Heartbroken - Mating Female Black Storm Clown Suddenly Dead

[Brit’s Fish]

I am so sad. When I went to feed my fish this morning, I found my beautiful female Black Storm clown dead with the CUC doing what they do. Just yesterday, she was doing fine. I have been looking at them fairly closely every day because she and her mate have been breeding on a really regular basis. Their last clutch hatched last week and they’d already laid new eggs by Sunday. They’ve been actively laying eggs for at least 1 1/2 months now, maybe longer.
The male is still doing a good job, cleaning the eggs and guarding them but I can’t imagine what could have happened to her!
I haven’t seen any bullying and I’ve been trying to stay away from their little area because of the fact that they’ve been protecting their eggs.
Does anyone have any thoughts on what could have happened? Is this something that happens when clownfish are breeding?
All the other fish are doing fine, I just did a water change last week and all parameters are stable. She looked completely fine yesterday and ate as usual. Unfortunately, the CUC had already done so much work on her remains that I can’t tell if there were any injuries.
Other tank mates besides her mate:
1 Regal Blue Tang - 6” or so
1 Tomini Tang - 4”
1 Blue Sided Fairy Wrasse supermale - 6”
1 Allen’s Damsel - 3”
1 Banggai Cardinal
2 Blue Green Chromis - 1 1/2” each
2 Red Firefish
1 Blue Lined Neon Goby
1 Yellow Watchman Goby and Tiger Pistol Shrimp

Also, here’s a video of them from a couple weeks ago. I thought they looked pretty healthy but maybe I missed something. I may never get an answer but I wish I could figure out what happened!

 

[Brit’s Fish]

Bump… anyone know if clowns can be egg bound too? This last clutch was a little smaller than the others. Just wracking my brain trying to figure out what could have happened.

 

[Uncle99]

I’ve seen the rare case of abdomens opening up when carrying/depositing eggs which would be fatal.
Have no idea whatsoever how that happens….a blockage?
Sad.
Sorry for your loss.

 

[Brit’s Fish]

I’ve seen the rare case of abdomens opening up when carrying/depositing eggs which would be fatal.
Have no idea whatsoever how that happens….a blockage?
Sad.
Sorry for your loss.

Thank you. Oh man, I hope that’s not what happened to her. That sounds awful.

 

[Uncle99]

Thank you. Oh man, I hope that’s not what happened to her. That sounds awful.

Sorry, it’s rare.
They look perfect in that video.
If they are laying eggs, they are very happy and unstressed.
Sometimes, there’s no apparent reason, or at least what we can see.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I am so sad. When I went to feed my fish this morning, I found my beautiful female Black Storm clown dead with the CUC doing what they do. Just yesterday, she was doing fine. I have been looking at them fairly closely every day because she and her mate have been breeding on a really regular basis. Their last clutch hatched last week and they’d already laid new eggs by Sunday. They’ve been actively laying eggs for at least 1 1/2 months now, maybe longer.
The male is still doing a good job, cleaning the eggs and guarding them but I can’t imagine what could have happened to her!
I haven’t seen any bullying and I’ve been trying to stay away from their little area because of the fact that they’ve been protecting their eggs.
Does anyone have any thoughts on what could have happened? Is this something that happens when clownfish are breeding?
All the other fish are doing fine, I just did a water change last week and all parameters are stable. She looked completely fine yesterday and ate as usual. Unfortunately, the CUC had already done so much work on her remains that I can’t tell if there were any injuries.
Other tank mates besides her mate:
1 Regal Blue Tang - 6” or so
1 Tomini Tang - 4”
1 Blue Sided Fairy Wrasse supermale - 6”
1 Allen’s Damsel - 3”
1 Banggai Cardinal
2 Blue Green Chromis - 1 1/2” each
2 Red Firefish
1 Blue Lined Neon Goby
1 Yellow Watchman Goby and Tiger Pistol Shrimp

Also, here’s a video of them from a couple weeks ago. I thought they looked pretty healthy but maybe I missed something. I may never get an answer but I wish I could figure out what happened!

Can be a few things
Did clown start to lose appetite?
Any heavy breathing ?

Its possible eggs were still within the clown and caused issues internally but would have been consumed by CUC before you could tell.
Sorry to hear

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Sry to read. Look healthy and active in vid

 

[Brit’s Fish]

Can be a few things
Did clown start to lose appetite?
Any heavy breathing ?

Its possible eggs were still within the clown and caused issues internally but would have been consumed by CUC before you could tell.
Sorry to hear

She seemed fine & she was eating normally. I would even spend a little extra time making sure they got food right in their area so that they didn’t need to go too far away from their eggs to eat. I hadn’t noticed any heavy breathing. She and her mate were just protecting their eggs as usual.
If another fish killed her somehow, I would think that fish would still be bullying the male, right? I see the damsel bickering with the chromis sometimes & I know that they’re all in the same “family” as clowns. Maybe they ganged up and stressed her out? I just feel so bad that she’s gone and her mate is all alone, keeping watch over their babies.

 

[vetteguy53081]

She seemed fine & she was eating normally. I would even spend a little extra time making sure they got food right in their area so that they didn’t need to go too far away from their eggs to eat. I hadn’t noticed any heavy breathing. She and her mate were just protecting their eggs as usual.
If another fish killed her somehow, I would think that fish would still be bullying the male, right? I see the damsel bickering with the chromis sometimes & I know that they’re all in the same “family” as clowns. Maybe they ganged up and stressed her out? I just feel so bad that she’s gone and her mate is all alone, keeping watch over their babies.

Upon your mentioning, it is highly unusual with protection of male but when eggs were bweing layed, possible that damsel was harrassing her to get to the eggs?

 

[Brit’s Fish]

Upon your mentioning, it is highly unusual with protection of male but when eggs were bweing layed, possible that damsel was harrassing her to get to the eggs?

You know, the more I think about it, I think it might have been the damsel. Now that the female is gone, he’s hanging over on that end of the tank more - which is something he never did before. I can tell that he’s been digging a burrow right under where the eggs are since last night as well. That damsel is gorgeous but I’m going to get rid of him if he’s going to do stuff like this. I really really loved this pair of clowns.

 

[vetteguy53081]

You know, the more I think about it, I think it might have been the damsel. Now that the female is gone, he’s hanging over on that end of the tank more - which is something he never did before. I can tell that he’s been digging a burrow right under where the eggs are since last night as well. That damsel is gorgeous but I’m going to get rid of him if he’s going to do stuff like this. I really really loved this pair of clowns.

Would have been my prime suspect