Clownfish swimming in one spot

[timocean]

Dear Reef2Reef Community,

I run a nano cube reef tank with mostly LPS since Feb 2021. After decades of fresh water, this is my first salt water project, and it seemed to be going well so far.

I have added two ocellaris clownfish as the only fish exactly two weeks ago. While one seemed slightly off in the beginning already (sometimes stress swimming, mostly swimming in one spot, black dots, and slight fin cuts), I read here and felt that this might go off after acclimatization. But now, this fish seems to be getting a bit of a sunken belly (fetches mysis/artemia/flakes but seems to spit out most) and is swimming with some ticks almost exclusively in one spot, which is flow shaded by a frag, as seen on the attached video. The other one seems mostly fine, though is also less mobile than other clowns I have seen. The more healthy one was itching itself 2-3 times today on the sand. Nothing I would be worrying about if everything else would be normal. Corals, snails, crabs and shrimps are all doing fine.

I do weekly 10-15% water changes (last one yesterday). I have measured ammonium and KH almost daily and ammonium always comes to 0 and KH between 7 and 7.5. Salinity I have measured yesterday at 1023. Other values I have measured less frequently. From roughly a week ago, it is Nitrate 5, Nitrite 0, Phosphate 0.1, PH 8.2.

Any thoughts would be welcome.

Thanks,
Timo

 

[vetteguy53081]

Any still pics?
Can’t open video on my phone
S as by rapid breathing and loss of color?

 

[timocean]

Any still pics?
Can’t open video on my phone
S as by rapid breathing and loss of color?

thanks for the reply. the fish looks fine I believe (skin, color etc.), it is the swimming behavior which makes me worry. Breathing is also not rapid. I have attached an animated GIF in hope it works. otherwise I have also tried uploading to youtube:

 

[Koh23]

It's a clown......

If you rule out any disease or water problem, then just let it be.....

I had also questions about strange behavior, 3-4 months my ocelaris basicly lived underneath overflow box..... After many days,weeks of thinking, i just have up and let them be....

Now, they are all over the tank, and go to underneath the overflow for sleeping only. Still ignoring anemones, but i still have hope

 

[timocean]

It's a clown......

If you rule out any disease or water problem, then just let it be.....

I had also questions about strange behavior, 3-4 months my ocelaris basicly lived underneath overflow box..... After many days,weeks of thinking, i just have up and let them be....

Now, they are all over the tank, and go to underneath the overflow for sleeping only. Still ignoring anemones, but i still have hope

Thanks, happy to hear that other clowns behave equally strange. the water parameters are all fine (at least I am pretty sure), regarding a disease and potential cure, I have less clue. but if people think here, waiting is the right strategy, I am fine with that. just did not want to miss an essential treatment or something like that...

 

[Jay Hemdal]

thanks for the reply. the fish looks fine I believe (skin, color etc.), it is the swimming behavior which makes me worry. Breathing is also not rapid. I have attached an animated GIF in hope it works. otherwise I have also tried uploading to youtube:

That stiff body swimming is a definite sign there is something wrong with that clown - trouble is, it isn’t definitive for any one issue.

Watch the other clown for fighting.
Try cutting the food into smaller pieces to see if that reduces the spitting.
There isn’t much you can do to treat it in the display tank, I don’t suppose you have a treatment tank available?

Jay

 

[timocean]

That stiff body swimming is a definite sign there is something wrong with that clown - trouble is, it isn’t definitive for any one issue.

Watch the other clown for fighting.
Try cutting the food into smaller pieces to see if that reduces the spitting.
There isn’t much you can do to treat it in the display tank, I don’t suppose you have a treatment tank available?

Jay

Thanks for your hints! The two clowns occasionally get into smaller fights. very marginal only, and always/mostly initiated by the problematic one, which BTW is also slightly bigger. it is definitely not, that the other clown is bullying this one.

No, I do not have a treatment tank, but could setup one if there is hope that the fish can be cured in there. do you have a suggestion for a specific cure, or is there some general treatment?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Thanks for your hints! The two clowns occasionally get into smaller fights. very marginal only, and always/mostly initiated by the problematic one, which BTW is also slightly bigger. it is definitely not, that the other clown is bullying this one.

No, I do not have a treatment tank, but could setup one if there is hope that the fish can be cured in there. do you have a suggestion for a specific cure, or is there some general treatment?

Sorry, that’s the issue - the symptom is of a sick clown, but not if a specific disease. I don’t think it is an external parasite issue, so you could treat with metroplex and Neoplex to see if that helps address any internal issues.
Jay

 

[timocean]

Sorry, that’s the issue - the symptom is of a sick clown, but not if a specific disease. I don’t think it is an external parasite issue, so you could treat with metroplex and Neoplex to see if that helps address any internal issues.
Jay

Just read up on the meds, and discovered that people have used metroplex to cure diseases resulting in holes in the head. having a closer look at my clown, the first white stripe also seems to be a bit dented. Just took a picture which shows it somehow in an exaggerated manner. What do you think, that doesn’t look normal right?
I am running a UV filter BTW.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Just read up on the meds, and discovered that people have used metroplex to cure diseases resulting in holes in the head. having a closer look at my clown, the first white stripe also seems to be a bit dented. Just took a picture which shows it somehow in an exaggerated manner. What do you think, that doesn’t look normal right?
I am running a UV filter BTW.

The sick clown looks a bit thin to me, I think that is what is causing the "dent" in the head area.

Metroplex is used for hole in the head in freshwater fish, not saltwater (it has a different cause).

For saltwater, the idea is that maybe the fish has internal protozoans (flagellates) in the gut. The metro helps clear that.

Jay

 

[timocean]

The sick clown looks a bit thin to me, I think that is what is causing the "dent" in the head area.

Metroplex is used for hole in the head in freshwater fish, not saltwater (it has a different cause).

For saltwater, the idea is that maybe the fish has internal protozoans (flagellates) in the gut. The metro helps clear that.

Jay

Unfortunately, I could not get metroplex here in Germany, but could get Hexamor, which is against intestinal flagellates and white faeces which I notice: https://www.aquarium-munster.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/GA-HEXAMOR-AM-750400_D052021P.pdf

As it is not save for inverts, I need to setup a QT tank. Do I need to cycle that one? As the description says I have to disconnect the filter during treatment to save microorganisms, I guess cycling would not be necessary?!

The fish does not eat at all by the way. Swims by when I offer food, but does not take it in the mouth. Have tried, frozen mysis, frozen brine (also soaked in garlic), pellets and flakes as well as live daphnia.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Unfortunately, I could not get metroplex here in Germany, but could get Hexamor, which is against intestinal flagellates and white faeces which I notice: https://www.aquarium-munster.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/GA-HEXAMOR-AM-750400_D052021P.pdf

As it is not save for inverts, I need to setup a QT tank. Do I need to cycle that one? As the description says I have to disconnect the filter during treatment to save microorganisms, I guess cycling would not be necessary?!

The fish does not eat at all by the way. Swims by when I offer food, but does not take it in the mouth. Have tried, frozen mysis, frozen brine (also soaked in garlic), pellets and flakes as well as live daphnia.

I have heard of the ingredient in Hexamor, but I've never used it and it isn't listed in my reference books.

You would likely need to manage the ammonia level through water changes and ammonia reducing chemicals - that can be tricky in a small tank.

Jay

 

[timocean]

I have heard of the ingredient in Hexamor, but I've never used it and it isn't listed in my reference books.

You would likely need to manage the ammonia level through water changes and ammonia reducing chemicals - that can be tricky in a small tank.

Jay

Ok, thanks. I guess then a QT tank is not an option. The fish still does not eat, and will most likely not survive until the QT is cycled. It is still not eating and looks even thinner.
If you see any other treatment options not requiring the QT, I would be happy to learn about this. Otherwise it looks like I will face a loss…:-(
Timo

 

[timocean]

Ok, thanks. I guess then a QT tank is not an option. The fish still does not eat, and will most likely not survive until the QT is cycled. It is still not eating and looks even thinner.
If you see any other treatment options not requiring the QT, I would be happy to learn about this. Otherwise it looks like I will face a loss…:-(
Timo

Sadly and expectantly the fish now died…

So now I am wondering, how long I should wait until I can get a new companion for the remaining clown?
And then when I get it, which fish should I quarantine, the new or the old (which seems healthy to me)?

Thanks!

 

[EricR]

In your last pictures in post #9, it looked like BOTH fish have dark spots on them (just one was worse).

Is that the case? Did you ever figure out what the dark spots were?
(My first concern would be the remaining clown's health before thinking about getting another one).

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Sadly and expectantly the fish now died…

So now I am wondering, how long I should wait until I can get a new companion for the remaining clown?
And then when I get it, which fish should I quarantine, the new or the old (which seems healthy to me)?

Thanks!

That's a tough call. I would quarantine the new fish. That will take time. If, during that time, the remaining fish is still symptom free, you would be pretty safe to mix them. If the remaining fish develops a problem during that time, you would need to deal with that.

Jay

 

[timocean]

In your last pictures in post #9, it looked like BOTH fish have dark spots on them (just one was worse).

Is that the case? Did you ever figure out what the dark spots were?
(My first concern would be the remaining clown's health before thinking about getting another one).

Yes, both had dark spots. My assumption though is that these are hypermelanizations and not related to the others well being. In case you think I am wrong, pls let me know.

 

[timocean]

That's a tough call. I would quarantine the new fish. That will take time. If, during that time, the remaining fish is still symptom free, you would be pretty safe to mix them. If the remaining fish develops a problem during that time, you would need to deal with that.

Jay

Thanks, that sounds like a good suggestion. By the time I have cycled the QT and then QTed a new fish, I should notice if the remaining clown has some hidden issues. Hopefully not..