My Clownfish is Twitching

[CoralQueen]

My clownfish has gone to the corner of the tank and twitched every morning ever since I can remember (2 years). She inhabits a frogspawn so I had assumed she was probably being stung. Is this possible? Or even completely normal? I have other fish that are completely fine and the water parameters are normal. A little concerned.

 

[inactive]

Does she chatter too? My pink skunk female will come right up to my face and do the chatter-twitch-dance. She started doing it about 4 months ago, 2 months after I got her a mate.

 

[CoralQueen]

well I am not sure what you mean by chatter and it does not have a mate...i am really confused but it almost looks like it is having seizures when it occurs. For a while i had just assumed it was spazzing out randomly but I have begun to wonder if it is something more. I usually only see the end of it but this morning I saw it go on for almost half an hour and i got concerned.

 

[inactive]

Chatter: Runs her mouth together very rapidly to make a noise similar to a wood pecker. You can hear it through the tank.

 

[inactive]

YouTube - Kraylen's Reef - HD Video Test - Harlequin Shrimp

^on the :034 mark there is a little sample of what I am referring too with the clownfish.

 

[ReeferRob]

flukes

 

[CoralQueen]

no i have never heard it chatter before

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Is there another clown in the tank?

 

[CoralQueen]

nope just one

 

[inactive]

Hmmmmmmmmmm..... man I'm stumped. I thought I found someone else with a clown as crazy as mine.

 

[XCrunnr36]

my picasso does something very similar... he will lay down in the corner and kick sand around but it's also where he sleeps every night so i've always just assumed he was grooming his bed. (but then again mine doesn't host in anything)


What's the clowns activity level like during the day?

 

[CoralQueen]

its an ocellaris if that has any significance to the behavior

 

[CoralQueen]

it is an extremely active swimmer, swimming all over the entire tank with no strange behavior other than what has been mentioned

 

[ReeferRob]

Is he chilly?

 

[XCrunnr36]

my guess is that he is just grooming his bed as i said mine does... i'll try and get a shot or a video of mine doing it so you can compare.

I tend to base my fish's health off of how they act during their daytime... i can't tell you the number of times i have nearly had a heart attack because my clown was completely laying on his side sleeping.

 

[CoralQueen]

i dont think it is chilly since the temperature stays pretty consistent at 78 degreese and im not sure that it could be grooming its bed because it does not go to the bottom in the corner but rather just halfway between the top and bottom. I would still like to see a video to compare the behaviors and I may be able to get my boyfriend to take a video as well. It is very strange that she also only does it in the morning and not all day long.

 

[XCrunnr36]

ahhh well then that does sound slightly different than what i've been seeing...


trying to get a video but my clown just thought i was there to hang out so he bolted up to greet me...

 

[ReeferRob]

I was joking about being chilly. But I would look into flukes. I've heard that the fish with shake and shiver from the parasite irritating it. Also in displays of dominance but that doesn't sound to be the issue.

 

[CoralQueen]

haha sounds like the same problem I am going to have when i try to take a video tomorrow morning

i didn't realize you were joking haha sorry and i also wasn't sure what you meant by flukes earlier i have never heard of them before

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

My clowns will twitch their bodies, especially when a new fish is added.