Clownfish still breathing heavy

Kapachuka3

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I already have another thread like this but the problem has not gone away. My clownfish is still breathing heavy even though i have done two water changes and gotten some phosphates out of the tank. Im starting to think its just weird clownfish behavior cause everything else in my tank is fine.

 

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I already have another thread like this but the problem has not gone away. My clownfish is still breathing heavy even though i have done two water changes and gotten some phosphates out of the tank. Im starting to think its just weird clownfish behavior cause everything else in my tank is fine.

I would not regard this as heavy and comparable to my clowns I have now. I do run an air stone in tank to assure surface agitation and may be delivering additional oxygen.
Addition of airstone may assure the same for you
 

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I already have another thread like this but the problem has not gone away. My clownfish is still breathing heavy even though i have done two water changes and gotten some phosphates out of the tank. Im starting to think its just weird clownfish behavior cause everything else in my tank is fine.

Over the past 10 days you have started multiple threads regarding your clownfish. This makes diagnostic help difficult to provide because of the inability to trace whatever has happened.
You also have received recommendations to treat with copper due to possible parasites.

If you want help, please provide a thorough, blow by blow recap of everything that has happened, including whether you followed any of the advice previously offered.
 

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I already have another thread like this but the problem has not gone away. My clownfish is still breathing heavy even though i have done two water changes and gotten some phosphates out of the tank. Im starting to think its just weird clownfish behavior cause everything else in my tank is fine.

I don't count the number of times the fish opens and closes its mouth. I count the number of times the gill cover (operculum) open and close. This count doesn't seem to be unusual to me.
 
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Kapachuka3

Kapachuka3

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I don't count the number of times the fish opens and closes its mouth. I count the number of times the gill cover (operculum) open and close. This count doesn't seem to be unusual to me.
Ok thanks. That makes me feel better
 

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I already have another thread like this but the problem has not gone away. My clownfish is still breathing heavy even though i have done two water changes and gotten some phosphates out of the tank. Im starting to think its just weird clownfish behavior cause everything else in my tank is fine.


I think I weighed in on the other thread. It's always best to stick with the same thread, I may end up covering the same ground here.

This clown is breathing fast, I ran a few counts from the video and tried to average them, all were above 150 gill beats per minute, and one group was at 180 BPM. Normal clownfish should be under 120 BPM, and not so labored as this.

Here is some text I wrote about rates:

Aquarists are warned throughout this book that rapid breathing in their fish as a symptom of potential problems, yet few know just what “rapid” is. Obviously, fish kept in warmer water or those with gill disease will respire more rapidly. Actively swimming fish respire faster than sedentary ones. Less obvious is that larger fish respire more slowly and, in some cases, high ammonia levels will cause a fish to respire more slowly than normal. While there is some difference between species, (Chinese algae eaters will breathe twice as fast as any other fish their size) most tropical fish of the size kept in smaller aquariums should breathe at a rate of between 70 and 120 gill beats per minute. Relative respiration rate is the most important value – capturing the respiration rate of your fish when they are known to be healthy, gives you a baseline to compare to if you later suspect a problem. Not having this baseline data is an issue for newly acquired fish, so using the information below may serve as a secondary reference.


Fish may exhibit a variety of respiration forms in addition to the actual rate itself:

Rapid mouth open respiration
– may be a sign of gill disease or toxic compounds in the water.
Rapid, shallow respiration – may be signs as above, or just a result of high activity level.
Rapid, deep respiration - possible chronic gill disease or anemia.
Coughing – a result of high levels of particulates in the water, or gill parasites.
Gasping at surface – usually seen in freshwater fish under low oxygen conditions. Marine fish will usually not show this symptom, even if they have respiratory issues.
Facing into water flow – This is how marine fish often respond to respiratory issues.
Slow, deep respiration – may be normal, or a sign of ammonia toxicity.
Slow, shallow respiration – normal for most fishes.

Jay
 
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Kapachuka3

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I think I weighed in on the other thread. It's always best to stick with the same thread, I may end up covering the same ground here.

This clown is breathing fast, I ran a few counts from the video and tried to average them, all were above 150 gill beats per minute, and one group was at 180 BPM. Normal clownfish should be under 120 BPM, and not so labored as this.

Here is some text I wrote about rates:

Aquarists are warned throughout this book that rapid breathing in their fish as a symptom of potential problems, yet few know just what “rapid” is. Obviously, fish kept in warmer water or those with gill disease will respire more rapidly. Actively swimming fish respire faster than sedentary ones. Less obvious is that larger fish respire more slowly and, in some cases, high ammonia levels will cause a fish to respire more slowly than normal. While there is some difference between species, (Chinese algae eaters will breathe twice as fast as any other fish their size) most tropical fish of the size kept in smaller aquariums should breathe at a rate of between 70 and 120 gill beats per minute. Relative respiration rate is the most important value – capturing the respiration rate of your fish when they are known to be healthy, gives you a baseline to compare to if you later suspect a problem. Not having this baseline data is an issue for newly acquired fish, so using the information below may serve as a secondary reference.


Fish may exhibit a variety of respiration forms in addition to the actual rate itself:

Rapid mouth open respiration
– may be a sign of gill disease or toxic compounds in the water.
Rapid, shallow respiration – may be signs as above, or just a result of high activity level.
Rapid, deep respiration - possible chronic gill disease or anemia.
Coughing – a result of high levels of particulates in the water, or gill parasites.
Gasping at surface – usually seen in freshwater fish under low oxygen conditions. Marine fish will usually not show this symptom, even if they have respiratory issues.
Facing into water flow – This is how marine fish often respond to respiratory issues.
Slow, deep respiration – may be normal, or a sign of ammonia toxicity.
Slow, shallow respiration – normal for most fishes.

Jay
Thank you, how would i get rid of gill disease, as i have tested my water and the only thing that is high is phosphates and i have learned that they do not affect fish all that much.
 

Jay Hemdal

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Thank you, how would i get rid of gill disease, as i have tested my water and the only thing that is high is phosphates and i have learned that they do not affect fish all that much.

Well, that's the issue; gill disease have a variety of causes. Some can be medicated for, others simply cannot be treated.

In the video, the clown also looks a bit fat - is that a function of the angle you took the video, or is it that thick?
Do you have a treatment tank where you can dose copper?

Jay
 
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Kapachuka3

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Well, that's the issue; gill disease have a variety of causes. Some can be medicated for, others simply cannot be treated.

In the video, the clown also looks a bit fat - is that a function of the angle you took the video, or is it that thick?
Do you have a treatment tank where you can dose copper?

Jay
Any updates on the clowns?
The clown is that thick, I don’t have a tank where i can does copper, I just find it weird that the clown is the one acting up because all of my other fish are acting fine.
 

Jay Hemdal

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I’m worried the clown may have a systemic liver or kidney issue that is causing edema, making it look fat and to breath fast. This cannot be treated though…
Jay
 
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Kapachuka3

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I’m worried the clown may have a systemic liver or kidney issue that is causing edema, making it look fat and to breath fast. This cannot be treated though…
Jay
Ok thank you, im hoping my clown lives through it. I just find it very strange that it is eating and swimming around still.
 
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Kapachuka3

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Jay Hemdal

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Nevermind, he just passed away. Sorry to bother you.

Sorry to hear. Given the time frame here, it was a chronic issue, and if it was kidney or liver failure, there wouldn't have been any treatment.

I tried to review the videos again, but they were "unavailable". If there are other fish in the tank and those have had no symptoms, I do think you can rule out infectious disease, water quality or diet, since the other fish would have been exposed as well. If this clown was a singleton, then just beware that the same issue *could* be lurking for any new fish.

Jay
 
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Kapachuka3

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Sorry to hear. Given the time frame here, it was a chronic issue, and if it was kidney or liver failure, there wouldn't have been any treatment.

I tried to review the videos again, but they were "unavailable". If there are other fish in the tank and those have had no symptoms, I do think you can rule out infectious disease, water quality or diet, since the other fish would have been exposed as well. If this clown was a singleton, then just beware that the same issue *could* be lurking for any new fish.

Jay
Ok thank you, yeah the other fish i have are acting normal and fine.
 

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