Clownfish Injury

[Mike628]

Good morning everyone. Last night I noticed my two clownfish fighting (I am guessing they are trying to figure out roles/dominance). I added one, waited a week, then added another. Initially they fought and have been fine since. They’ve been together for the last week or so and have not fought anymore from what I have seen. My second addition had what appeared to be a cut last night on its body. It was grey and did not look too bad but this morning it’s turned a pink color. Any advice on what to look for or do is greatly appreciated.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Good morning everyone. Last night I noticed my two clownfish fighting (I am guessing they are trying to figure out roles/dominance). I added one, waited a week, then added another. Initially they fought and have been fine since. They’ve been together for the last week or so and have not fought anymore from what I have seen. My second addition had what appeared to be a cut last night on its body. It was grey and did not look too bad but this morning it’s turned a pink color. Any advice on what to look for or do is greatly appreciated.

Injury it is and should heal on its own. Keep an eye on area and if it gets red or sore, treat in separate tank using Seachem Neoplex

 

[Mike628]

Good morning everyone. Last night I noticed my two clownfish fighting (I am guessing they are trying to figure out roles/dominance). I added one, waited a week, then added another. Initially they fought and have been fine since. They’ve been together for the last week or so and have not fought anymore from what I have seen. My second addition had what appeared to be a cut last night on its body. It was grey and did not look too bad but this morning it’s turned a pink color. Any advice on what to look for or do is greatly appreciated.

Injury it is and should heal on its own. Keep an eye on area and if it gets red or sore, treat in separate tank using Seachem Neoplex

Sounds good. I do not have another tank set up. If I need to treat can I just pick up a small tank and use water from my display with an air stone?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Good morning everyone. Last night I noticed my two clownfish fighting (I am guessing they are trying to figure out roles/dominance). I added one, waited a week, then added another. Initially they fought and have been fine since. They’ve been together for the last week or so and have not fought anymore from what I have seen. My second addition had what appeared to be a cut last night on its body. It was grey and did not look too bad but this morning it’s turned a pink color. Any advice on what to look for or do is greatly appreciated.

I agree, it should heal on its own, as long as the fighting issue has been sorted out. Otherwise, you may need to separate the fish to keep additional damage from occurring. Clowns can be pretty sly, and may only fight when you’re out of the room.

 

[Mike628]

Good morning everyone. Last night I noticed my two clownfish fighting (I am guessing they are trying to figure out roles/dominance). I added one, waited a week, then added another. Initially they fought and have been fine since. They’ve been together for the last week or so and have not fought anymore from what I have seen. My second addition had what appeared to be a cut last night on its body. It was grey and did not look too bad but this morning it’s turned a pink color. Any advice on what to look for or do is greatly appreciated.

I agree, it should heal on its own, as long as the fighting issue has been sorted out. Otherwise, you may need to separate the fish to keep additional damage from occurring. Clowns can be pretty sly, and may only fight when you’re out of the room.

Good to know. Is there any time frame on how long it takes them to sort out their hierarchy or is it case by case? I just found it odd that they fought on the initial meet and have been fine since. What made me notice this yesterday was the other clown grabbed this one’s fin and they spiraled down to the bottom of the tank together.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Good to know. Is there any time frame on how long it takes them to sort out their hierarchy or is it case by case? I just found it odd that they fought on the initial meet and have been fine since. What made me notice this yesterday was the other clown grabbed this one’s fin and they spiraled down to the bottom of the tank together.

If that just happened yesterday, they are still fighting. Sometimes, clownfish just don’t work things out. In other cases, they develop a truce, but then start fighting again for no apparent reason.

 

[Mike628]

Good to know. Is there any time frame on how long it takes them to sort out their hierarchy or is it case by case? I just found it odd that they fought on the initial meet and have been fine since. What made me notice this yesterday was the other clown grabbed this one’s fin and they spiraled down to the bottom of the tank together.

If that just happened yesterday, they are still fighting. Sometimes, clownfish just don’t work things out. In other cases, they develop a truce, but then start fighting again for no apparent reason.

Interesting, I’ll make sure to keep an eye on them and see how it goes. How will I know if the wound becomes infected or is bothering the fish?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Interesting, I’ll make sure to keep an eye on them and see how it goes. How will I know if the wound becomes infected or is bothering the fish?

Signs of infection include the wound becoming deeper or wider, changes in color not related to healing, or widespread symptoms like not eating or rapid breathing.

 

[Mike628]

Interesting, I’ll make sure to keep an eye on them and see how it goes. How will I know if the wound becomes infected or is bothering the fish?

Signs of infection include the wound becoming deeper or wider, changes in color not related to healing, or widespread symptoms like not eating or rapid breathing.

Thank you so much for the help!

 

[Mike628]

Interesting, I’ll make sure to keep an eye on them and see how it goes. How will I know if the wound becomes infected or is bothering the fish?

Signs of infection include the wound becoming deeper or wider, changes in color not related to healing, or widespread symptoms like not eating or rapid breathing.

One more bit of information I have to add. The injured clown seems to bloat after eating? Is that just a normal thing they do or no? Doesn’t have issues swimming or anything and doesn’t act lethargic. Just bloats up.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

One more bit of information I have to add. The injured clown seems to bloat after eating? Is that just a normal thing they do or no? Doesn’t have issues swimming or anything and doesn’t act lethargic. Just bloats up.

That’s not really a symptom of anything specific - is it just over eating, or does the fish’s buoyancy change when it bloats? (Like it floats more).

 

[Mike628]

One more bit of information I have to add. The injured clown seems to bloat after eating? Is that just a normal thing they do or no? Doesn’t have issues swimming or anything and doesn’t act lethargic. Just bloats up.

That’s not really a symptom of anything specific - is it just over eating, or does the fish’s buoyancy change when it bloats? (Like it floats more).

No change in buoyancy. Acts normal and just hangs around haha. I think it might be eating too much. I feed the two clowns twice a day with a mix of mysis and brine. They eat numerous pieces and then chase the rest of the food around the tank. I’d say they get an 1/8th of a frozen cube of each kind of shrimp.