Clownfish hyperventilating... Stung by anemone or flukes?

tmcd94

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 5, 2020
Messages
201
Reaction score
184
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
My clownfish was last seen normal about 30 minutes ago, swimming around perfectly fine. Then I look back about 15 mins ago and noticed he was laying on the ground, almost like he was sleeping. I have seen him sleep like this but never in the middle of the day, so I poked him with the net and noticed he was having some difficulties. At first it looked neurologic with rapid movement and then no movement. He seemed to be coming around then would drift, and I saw his gills were flared out and rapid mouth movement. Eventually he drifted into an anemone, that he will never go near, and twitched out of control and went back to the floor. I placed him in my refugium with low flow while I am preparing a freshwater dip. I just moved him back to the display tank so I can observe him and that's when I noticed what looks like uclers/ color changes by his mouth. Hopefully the pictures can attach. Any help would be appreciated.
(Also this is my female, so any pronouns that address as he should be she)
image2 (1).jpeg
image1 (4).jpeg

 
OP
OP
tmcd94

tmcd94

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 5, 2020
Messages
201
Reaction score
184
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Her mouth looks like it was stung but research makes me want to lean towards something in her gills. Should I use a freshwater dip? No other fish demonstrate any signs of difficulty breathing.
 
OP
OP
tmcd94

tmcd94

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 5, 2020
Messages
201
Reaction score
184
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Clownfish began showing improvement and waspretty difficult to catch for the freshwater dip. Eventually did a 5-minute dip into heavily aerated RODI water and nothing was found.
Chalking this up to the dominant clownfish trying to assert dominance on the smaller clown when it was in its anemone and the anemone zapped the dominant clownfish a couple of times.
 

ScubaFish802

Just keep swimming
View Badges
Joined
Sep 5, 2020
Messages
3,066
Reaction score
12,509
Location
Vermont
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I'll tag @ReefSquad & @Jay Hemdal for advice. It does look like it was burned or something around it's mouth area.

To help the more knowledgeable people I tagged when they arrive, would you mind listing your current water parameters? How long has the tank been up and running? etc . .
 
OP
OP
tmcd94

tmcd94

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 5, 2020
Messages
201
Reaction score
184
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I'll tag @ReefSquad & @Jay Hemdal for advice. It does look like it was burned or something around it's mouth area.

To help the more knowledgeable people I tagged when they arrive, would you mind listing your current water parameters? How long has the tank been up and running? etc . .

Sure thing, Calc is 400, Alk 9.3, Nitrates 10, Ammonia 0. Water is 78.9-79.9. I purchased the current setup from someone who was getting out of the hobby about 3 months ago and moved everything from my old tank over. Altogether the tank has probably been up for 3-4 years.
 
OP
OP
tmcd94

tmcd94

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 5, 2020
Messages
201
Reaction score
184
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Also just noticed looks like her belly seems to have similar marks, and her bottom fins are constantly clamped.
 
OP
OP
tmcd94

tmcd94

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 5, 2020
Messages
201
Reaction score
184
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Clownfish is back to normal and eating. Curious to see if the clown now has the acquired antigens for the anemone.
 

vetteguy53081

Well known Member and monster tank lover
View Badges
Joined
Aug 11, 2013
Messages
91,699
Reaction score
202,427
Location
Wisconsin -
Rating - 100%
13   0   0
Ouch- appears to be bad sting. Assure water quality is good and you can add some Melafix but not necessary. Provide good diet as long as it’s eating
 
OP
OP
tmcd94

tmcd94

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 5, 2020
Messages
201
Reaction score
184
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Ouch- appears to be bad sting. Assure water quality is good and you can add some Melafix but not necessary. Provide good diet as long as it’s eating
I just completed a water change yesterday and the water is clean.

I'm glad the clown is coming around. Would have been my first casualty. Everywhere I looked online highlighted how clownfish are immune to the anemones. Must be why the clownfish decides to harass the goniopora instead of the two anemones.
 
Back
Top