LongFin Ocellaris dents in side of head

[dadnjesse]

My ocellaris Clownfish has dents in both sides of his head. Is this normal?

 

[Idech]

#fishmedic

 

[Sharkbait19]

That looks rather typical of the deformities you see in a lot of the really inbred clownfish. Nothing that will cause it harm, but it may have a weird look even as it grows.
As a side note, the fish is a little thin, so fattening it up a bit may help too.

 

[dadnjesse]

He hasn't had an appetite that why I asked about it.

 

[Sharkbait19]

Is it a new fish? Sometimes they take a while to adjust to a new tank.
Otherwise aggression can keep a fish from eating.

 

[MoshJosh]

Yeah, I am in agreement with shark, putting some meat on its bones may help, fish looking pretty thin to me.

 

[dadnjesse]

It is new, I bought it from Dr reef. It was supposed to ship then he sent me a message that it didn't pass his Quarentine. A week later he shipped it. That also has me concered that the fish didn't pass the first time

 

[JAS927]

I have a sebae with dents on each side of his head also.

 

[dadnjesse]

I have a sebae with dents on each side of his head also.

Thanks

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Thanks

What foods are you feeding it?

Can you feed small amounts multiple times a day.

 

[dadnjesse]

I feed 3 times a day, usually Mysis but since Feb 8th when I recieved him I have tried pellets and flake. He would take a bite of Mysis and then spit it out, I figured he was eating a piece and spitting the rest out but he hasn't done that in 2 days.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I feed 3 times a day, usually Mysis but since Feb 8th when I recieved him I have tried pellets and flake. He would take a bite of Mysis and then spit it out, I figured he was eating a piece and spitting the rest out but he hasn't done that in 2 days.

That's not a good sign; the fish must have some internal problem that is keeping it from eating normally. Can you get live baby brine shrimp to try that?

Maybe try cutting the mysids into smaller pieces to see if it will eat those?

Jay

 

[dadnjesse]

I will try the baby brine

 

[dadnjesse]

I tried baby brine shrimp he's still not eating. he now has a string of some sort hanging on him

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I tried baby brine shrimp he's still not eating. he now has a string of some sort hanging on him

O.K., the string is mucus. That can come from starvation of the fish itself (as has been noted, this clown is REALLY thin). It can also be caused by internal protozoan infections, such as Hexamita. Trouble is, the best treatment for that would be an oral medication, and of course that won't work in a fish that isn't eating.

I'm really sorry, but there is not likely to be a good outcome here. If you have a treatment tank, you could trying dosing the water with Metroplex, the fish may absorb enough of that to treat any internal protozoans.

Jay

 

[dadnjesse]

I do have another tank. Can my other Fish catch what he has?

 

[dadnjesse]

I moved him to another spare tank I had and ordered some metroplex. Although it will be another two days before that comes.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I moved him to another spare tank I had and ordered some metroplex. Although it will be another two days before that comes.

Ugh - shipping time can really affect the outcome with these severe issues, but fingers crossed!