Clown with hairs/fungus under throat – 06/02/08
I've got a clown with a bit of a problem. I recently lost my pair of false Percs to a sudden outburst of violent behavior by my molly miller blenny. (he
has been removed) I got a tank bred false Perc
<Mmm, are better in duos>
a month ago. It appeared to be a healthy specimen. It' is exceptionally active & never stops, has been gaining weight & is a veracious eater, he/she never
<It to she for now>
seems to stop moving so I'm having a very hard time trying to photograph the problem. The fish appears to have 10-15 small hairs on it's throat almost like what you would find with fungus but not as thick & more sparsely placed. Each ”hair” is about 2 mm long The fish is still active breathing/eating normally But I have no idea what the hairs are. I’m thinking it’s probably some fungus. After loosing my other clowns I really don't want to have this one die on me.
<Mmm... do you have bristle/Errantiate Polychaete worms?>
The 40 gal tank has been up and running for over a year. I have some mushrooms several types of macro algae a tube worm, shore shrimp, various pods snails & hermit crabs, Lubbock’s wrasse, fire fish, yellow line cardinal & the clown. The water parameters are good and the SG is at 1.023.
<I'd raise this... 1.025>
I had a temperature drop in the tank yesterday just before the appearance of the "hairs" While I was out of town the lights & heater did not come on. I came in a while ago & discovered the hairs & the temperature drop. I'm still working on getting the temp straightened out. Other than that all the other critters in the tank seem fine. Any ideas on what to do about these hairs that have suddenly sprouted overnight?
<I do think your clown got a mouthful of podial spines... See WWM (the search tool) re. Nothing much to do re... but wait, will self-cure in weeks to months. Bob Fenner>

Re: clown with hairs/fungus under throat  6/3/08
I haven't seen any bristle worms or other nasty critters & the strange thing is the "hairs" that were on my clown's neck are now gone! The problem solved it's self!
<Ah, good>
The clown & other fish appear to be doing fine. I still have no idea what the hairs could have been but I'm glad that it went away.
<Me too! Cheers, BobF>
 

Clown fish with bulging eye  4/16/08 Dear Wet Web Media Crew, <Mark> You guys have become my favorite resource on the internet. I have done some reading on clown fish with a single bulging eye on the website and that it seems that it is probably due to an injury (bump in the night) but I guess like most aquarists I am just wanting to ensure that this is all it might be. I have a 75 gallon with 175w metal halides. The system has been setup for a little over a year with stable water parameters. Other inhabitants include a golden headed sleeper goby, coral beauty angel, 4 pajama cardinals, royal Gramma, 2 porcelain crabs, blue hermits, Astreas snails, Cerith snails, and a couple of turbo snails along with a toad stool leather, colt coral, RBTA, pulsing xenia, some Zoa's, and various mushrooms. The clowns chose to host in the colt coral as you'll be able to see by the attached picture.. They have been hosting in this coral for more than 6 months. Thanks in advance for any advice. Mark <I do concur, agree with you that this eye complaint is highly likely due to a mechanical injury... and will solve itself over time. Bob Fenner> Re: clown fish with bulging eye  4/28/08 Bob, <Mark> I just wanted to let you know that my clowns eye has healed and she is still boss of the tank. Thank You so much for your help in validating my research on your most excellent website/resource. Mark <Ahh~! Thank you for this follow-up. BobF>

Re: help? Clown dis., Popeye  2/9/08
Hello again,
In the two days that I knew this fish before him starting this behavior I had never seen him bullied, he and his friend pretty much just hung out in their little corner together. I've heard from people around the office that he is a couple of years old now and never acted this way before. He has since been removed from the main tank to a smaller, darker tank to rest but we cannot medicate as that feeds the main tank.
<Still a good idea not to medicate>
I don't have access to a camera to send you a picture, but yes, his eye is really far out of his head. He looks like one of those bug-eyed goldfish, but only on one side.
<Fancy term, unilateral exophthalmia... Likely from a physical trauma>
He is still alive today, but has very little energy. He looks like he's having very small seizures more than he does like he's swimming....
I do apologize for my lack of knowledge/resources on this matter, I don't have fish for a reason and that is because I know they take a lot of knowledge and work. I just can't stand to see this little guy's suffering and will do anything I can to help him. I never dreamed I'd be starting a new job and becoming a fishy caretaker too! Thanks so much for your time.
Christina
<No worries. Perhaps a bit of reading here: http://wetwebmedia.com/Popeyetrauma.htm
Bob Fenner>

Clarkii Clownfish Acting Strange - Possibly Stung by his Anemone?
Injured Clarkii or Brooklynellosis? – 12/13/07
Hi from Fort Walton Beach FL!
<Hello Dawn! Brenda here, suffering through the bitter cold!>
First of all I just want to thank you for such an awesome web-site!
<You’re Welcome! Thank you for the positive feedback!>
My SW friend turned me onto it and I have passed it along to another SW friend.
<Great!>
The site is absolutely invaluable to any experienced or novice marine aquarist (like myself).
Here's my stats:
125 gal.
SG: In between 1.023-1.024
Nitrate 10
Nitrite 0
Alkalinity 300
PH 8.0
Phos 0.1
Calcium 400
Iodine .06
Magnesium 1400
<Temperature?>
Setup: Proclear Aquatic wet/dry, Proclear Aquatic Protein Skimmer, Fluval FX5 w/nitrate & phosphate sponge, and charcoal, and 2 Maxi-Jet 1200's, VHO lighting. The 125 is an All Glass Megaflow with 2 overflows.
Stock: Orange Spotted Goby, A mated pair of Firefish, 1 blue green reef Chromis, 2 Clarkii clowns, 1 Domino damsel, 1 Bi-Color Pseudochromis, 1 Brittle Starfish, 1 Anemone,
<What species is the anemone?>
1 Mexican feather duster, 1 Atlantic feather duster, 3 Mexican Turbo Snails, 5 Nassarius Snails, Zoanthids, Xenia, Glove Polyp, Hammer Coral, Torch Coral, 2 Frogspawn, Candy Cane Coral, Bubble Coral, 110 lbs. of live rock and several pounds of Tonga branch. Back to the larger of the two Clarkii clowns. "Clark" took to the anemone right away and has been really tank mates with it since I bought it (about 4 weeks ago).
<It is a pleasure to witness!>
Yesterday, I noticed Clark was sucking the tips of the anemone, sometimes more than one tip at a time; and, acting out of character. I
understand it is completely normal for clown fish to suck anemones (through reading articles on your site) however, when he was doing it he was laying sideways and panting heavily. Now today, I see some type of lesion (kind of looks like burn marks) on the top of his head and he is acting even more out of character. He has his mouth open the entire time with a more labored breathing and now he is hiding out, which he (she, you get the drift) has never done in the past. Could it be possible that the anemone stung him?
<It is not likely for this to happen after 4 weeks. It is hard to say without a picture. I suspect one of two things, an aggressive Domino Damsel or Brooklynellosis. My guess is that it is Brooklynellosis. More information on Brooklynellosis here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/brooklynellosisart.htm >
If so, will they typically recover from such an event? I'm at a loss what to do here.
<It can recover from injury and Brooklynellosis. However, it sounds like the Clarkii may be in the final stages of the disease.>
Since I'm new at the hobby (less than a year), I still freak out when I notice something not right and test everything; but all is fine.
<Did you quarantine this fish and how?>
I have searched your site the past couple of hours and can't figure out what to do, if anything. I do have a QT tank if I need to use it.
<I would remove the clownfish and place in quarantine. Read up on Brooklynellosis, and know how to treat. If it is Brooklynellosis, the chance of this fish being alive by morning, are slim. However, you may have more fish to treat. I would also keep a close eye on the Damsel’s behavior. This fish can be very aggressive and harmful. Anemones do best in a higher salinity. I recommend slowly bringing your salinity up to 1.026 and reducing nitrates and phosphates to zero. Also, your lighting may not be enough to support an anemone long term. Can you give me more detailed information on this? How long has this tank been up and running?>
All of the other fish seem perfectly content and normal. I appreciate your assistance in advance.
Dawn
<Good luck to you Dawn! Brenda>

Re: Injured Clarkii or Brooklynellosis? – 12/13/07
Hi Brenda,
<Hello Dawn!>
Thank you for your response.
<You’re welcome!>
Wow, hoping it isn't the latter of the two. I did read the article and it sounds like what he has.
<Unfortunate, but it is not uncommon for wild caught clownfish.>
Expect he is gasping for air at the bottom of the tank, not top. It's hard to tell with the lesions, but in any case, he looks worse this morning. At this point, he won't make it, I can tell. It's making me feel so bad.
<I’m sorry!>
Even though we probably both suspect Brooklynellosis at this point, it was odd that the Domino (yesterday) was swimming in front of Clark and fanning his tail at his face. Hmmmm, why would he be doing that behavior?
<Domino Damsels can be evil! I have witnessed this myself many times. They are not welcome in my tanks.>
I'm not sure what species my anemone is. If I had to guess, I would say maybe a carpet.
<It is important to know which species, so that you can provide the appropriate care.>
It is at the bottom of the tank and has burrowed his foot into the sand bed. He has situated himself under a ledge of live rock so only has minimal lighting and current in that location.
<This is not good. It will not last long under these conditions.>
I have not moved him because my experience is that they will just move themselves back where they want to.
<Correct! It will move looking for a suitable environment. If there is not one available, it will deteriorate.>
It is a kind of dirty pink color, around 1" short tentacles that have a green tip on them. Not the bubble tip shape.
<The Bubble Tip anemone does not always have bubbles. However in this case, I do not believe that you have a BTA. It is likely an LTA or a carpet.>
I did not QT Clark yesterday because I wasn't sure what to do. My QT tank is I'm sure, minimally acceptable. It is a tank on reserve that we don't use and keep for emergency purposes. It's a 5 gallon "eclipse type" tank (I can't remember name brand). It has a built in filter with removable media bag, no heater (though it would be easy for me to buy one) and just a compact florescent natural daylight tube. It doesn't have the ability to "cycle" as it doesn't have any type of biological capabilities.
<If the clownfish is still alive, I would still remove. Take water from the existing tank. I also recommend getting in the habit of quarantining all new species, coral included.>
I will work on raising salinity. Do all of the other corals/fish do fine at 1.026?
<Yes, and is closer to their natural environment.>
The lighting are 6' long VHO tubes. One is white, one is the blue light. We also have moon lights for night viewing. No halide lighting, etc.
<This is not nearly enough lighting for this anemone.>
My temperature fluctuates between about 77-80 degrees.
<I would keep closer to 80 degrees.>
How long has the tank been up and running. That's a loaded question that I'll explain. It was setup the end up July, 1st of August this year. I didn't have any inverts at this time. Everything was fine until October 4th middle of the night. We heard a loud "pop" and then an ensuing waterfall.
<Oh my!!!>
I knew what it was and I've been heartbroken ever since.
<I certainly would be too!>
That's right, the bottom of the tank cracked and all of the water, 125 gallons +, drained out in less than a minute.
<Ouch!!!! Do you know what caused the break? Was the tank not level?>
Our home looked like a beach with water and live sand. It actually ruined/flooded our entire home. I lost most of my fish. I actually started thinking once the wave of shock left me and reached into pick the fish up off of the sand bed and tossed them in the sump. I then over the next several days found temporary homes in my SW friends.
<Good!>
I tossed all of the live rock into a 55 gallon bucket with SW and a jet. I eventually got my hands on a borrowed 55 gallon aquarium that I set up in the garage (while we remodeled our home which we are still doing). With that being said, everything continued to be fine in the 55 gallon while we tiled our house and put up baseboards. We finally got the living area ready and moved back into the big tank, that was roughly a month ago.
<This is not long enough for an anemone. They need an established environment, 6 months to a year, with one year being best.>
At that time, we started adding corals, the anemone and the like. We also got our 2 fish that survived the disaster back; the goby and the blue-green reef Chromis. Sorry for the long winded explanation. We have all been through a lot lately.
<I certainly see that!>
This is another reason I'm hoping it isn't Brooklynellosis, because mentally, I'm still trying to recover from the above.
<I hate to be the one to bring you more bad news, but you will have more issues in the near future with the anemone. It is best to remove soon and find it a suitable home.>
Thank you in advance. Dawn
<You’re welcome Dawn! Good luck to you! Brenda>

Split Fin on a Clownfish    5/15/07
Howdy guys,
<Jeff>
    I have been looking through the archives you have on the site. What an amazing resource! In my searching, I haven't come across my particular issue. I have a pair of clowns that have been alone in my mature tank for 1.5 years now. The smaller of the two has suddenly developed a split in her left pectoral fin that seems to be pretty serious.
<A trauma... from another fish... a run-in with the environment?>
The fin is split most of the way down the fin, and it appears to be "rigid." The fish is barely able to move the fin, and it's always in the "fully deployed" state. Needless to say, she's sluggish, and shy. She does also appear to be breathing at a much faster pace than the other clown. As I look at the clowns, I have noticed that "her" fins appear to have much duller colors than the other clown.
<You have good vision>
There are no other visible spots, etc. Any idea what this could be?
<Non-pathogenic... a mechanical injury>
Could it be a nutritional problem?
<Not likely>
I have been lazy and skimped on the frozen food, etc. It's been mainly flakes and dried brine for a while now. Any ideas on what to check, or how to help her make a recovery?
Thanks,
Jeff
<Likely this pair are tussling... behavior to be expected... Improved, steady water quality, enhanced nutrition... Oh, have just finished putting in a week writing a cumulative piece on Clownfish Disease: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/clnfshdisart.htm
and revisiting all the pertinent FAQs... Whatcha think? Bob Fenner>

Got Man/Woman Trouble?  Nope, Clownfish Trouble  11/10/05
Dear Mr. Fenner,
<Yes?>
Two days ago I noticed a super small white something or other around the right gill area of my ocellaris. It is still there. However, yesterday I noticed a small baby pea size area of barely white (like bruised scales) on the ocellaris' body between the first white bar and the tail bar. I've also noticed both ocellaris swimming in and out of two caves and thought maybe the white patch? on its body could be scraped scales (actually hard to see unless you really concentrate).
<Possibly... or the origin thereof>
These ocellaris' are tank raised. Funny thing is, this ocellaris was not very active, sometimes hardly getting "enough" food in my opinion. Now, he (smaller of the two ocellaris) is very active, swimming around the tank more, and really going for its share of food! I've read through the FAQs and can't decide on my ocellaris' problem, hence not knowing what action to take. No velvety look, no white/ick spots, no Popeye. 
The other ocellaris is doing fine, swimming and eating. I've had these two ocellaris now for 2 years with no problems. Other inhabitants of the tank are: l half-dollar size Regal Tang, 2 Chromis, 1 diamond goby, 1 small long nose hawkfish, 1 cleaner shrimp and 2 RBTA (originally l and then a split :) ). All the other inhabitants seem to be doing well. 
<Yes...>
Tank readings: 77.5 deg., dKH 10.2, Alk. 3.66, CA 410, SG 1.026, pH 8.0/8.1. Water change every week to week-and-a-half 12 to 15 gals. for a 55 gal. tank. CPR Bak Pak Reef ready skimming tank along with EHEIM 2215 filtering the tank.
Am worried about my ocellaris and would like to take whatever action necessary to head off anything serious. Thank you for your time and looking forward to your help/advice. 
Marilyn
<Gauging from your stated conditions, types of livestock, the history... I would just try bolstering the immune system of the fish (and all else), by administering vitamins to the water and food... the former once a week, the latter daily. Bob Fenner> 

Clown with cracked fins  11/17/05
I have a saltwater tank that is established with healthy fish for over a year. Since the fish are reef friendly, I decided to slowly introduce some invertebrates. I placed a long tip anemone in the tank a little over a week ago. My maroon clown hosted immediately. He appeared to be a little rough with the anemone but QUITE happy. In any event, the anemone declined quickly and is dead or at least very close.
<Not uncommon>
My question has to do with the maroon clown who appeared to have developed some white fuzz at the tips of his
bottom fins. He also began to swish his body in the sand upon occasion. Now, the white fuzz appears to be gone from the fins but his lower and rear fins are split / cracked.  What should I do?
<Mmm, not much... if anything... out of the ordinary. Should heal in time>
Could this have been from the anemone?
<Yes, likely related>
Is there anything I can treat the water with? The only other things in the tank are a couple of gobies, a Pseudochromis, a Kole tang and some xenia. 
Thanks in advance,
Frank
<Optimized, stable water conditions, decent nutrition... Bob Fenner> 

Maroon Clown Disease/Injury
I have Maroon clown, that I've had for years, with some white fuzz or thick mucus at the bottom of one of it's gill plates. It's acting normal, not having breathing difficulties and eating fine, and none of the other fish (Eblii angel, Orchid Dottyback, Yellow Watchman Goby) are having any problems. It could be an injury because the Maroon clown gets aggressive with attacking objects in the aquarium like the heater, snails, hermit crabs, and moves little rocks around.
<Yes... a good speculation>
I also have an Emerald crab that could have pinched the clown and an urchin that could have skewered the clown if it tried to move it. Please let me know what you think. I hope I described the circumstances well enough for you. Thanks.
<I'm in agreement with your guesses... and hope that your fish will stay healthy. Bob Fenner> 

Is this an infected clown fish?
Hello,
<Hi there>
One of my three clown fish has developed an infection around the corners of it's mouth. The other two have not developed any symptoms. Initially there was what seemed to be an incision on the side of it's mouth which in the last few weeks has developed into white blemishes.  We have tried adding a solution which was sold to us by our local aquarium for the sole purpose of treating cuts and abrasions. We don't know the name as shop owner made up the solution. However this has had little to no effect. The infected skin looks as if it is peeling off, so we thought the skin could just be healing - yet it hasn't.
<Does sound like a cut/abrasion... and these can take a few weeks to heal>
He is still eating, yet lethargic. Before putting medicine in, his colouring looked faded, but has now brightened. We are unsure of what to do as it has been 14 days of using solution and overall doesn't seem to have helped. At times I thought white blemishes were healing, but more just appear.
Thank you Natasha & Simon
<I would add a purposeful vitamin mix to the fish's foods (like Selcon) and leave off with any "medicine" use here. With time, otherwise good maintenance this fish should recover. Bob Fenner>