with each other's company. However a few days ago, it
appears the smaller one is stressed out and is hiding from the larger
one. When ever the small
comes out of hiding the larger one chases it.
<Change of the times... the larger, female becoming more
aggressive>
The smaller one is also changing color to a darker orange. I don't
see any white spots on it however I am very concerned. The tank is a 35
gallon tank.
<What species of Amphiprionine are these? This tank may be too
small>
The condition of the water is tested every two weeks and everything is
normal/stable and has been over the past two years. Any help you can
give would be appreciated. By the way, keep up the great work on your
web site
<Umm, time for you to use it... Read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/clnbehfaq6.htm
and the linked files above... Bob Fenner>
Re: stressed or sick clown fish
4/16/10
Thank you for the quick response. I believe the type of clown fish I
have are Amphiprion Percula Clown Fish. I have since removed the male
and placed it in my quarantine tank for safety. It appears after two
days to be doing
fine. I notice it has a few areas missing on his fins where I believe
the female has bitten him. Should I keep him away for a week or two and
then try
him back it in the main tank or should I see if the store will take
him?
<I would float the one/aggressor in a plastic colander in the tank
for a few days while the subdominant individual has full reign of the
tank and see if this takes the "spit and vinegar" out of the
female. BobF>
Clownfish with welts -- 03/23/10
Good morning.
<G'morrow to you>
I was wondering if it is common for a clownfish to get welts on
it's fins when it first starts to host an anemone or
coral.
<Yes it is>
I know it isn't Cryptocaryon irritans because I have dealt
with that in the past and unlike a sprinkling of pin sized or pin
head sized dots these are more like welts/pimples on the caudal
and pectoral fins and one close to the dorsal.
<Agreed>
I saw these before on another pair of clownfish but only one or
two spots (but in the same areas) that to my knowledge never
hosted my BTA, but who knows what happens when the lights are
out. Since moving those clowns to my frag tank the welts cleared
up. My newer clowns spend all day in the anemone for the most
part but have only been together with the anemone since Saturday
( after 5 weeks of QT with no incident). None of the other fish
(a gramma and a YW goby) have ever had these marks. No excessive
slime, no torn fins, no heavy breathing or other signs of illness
like flashing either. They have voracious appetites as well ( and
even feed the anemone!) I have attached a few pictures. The
pictures of the spot by the dorsal shows its
"pimpleness" more but the spots on her tail are the
same, as well as the few on her pectoral, but harder to get a
clear picture of. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Keith
<I do think this is likely "getting to know you"
reaction markings... though your last image, showing the
Zoanthids "next door", may indicate a mal-interaction
as well. Bob Fenner>
|
|
Clownfish with welts -- 03/23/10
I forgot to mention from my previous email with the same subject
line, I have seen the same clownfish with the more prominent
welts/ pimples willingly enter my torch coral and give a
"ouch I got stung" reaction...but yet still
occasionally does it anyway when not in the BTA.
<Ahh! Could well be the explanation here. BobF>
Re: clownfish with welts 3/23/10 <I do
think this is likely "getting to know you" reaction
markings... though your last image, showing the Zoanthids
"next door", may indicate a mal-interaction as well.
Bob Fenner>
Mmm yeah. ha ha ha, Needless to say where I initially placed my
BTA and where it decided to be is a far cry east, however it has
stayed there now for several weeks. I will watch for interactions
and possibly frag/move the Zoas. Thanks so much for all your help
I greatly appreciate your time.
Keith
<Certainly welcome. BobF>
|
Clownfish question! Help save him! Tank
Setup. (Over) stocking Fish health 2/2/2010
Hello!
<Hi Dan.>
I have a 20g tank with 20lbs live rock.
<Ok>
1 yellow tang 1 damsel blue with yellow tail and 1 true percula
clownfish.
<Grossly overstocked. Yellow tangs need at least 75 gallons when
mature, Clowns really need at least 30 gallons.>
<Read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/StkgSmSWsysArt.htm >
<http://www.wetwebmedia.com/YellowTang.htm >
<http://www.wetwebmedia.com/clownfis.htm >
The first day I got the clown he disappeared and I found him still
alive in the dry part of the filter and put him back in the tank and he
survived.
<Good.>
It has been about 2 weeks. He only hangs out at the top of the tank
where the overflow flows into the filter ( where he got sucked in ).
The thing is, my previous deceased clown did the same exact thing.
<Overcrowded with some aggressive fish. Likely some poor water
quality as well. What do your water tests indicate?>
I got him an anemone 3 days ago but he stays in the same spot.
<Anemones are challenging under the best of circumstances, it has no
real chance in a tank of this size stocked the way it is.>
<http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm>
Sometimes he just puts his head down and tail up and just hangs out.
Looks beautiful and healthy, not breathing rapidly. Any help would be
so appreciated!
<I would return the fish to the store and start reading. Your setup
is not sustainable. Suggest you start here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/setup/marsetupindex1.htm >
OH yeah! Tank 3 months old.
<Too young. Please, return the fish and read up before
continuing.>
Dan
<Mike>
Re: Clownfish question! Help save him! Tank
Setup. (Over) stocking Fish health 2/4/2010
<Hi Dan.>
Thank you very much for your response. I have read most of that and had
a few more questions.
<Sure.>
My water is nearly perfect, and has been for months. I check it every 5
days.
<Ok, what were the readings? Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate,
salinity\specific gravity and pH?>
And my yellow tang is no larger than a half-dollar.
<For now. Tangs grow pretty quickly. My Sailfin Tang was about that
size when I bought him. Just over a year later he is just over 6 inches
long and the undisputed boss of my 150 gallon tank.>
Is it still too much for him?
<Unfortunately, yes. It is a common problem, particularly with
people new to the hobby. All the fish 'fit' in the tank now,
but they grow. Further, saltwater fish need more space than freshwater
fish If they start to feel crowded, they will make room for themselves;
usually by bullying smaller fish, eventually bullying them to death.
Damsels are aggressive by their very nature. Those cute little Domino
Damsels you see in pet stores have been known to chase divers in the
wild.>
Also, the clown is maybe an inch long.
<Perfect tang fodder.>
Should I remove the damsel?
<I would remove the damsel and the tang. With good maintenance, you
can sustain a clown in a 20 gallon setup. Also, since you have an
anemone, in such a small space, it is very likely to sting the tang and
the damsel, As the system is still so new, I am not confident that the
Anemone will survive either, but the chances are better with no other
large bullying fish in the tank.>
Also, do you think it is just stress that is causing the clown to
exhibit this behavior
<If the water parameters are good, then yes.>
.Thank you again so much for your help!
<My pleasure>
Dan
<MikeV>
Hyper-Melanization on A. ocellaris (Euphylliid or
Paravortex to blame) 1/8/10
Hi you people are funny indeed.
<<Have you ever heard the phrase, 'Sometimes you have
to laugh to keep from crying?' That comes to mind but we
appreciate the compliment.>>
Please tell me that my clown fish have theses black little dots
on them because they have being rubbing up against my frogspawn
& torch corals I have never seen them do this but what
happens at night who knows.
<<Could be one of two things. You are on the right track
for one, you're A. Ocellaris are suffering from
hyper-melanization, in essence burns that are causing tissue
damage resulting in the animals pigmentation change. It's
common condition when Clowns choose an unnatural suitor as their
host in captivity, usually associated Euphyllids. In some cases
the animal is able to adjust and recovers with no lasting
effects, assuming nutrition and water quality are within
acceptable parameters. In some cases however it persists in which
case the host or the hostee needs to be removed. More often than
not though the fish ends up doing more harm to the Euphyllids
than the other way around, they are built to take the punishment
that an anemone with no calcareous parts have evolved to take.
That's possibility number one. The other possibility, and the
slimmer one, is Paravortex, which is a Turbellarian parasite,
though not a very constricting or evolved one. Of course if
Paravortex is to blame you'd likely see your other fish
infected as well, so my money is on the former, Euphylliid
interaction scenario to be the culprit. Both issues are
correctable though, you have my advice re: the Euphyllids issue
and here is our FAQ's on Paravortex;
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/paravortexfaqs.htm .>>
Thank you for any help you can give me with this problem.
Chris [ a first time tank owner]
<<Good luck, - Adam J.>>
|
|
Clown fish with missing skin?
10/15/09
Hello Wet Web Crew!
<Meg>
I have searched through your site (and others) and I cannot for the
life of me find any information on my problem.
I have a small pair of juvenile True Percula Clowns who seem to have
skin missing from both their dorsal and anal(?) fins.
About half of each fin is still there from the front to the middle, and
from there on there is only spines.
<Yikes!>
They move along with the others when the fins are both raised or
relaxed, but have no webbing connecting them to the others.
Will the fish deteriorate further or will the fins heal and grow
back?
<Depends on the cause... but, if the elements aren't too far
eaten back, they can/do regenerate>
I have seen ripped tail and pectoral fins, I've even seen missing
fins grow back, but I have never seen the spines intact sans skin.
My clowns do not nip at each other, nor is there any harmful equipment
that they could get hurt on (Such as a power head with no cover). I
have no corals, nor any anemone that could hurt them, though I doubt it
would have much effect on a Clown anyway.
What would cause this?
<Mmmm, a few other "things"... aspects of water quality
next most common... but genetics, nutrition...>
There are no predators that could have done this in the tank. The only
changes in the tank have been a recent horrible outbreak of both Cyano
and GHA.
<Ahh!>
I think this was caused by the water in my new house. In my old house I
was lucky enough to have good water that could be put in my tank. Could
the new water be to blame?
<Yes>
Thank you so much for your help,
Meg
<Perhaps a unit of Chemipure, Polyfilter... augmenting their foods
with a vitamin/HUFA supplement. These should help toward the fin
regrowth. Bob Fenner>
Clownfish not looking well: Likely
Allelopathy Too many anemones and polyps in a small space.
8/6/2009
<Hi Anna>
Started our saltwater tank August 2008. We adjusted our tank slowly. We
filtered our LR for a whole 30 days, then we added the sand. We waited
an additional month and began to add fish and anemone. Knowing what we
know now we would have waited longer to add the fish and anemone. We
would have
tested our levels better and researched food.
<But you are learning.>
We seemed to be doing well until two months ago. Suddenly our Firefish
became listless, not his usual zippy self. His mouth was open and he
was gasping. He has been this way for two months now, still alive
somehow. I have no idea how his feeding has been. We see him
occasionally <Something in the water or some other fish beating him
up.>.
Last month one of our percula clowns became listless as well. He laid
on the bottom of the tank and just bobbed around in one spot. He
didn't appear
to eat much. His mouth was constantly open and turning translucent. He
began to lose color in his fins and his stripes began to fade a little
into his orange.
<This is a telling clue here,>
He disappeared, we have been unable to find him in our tank. We did
notice a spike in our nitrates and we did a water change to correct
this last week. Now our other percula clown has developed the same
symptoms.
She is listless, not eating, mouth open and paling....none of the fish
had any substance come off of them when we performed our freshwater
dips. They don't seem to have any dots or splotches on their
bodies.
<No, this isn't a disease.>
We want to find out what is wrong before we lose another. We have been
unable to find any information
on our fishes symptoms. What are we doing wrong?
<See below.>
tank: 55gallons, fully adjusted for almost a year pH and chemical
levels: normal range
<Sorry, pet peeve - What is normal? Actual values make it much
easier to diagnose.. salinity: normal <1.023 - 1.026?>
food: anemone- mysis shrimp and silversides, fish- flake food
<Fine.>
occupants: 2 percula clowns, blue damsel, Firefish, blenny, mandarin,
hermit crab, 3 snails,
<A bit crowded for a 55, but not too bad. The Mandarin is likely to
starve in such a small tank though.>
BTA, LTA, and another type of anemone whose name I have forgotten, and
numerous feather tip anemone, polyps, and corals.
<Ding! We have a winner. Too many anemones and polyps in the tank.
You essentially have a chemical war going on in your tank between the
anemones, and the various corals. Your fish are caught in the
crossfire.
You will need to remove at least two of the anemones and likely some of
the polyps.. Additionally, do run carbon in your filter to soak up
these toxins.>
<Do read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/zoanthidcompfaqs.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/anemcompfaqs.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/cnidcomp4.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/polypcompfaqs.htm >
<MikeV>
Re: Clownfish not looking well: Likely
Allelopathy Too many anemones and polyps in a small space.
8/7/2009
<Hi Anna.>
Okay, well the polyps and feather dusters and corals and sponge popped
up out of nowhere (Hello! *LIVE* rock!).
<Fine.>
At this time we have 4 red polyps and 4 yellow polyps. We have two 1
inch in diameter feather dusters, and many small ones (about 1/4 inch
in diameter at most). We have patches of sponge and coral, varying from
1/2 inch in size to 3 inches in size. All of it just showed up once we
established our rock and sand.
<Nice hitchhikers.>
We also moved in the beginning of June. We separated the fish (only one
clown at this time) and (at the time) one anemone (2 inches across)
into bags of salt water, kept our rock submerged in buckets of salt
water, kept the sand under one inch of salt water. We moved the tank
and its occupants and had it set up and adjusted within two hours.
Everything was smooth.
Only our mandarin showed stress, but as soon as we provided fresh
copepods, he was fine. Then one week later, Firefish became listless
and began losing his color. I just saw him today eating, still not his
zippy self.
<Ammonia spike or something toxic in the water...>
We have around 70lbs of live rock (guesstimate) and 60lbs of sand (2
inches deep). Most of our rock is small however, leaving our tank about
30% full.
Our pH is normal: 8.0; Nitrate is normal: 0; Nitrite is normal: 0; and
ammonia is normal: 0. We perform 30% water changes every two weeks
using RO water and we prime it. Last week, because of the sudden
nitrate spike, we performed a 50% water change. We use Reef Crystals
salt with calcium and keep our salinity at 1.024.
<This is a telling clue... Where did the nitrate come from? Nitrate
comes from decaying organics Something in the tank caused the spike.
Either the biological filtration was interrupted, or something is
dead\dying.>
Since moving we have added a large rose bubble-tip anemone, about 6
inches when open. We just this week added a third anemone, a
Condylactis I believe, about 4 inches when open.
These two remain on opposite sides of the tank, with our tiny 2 inch
long-tip anemone in the center. They never bother one another and all
eat very well.
<It is never a good idea to mix anemones, particularly ones of
different species. They are aware of each other and are
'fighting' - even if you cannot see it. Another important thing
to remember, anemones can and do sting, especially slow moving or timid
fish - like Firefish>.
I also neglected to inform you that we also have a sand-sifting
starfish.
I forgot about him as he is always under sand. We got him after the
move, after we got our second anemone (6 inches across). He takes care
of our slime.
<Another telling clue. where is the slime coming from? Also, sand
sifting stars usually consume everything edible in the sandbed and then
starve to death in systems less than 100+ gallons.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marsiftfaqs.htm >
Now, whatever has happened to our Firefish and first percula clown
happened BEFORE we added the new anemones and starfish. Now that the
fist percula clown has died, the second is showing the same symptoms
(listless, mouth gaping, not feeding, color blending through
stripes).
<Again, since your water quality seems ok, we can only conclude that
something in your tank is poisoning the fish, either by chemical
release or by stinging>
All of the other fish appear fine and quite content.
If it helps any: we have two powerheads on opposite sides of aquarium,
one directed up and one directed downward. We have a wave-generator in
the center. We also have two filters. The water stays very clean thanks
to our cleaning crew (hermit crab, 3 snails, and a starfish).
<Please read the articles I originally referred you to and do
consider adding carbon to your filtration system in an attempt to soak
up any noxious chemicals in your system.>
<MikeV>
URGENT........Sick Clownfish 7/25/09
Hello
I am wondering if you have seen this on a clown fish, or any fish
for that matter before.
<The interesting darkish band about midriff?>
We have had a suggestion it is some kind of Clownfish disease,
however, she originally showed no signs of loss of appetite, and
no lethargy, nor was/is she hanging out at the top of the tank as
suggested gasping for air.
I have attached some pictures of the fish and the strange mark
that has appeared.
It started on one side 6 days ago, a couple of mm's wide by
about 1.0 cm long, when we got home about 10:30pm that night and
it had spread across her whole middle section on both sides.
Fish was displaying no other signs of distress/sickness. We
observed her slightly flaring her gills, but nothing that you
would notice unless you were really looking hard.
The tank itself is in good condition, and none of the other fish
are displaying any symptoms.
We have relocated her to a QT, with lower salinity. (Note:
bringing the salinity back up gradually now)
In the last 4 days she has since lost all appetite and seems be
struggling.
Laying on the bottom of the QT. the gasping has stopped.
<Likely mostly due to "just" being moved,
acclimating to the new settings>
It seemed as soon as we moved her to the QT that is when she lost
her appetite. I think it distressed her a lot.
<Yes>
The mark was going but has now stopped disappearing and the same
colour is appearing faintly on her head.
We have treated her with Oodinium treatment and also an
antifungal over the last 4-5 days with no improvement.
<Mmm, I would not treat this fish... I suspect the
discoloration is either nervous involvement or some response to
stress as you state... The "medicines" will do more
harm than help>
If you could give me the heads up that would be great.
Cheers
Heath
<This animal will likely self-cure in time. Bob Fenner>
|
|
Re: Clownfish with a growth/sore around its mouth...
env. 6/1/2009
Hi there, apologies for the delayed reply I have been away. I
tried to take photos but unfortunately my camera is not that good
and I could not get a good enough shot. I did manage to get a
somewhat blurry video and although the file was too big to send
you I have sent some of the frames from it. I hope you are able
to see his mouth.
<I see... that it appears permanently agape... perhaps whitish
about>
He now seems to be unable to close his mouth and it is almost
raised at the edges. I have given up on the theory of injury as
it has now been many weeks and he seems to be becoming more
deformed.
<Could be at least attributable to genetics>
In himself he seems fine and is eating but I am obviously
concerned as it doesn't look very nice and is getting worse.
I also don't know if this could affect the other fish.
<Depending on cause... but...>
He has what look like tiny raised blood veins very close to the
surface of his skin near his mouth as well.
The colour has returned to normal but what started on the chin (I
know fish don't have chins, it's the easiest way to
describe it) has returned to normal colour and I thought he was
recovering until I noticed his mouth has
changed shape completely.
My water readings are:
phosphate 0.5
<Way too high>
pH 8.0
nitrate 0.1
KH 170
Nitrite 0.1
Ammonia 1.2
<These last two are deadly toxic... Nitrogenous anomaly is at
least partly at fault here... See WWM re fixing... and do ASAP or
move to a completely cycled system. Stat! RMF>
I appreciate your help thank you so much in advance
Emma
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Help me help my poor clarkii clowns
38 Liter Tank ....Overstocked 6/1/09
Hello there,
< Hello>
First off let me say thank you for creating such a good source of
friendly info!
< Thank you >
I'm pretty new to keeping Marine fish, so if i don't explain
things fully, I'm sorry. I got myself a 38 liter tank
< 10 gallon >
a few month back with everything needed to start a new marine tank up
(salt, live rock, coral gravel etc.) and I let the tank mature for a
good two weeks (as advised by my local aquatic pet shop)
< Not enough time for a full cycle. 6 to 8 week average.>
and I purchased 2 black clown fish (not 100% sure on their real name, I
know they're not Percula clowns as they have orange faces)
< The orange face is not specific to the Percula or Ocellaris.
Neither of which should be housed in a 10 gallon. >
one male and one female (size difference is a lot) and they lived quite
happy together for about 3 weeks and I decided I liked clarkii clowns
too,
< Uh oh...don't do it !>
so I asked questions about them getting on together and my local said
they should be fine. So I got two clarkii clowns to attempt to stop
bullying,
< .. you did it...>
well the first night it was horrible, they were going for each other
and the black clowns too, but I stuck with them and they all seemed to
settle down and live fine,
< That is way ,way to many fish for a 10 gallon. Neither pair should
be housed in anything less than a 20 gallon.>
I waited another few weeks and introduced a blue chromis and a red
legged hermit crab (which was two days ago)
< Its getting worse >
and everything was ok there too, but yesterday I decided to get a
humbug damsel (from a different shop) and here lies my problem I think,
I put the humbug in and left the lights off for a while (as I usually
do) I put them on and feed (as its feeding time for my fish (yesterday
was freeze dried brine shrimp yum!) and everyone was happy eating. Then
I noticed that the black female clown was really agitated and swimming
around fast and going for the humbug (color issue perhaps?)
< Territorial disputes. Clownfish are extremely territorial. To many
fish in to small of an area. >
so I thought I'd leave them a day to settle in. I woke up this
morning and everything was ok so
< Its not. >
I fed them and went to work, I got home from work and I noticed both my
clarkii clowns have bite marks on the side of their faces, so of course
I think humbug or female clown (with her being so aggressive to the
humbug) so I watch the tank for a while and sure enough the clowns
chasing the humbug every chance she gets so I figure, I'll bag the
humbug up and see what happens, and everything's calmed down a bit.
My question is (a long time coming I know) how can I make sure my
Clarkiis don't die, they seem... shaken up or just hurt
< Stressed>
(one of them is fighting to keep swimming at times), I really don't
want anything to happen to them.
Sorry for such a long email, I'm just really worried about my
clarkii, any help you can give me would be really really great
Thank you for your time
Daniel Smith
< If you want to save them, remove them. This behavior will continue
until one ore more are dead. Both pairs of clowns should be removed as
well as the Chromis. A 10 gallon is not suitable for almost any marine
fish. If an upgrade in size is not possible then consider stocking with
an ornamental shrimp pair. GA Jenkins >
Killer Clown? Not Guilty - 8/29/08
Hi. <Halloo!> I've had a 29-gallon, fish-only saltwater tank
for about 2 1/2 years now. For about the past year or so, I've had
only 3 fish (2 "Nemo" clowns and 1 royal gramma). <I
commend and thank you for not overstocking your tank> They all
seemed to be getting along. However, in the past 1 1/2 weeks
(literally, about 4 days apart), I've had one of the clowns and the
royal gramma both die under mysterious circumstances. All I have left
is one clownfish. I immediately did a water test and the results were
all normal: pH: 8.2 Ammonia: 0 Nitrites: 0 Nitrates: 0 SG: 1.020 Temps
during the summer months have been ranging between 78F and 84F (nothing
different from previous years). Whenever it's really warm out,
I've been placing a large ice block (encased in a container) in the
tank to cool the water back to about 78-80. <This could be the
problem. While these are workable temperatures, a swing of more than 4*
is certain to cause trouble> Neither of the 2 dead fish exhibited
any signs of distress or illness prior to their deaths, and both were
eating normally (Formula One, plus flake food). In addition, I've
been watching the remaining clown for any signs of illness, and
he's been fine. I haven't really witnessed any signs of
aggression from the remaining clown, but I'm forced to wonder if he
was responsible for killing the other two fish. I didn't see any
dramatic signs of trauma on either of the dead fish other than it
looked like each of the fish may have been missing one of its smaller
fins. Even then, though, I'm not sure if that damage was
post-mortem or not. I'm not sure what to do here. I'd like to
get more fish, but I want to know that they'll be healthy and happy
in my aquarium. I also don't want to get rid of my existing clown
if he's not the problem (I've heard that clowns can be
aggressive, although I've never seen any aggression on his part
except for the occasional chasing of the other clown). All that said,
my questions are as follows: 1. Are there any other water-testing
parameters I should be testing for to ensure the problem is not with my
water quality? <Not in this case, no. If all the fish had died,
I'd check for heavy metals, but since you have a survivor I think a
systemic poison can be ruled out> 2. Do you think the clown could
have killed the other 2 fish, even though the two dead fish did not
look terribly "beat up" (and the remaining clown does not
look damaged at all)? <No, he's innocent. I suspect the
temperature swings are responsible- and would be consistent with the
lack of external damage or symptoms prior to death.> 3. As far as
additional fish, what would you recommend for fish that would get along
well with a clown in a 29-gallon tank? I've been told that a pygmy
angel would do well in this scenario, but I'd like your opinion.
<I think this tank is still too small for any of the angels- even
dwarf or pygmy varieties. If you get the temperature under control,
perhaps another clown and a small bottom-dwelling goby would fill out a
nice aquarium?> thanks so much for your input! <No problem.
Benjamin>
Clownfish and stressful week,
thermal dis. 6/13/08 Hi there, We have a 55 gall tank that had a
major issue during day 3 of our recent northeast heat wave when we were
at work. This was the first heat wave with the tank in our new house,
which has no AC. The prior two days we were home and temps had gone up
but not drastically, and we kept an eye on things. We'd also used
minimal lights so as to not add heat. <Good point> On Monday, the
tank lights were off entirely. We're not sure what the temp hit,
but it read 85 when we came home. <From what starting point? This
temp. by itself should not be fatal> We lost our shrimp and goby,
and thought we'd lose the clowns too, they were in a very bad way
breathing much too quickly. <Perhaps indirectly temp. related... a
dissolved oxygen issue... I'd increase aeration, circulation> We
did not leave the tank alone on day 4 so we could much more closely
monitor and intervene as needed. Anyway, we managed to bring/keep the
temps down after the losses, with many tricks including swapped to egg
crate top (we'd already moved most of the glass top off), got a fan
just for them, water changes, to get temps controlled - and finally the
heat broke. I know this a lot of negative action for a short time...
anyway, my worry is about the clowns. They look well, good color,
respiring well, but are lurking in their respective safe spots - female
in her open brain, male in his little xenia patch. They are not doing
much swimming or eating. When they do swim they look fine. No spots or
frayed fins or anything physical that I can see. Temps now are at 78;
the temp we usually keep the tank at. I imagine they still under stress
but is there a way we can get them eating more or something else to
help them recover?.. thank you. <Mmm, no; not really. That they are
alive, appear normal is sign that they will very likely be fine. Bob
Fenner>
Disease? Clownfish rdg.
03/11/2008 Hi Crew, <Jake> I have read many articles on your
site and found your information helpful. Hopefully you may have a few
suggestions regarding my tank issues. I have a 24 gallon saltwater tank
with a several types of Zoanthids, a frogspawn, mushrooms, Ricordea,
candy cane coral, xenia, and a skunk cleaner shrimp. <A whole bunch
of disparate life jammed in> I have tested my water and taken water
to a LFS for testing. My salinity was 1.024. My pH was 8.2. My ammonia,
nitrate, and nitrite were approximately 0-0.25 ppm. <...> The
temperature ranges from 78-80 degrees. My corals appear stress free and
are growing nicely. I have had my cleaner shrimp and a tiny yellow tang
(I know the tank is small, <Too> I was going to put him in a
larger tank when he grew a little more) <...> for approximately
three months. The tang has always ate <eaten> and acted normal.
<normally> Two weeks ago, I purchased two tank raised true
percula clowns (one came from ORA). One of the clownfish had been there
for weeks, however, the other had only been at the LFS for a day.
<... no quarantine...> They are a very reputable store and said
the fish did eat and looked normal. After a week in my tank, the one
clown continued to "show her dominance." She was never too
aggressive, but my girlfriend did not like it and it did not look like
they were going to be happy together, so I gave one of them to my
friend (who has worked at a fish store for over 20 years) on a
Thursday. Both clownfish appeared happy and ate in their tanks
immediately. On the following Tuesday, however, I found my clown dead.
He ate the day before and did not show signs of disease. My friend told
me the clown I gave him died on Tuesday as well. His clown was in a
tank by itself, his water parameters were all OK; however, he did
notice a white film-like area on her side. On Thursday of that same
week, I awoke to a dead yellow tang. Again, the tang appeared happy,
ate the night before, and did not have any evidence of disease. When I
talked to my friend, he said that the majority of shipments of
clownfish they receive, after a few days, they develop a film-like area
on their sides. I did go back to the store I purchased my clownfish and
noticed a faint white film area on a side of one of three clowns left
in the tank, which was not there the night I purchased my fish. The
white film is not predominate and is not too easily noticed. My friend
recommended only purchasing clownfish after they have been in the store
for several weeks. <A good suggestion> To clarify, I did not
purchase my clowns at this store. They were from a store a few hours
away. Have you heard this before or was this an unlucky situation? Are
tank-raised clowns a common carrier for a type of parasite/bacteria? I
am obviously frustrated with two dead fish. Thank you in advance for
any information, Jake <Uh... start reading here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/clnfshdisart.htm and onto the linked files
above... Perhaps stung by the Cnidarian life, maybe a Protozoan
complaint, perhaps "just" stress... Bob Fenner>
I Don't Believe In Reality
and That Settles That!
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Sick Clowns... env., jammed into
too-small volume, with a BTA... no reading 2/24/08
Hello, <Skyler> I've had a mated pair of clown
fish for about 7 months, originally they were inside a
basic ten gallon tank <... too small> with horrible
lighting and they were doing fine. I recently moved them
into a 12g NanoCube <Still> and they have been acting
strange. I primed the cube using BioSpira and everything I
need for about a month, I put them in and they were in
there for about a week maybe two. I wanted them to mate so
I purchased a small bubble tip anemone <...> and put
that into the tank, it's been doing fine, my concern is
with the female. She was always a bit paler than the male
and quite larger in size but recently she has been laying
on the bottom of the tank, I did a water change as always
recommended but her behavior didn't improve. She
doesn't have any noticeable marks from a parasite or
anything but she has had a very poor appetite. These last
two days she has been sitting on the bottom and will
randomly spurt up and swim in a crazy way for about 10
seconds then go back to the bottom. Her top fin has been at
rest for about a week and it has a slight pinkish hue to
it. Her fins are becoming more and more transparent and I
was wondering what was wrong. Thanks. <... Read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/clownfis.htm and the linked files
above, part. Systems... What you have won't work. Bob
Fenner>
Re: Sick Clowns... env. 2/24/08 I don't need
advice on what tank size I need to know what I can do about
my fish they are sick and acting abnormally, I posted this
because I didn't have 2 or 3 hours to read every single
article, I just needed advice on what was wrong with them.
Critiquing my tank size doesn't help me. <Your
set-up is the root/cause of your problems... It's too
small for the Clowns, an anemone... See my original
comments re... READ! BobF>
Strange clowns 2/25/08 Hello, <Skyler> This
is my second attempt at asking you guys about my clowns, I
have a "mated pair" of percula clowns that I
bought from my local pet store (trustworthy place) and I
had them in a plain old 10 gallon setup with a penguin 100
filter and heater and bubbler. I wanted them to mate so I
moved then in to a 12 gallon nano cube and they've been
doing good up until recently. I purchased an anemone bubble
tip) and I've had that for about 3-4 weeks now and the
nano has had the clowns in it for 6-7 weeks. The female
seemed to accept the anemone and the male stays in one
corner of the tank and periodically will go
"visit" the female. What are they doing? are they
ok? The female has been acting slightly strange, she will
"lay down" in spots and will rest there for 10
minutes at a time. She has no swellings or any spots or
lesions, so I ruled out any time of external parasite, but
she has had a bit of color loss and her dorsal fin has been
at rest for about 3 days now. We checked the salt and it
was at a horribly high number so we went to the pet store
and we changed 4 gallons of it and added a new carbon bag
and got the reading to about 1.025. She was doing slightly
better today but still was at times laying on the bottom of
the tank. Occasionally she would get up and twitch and move
around. The male came over today and swam by her a bit and
she didn't seem to mind this. Could they be possibly
mating ( I had read somewhere that the female swims
horizontally over a patch to get it ready for laying her
eggs) is this true? I just really need to know what's
going on with them. Thanks again, Skyler and yes I realize
the tank is small but it's suitable for my budget and
suitable for 2 fish and an anemone <Have already
answered this... What you have system wise cannot, will not
support the life you list... This is posted. B>
Re: Strange clowns............ -02/25/08 so
you're telling me that the tank I have is the cause of
this problem, the fish is acting like this because of the
tank size, because if not I need to know because I cannot
purchase a bigger size. I don't know much about fish
keeping but, I need to know badly what I can do because I
cannot and will not buy a new fish tank I can't afford
it. so please if you can at all tell me how to solve it
besides the fact that the tank is too small. < http://wetwebmedia.com/WWMAdminSubWebIndex/question_page.htm>
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Tomato Clownfish - black
spots/blotches developing near top fin 2/2/08 Hi, I have a
Tomato Clownfish (about 3-3.5") that I've had for several
weeks now. He's in a 55 gallon FO aquarium with 2 yellowtail
damsels that I bought a while before the clownfish (I didn't use
them to cycle, I used raw shrimp instead), and a few crabs and snails.
The aquarium is well established. I bought the clownfish at an LFS and
he seemed to be very healthy and active then. Within the past couple
weeks, I've been noticing several black "blotches"
appearing on his sides... I'm really sorry I don't have a
picture, I'll just have to describe it as best as I can. The spots
are fairly big, not small and salt-like. It doesn't look like any
disease that I know about, definitely not ich because the spots are big
and black, and I'm pretty sure it's not velvet, clownfish
disease, etc. The blotches aren't extremely dark, a couple of them
are almost see-through a little bit. They are mostly on his sides near
the top of him (near the top fin), but recently I noticed a very little
bit at the rear near where the tail starts. They have been spreading
fairly gradually, when I first got the clownfish none of them are
there. Then a couple days later I noticed just a very, very little bit
of them starting to appear, and now there are a few on each side. I
have searched through most of the Clownfish Disease FAQ's on the
site, and couldn't find anything too similar, although the closest
I could find were 2 pictures on one of the FAQ pages... the link is
http://wetwebmedia.com/clnfshdisfaq5.htm. Scroll down until you see the
3 clownfish pictures in a row, then look at the middle and bottom
picture... that looks a lot like my Clownfish, except most of the spots
are near the top, and near the white band (on the side opposite his
face). There aren't quite that many spots yet and they're not
that big, but it still looks really similar. None of the other fish
(the 2 damsels) have shown any signs of anything yet, they have been
acting perfectly normal and eating. The clownfish is also acting
normal, I haven't seen any really weird behavior yet. He is alert
and active, and is eating well... he's such a pig! I feed marine
flakes most of the time, as well as freeze-dried krill and some other
foods. The only thing that I have noticed is that he normally just
stays near the surface and sometimes gasps for air at the surface,
which I'm pretty sure isn't normal, so is that a major cause
for concern? <Mmm, no> That could just be because I need to have
more sources of oxygen and better water movement, this may be part of
the problem?? <The real problem/issue is that this is a large
specimen (A. frenatus or melanopus likely) that is highly stressed...
from being pulled from its anemone, the sea... and the subsequent
processing... the dark spots are indicative of this stress... not
zoonotic> Main filtration is a big Tetra Whisper power filter. I
also have 2 airstones in the tank... I know they don't help a lot
in marine tanks, but I just like to see the bubbles, so I want to keep
them unless I find out that they are downright bad. Are they actually
harmful in marine aquariums, or are they just not particularly
helpful?? <More helpful> Water parameters are mostly good -
ammonia is 0 and nitrite is 0... nitrates are at about 50, I know that
is really high, but I am trying hard to get it down and I'm doing a
lot of water changes to help. Temp. is about 78° and pH is
about 8.3. Hope that you can help me identify this or give me some good
advice! Thank you! If you need any more information then email me and
let me know! -Jesse <Well... my usual/stock advice re buying captive
produced Clownfishes, avoiding large wild-collected ones as you have
here... If this one adapts to captivity... it will likely prove to be a
"bruiser"... Aggressive toward all fishes in its territory...
which is larger than a 4 ft. long tank. Bob Fenner>
Quick Jawfish question... ID
02/03/2008 Hello guys and gals, I hope this email finds everyone
well, <<Hello, Andrew here>> Just a quick question. I have
set up a system specifically to house a Jawfish. I was waiting for a
pearly eyed, but cannot seem to find any. My LFS just got in what they
call a "indo Jawfish" they are a pretty cool looking species.
However, I can't seem to find any info on them. <<More
specifics are really needed from you regarding the fish. However, an
average example of an indo Jawfish is the Opistognathus randalli. Use
this to base your research around unless you can provide us with the
specific name of the fish your getting>> I am curious to what
size they get and if they require the same requirements as the other
members of the Jawfish family. I believe it is the species U1 on your
Jawfish page, has gold spots above both eyes with yellow vertical
stripes on body. Thanks in advance for the info. Steve <<Thanks
for the question. A Nixon>>
Urgent question about clownfish... many
errors... time to read, past time 1/14/08 We have a newly
established 10 gallon saltwater tank. Our filtration are bioballs
in the back of the tank. <... please see WWM re their
removal> There is a lid that goes atop the tank with about 3-4
inches of clearance and is open in the back the length of the
lid. There is a fabric atop the bioballs that collects particles
from the runoff. <Needs to be cleaned at least weekly> We
let the tank cycle for almost 2 weeks with cured liverock.
<Did it actually cycle?> During this time we've
monitored our levels and were given the "ok" by our
fish store to get a fish. We introduced a percula clownfish
<Needs more room than this> a few days ago. He did well
(ate and swam well) until that first night our heater seemed to
malfunction and the temperature dropped from 78 to 74. I woke in
the middle of the night to check on him and he was frantically
swimming back and forth bumping into rocks with his nose almost
as if he was disoriented and scared. <Mmm, not from the temp.
drop> I assumed it was because he was cold so I turned on the
light to try and warm the water up. The next morning he had
stopped the crazy swimming and since then has gradually stopped
eating and swimming. We got a new heater and have had to adjust
it a few times ranging from 82 to 78. It's back at 78 now. I
worry the temperature inconsistency started his downward spiral.
He's interested in food but will suck it into his mouth and
spit it out. <...> He'll come and swim around if
we're collecting water from the tank to do testing and
he'll occasionally take a lap around the tank but for the
most part he just hovers off the bottom and swims just enough to
keep from sinking. <What they do> His breathing seems rapid
to me and he doesn't ever shut his mouth like he's
gasping. <Likely parasitized, and this system not really
cycled> He doesn't appear to have any spots or disease on
him although I suspect his color may be fading a little. Our
levels in our tank are as follows: salinity 1.020. <Too
low> I was told by a fish store this was too low and he
advised me to add salt right away. (could the change in salinity
have caused this?) <Define "this"> I added 1/2
cup and it raised the level between 1.020 and 1.025 approx...
<... too much too soon> I read it's best to do it
gradually. Do you think this is still too low? <I think you
should read> Alkalinity is 300 PH is a little low at 7.8
<... this is way low... the pH scale is a base 10 log...>
we were given a white rock substance to place in the tank to
slowly raise the ph but it hasn't risen in 2 days thus far.
Nitrates are at 20 Ammonia is .25 <Toxic...> Nitrites are 0
We're very careful about washing our hands and rinsing items
before they go in the tank. If you can help us figure out
what's wrong I'd be grateful, I hate seeing him suffer.
Thanks. Kimberly <Kimberly... I do wish someone had sold you a
decent book to read, or encouraged you to borrow one from the
library, and read it ahead of the gratuitous errors you've
made, are making... See the above comments I've made?
Investigate them... at least on WWM. Maybe in terms of survey
reading, start here: http://wetwebmedia.com/clownfis.htm and the
linked files above. Bob Fenner>
Part 2 to original clown question 1/14/08
Hi. I wanted to add to my previous question that we have a
orange/brown algae in our tank. Is this a bad algae and could
this be making our clown sick? Is it too soon to do a water
change since our tank has only been up for a couple of weeks?
<... the presence of such algae is indicative of the cycling,
and pollution process (see the prev. email re the bioballs,
mechanical filter media, cycling...> Also...the store we
purchased him from has had him for quite a while (long enough to
give him a name) anyway...he is assumed to have come to us
healthy. He is the only fish in the tank. Thanks. <Read on my
friend, read on. BobF>
Re: False Percula Update... hlth., still not
reading 1/14/08 Hi and thanks for your response. There is
some good news... I got some garlic drops and my fish is swimming
much more than he was and is eating again BUT, I'm noticing 3
pinhead white spots on his sides that are more visible when
he's facing me or swimming away from me. They're harder
to see direct on. He doesn't appear to have the "velvet
look" to him but he's definitely lost color and he's
still breathing fast. Do you think it's ich? <Not
likely... you should read...> His overall health seems a lot
better than the past couple of days after I did a water change
and the garlic, but I fear for him and want to get him treated.
Do you think copper is best for him or is there something I could
put in my tank that wouldn't hurt my liverock? <...
reading...> My fish store said I can bring him there to have
him quarantined. Would it be too hard on my fish coming from my
low PH of 7.8 and going to a fish store's proper PH in the
same day? <...> I'd like to clean my tank while
he's away and get the conditions better for him. You
recommend removing bioballs from my tank....it's a 10 gallon
tank (he's the only fish in it) we have about 10+ lbs of
liverock. Is that enough liverock to sustain the aquarium?
I'd like to start gradually removing the bioballs. Also I
noticed a very small white worm in the bottom of the sand/shells,
about the thickness of a fingernail and about 1/8th of an inch
long. Any idea what this is? Also our diatom algae is slowly
going away so I guess our tank wasn't fully cycled. Gosh I
have a lot to learn. I'm sure you're shaking your head at
me but I really want to save my fish and will do anything to help
him. I'd really appreciate your thoughts. Thanks, Kimberly
<Don't write... read. Your answers and much more ancillary
information are posted... on WWM. RMF>
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Clownfish hlth., Actinarian
involvement? 12/27/07 Hi guys, I've been a long time
reader, but this is my first time asking a question. You people are
great and seem extremely qualified at answering my question, so here it
goes : I have a 75 gallon reef tank, some anemones, <Yikes... what
species?> hermits, lots of live rock from Fiji etc. I have about 6
damsels, and 5 clowns in the tank. My water is excellent, and I am
currently raising my salinity very slowly to 1.025 as I read in one of
your posts. It is currently at 1.022. Anyways, here's my problem,
about 2 months ago, I notices something really odd on 4 out of my 5
clowns. They are spots but aren't white. They look like they are
under the skin, almost shining through. Very hard to explain, for
instance, on the orange of the fish, the color of the circles/blotches
are lighter orange, on the black of the fish, the blotches are a dark
gray color, and so on. So, it seemed not to really bother the fish so I
left it all on. <Good. Is what I would do as well> Now, about 3
days ago, I noticed one of my clowns stopped eating and more on the
spots are appearing, he is staying in one area hovering just above the
sand. I am extremely worried the rest of my tank is going to have
problems. I have looked all over and I do not know what this could be.
Thank you for your time, Angel <Could be a protozoan of some sort...
Sporidean likely if so... No real "cure"... but may well
subside in appearance with the increased, better spg, good general
care. Another possibility is some sort of "dermal" reaction
to the anemone/interaction here... You'd do well to read on WWM re
their Compatibility. Bob Fenner>
Sick Clown Fish... env. and social
11/22/07 Hi <Hello> We have three Clarki clownfish in our 5ft
tank that has been and an extra large bubble tip anemone that they all
reside in. The tank has been running for about 5 months now and also
contains 1 small Blue Spotted Stingray, <Needs much more room> 2
Green Chromis, 1 Yellow Bellied Damsel, 2 Yellow Tailed Damsels, 1 Long
Spiked Urchin, 3 Sea Snails and 4 2-4cm Sea Hares, <Do check the
species... some are coldwater...> as well as, various coral species.
Recently the largest clown fish has become bloated, does not enter into
the anemone, spends most of her time swimming listlessly or hiding in
various parts of the tank and yesterday started developing white scaly
marks all over her body as well as cloudy eyes with white spots in the
in both her eyes. <Yikes> The smallest fish has started to not
enter into the anemone but does not show any other symptoms or
different behaviour. The third fish is happily residing in the anemone
as per usual. <The "winner" here...> Our salt water
levels are at the correct level and though the ph level was at 7.5
<Yeeikes!> this has been remedied using KH and ph buffer tablets.
<Umm... I would be reading re the mix of compounds in use here...
testing for Mg, Ca...> Is there anything else that you can recommend
as we have not previously had any other illness in our tank and I am
unsure of how to go about fixing this. Thanks for all your help
Sheridan <Mmm, not a high-confidence guess here... but likely a
combo. of the one Clark's clown driving out its conspecifics and
whatever the cause of the low pH and its "fixing" at play
here. I urge you to take a long journey reading over the areas of WWM
re Maintenance, the Compatibility of all the species you list... Bob
Fenner>
Yet another clownfish question...
induced env. dis. Hey crew! Well, after searching your fantastic
site, I didn't find what I was looking for. Please direct me if you
have already posted answers for this: I have a pair of small Ocellaris
clownfish in a 10gal AGA <... too small> (I know, I know... small
but very beautiful and all I can fit in a college dorm) <... one
might ask why you don't live in a/the closet there...> the
smaller of the two (Skippy) seems to be sick. <...> It has always
swam quite goofy (sideways, backwards, upside-down, etc.) but only to
get somewhere he wants to go. Here lately, poor Skippy has lost a lot
of color and has sunken in cheeks (sunken in above mouth but below
eyes,) eats significantly less than his slightly larger partner Edna
and he seems lethargic... he just hovers, occasionally darting here or
there. Edna seems life she is very happy. She eats ravenously and has
beautiful deep orange coloration. My guess is Skippy has a parasitic
infection? but, what kind? and how do I help him? <... this is an
environmental problem... the one fish is sub-dominant... stressed...
will die...> Water parameters are what your site recommends and are
stable. I change 2 gallons weekly with RO and Instant Ocean. I have a
two inch Live sand bed, 7.5 lbs Live Fiji Rock with a rapidly growing
purple algae colony, four happy hermits, 3 turban snails, 2 Ceriths,
and a few mushrooms, Zoanthids, and a green Ricordea that are all doing
fine. I use a Whisper 60 (with no Carbon, just floss) for water
movement and a small heater that does the trick nicely. I also have 2 x
65watt PC 50/50 lights 5-6 inches above tank... fish don't seem to
mind at all. Hope all this info helps with a diagnosis. I am pretty
down about this, any help would be much appreciated. matt. <A larger
system... set up as nicely as this one... or removing one of the
Clowns. Bob Fenner>
Black patches on clownfish pair 9/20/07 Hi -
it's a pleasure to rediscover this site. <Welcome back> I
have a pair of percula clownfish who have developed black patches
during the past year. They show no symptoms of distress. Indeed,
for a long time I assumed that this was just a pigment issue (the
black areas on the female have gradually expanded over the years).
<Some such marks come and go on Amphiprionines> Now, after a
plumbing problem two weeks ago, emptying the main tank and housing
my four fish in three small tanks during reconstruction, I have
been looking more closely. I have searched your site and elsewhere
on the web but have found nothing specific. One message mentioned
black patches but it was not followed up. Any ideas? <From your
pic, these look like random spots of melanization... I don't
think they're pathogenic, nor do I know a means of
"treating", eliminating them> The clowns are now in an
AquaPod (24g) with their two Entacmaea quadricolor anemones (one
that cloned) <Yikes... these anemones need much more room than
this> and plenty of tiny worms and brittle stars. The old system
was a 125g with an ecosystem type sump and about 100 pounds of live
rock. Ammonia and nitrates have long been undetectable but nitrates
were getting high in that tank. In six years, there was no disease
in that tank, which was always underpopulated (five small fish, a
couple of soft corals, zoanthids, etc.). Everybody either came with
the rock or was quarantined before going in. The critters that were
in the tank at the beginning are all still there, nobody has been
added but some snails about three years ago. Any ideas? <Could
be that the Bubble tips are somehow stressing the Clowns...> And
thanks again for your superb efforts. Malcolm <Thank you for
your kind words and sharing. Bob Fenner> |
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Yellow polyps + Percula clown? -- 07/18/07
Hi there! I have a 30g reef. 2 Percula clowns, one skunk cleaner, one
small colony of yellow polyps, and one small colony of green star
polyps. Recently the smaller of the two perculas has taken residence in
the yellow polyps. <Happens> He has developed three black spots,
and one of his eyes is a little bit darker then the other. The bigger
clown is perfectly fine. Can the polyps be effecting him? <Possibly,
yes... and can/could mal-affect the water quality period... Effect all
more indirectly> Parameters = Ammonia=0 'trites=0
'trates=0-5 temp=78 salinity=1.025 phos=0 calcium=425-450
<Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/polypcompfaqs.htm and the
linked files above. Bob Fenner>
TRUE PERC COLORATION SLIGHTLY FADED 5/23/07
Hi gang, <Hello> I have a pair of true percula clowns. . . I
believe from the Solomons. Coloration at purchase showed rather
wide/generous black areas. . . as well as orange and white. I got the
female as an adult four years ago. . . the male two years later. My
question involves the noticeable-to-me 'fading' of intensity
from the black and orange areas of both fish. Fish are active and
healthy. . . their white areas are still vibrant. . . my system is a
reef. .. and other saltwater hobbyists usually remark on how vibrant
the coloration of all my other fish (yellow tang, purple tank, coral
beauty, mandarin, juvenile hippo tang) are. It's a 200 gal. overall
volume system. . . lots of soft corals. PH runs 8.0 at night to 8.2
during the day. Temp is around 76 degrees. The clowns host in a very
large soft Rasta. . . alone in a 60 gallon tank connected to the
overall system. Diet is mostly frozen formula one. . . occasional
frozen Mysis. . . along with a direct feed from a refugium that has
copepods, amphipods and live Mysis. The clowns hang right in the inflow
current, and gladly gobble anything the refugium offers up. I've
read about coloration differences on captive bred clowns. . . with the
explanation that diet is the factor. Is this coloration difference
common-or-inevitable? <Common but not inevitable.> I've tried
amping up the variety of their diet to include fresh bloodworms, which
they love. . . but haven't noticed any difference in coloration.
What are your thoughts?. . . Chuck <Usually something like this is
due to either dietary or environmental causes. I would add a little
more variety to their diet, and at risk of sounding like a salesman get
some New Life Spectrum pellets, I feed that to my clowns and their
color has stayed very nice over the 5+ years I've had them. Also an
additive such as Selcon may help as well.> <Chris>
Clown Fish Health, Post-Traumatic Water Chem.
Issue -- 05/08/07 Please help me WWM Crew, <Yes
sir'¦I'm going to try.> After a recently added a
Sally Lightfoot Crab To my 29 gal tank with my 2 Amphiprion Ocellaris.
<Careful with the crab. Some folks have good
experiences'¦.others, like myself, did not. Can become quite
predatory.> The wife gave the crab a cooked shrimp while I was at
work. <Uh-oh.> She removed it after a while but she missed part
of the shrimp that he had ripped off. This lead to a nitrate spike that
got to 160ppm. <To say that's bad would be an
understatement.> After 2; 5 gal water changes and a dose of Seachem
prime. The water level went back down to 20 ppm nitrate 0 nitrites and
the gravity is 1.022. <Nitrates till need to come down to about
>10 and S.G. needs to come up as well to be acceptable to your
inverts'¦but much better than it was before obviously.> (
it has been holding this for 48 hrs) My crab and one of my clown seem
to have made it threw the mishap just fine. <Good. Keep up on the
water changes and run some carbon as well.> The other clown is
losing color and hanging around the filter outlet. <Lingering
effects from the toxic state the tank was in.> He is still eating
and at times swims like his normal self but most of the time he hangs
around. <A good sign that he is eating though. At this point I would
just continue to care in a normal manor and offer a variety of foods.
Keep the tank aerated well and ensure the water chemistry remains
stable (i.e. have a conversation with your wife and do more eater
changes.> Also when we 1st got him he a red sore that went away with
in two days this sore has since reemerged. <Sounds like
environmental induced trauma, follow the advice above for mow. If it
makes you feel better you could move him into QT for more detailed
attention/care.> I called the LFS and was given the advise that
since I got the water under control to just do frequent water changes
and watch for any changes. <Am in agreement with the LFS for
once.> Thank you for your help. <Anytime my friend.> Rob
<Adam J.>
Clownfish Stressed... 4/26/07 Here's
what's going on... <Uh-oh, you sound like one of my Training
Officers....am I in trouble?> We have two false Percs one seems fine
while the other appears to be hiding. <How long have you had them?
Mated pair?> It also looks to have a cut above it's lip with a
white spot on it, he/she also has what looks like twine hanging off the
under side. <Sounds like an abrasion that may be inflamed...I would
not worry just yet, maintain pristine water quality and feed a varied
diet.> The eyes look a little larger than normal and the lips look
to be a lighter shade of orange. <Sounds like am environmental/
water quality issue.> The fish does seem to be eating a little but
not like it use to. I had the water tested and everything was in great
shape. <That is good but in the future we prefer specifics...we may
see something you do not.> What led up to this is we moved the tank
and of course drained off the water about 30% and added new water to
the tank from a reliable LFS that we always get our water from. I'm
not sure if I poured the water in too fast and stirred things up or
what but I just want my clown back. <With such a large/recent move I
doubt that the nutrient levels are optimal...and I'm sure the
ordeal has the little bugger stressed. Can you move him/her to a
quarantine in the meantime while he/she recovers?> One other thought
is a couple of days before I found this same fish had jumped from the
main part of the tank into the filtration part of the back of the tank.
We got him out and everything seemed normal though.... Thanks for your
help on this.... <Of course, Adam J.> Sick Clown?
env. 4/25/06 Hello everyone, I have a 12 gallon fish only tank. It
has a crushed coral floor, a b&w damsel, percula clown and a marble
blenny. <... too mis-mixed, crowded...> I have checked all my
levels so far and they all seem normal with exception of the hydrometer
reading 1.026 (I just did a water change this morning to help lower
it); <Do check, match old/new before changing out...> ammonia =
0; nitrites = 0; and nitrates = 10. The problem seems to be with my
clownfish. He eats very well, I mix up the food between plankton,
marine flakes and frozen fish foods. During the day I keep the light on
from about 6:30 am to 5pm, at that time he seems to stay at the bottom
of the tank almost motionless and sometimes leaning onto his/her side
almost burrowing in the sand until there is what looks like a crater
around him. Once the light is off, he retorts to the corner of the tank
and swims upright near the filter. He seems to repeat this routine
daily. <Not atypical> I have had him for about three months now.
He did the same action when I first got him but I treated him with
quick cure to get rid of ich and he seemed to do great. I have noticed
a few "bumps" appear under his skin and he seems to open his
mouth rather wide at times. What should I do? Is he sick? Lonely? What
should I do? <... you need a larger system... Please read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/fishes/part2.htm scroll down to
the bottom, read re... Bob Fenner>
Chaotic Clownfish... stung by a Siganid? Crowded for sure
8/17/06 I have a maroon clownfish that has been in my tank for the
last two years. He has always been very peaceful and healthy. Yesterday
I was cleaning some algae off the glass in the tank and he nearly
jumped out. Startled, when I looked back into the tank he was swimming
wildly in all directions, upside down, sideways, summersaults... as
though he had completely lost control of his body. He was scratching
himself up on the live rock and the other fish started to get
aggressive towards him because he was swimming so erratically. I
quarantined him to a corner of the tank so he wouldn't hurt
himself, but over the past day and a half his condition has not
improved and he continues to swim sideways, upside down, and in
circles. I have tried to feed him but he doesn't even notice the
food, and now his color is starting to lighten. The only thing that I
can think of is that when I was cleaning the tank the fish became
agitated and he was somehow stuck with venom by the Foxface that is
also in the tank. <Yikes... this would do it...> (The 40 gallon
tank has a fox face, <This tank is too small for a siganid> the
maroon clown, a coral beauty, <And/or too small for a regular sized
species of Centropyge> a blue damsel fish, and a coral banded
shrimp. All the fish are about 3 inches. There have been no new
additions to the tank in six months.) Please let me know if you have
any ideas on what could be wrong with him or what could be done. Joe
Tremblay <Mmm, I like your speculation if the other fishes don't
appear affected... If all had spun out, I would guess that something to
do with the algae/scrubbing set off a physical/chemical reaction. At
any length, you/they need a system at least twice this volume/size. Bob
Fenner> Injured clown fish 8/14/06 Good evening WWM Crew ,
After laying Eggs our clown fish was very aggressive towards her other
tank mates and very protective of her " nest ", <Yes, very
common> during this she got injured by our hippo tang , he sliced
her open , about half of a centimeter long , the cut is between her
head and dorsal fin . It looks really nasty and swollen , though she
seems not be affected by it. I read a lot of your forums and started to
worry about infection setting in , so we went to our local fish store
and they gave us some medication for her ( Kanamycin). Now I also
remember reading in your pages the danger of med's. So here I am
not sure to give it to her , or to wait and see if it heals ok If
treatment should I treat her in main tank or move her over to a QTank
<I would leave this fish in place for now. Move it if you intend to
use the antibiotic> , knowing that the two are inseparable, this
could effect both of them , also this is now her third day with the cut
, and like I said she seems her normal self other then that . Would
love to get some help in this matter , don't want to loose her due
to my ignorance . Thank you guys for all your help and your awesome
website!!! God Bless , Monika <Welcome. Bob Fenner> Very sick
Clown 1/31/06 Hello. I love your site -- very educational and
excellent for research. I have had a 90 gal FOWLR set up for two years
with very little fish loss. I have a long horned cowfish, a dogface
puffer, coral beauty, yellow tang, and a Clark's clown. Parameters:
specific gravity 1.025, 0 nitrite/0 ammonia/nitrate 40-60 ppm. Wet/dry
w/out bio balls. Can't get nitrate lower. <... there are
means> Have tried for over a year. I know I have big eaters here.
<Yes... and a dearth of denitrification> Problem today -- I am
highly upset because my clown (I have had all of these fish for one to
one and half years) has ragged fins, loss of color, swimming on side
and upside down near top of tank. <Trouble...> I haven't seen
much of him last few days, all of a sudden he appeared this sick. His
behavior is extremely out of character. He has never been sick before.
I did recently one month ago purchase a new VHO white actinic bulb,
leave it on 10-12 hrs per day. Also had an outbreak of brown algae
which covered the rocks, clumped in the sand. Did a 25% water change
yesterday. The yellow tang has a brown circle spot on its side also,
looks like an "o". <Good description... stress marking...
you've likely seen something similar if/when turning the lighting
on during the night> What medicine is the best course for the clown?
<... none. Not a pathogenic disease... but environmental> Please
advise whether you think this is bacterial? I would do anything to save
this fish. Am setting up quarantine now. Thank you in advance for your
compassion and quick response. I have a good aquatic store staff but
sometimes get conflicting info. Thanks, M. Lee <The simplest,
fastest measure to take would be to move these two fish to another up
and going system if you had such. The "real" troubles here
are crowding and too-much incompatibility... the Cowfish is variably
toxic in confined space... and the nitrate being elevated... What would
"solve" the apparent disease issues here are more
volume/space, dilution (water changes), chemical filtration (mainly
carbon), the addition of erstwhile filtration (including anaerobic
digestion... the best? A DSB in a tied-in sump/refugium...). You are
faced with the decision, choices here of improving these animals world
or translocating some of them to new ones. Bob Fenner> Michelle
Re: Very sick Clown 2/2/06 Bob: Thank you so much for your
reply. I kind of already had the suspicion that I would have to get rid
of the cowfish or the dogface. The clown is improving -- I have had him
in quarantine with Nitrofurazone for two days. He does have a patch of
detaching skin on top of his head; thought this might be Vibrio?
<No, not likely... probably "just" the Clown...
reaction> Do you think it OK to move him to my 13 gal Eclipse tank?
Excellent parameters and only three small crabs, coral banded shrimp,
and a canary wrasse. Problem there may be that the only filtration is
the standard carbon filter. Thoughts? Thanks again, M. Lee <Maybe
will go... worth trying. Bob Fenner> Michelle Clownfish
darkening?! Hi guys <Conor> Thanks in advance for your help.
I have 4 small tank raised common clownfish in my tank, with an
external Ecco Eheim filter, internal filter, salinity 1.020, nitrite 0,
temp 25 degrees. <I'd raise the spg...> I have had the fish
only 2 weeks and notice that two of the fish have stopped eating as
much and one of them has stopped eating entirely and has taken to
staying in the top right hand corner and is opening and closing his
mouth constantly. On the top of his body is a darkened area that is new
the last 2 days. His darkening is more pronounced than the others - but
all of the others have also started to get these shaded areas on the
top part of their bodies. <Not good> Is this a disease? How can I
treat it? <Is likely an indication of environmental stress... is
your tank cycled? Please read through the many articles, FAQs files
archived on WWM re Clownfish Systems, Disease...> I would be most
grateful if you could help - I'm not sure where to go now! Thanks -
Conor, Dublin, Ireland. <I am... WetWebMedia.com Bob
Fenner>
Re: Clownfish darkening?! Thanks for that. My tank is
cycled - I had it running for a month before introducing any fish.
<Still... may not be cycled> I was worried that the symptoms (the
darkening on the upper part of the body) might be a sign of velvet
disease? <Doubtful> The tank is fish only - no live rock and I
can't see what would be stressing the fish out. They were all very
active and hungry at the beginning and I have not yet done any water
changes. I was going to do my first water change on Friday. My LFS can
sell me a medicine for velvet which I was thinking of adding as a
precautionary measure - any views? <Please read... WWM, our books,
articles re...> Lastly - the fish are juveniles - if they are
maturing into male/female sexes would this explain the darkening and
loss of appetite? <No> Thanks again! <Keep reading... Bob
Fenner>
Clownfish (environmental) disease question I have had my
clown fish for about 5 years. I am not sure what type of clown fish
he is - see attachment. <Premnas biaculeatus, a Maroon> This
week he has developed a white spot under his eye and possibly
discoloration on his top fin. <Yes, I see these. Good photo>
You will also note that I am getting some burgundy slime/algae
growing on the rocks. <Yes, a type of Blue Green Algae, aka
Cyanobacteria> I have wrapped my 12 gallon saltwater tank in a
towel to kill the slime/algae and have done syphoning and water
changes. The slime goes away for a couple of days and comes right
back. This may or may not have something to do with my fish.
<Likely has to some good degree. What is important to
understand, work against, is the root causes of the favoring of
conditions that are allowing the profusion of BGA here> I have a
snail, a sea urchin, and some multiple legged creatures that live
in the rocks (starfish with long stripped legs??). Can you shed any
light on my problem? Thank you in advance. <Yes... your Clowns
principal, basal health issue VERY likely stems from poor water
quality... your system has "aged" in ways that favor the
Cyano... you would do well to change out, add some new live rock,
possibly a good part of the substrate, make some large (25%)
successive daily water changes... Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/bluegralgae.htm
and here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marenvdi.htm and the
Related Articles and FAQs (linked, in blue at the tops of these
links) where you lead yourself. Bob Fenner> |
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Clownfish with extra ventilation on
his sides Hi, Bob. I originally sent this info to the Ask the
Crew email address, but I'm a bit worried and haven't heard
back. I'd really appreciate your help. Original email is below,
but here's a synopsis: Got a gold striped maroon clown
Saturday. He ate at the store but did not eat in my tank. <this
is normally the case with all fish> Tuesday evening when I got
home I noticed a pit on each of his sides - maybe a quarter inch
wide - smaller than the width of his middle stripe. Tests showed
elevated pH, ammonia, and nitrates as described below. Did a
<10% (2.5 gallons on a 30 gallon tank) water change to help
stabilize.<good job> Did another Wednesday evening (2
gallons) since nitrates were still high. (My bucket is 2.5 gallons
- thus the weird amount). Water otherwise looks okay.<ok keep on
testing for nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia> Fed him live brine
shrimp yesterday (Wednesday) night and he ate - perhaps not
voraciously, but he ate. <this food has absolutely no
nutritional value, instead try Mysis shrimp>(He spat some out
but ate some and took his time doing so.) Tried feeding him a
little more this morning and he didn't touch any of them.
He's been staying at the bottom of the tank mostly in a little
archway and sort of struggled up to the rock last night. (normal
sleeping behavior without a host?)<sometimes, clownfish do not
need anemones> His wounds look maybe slightly bigger but I'm
not sure. I didn't get a good look at them yesterday.
Definitely slightly bigger than Tuesday when I first saw them, but
not by much. Should I medicate him or just wait and see? Can I
medicate him in the tank?<no don't medicate him in your main
aquarium, you need to move him to a quarantine aquarium and treat
him for a bacterial infection, IanB> (More details below) Thank
you. Tiffany Thompson I've been scouring the web for the past 5
hours trying to make sure I know what's wrong with my fish
before I treat it. My tank's been in storage for 3 years and
I've pulled it out of retirement, cycled it with live rock,
added a clean up crew (2 brittle stars and a handful of snails and
hermit crabs), let it stabilize after that, and then last Saturday
decided it was ready for a fish. The tank is a 30 gallon wannabe
reef tank, with nothin in it but the above and a 1/2 inch
unidentified anemone that came in on a rock.<probably an
Aiptasia or glass anemone, both can be harmful to fish and
inverts> I added a gold striped maroon clown Saturday evening. I
saw him (okay he's probably a she, but I'm gonna call him a
he cuz I want to) eat a couple flakes of food at the fish store
(tho he spat out the red flakes, I'm pretty sure I saw him eat
some green). he hasn't really eaten anything else. He hides
most of the time, but comes to the front some which I thought might
mean he's hungry but he still doesn't eat the flakes I
have. He has pecked at food pellets I've dropped in the tank
(they're sinking pellets that my previous clown used to like -
he'd steal them from my shrimp) but doesn't touch them
after they hit bottom. (It's Tuesday night now.) But more
importantly, now he has wounds on either side of his body. Small
pits (one on each side) in the middle of his middle stripe. Each
pit is almost but not quite the width of the stripe. his breathing
seems a little fast but his color is good. The only thing that
looks out of the ordinary are the pits on his sides...which is of
course my biggest concern. (Photos attached - not the best)<ok,
it sounds like a bacterial infection, maybe due to poor water
quality> I tested the water immediately and low and behold it
was ATROCIOUS! The pH and ammonia were too high:<this is most
likely the contributing factor> My pH kit only tests up to 8.4,
but I could tell it must have been higher.<pretty bad>
Ammonia was high (without an accurate pH I can't be sure of the
level but it was at least .07ppm) <WOW, this can be deadly>
Nitrite levels were nearly non-detectable. Nitrate levels were
about 20ppm.<this isn't bad, but the ammonia is definitely
bad, you need to remove every living creature and find a stable
home for them until your aquarium cycles, if you don't there is
a very good chance that all livestock will perish in a short period
of time> So I've done a 10% water change and now I'm at
about pH 8.2, Ammonia .028ppm, Nitrate:10ppm<ok...any readable
ammonia is BAD> I ran out and got some medications but want to
make sure I have a proper diagnosis before I move forward -
especially if water changes end up being the recommended course of
action in and of themselves. I bought some "Biozyme"
("dried heterotrophic bacteria and enzymes) that I thought
might help with the tank quality. (I also have Amquel plus). As far
as medicating the fish goes, I have Metronidazole and Kanamycin
sulfate based medications. The fella at the store recommended the
Metronidazole, but after reading FAQs it sounds to me like the
Kanamycin might be right? <yea that is what I would use, if I
was in this situation...but do not treat in the main aquarium....IT
WILL ONLY ESCALATE YOUR PROBLEMS> Since he's the only fish
in there can I medicate the tank (I have carbon in there now which
I know I need to take out before adding medications) or should I
come up with a makeshift hospital tank (I have a 2.5 gallon bucket
I can use), or...?<NO NO and NO!> Can you also recommend a
good pH test kit Wardley "Master" at the moment. I also
have nothing to test alkalinity, calcium or phosphate levels.<I
would use the test kit brands made by RedSea, good luck,
IanB> |
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Sick Clown I have a cinnamon clownfish that I have had for
about 4 months. He is very active and aggressive, and eats when fed.
However, he has many small marks all over both sides of his body that
look like missing scales. Also, his underfins look a little ragged.
What is the problem? What can I do? He is with a yellow tang. <<
Assuredly something is wrong with your water quality and/or your
nutrition of this fish... What you describe is sometimes labeled in
various ways as "environmental disease"... I would check your
water and systems regarding its optimization... and strive to include
some fresh foods in the clown and other fishes diets... Bob
Fenner>>
Nitrate and Clownfish Hello again! I hope this finds you all
well. <Scott F. back with you again> I spent the day researching
again, and decided on some "field work" to boot. I searched
one of the LFS's that we like to use on occasion for more opinions
(on your ideas) and for some comparison for my poor clown. I'm
afraid I made a poor impression, but all is well that ends well, right?
I told him of your suggestion for removing the bioballs upon addition
(or a week or so after) of the DSB.....this had him pondering back and
forth and finally he decided that he agreed with you, though he could
not understand why it could not be a two inch sand bed, which I just
had to let go, as I could not explain it to his satisfaction. That
taken care of, I spotted several tanks of tank raised tomatoes and
ocellaris that had some of the same markings on their white patches,
which is what ours looked like at the start; I asked him what he could
make of it, and I honestly believe that he had no idea, taking my
"bait" with the marks having to do with the high nitrate
levels....he was adamant that my clown's situation is indeed due to
the high nitrates. I read every piece of Brooklynella information on
WWM pages, and concluded that he is showing none of the symptoms for
it. Still a mystery to me, any ideas besides Brooklynella? Daniel
thinks that it could be Hole-in-the-head/HLLD...what do you think?
<It's a distant possibility- this malady generally causes
markings and/or pits in the skin due to skin loss; usually found near
the no surprise here-head or lateral line area on the fish. It is
rarely fatal, it just looks bad. All kinds of "remedies"
exist for this malady, ranging from the addition of vitamins in the
fishes' foods, to daily water changes, to grounding the tank from
stray voltage, etc. This might even be "normal" coloration
for this strain of captive-bred clowns?> I am very concerned even
though he is still eating well, and behaving as usual. <Just keep a
close eye on these fish and follow good maintenance practices. Be
prepared to act decisively should the need arise> The nitrates as of
this afternoon are just under 20ppm by the way.) <definitely a
positive trend. Good job!> I also asked him about the Caulerpa
(which is all they sell) and if/when they might have other plant life
available for us.....I'm afraid he thinks I'm crazy now, and we
will more than likely not be using this store for any further saltwater
related items. <Well, now you've crossed over that threshold
into the realm of "fish nerd"-just like me, and there is no
known no cure for that! :)> Our next research will be in the
refugium section of WWM for better options. What *would* we do without
you guys?! <Buy lots of Caulerpa, maybe? LOL> Thanks again
immensely for your time, opinions and educated guesses. Kelly and
Daniel <You're welcome. Feel free to contact us any
time!>
Clowning Around With Macroalgae Greetings, <Hi there!
Scott F. with you> A few months ago, I moved from a 15 gallon to a
33 gallon tank (with the 15 gallon as a sump). My clarkii clown, which
is about a year old, recently started swimming at the surface, and can
not seem to dive any lower in the tank. Physically he is showing no
other signs of disease. This does seem to be preventing him from eating
though. There is obviously something wrong with him, but I don't
know how to treat it. Could it be a problem with the swim bladder?
<This is a distinct possibility. At this point, I'd keep a close
eye on him. Look for the appearance of other symptoms-labored
breathing, obvious skin blemishes, excess mucus, etc. If any of these
are evident, remove him immediately for possible treatment for a number
of possible parasitic infections. Another "way out there"
possibility, but one that has actually been documented by clownfish
breeders, is "floating bloat". Apparently, this disorder is
brought on by the clowns eating buoyant floating foods, like pellets. A
long shot, for sure- but don't rule anything out. Check his diet
out and see if you're feeding lots of dried foods...> I have
live sand and rock in the tank, and a pretty low bioload. The nitrates
are about 20 - 30 ppm (higher than I want, but shouldn't be hurting
the clown). Any suggestions? I really don't want to lose this guy?
<Well- I don't think that nitrate is causing this possibly
malady. However, you may want to consider a deeper (3-4 inches plus)
fine sand bed, chemical filtration media (carbon, Poly Filters),
aggressive protein skimming, frequent (twice weekly) small (like 5% of
tank volume) water changes, use of high quality source water (RO/DI),
and just general good husbandry procedures.> Another question. I
have a bunch of Caulerpa growing in the sump, but I am not sure I am
doing it correctly. <BTW- another good idea for nutrient export>
I have two 15w strip lights over it. Is that enough? <That should be
fine> The Caulerpa is just floating in the water, but is starting to
sprout roots. Should it be anchored in the substrate? <Caulerpa will
put down "holdfasts" into substrate, rocks, etc. It can
float, too-but will usually seek a surface to adhere against> How do
I know when to trim it? How dense should it be? Any help is greatly
appreciated. Thanks, Paul <Well, Paul- Caulerpa can be amazingly
prolific once it gets going. You'll see it begin to
"mass" into large aggregations- that's a sign that
it's time to start harvesting. The best thing to do is to carefully
pull fronds away from the main "mass" of Caulerpa on a
regular basis (like weekly), taking care not to rip them, as they may
leach undesirable substances into the water. For a lot of reasons,
I'm not a big fan of Caulerpa. I think that you could do much
better with other "purposeful" macroalgae, such as
Chaetomorpha ("spaghetti" macroalgae) or Gracilaria
("Ogo")- my two favorite macros, and even Halimeda. They have
many of the benefits of Caulerpa (rapid growth, high nutrient uptake)
without the potential downfalls (leaching of undesirable substances,
difficulty in eradication, etc). Give one of these other macroalgae a
try...The Anthony Calfo slogan "Friends don't let friends buy
Caulerpa" is my mantra, man! Good luck! Regards, Scott F>
Clowning Around With Macroalgae (Pt2) Scott, <At your
service> Thanks for the reply. I have since added PolyFilters and
carbon, and changed about 12 gallons of water, but the clown has gotten
worse. <Sorry to hear that> He is now no longer on the surface,
but still having trouble swimming. He seems to go aimlessly around in
circles and bump into everything in the tank. Yesterday, he also became
"curled" to one side. His eyes are sort of bulgy, but I cant
recall if that is the way they always were. Since he is bumping into
things and not able to get food, I have been wondering if he is having
trouble seeing. No noticeable skin conditions. I do have about
3-4" sand and a skimmer (a Berlin air-lift) in the sump. Is that
enough? <That sounds okay> Is there any medication that I could
try? I could put the clown in a small quarantine tank while doing so.
If not, I don't think that he is going to make it much longer...
<Okay, Paul- it's time for some action! Because you indicated
that the fish's eyes are bulging, I'm going to make the
assumption that we're dealing with a bacterial infection of some
sort. I'd place the fish into a separate aquarium for treatment
with a broad-spectrum antibiotic, such as Maracyn. Follow the
manufacturer's instructions exactly. I think that with quick
action, you can save the life of this little guy. Hope this helps!>
Thanks for the info on the Caulerpa. It has been the only macroalgae
that I have been able to find in any of the stores around here.
I'll start hunting for something else. Thanks, Paul <Yeah-
Caulerpa is probably the most readily available macroalgae, but
it's "dark side" makes it a lousy bargain, IMO! Do look
into those other macros-you'll really like them! Good
luck...Contact us again if the need arises! Regards, Scott F>
Sick A. percula >Dear Bob, >>Marina here to help you
today. >I recently purchased two new clowns that are being kept in
my 7 gal. nano. It has been cycling for almost two weeks after being
set up with live sand and rock. The morning after acclimating and
introducing them to the tank, I noticed two bumps on the smaller of the
two, one on either side of the dorsal fin. In just one more day the
bumps became more rash-like and has begun a growing patch that looks
very irritated and discolored. I did a lot of research and took all the
precautions. >>You haven't mentioned whether or not the nano
has actually completed cycling, nor have you mentioned use of
quarantine. Quarantine must be utilized religiously, and 30 days
minimum is q/t protocol. I will also offer that, in my own humble
opinion, 7 gallons is far too little to house an Amphiprion species
with which I am familiar. I fear that they may have already polluted
the tank and succumbed to what may possibly be a bacterial infection.
>I have a feeling this clown might have come a little damaged and
didn't show until it hit my tank. Maybe stress related. What does
this rash sound like and what can I do? Thanks, I really enjoy studying
the info. on this sight. Stephen >>I strongly recommend setting
up a hospital/quarantine tank and removing *both* fish to it ASAP.
Then, just to be safe, I would also recommend starting a regimen of
Spectrogram, if you can't find that then Melafix would be next. The
description given is "spotty", at best, so I can't
venture a further guess as to whether or not they display signs of the
ubiquitous ich protozoan, but to be safe I would give each fish a
freshwater dip to be safe. The water used for the dip must be of the
same temperature AND pH to avoid shocking the animals. I will link you,
as well, to some information on diseases on site, and would like you to
seek the advice of one brandon429 to be found on http://www.reefs.org I'm not sure if
you'll have to register to send this person a private message or
not, but he IS THE nano guy extraordinaire. >>This is actually a
link via which other helpful links are to be found http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mardisease.htm
>>Unfortunately, because of the nature and wide variety of
diseases to be found amongst our specimens, I cannot offer more
definitive advice at this point. Good luck, though, and do keep us
posted. Marina
Perc Clown Death - Disease identification Hi Robert, Our 2
perc clowns died on the weekend. I have looked through the clown FAQ
and have been unable to get a clear diagnosis on what caused their
deaths. We have had the 2 clownies happily living in a Magnifica for
about 6 months. About 3 weeks ago the Magnifica started to lose its
colour and began to shrink. <Oh oh... loss of the Anemone is likely
tied to your Clownfish loss... either directly or serially... something
"wrong" with water quality contributing to the anemone loss,
and/or the anemone dying causing declining water quality, loss of the
clowns> At about the same time the clownies stopped going into the
anemone and started trying to go into other corals. They then started
to get a light white furry look on their skin and it also looked
wrinkly. All other aspects of their behaviour remained normal (eating
& moving). Then the white stripes began to peel off. About 48 hours
after this the male was dead. 12 hours later the female was dead. She
was eating fine the night before she died. I missed a water change last
month and the Nitrate got up to 60, however all other water parameters
were good. All the other fish are fine. What could have caused this.
<(!, sixty ppm?)... "Poor water quality"... need to make
more frequent water changes, look into what is allowing your nitrates
to be this high. Please read:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/nitratesmar.htm, the links, on to the
sections on water changing, water quality, here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mardisease.htm re what disease is... Bob
Fenner> Regards, Michael.
Re: Brooklynellosis? Mr. Fenner, Thanx again for your quick
response! My next question is: Could the stress of what this fish has
been thru be causing these periodic spots on him & him alone.
<Yes> The other fish don't get them. Diagnosing these
"spots" is very tough if you've never seen them before. I
will take your advice & leave him be for the weekend. If the spots
are ich & not Brooklynellosis, & the other fish are very, very
healthy, am I running a risk of infecting them all by being gone for 3
days? <Some risk yes. I hasten to add there are no "no
risk" propositions in this life. Bob Fenner> Thanx Craig
Clownfish & Goniopora Doing Poorly Hello Robert, <You
reached Steven Pro working his shift today. Anthony Calfo and I are
filling in for Bob for the time being.> Whenever I have a problem
that I cannot figure out I know who to ask, you're the man. My
female clown has been sick on/off for about a year, mostly off, but
when she does get sick it's always the same physical signs. Common
features include split tail, discolored spots around body, white mucus
around gills. Not all signs appear at the same time, but one or two
together are common. I have researched your website, and have found the
best thing to do is to wait to see how she reacts and wait, so
that's what I do, but how long can she go through bouts of sickness
and remain alive in my tank. Also, she is paired with a male and they
both share a home together (long tentacle anemone) and I have never
noticed the male with any signs of disease, nor the 6 other fish in my
reef tank. What does she have? What should I do? <This sounds more
like an environmental factor or some reaction to aggression, than an
infectious disease. I would look for changes in water quality that
correspond with the symptoms showing up.> Last question. My two
flower pot corals have both been closed, sometimes showing signs of
opening, but they never open to their full capability that they showed
the first month or two when introduced in my tank. I have moved them
away from the light, but their isn't much room in my 40 gallon.
What do you suggest? <I have no suggestion for you. Your corals will
be dead shortly. Goniopora are one of the most commonly imported corals
into America and they almost always die, 99% mortality in less than one
year. They live long enough for the hobbyists' to falsely believe
they are doing OK before they taper off. I do not mean to seem so
callous, but it is a commonly known fact with this coral. One
suggestion I have for you is to go get and read Eric Borneman's
"Aquarium Corals". This should help educate you for your
future purchases. -Steven Pro> Thanks again, Jason
Aggression as the Cause of Mysterious Ailments Thanks for the
coral advice, I figured something was up. I think the aggression might
be the cause of the Clowns physical behavior, whenever I move anything
in the tank or the anemone moves to a new spot she gets sick. <Also,
do make your hands are clean and free from soap, hand creams, after
shave, etc.> Thanks for figuring it out. You guys are good. I need
to get some got reference books to learn more. Jason
Question About Clownfish That I was told you may can help Hey
I recently posted a message n someone replied n said you probably can
help. I have a 46 gallon saltwater tank with 4 fish a few corals &
one anemone .....the problem is the clownfish recently caught
something, its eyes have a cloudy covering n they look swelled, it also
has a cloudy spot on his chest n fin...I use Instant Ocean salt n have
a Emperor 400 for filtration.....what should I do? Thanks allot for any
info. I have a product I used on my yellow tang its called
"CopperSafe" <Please take a read through the marine fish
disease sections of our principal site: www.WetWebMedia.com You may
find it worthwhile to also read the Clownfish Disease FAQs files,
starting here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/clndisfaqs.htm and beyond.
You should try to gain an understanding of underlying principles. The
information offered above is only a beginning. Bob Fenner>
Tomato Clown Won't Eat Hi Bob, <Anthony Calfo, here my
friend> This is my first question for you. I have had several
questions since finding your site in December (after a disastrous
Marine Ich infestation) but the existing info already on WWM has been a
great source. <agreed and thank you> Since the Ich, I have
obtained a quarantine tank. I am now restocking the main tank after a
considerable fallow period as per your guidelines. The first occupant
of the QT was a Tomato clown. He hung out in this 10 gallon tank for
over two weeks, eating and generally happy. Upon moving him to the MT,
he continues to be active (actually more so, swimming with nose to
glass up and down for long periods) and now has not been eating since
the move on Friday. <drop in average water temperature compared to
QT?> He had been accepting frozen brine shrimp as well as most of
the dry food, especially the Omega One flakes. <great dry
food...reduce the brine to very little... a very hollow food> Now,
no appetite it seems. He'll take the food in andthen spit it out -
repeatedly. Seen SW and FW fish do this before and thought that they
didn't like the food or were sick. <not necessarily... try a
2-3F increase in temperature up to 84F at most> Particularly
concerned in this case because he had been happily eating the brine
shrimp and flake when back in the QT. <can go for a while without
foods...no worries yet> Last night I tried Selcon on some flake,
<smart...a good habit in the future> same result, sampled but did
not ingest. At what point does one become concerned? <no rule... but
up to a week no big deal> The water in the QT started as MT water.
Both are fine. I have an idea that maybe I should try to return him to
the QT, but catching is near impossible and stressful.
<disagree...too stressful without knowing the cause> Any advice
you may have would be appreciated. Thanks for the website and endless
amounts of info. Regards, Bill <best regards, Anthony>
Dark Spots on Clownfish hello I have a question on my perc
clown fish. I have had him for 3 years and now he is getting black
spots on him. his nose looks a little red also, I am very worried. I
haven't any other fish in the past year except for 6 peppermint
shrimp. my alkalinity is 10 .no ammonia or anything else in the water.
I have heard a little about black spot disease in yellow tangs but I
don't have any in my tank. I am very worried, can you help me?
<What units on that alkalinity? Not meq/l I trust? Do you add
so-called supplements to this system? Don't think this is an
infectious or parasitic disease... and definitely not a flatworm like
"black spot" of tangs (Paravortex sp.). The latter you can
read about on the www.wetwebmedia.com site (and see pix there too)...
This organism would have to "come in" most likely on a
Zebrasoma... and Clowns are very unlikely possible hosts... So
"what is it"? Likely nervous expression (melanism) resultant
from "environmental stress"... cumulative chemical/physical
challenges, perhaps nutritional deficiencies... I would do the standard
testing of your water for what you can, add some live rock,
supplement/alter the foodstuffs you generally offer... And take heart
in realizing that Clownfishes do "get spots" sort of like
"age spots" in humans with age... Bob Fenner>
Clownfish Hi Mr. Fenner, Hope you can answer a question for
me. <I will try> I have a 3.5" Clarkii clown that I have had
as a pair for a year. One of them is getting red spots on the tail
base. They almost appear like small soars. He hasn't eaten much for
the past 3 weeks and has stayed in his anemone day and night. He
doesn't seam to be getting thinner but the outbreak of spots are
get more numerous. Any idea what he has or how to get rid of it?
<This does sound more like a nutritional and/or water quality
("environmentally mediated") disorder rather than infectious,
parasitic... and yes to suggesting viable means for "curing".
Do look into the product "Selcon" (or the root material
Selcon), a vitamin prep. to augment this fish's diet... soak
whatever it is eating (and augment this with some live,
frozen/defrosted Mysid, caprellids, or just brine shrimp and offer this
once, twice a day near the anemone host... And do check out your water
quality, at least do the carte blanche tune-up of a couple (one a week
for now) 20-25% water changes (gravel vacuuming the old to waste) and
place a unit of activated carbon in your filter flow path (like a bag
of Chemipure or equivalent). Both these should produce noticeable
changes in the fish's behavior though it will likely take weeks to
a couple of months to see the end of the red marks> Thank you, Ray
Scheid P.S. Thanks for writing such a great book (the Conscientious
Marine Aquarist) I am a 8th grade science teacher. My students and I
use it as our "bible" to answer all of our questions. Any new
books in your future? <Ah, thank you for this... very gratifying to
understand one's efforts being utilized, appreciated. Yes, another
in print, and a few others held up in the printing, sales, distribution
phase. Please have your students avail themselves of bits of all posted
on my website: www.WetWebMedia.com Bob Fenner>
Is my Clown Fish sick? Hi, maybe you can help me out. My wife
got an aquarium and in it she has two damsel fish and a start fish. For
our anniversary she got me a clown fish, so I could be a part of her
aquarium. We have had the clown for around 8 months now, and suddenly
it has been laying on its side in the sand, and hiding under the live
rock. We are hoping it is not sick. The SG is 1.017 and the temp is
around 80F, and the two damsels seem fine. We read someplace that the
males become females and that they lay their eggs at the base of their
habitat and are hoping that is maybe what is going on, do you have any
ideas? <Laying on the side... is a bad thing... If this were my
fish, my system I would slowly raise the specific gravity back to near
seawater level (1.025), like a thousandth of a point change per day...
and hope this can effect a "cure"... Clownfishes, living in
close proximity with anemones are susceptible to the same sorts of
inputs/outputs as their hosts... and vastly prefer NSW conditions...
Otherwise, I would try changing this fish's diet, adding a liquid
vitamin prep. as a soak in its food (like Selcon, Zoecon, Microvit...).
It is not laying eggs. Please read through the "Clownfish Health
FAQs" pages on our site: www.WetWebMedia.com and the links in turn
on "The Breeder's Registry" about their husbandry. Bob
Fenner>
Re: Is my Clown Fish sick? Unfortunately, he is dead. He had
been doing this for several days so we were not too surprised.
<<Sorry to read of your loss>> Robert Fenner writes:
><Laying on the side... is a bad thing... If this were my fish,
my system I would slowly raise the specific gravity back to near
seawater level (1.025), like a thousandth of a point change per day...
and hope this can effect a "cure"... We did not know that
1.025 was the level we should be shooting for... The LFS said anywhere
between 1.017 and 1.028 was fine. <This is way too wide... please do
check with more than one source of information (even from/with
me...)> The fish store was in China town and we have since concluded
that they don't know much about fish and that most of their fish
are sick when we buy them. <<Seek out, cast your vote with more
conscientious dealers...>> >Clownfishes, living in close
proximity with anemones are susceptible to the same sorts of
inputs/outputs as their hosts... and vastly prefer NSW conditions...
Otherwise, I would try changing this fish's diet, adding a liquid
vitamin prep. as a soak in its food (like Selcon, Zoecon, Microvit...).
It is not laying eggs. Please read through the "Clownfish Health
FAQs" pages on our site: www.WetWebMedia.com and the links in
turn on "The Breeder's Registry" about their husbandry.
Bob Fenner> Ok, thanks! Maybe we will try again and do better. <A
good attitude> John Van Boxtel San Francisco <My gosh! There are
several fine stores in San Fran... do check out Nippon Goldfish, say
hello to Steve there for me, and ask them in turn for referral to
stores nearer you. Yes, they are that excellent. Bob Fenner>
Maroon Clown with Disease Greetings WWM team, <cheers!>
Hope this email finds you all doing well... <and you as well my
friend> I have greatly enjoyed and learned from this awesome
website, and firstly would like to say THANKS... <Thanks to you as
well. Do help our cause and tell a friend about us> I am fairly new
to marine aquariums (1 yr) and keep a 120 gal, with 200 lbs LR, 210 lbs
LS, and mainly soft corals... <a very nice start!> The only fish
in the tank are a pair of yellow striped maroons. This morning I
noticed some whitish specks (and maybe slimy spot??) on the female.
<if the fish is not new, it is very unusual... such parasitic
infection evidenced in your photo are usually stress and temperature
induced. Common after a power outage of heater malfunction (or
inappropriately variable temp in home tank... 3+ F temp swing by
day)... but more often this is seen in new fishes on import. It is
critical that all clowns be quarantined to avoid or address this common
disease> I must have been lucky thus far because I have never had to
deal with any problems like this before... I have attached a photo and
would greatly appreciate an identification of this problem so I can
correctly treat it... <parasitic/protozoan in nature... could be
Oodinium or Brooklynella easily. Please do browse our FAQs and articles
on the treatment of this disease. The crash course, however, is daily
freshwater dips, formalin (necessary if Brooklynella) in long baths in
QT and a minimum of 2 week isolation (4 weeks best). Medicated food and
low salinity (1.017 gradually) may also be helpful in QT> Thanks
again for all the great educational information...Jarrett W. Cravey
<best regards, Anthony>
Sick Clown Hi guys, I added this Premnas biaculeatus two
weeks ago, It was doing fine but stopped eating a few days ago and has
developed a white spot on her chin. If I can net her, what should I dip
her in and for how long? I do have a quarantine tank set up in the
garage, I'm sure the there are parameter differences and I
don't want to stress her anymore, I don't seem to have much
luck once a fish gets sick. Please help ASAP! Thanks. Jim Schaefer
<Hi Jim, This is either a fungus or bacteria, almost always from
environmental issues. Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/infectio.htm
and optimize conditions for best results. You may need to QT but read
this link first. There is much more to be found by typing
"fungus" and "bacteria" into the google search
engine at the bottom of WetWebMedia.com. Go from there. Do realize, it
is environmental or secondary to environment and the best treatment is
better water, food, less stress, better overall conditions. Good luck!
Craig>
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