Fish are dying

[zbat]

Went to check on fish last night after getting home and my pair of clowns were laying on the sand bed gasping for oxygen. One passed away around 3am last night but the other is still fighting as on 1pm today. So what happened was that i purchased a tail spot blenny last week, he wasn’t eating and passed away, since he hid a lot i did not find him until Friday afternoon (Don’t know how long he was dead in the tank). We had the ammonia spike so i did a couple water changes to bring it back down. I don’t know what to do about this last clownfish because he’s still fighting for his life, but still on the bottom of he tank, gasping and trying to swim. Please help me find a way to help him, or if its too late.

 

[Sebastiancrab]

Need water parameters and pictures taken in white light. @fishmedic

 

[Sharkbait19]

Agreed
Closeup shots under white light would help a lot.
It’s possible you have a dissolved oxygen problem, or that the blenny brought in an infection.

 

[Sebastiancrab]

I suggest you put in an air stone and add some Seachem Prime or Polyfilter until we get a diagnosis. A quick killer parasite is velvet but without good pictures, no one can opine on the problem. Also, need to know age of tank.

 

[LAReefer4Life]

I suggest you put in an air stone and add some Seachem Prime or Polyfilter until we get a diagnosis. A quick killer parasite is velvet but without good pictures, no one can opine on the problem. Also, need to know age of tank.

+1

 

[zbat]

I added seachem prime this morning and am in the process of rechecking parameters right now

 

[zbat]

I added seachem prime this morning and am in the process of rechecking parameters right now

Let me know if picture is too low quality

 

[LAReefer4Life]

Let me know if picture is too low quality

Yes very hard to see anything. Also its best to take photos under white light.

 

[zbat]

Yes very hard to see anything. Also its best to take photos under white light.

Pic under white light, and he has moved

 

[Sebastiancrab]

Does your glass need cleaning? Picture still not clear enough. Do you have Rally Pro or Hydroplex? In the event it is a parasite, a dip with either one would help kill the bug and give some immediate relief. Are you set up with a hospital tank? Were the fish quarantined prior to adding them to your tank?

 

[WisReef]

How old is the tank?

What did your ammonia spike to the other day? Current parameters are needed. Are the clowns the only current inhabitants?

 

[zbat]

Tank is currently at ammonia 0 since water changes last night. Nitrite is also 0. pH is 8. Nitrate is at 5ppm. All conditions were stable and WNL until the Benny died. The glass could use a scrub towards the bottom but I don’t want to disturb the clownfish. I also just dosed with microbe-lift herbtana in case it was a parasite. Water flow has been changed to aerate the tank better and are using the power head to direct it toward him.

If it is ammonia poisoning do you have any ideas on how to help? What to do to help in the meantime? He is more active and is starting to swim in bursts but is still at the bottom of the tank. This however is similar to what happened to the last clownfish before he passed last night. He would swim around, go the surface, stop, then slowly sink down to the bottom where he stayed until he did it all over again. This repeated until he finally passed. Should I be nervous he’s being more active?

 

[zbat]

In this 20 gal tank, we had a white storm (passed today at 3am - removed from tank), tailspot blenny (passed - removed from tank Friday), and a black storm who is not doing well. We also have an anenome, corals, clean up crew (hermits, snails, conch).

 

[zbat]

When I first noticed fish struggling ammonia was at 0.5ppm

 

[Sebastiancrab]

No, I don't think you should be more nervous if he is more active. But we still don't know what the problem is. Better pictures are still needed. I have not heard of anyone using this natural remedy to treat a parasite.

 

[zbat]

He’s beaten his fins up against the rocks and is usually a vibrant white.

 

[eqbal9947]

I would try an air stone first

 

[zbat]

Also, forgot to share, these fish have been around since September in a 36 gallon tank. Downsized to a 20 gallon in February. Cycled for just over a month with starter bacteria until full nitrogen cycle completed and all ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate were 0.

 

[Sharkbait19]

I’m not seeing any parasites. Seems hard to believe that a blenny dying would cause a large spike unless it was left to decompose for a while.
For now I would remove the fish to a separate qt tank if possible and provide it with extra aeration via an airstone.

 

[zbat]

I’m not seeing any parasites. Seems hard to believe that a blenny dying would cause a large spike unless it was left to decompose for a while.
For now I would remove the fish to a separate qt tank if possible and provide it with extra aeration via an airstone.

The Blenny often hid in rocks so its possible it was dead for a day and we only discovered the body on Friday around 6pm.